Pulau Bedil - party island (sometimes)

After our outing on Pulau Kramat, we decided to head for Pulau Bedil, which Dale had visited a few months ago. It was reasonably close so we hopped in the dinghy to get there. The weather was still blustery and there was a strong swell, so this time we threw in life jackets!
As we got into the more open water, the swell started beating us up a bit, and by the time we arrived I was soaked!

The island is tiny, with a cluster of buildings, a swimming pool, volleyball court and a few kabana style structures. We wandered up to the bar, a circular affair with a thatched roof. 2 men were there, seeming very relaxed, but clearly didn’t speak a word of English (fair enough).

I went for a wander while Dale tried to order a drink. One of the men got on the phone, chatted to the person on the other end of the phone, then handed the phone to Dale. A woman on the phone explained that the ‘island was closed’ (low season) and the men were just there for security.

We went for a wander and it appears that there is (or was) some construction underway - a petrol driven milling saw was sitting there next to a pile of hardwood. When we got closer we realised it hadn’t been used for quite some time, and that the engine was full of water.

Close by we saw a stack of sheaves of straw like material, and split bamboo, and a few panels of thatch made from it. Again it had been sitting for some time - faded and dried out.

The new buildings - a restaurant and maybe the reception area were quite lovely and had the perfect vibe for a tropical island. The ‘reception’ building had a stack of new couches and chairs, still wrapped in plastic.

A few old traditional wooden boats finished the scene. Two were definitely beyond help, but one looked like someone was in the midst of repairing it, but walked off the job about 2 years before. The hull was half full of rainwater - I guess if it holds water, it would also float?

Another tough and bumpy ride back to Thetis followed, and we made it back in time to board before dark.

It’s been an Interesting stop, but definitely a better dry season destination than during the monsoon.Read more