beaches of kuantan - chendor beach (1)

we have fond and wonderful memories of the times we spent at the beaches of kuantan.

first was our experience at chendor beach, which is about 45km outside kuantan and 10 km north of cherating. i remember we stayed in some budget accommodation at cherating. we were there in september, with the sole aim of watching the leatherback turtles coming onto the beach to lay eggs.

there were 3 families, with four children altogether. at nightfall, we were told to wait in our rooms. when a turtle was sighted, the hotel operator would send someone to our rooms to alert us.

they did, at 2 a.m. we were all awakened and, in our sleepy state and pajamas, we ran on the sand after the hotel personnel for nearly 2 km. in our haste and excitement, we almost forgot to lock the rooms. those of you who have tried running on sand will know how much more strenuous it is compared to running on a track or the road. there was already a crowd at the site.

in the dark, we could make out a giant turtle digging a pit with its flippers. the turtle watchers did not seem to have any feelings for the turtle at all. some were shining their huge torches directly at the poor animal as the turtle prepared itself for the big lay. we had been briefed to avoid loud noise and sudden movements in order not to disturb the process.

after the turtle had laid its eggs, it would cover the spot with sand before making its way back to the sea. this one did not get a chance to lay its eggs. when it decided to return to the sea, some of them tried to stop it from doing so. some sat on the shell of the giant leatherback and some tried forcefully to turn it landwards.

the next day, when we were at the local market, we saw turtle eggs being sold openly. at that time, the conservation law was still not in place.