Pantai Kerachut is located at the northwest of Penang Island, unspoiled and not known to that many people; therefore, it is a great place for a serene day out at a beach. Pantai means "beach" in Malay language, by the way. It is one of six beaches in Penang National Park.
Kissing my bed goodbye at 6am on a lovely Saturday morning, after a tiring week of work, was no kidding. What was worse was that I went to bed at nearly 3am the night before (the night?? I think it's more suitable to be called the morning!!), after a crazy night shopping at Batu Feringghi with Erny and Wanchee. My alarm on my mobile woke me up anyway. After picking up EngLee and Wanchee, we went straight to the Casuarina Hotel to pick up Erny. By that time, it was 7:30am, but everyone was still yawning, and our faces looked as if we haven't been sleeping for the entire week. We had a quick breakfast at Teluk Bahang (noodles at 7:30am -- Erny said it was crazy) and headed straight off to the starting point of the hike. Yes. To arrive at Pantai Kerachut, we had to hike. We felt much more energetic after having a hot teh tarik.
The last time I went to Pantai Kerachut was nearly three years ago, with a group of friends. It took us three to four hours to hike there. Therefore, we thought it would be a much better idea to hire a boat for the return journey. After checking with a couple of fishermen, the boatman asked for RM$60 (approximately USD$16). It is expensive to take a boat one-way for RM$60. The last trip, we only paid RM$3 per person. This time, it was RM$15 per person.
The tracks have been improved compared to three years ago. Signboards are placed; therefore, it is not difficult to follow the path to get to the few destinations. Turning right after the hanging bridge would bring us to Muka Head, where the lighthouse is; however, we were heading to Pantai Kerachut, so we took the left turn. Along the way, stone steps were laid, and some very old tree roots make natural steps. It was very quiet -- not many people were there that morning. We met an old man and a German couple. The ground was a little wet because it was raining in the night. The rain made the forest very fresh, though. The leaves were lush green. Tall, huge trees stood proudly in the rain forest. Huge ferns grow everywhere. Some stones were covered with moss. Some trees were fallen, and many herbs grow along the path; however, I was not able to recognise them. We met a strange-looking tortoise on the way. The shell of the tortoise was sharp, and it was a bright-brown-with-orange tone in colour. There was only the sound of monkeys, insects, and water flowing. The feeling was excellent.
After a 1.5 hour hike/walk, we arrived at the beach, Pantai Kerachut. I was a little surprised because, as I mentioned, my previous trip took me a three to four hour hike along a tougher path. The current path laid is much simpler and so much shorter. There was a group of people camping. They were at one end of the beach, so we went to the other end and felt like the entire beach belonged to us. Seriously. There is no food or drink sold on this beach; therefore, it is essential to bring our own drinks and lunch. We had sandwiches and snacks for lunch. Before that, we did something heroic! We saved a jellyfish stuck on the beach! Unbelievable -- who on earth would want to save a jellyfish? However, it was a life, anyway. This jellyfish was definitely not a normal one, at least not the size. Till now, I had not thought of the reason why we saved the jellyfish, but I am glad we did. It is a shame, though, that we were not able to swim in the sea because of the jellyfish.
Pantai Kerachut is also a turtle hatchery for the Green Sea Turtle. However, it was not the hatching season, so we didn't have a chance to spot the little creatures. We had a chat with guys who spend a lot of their time at this beach, probably working for the sanctuary. They told us that they had spotted many types of animals in the forest. Wild boars, monitor lizards (we saw one crawling out from the bushes to the sea, to take a bath maybe), bats, snakes, monkeys ( which can be spotted on the trees by the beach, but beware with your food), etc.
The sunset is a view that should not be missed. However, we had to miss it that day, as rain poured after lunch. We had to take a shelter at the camp site. The shower stopped, so we decided to walk back, saving RM$60 for good seafood dinner. =) It took us only a one-hour walk.