Now that we’ve decided to stay another day, what do we do with it?

We had been trying to figure out how to work in a scheduled beach day during this trip, ideally once a week. Our initial plans had us stopping for a beach day in Cat Ba, Ko Samui, and possibly Langkawi, but Cat Ba was a bit chilly, and we skipped Ko Samui and Langkawi in an effort to optimize travel time. Even after yesterday’s jellyfish, my prospects for a sunny day with swimming and fruity beverages were surely shot.

Given this extra day, we knew what we had to do.

In the morning, we bought our plane tickets for tomorrow, and did some research on public beaches. We discovered a resort that had a deal where you pay $10 for pool access, and receive $8 bar / restaurant credit. We grabbed a few iced white coffees (coffee beans roasted in palm oil margarine, served sweet) and walked to the Komtar tower where we hoped to find our bus. We took the now familiar 101 bus to the ParkRoyal hotel, and settled in for the day.

There’s not much to write about with experiences like this- it was essentially a lazy day of sitting around and enjoying ourselves. There was swimming, waterslides, a tequila sunrise, and a mountain sunset.

Jessie’s appetite seemed to kick in after being upset yesterday, so around six o’clock, we walked to the nearby food court, where we ate dishes from Indian and Chinese vendors. Of note, we had a masala paratha, which is a kind of flatbread folded around a kind of gravy.

After dinner, we returned to the beach to watch the sun set, all the while surrounded by people offering horse rides, parasailing, and jet skis. There were also many families and couples enjoying the evening as well.

Once it got dark, we returned home on the same bus. Once we got off, we walked back through the Kimberley Street night market, grabbing one last bowl of Penang Laksa for me, and a plate of Char Kway Teow for Jessie.

This is our last night in Malaysia. Tomorrow, we’re on to Singapore, and then we start our trip home!