The view of Rawa's beach from our balcony
Rawa Island is a remote little paradise off the west coast of Malaysia. We first heard about this gem while vacationing in Jamaica this past July. An executive from Exxon Mobil raved about the beach on Rawa and said it was his favorite place to vacation when he lived in Singapore. So, Joe and I decided to give it a whirl.
Our journey to Rawa began with an early morning taxi ride that took us three hours north of Singapore to the port of Mersing in Malaysia. The border crossing between Singapore and Malaysia is very impressive and efficient. Once we got to Malaysia, we switched cars. For some reason, taxi companies don't drive Singapore-registered cars through Malaysia, so we had to switch to a Malaysian car. The difference between the two cars was comical. In Singapore, we were picked up by a really nice, clean car with tinted windows. Our Malaysian car was a taxi that must have been built before 1980... it looked like it was falling apart and didn't have seat belts. I panicked a little bit because I was worried about getting stranded in the middle of nowhere, but I didn't let this fear get in the way of our adventure.
Our journey to Rawa began with an early morning taxi ride that took us three hours north of Singapore to the port of Mersing in Malaysia. The border crossing between Singapore and Malaysia is very impressive and efficient. Once we got to Malaysia, we switched cars. For some reason, taxi companies don't drive Singapore-registered cars through Malaysia, so we had to switch to a Malaysian car. The difference between the two cars was comical. In Singapore, we were picked up by a really nice, clean car with tinted windows. Our Malaysian car was a taxi that must have been built before 1980... it looked like it was falling apart and didn't have seat belts. I panicked a little bit because I was worried about getting stranded in the middle of nowhere, but I didn't let this fear get in the way of our adventure.
Palm plantations along the highway in Malaysia
Our drive through the Malaysian countryside was both beautiful and gut-wrenching. On the positive side, lush, green palm tree plantations lined the highway and gave us a breathtaking view. I kept thinking how different the sight was compared to the cornfields and soybean fields of the midwest. On the negative side, our driver had no fear and drove like a bat out of hell. He weaved in and out of traffic as he passed cars on the two-lane road, gunning the poor engine that sounded like it would blow up. To make things worse, the road was very windy, and every time our driver took a turn he drifted over into the opposite lane. Joe managed to fall asleep on our drive, but I was too nervous to shut my eyes.
Boarding our speedboat in Mersing
Despite the dangerous ride, we made it safely to Mersing Port where we boarded a speedboat that took us to Rawa Island. Rawa is about 30 minutes away from Mersing. While the ride was a little choppy, the view along the way was spectacular.
As we approached Rawa, I could see why the executive from Exxon had fallen in love with the island. The island is very small with a tiny stretch of beach. The beach has bright white sand that is as soft as powder and clear aqua water.
As we approached Rawa, I could see why the executive from Exxon had fallen in love with the island. The island is very small with a tiny stretch of beach. The beach has bright white sand that is as soft as powder and clear aqua water.
 Rawa's pier and waterslide |  Our private bungalow on the beach |  Our bedroom |
Our tropical setting
The best thing about Rawa is that it is extremely undeveloped and the island's wildlife has been largely undisturbed. It was neat to visit a so-called raw island where civilization hasn't totally commercialized every inch. Rawa doesn't have a town with stores... there are only two very basic hotels. Alang's Rawa is sort of a beach bum hangout where people can camp on the beach or stay in a bungalow that doesn't have air conditioning or hot water. Rawa Safaris is the island's resort, with slightly better accommodations.
Sweaty, but happy!
We stayed at Rawa Safaris... and I say slightly better accommodations because the resort is old and some of the rooms need some major renovations. Joe and I rented a private bungalow on the beach (see photo above) that had an amazing view. However, it needed some work. The air conditioning in our room did not work well and provided no relief from the hot, humid weather. This made for a very uncomfortable night of sleep (yes, we are spoiled and admit it!). The floorboards were not sealed well, so we could see the beach through the cracks. And the bathroom needs a major overhaul.
However, given that the point of a beach vacation is to actually spend it on the beach, we took the bad with the good and enjoyed our time on the resort. We gave in to the fact that we would be a sweaty, sticky messes throughout our vacation. And, after experiencing this, I have to admit it was kind of fun being disconnected from society and grubby like children. It's a liberating feeling to enjoy yourself without worrying about your appearance (I'm sure everyone else on the resort felt this way!).
However, given that the point of a beach vacation is to actually spend it on the beach, we took the bad with the good and enjoyed our time on the resort. We gave in to the fact that we would be a sweaty, sticky messes throughout our vacation. And, after experiencing this, I have to admit it was kind of fun being disconnected from society and grubby like children. It's a liberating feeling to enjoy yourself without worrying about your appearance (I'm sure everyone else on the resort felt this way!).
Daisy the resort's dog
And a Lopez vacation wouldn't be complete without befriending the local creatures. In this case, Daisy the resort's beagle (and no, I didn't name her... this was her real name!) took a liking to us. In fact, the first day we had lunch on the resort, she followed us back to our bungalow. It was really cute because we couldn't tell if she was going to walk the entire way with us, but ended up running up to our porch before we even got there! Perhaps she could smell our stuff in the room.
Our first day on Rawa ended with a relaxing mix of frolicking in the ocean, relaxing on our porch, and enjoying the view of the ocean. It was a needed getaway from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road!
Our first day on Rawa ended with a relaxing mix of frolicking in the ocean, relaxing on our porch, and enjoying the view of the ocean. It was a needed getaway from the hustle and bustle of Orchard Road!
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