Ranoh Island Adventure - Part 2

So here's part 2 of the Ranoh island adventure.  You can't miss this colourful signboard the moment you set foot on Ranoh.

Welcome to Ranoh - RX100 Mk3

As we walked further inland, we came across a row of lounge chairs and parasols that were neatly arranged besides a paved pathway and coconut trees with hammocks.

Anyone wants to just lounge?  - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

As the sun was out in full force, it was extremely hot and we immediately sought relief in the nearest tent from where you can't possibly miss another cheeky signboard.

Wonderful place by the beach eh?  - A7R2 + FE 24-240mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Apparently you could stay overnight in one of the tents as well, but personally, I'd prefer to stay in an air-conditioned room with plenty of ice cold water, which for your information, they also have there.  However, those are not private rooms, more like shared common room with bunk beds.

Fancy a stay in one of those tents?  - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Since it was really too hot to be out in the sun, Lincoln and I just had a few soft archery games which was the nearest activity to the tents.

Lincoln having fun with archery - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

The tents were really cozy and beautifully decorated.  I imagine that the evenings should be very beautiful here with the lights switched on while we watched the sunset.  But that would be an adventure for another time I guess. 

Nice view from here - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

The buffet table under the tent - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

We spent a lot of time under the tent as the lounge chairs were apparently too hot as well so we couldn't sit there comfortably.  I tried sitting on one of them and immediately felt like a piece of grilled meat.

So many seats, but they were just too hot - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Some hammocks were adequately shielded from the sun by the coconut trees so Lincoln and I tried resting in them and just soak up all the heat, I even got a nice shot while lying down. 

Nice view from the hammock!  - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

If the weather wasn't so hot, we would have tried some beach games and activities.  Here are the lists of the free and paid activities.

Free games & activities list - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

And the paid ones - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

I really wanted to try the canoeing, but maybe next time....  Actually the sight of the canoes were really inviting, unfortunately I couldn't stand the heat at all.

All ready for you to row - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

I spent most of the time playing archery and just taking photos.   The place was beautifully decorated and well designed.  There was no shortage of picturesque sights and corners that were not Instagram worthy, so long you keep an open eye.

Fancy a swing? - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

The Chinese tourists were really rowdy.  They were singing very loudly (with the tour guides) in the outdoor karaoke lounge which was hooked to an outdoor speaker, smoked everywhere like it was nobody's business and just very brash in general.  While their loudness was almost tolerable, it was their bad singing and incessant smoking that really annoyed me.  I like a quiet beach, not noisy and smoky......  I mean that's the point of going to a private island rite?   

I chatted with some of the staffs there and was quite surprised to hear that they have regular visitors everyday.  And Chinese nationals make up the bulk of the visitors.  Seems like whoever marketed Ranoh Island secured a good channel to keep the small isle afloat.

And finally, it was lunch time!  I was really famished and couldn't be happier when we were told that lunch was served.  I got myself a good serving of sauteed vegetables, fried chicken in rujak sauce, dry beehon siam and rice.  Somehow, the sight of carbohydrate was very inviting.. perhaps it was thirst that played tricks with my mind.

Let's dig in! - RX100 Mk3

We decided to skip the snorkeling activity after lunch because there's no way I could leave Lincoln on his own with no one watching.  And also, from 2 pm it became cloudier so the sun was not very hot.  It was a good opportunity to explore around while my friends finally went canoeing and swam in the open waters.

The inflatable island from far - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Lincoln in action - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-7.3 OSS

Finally the sun was just right to get this shot - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Same sight from the other side - FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Clear and shiny waters all around - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

Got my feet wet too - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

straight up to the inflatable island - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

And after a good 2 hours or so, we just got ourselves ready to return to the main island.  The ferry sure looked very inviting.

Time to go home - RX100 Mk3

Bye bye Ranoh - RX100 Mk3

There's a good reason why we had to leave the island by 4 pm, it's because the currents were getting stronger towards sunset.  We could clearly feel the boat getting hit by the strong waves on the way back along with occasional splashes of sea water to the face as the boat rode against the waves.

This was a pretty sight that hid the raging waves - RX100 Mk3

And after a good 30 minutes ride, we're finally back on Galang Baru island to continue with the 1 hour and 45 minutes drive back to the hotel.  I couldn't wait to just shower, have dinner and lie down.  I wasn't out under the sun for very long, but I surely got burnt in the arms, face and neck.

my arm looking like a tall glass of iced latte - A7R2 + Batis 2/25

My photos show mostly nice cool blue skies, but in reality I employed both hardware & software trickery by using a C-PL filter accompanied with continuous adjustments of the A7R2's Dynamic Range Optimizer.

My conclusion: Ranoh island could definitely be better if they improve on the private (notice how I italicized, bolden and underlined the word "private") island experience.  That should translate to quieter and lesser karaoke thingy (I mean like do it in a private room or something), better smoking policy in restricted areas (this is very important to make the place children and family friendly) and more shaded areas would definitely be make the island a better experience for kids and adults alike who cannot stand the hot sun.  Other than that, everything else is good for me & Lincoln.  In fact, I would love to come back again some day and try out the other activities I didn't have a chance to try on this visit.  Hopefully the operators would have made more improvements by then.  

Here's a closing shot for this entry:

Linc in the life guard hut - A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS

~Photos taken with Sony RX100 Mk3 & A7R2 + FE 24-240 mm F3.5-6.3 OSS & Batis 2/25~