On Boxing day at the most unexpected of places.
A long stretch of fine white sand, sprinkled with multi-coloured stones polished smooth by the crashing waves and fragments of coral, swept up the beach by the tides, with the odd crab scuttling over them. And the best part - it was empty, save for a few village boys who ran out to the surf at noon to escape the midday heat.
The place - the eastern coast of Johor in Malaysia, a beach called Batu Layar. I secretly wished it was a nameless beach, mine to remember and cherish forever, one of those fortuitous finds while driving down the very scenic and peaceful coastal roads of the Johorian coast, passing by idyllic kampungs (villages) and swaving coconut fronds in the salty sea breeze.
There were a few deserted looking beach bungalows, and a resort somewhere nearby. Most people seem to give this place a miss in favour of nearby Desaru, which i feel is severely overrated and has some seriously scruffy beaches now.
Another great beach getaway, although a bit more commercialised (in infrastructure terms only) but boasting some great, crystal clear waters with an abundance of marine life like fishes, corals, sea cucumbers and sea urchins - in the shallows no less, you can just wade in and explore, is Pulau Tinggi, in the waters around the Pahang/Johor boundary, again skipped in favour of the more touristy Pulau Tioman nearby.
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