The day dawned bright and sunny. It was ideal for a picnic by the sea. We
quickly packed some refreshments and swimming costumes, not forgetting our
cameras and deck chairs.
Excitedly, we drove off from the city of George Town through the
picturesque fishing village near Tanjung Tokong in Penang, waiting to catch
a glimpse of the sea.
At last, we sighted the blue waters, sparkling in the sunlight. We looked
out for a clean and shady spot to spend the day as we cruised along. It was
a joy to see the graceful coconut palms swaying in the breeze. We saw, too,
fishermen's little houses on stilts scattered along the share.
Finally, we parked our car at a shady spot under some coconut palms. The
white, sandy beach was full of tiny crabs scurrying
about. My sister and I could not resist catching them. The shells we picked
were also interesting. Some were shaped like conical hats, others like fans
and there were some spiral-shaped ones tinted with grey and brown hues. One
large, grey shell with a long, narrow slit
produced the sound of sea waves as I held it to my ear. The pieces of
driftwood brought in at high tide by the waves were of artistic shapes.
These we collected for flower-arrangement.
After a while, we swam in the sea which was cool and pleasant. I saw
sailing boats in the distance and fishermen busy with their catch. Then we
sat on the beach and ate sandwiches, cookies, peanuts and fruit followed by
iced drinks.
The sun was now fiercely hot, and we felt tired and sleepy as we lay on
the sandy beach. My brother took snaps of us playing in the sea and climbing
up high rocks. After our lunch of curry and rice, we swam again till the
late afternoon before we changed for our journey home. It was an enjoyable
day by the sea as it was a welcome change from our usual busy and
monotonous routine in the city. |