Malaysia — Desaru Beach, Bandar Penawar, 81900 Kota Tinggi, Johor, Malaysia
Going to the beach in Malaysia
May 2015
I decided to revisit Desaru Beach, about 90 minutes from where I lived in Malaysia.
The beach is almost due east of Johor Bahru, and the drive is along a fast, straight bit of toll road.
The beach is the closest sandy beach to Johor Bahru. All the beaches on the west coast, and those closer to Johor Bahru, are mud-flats or Mangrove swamps.
Desaru beach is an interesting place because, on my two visits, I have hardly seen anyone around. Where are all the people? Why does no one go to the beach? What do they know that I don’t? It is kind of spooky.
Before the beach area, there is a cluster of small cafés and shops.
The shops sell everything you would expect at the seaside — buckets, spades, footballs, inflatables etc.
There is something odd about the place, though. It is too quiet? Where is everyone? Maybe it is the time of day I get there, typically around 11 am.
The beach is spectacular, with golden sand and palm trees stretching off as far as the eyes can see.
However, the beach is blighted by rubbish, with both rubbish just dumped on the beach and material washed in by the sea.
The beach does look good, and the sea looks inviting.
When I visited, three or four families were on the beach, and the kids seemed to like playing in the surf.
However, there were some mysterious figures in black lurking along the beach.
It turned out it was the army… Why?
A fun day out. The weather was hot and sunny, and the beach was deserted.
