Once the weather got better, my stay in Cherating improved as well. The beach, almost depressing on a wet overcast day, looked actually ok with a lot of sunshine. Still nothing to write home about but definitely ok.
The whole beach was more crowded today, that was probably due to a combination of nice weather and weekend. The beach apparel is a bit different to what I’m used to.
Not everybody is dressing like that though. The Chinese part of the population is fare more relaxed in terms of dress-code, although they are more covered than your average westerner as well.
The guy who checked me into the hostel recommended a nearby restaurant and especially the seafood. Apparently there is a lively fishing industry spread along the coast and you can get the seafood almost straight from the boat onto your plate.
Usually I’m not a big fan of seafood but a big BBQ and some really fresh looking fish convinced even me. I ordered BBQed fish with spicy sauce and got a delicacy wrapped in palm leaves. The taste reminded me a bit of some fish I had tried in northern Thailand, something with chilli and lemon grass. Definitely goes well with a fresh fish.
Tomorrow I want to leave Cherating and head north to Kota Bharu. The city is the capital of the most conservative state in Malaysia – I’m expecting an insight into Muslim culture. To a certain degree I got that already but so far everything has been rather relaxed and not as strict as I expected before coming here.