Kapas means 'wool' - cotton wool.

 

The first time i landed on the Island was sometime in 1963-4 and there was hardly a soul to be found and the only sign of human activity was a staging area for fishermen doing some repair job on their vessel. The island was pristine back then with the coral beds reaching almost up to the water's edge with such abundance of fishes and colorful coral beds. My twin brother and i were fortunate to have been taken under the wings of the then District officer of  Marang district and through his love for fishing and hunting we were taken on many trips every weekend either into the jungle or visiting all the islands along the coast of Terengganu. Like Kapas, most of the islands were uninhabited except for Pulau Perhentian in the north where a small fishing village existed.

The owner of the Resort where i was to stay at is called the Kapas Boutique Resort and the owner's name is Hans, I dubbed him immediatelt, the flying Dutchman of Kapas. I met Hans while I was with my Australian Buddies Ben and Rob who introduced me to Hans and his young son Loeka who was on vacation from school and visiting his dad. The idea of spending time on the island took hold as I got my ok from Hans to stay at his place and do some work in lieu of the cost for my food and lodging. 

As I had the intention of making this trip another spiritual journey in the long healing process of my body mind and spirit, I sensed that Hans, the Flying Dutchman was going to be playing a crucial role as my Zen Teacher during the duration of my stay on Kapas. He is as unique as they come and quite a character when it comes to dealing with his employees and visitors to the resort. It was a lesson in itself to watch him carry out his duties as a resort owner making sure that the place is run tip top like a four or five star accommodation. There was time for work and time for play and the two were well orchestrated such that the guests' well being was never put into question. Hans kept an eye on the daily operation of the resort through viewing everyone in the videos he had installed in his office and thus one rarely saw him giving orders except when he was working outside himself. Hans reminded me of my former 'Zen Teachers' as i call them those who play a lead model in life for others to follow or emulate. He reminded me of Captain Zakaria Amantasha of Lintang Organic Farm or SRI LOVELY in Belantik, Sik, Kedah where I had the opportunity to spend sometime working on an organic rice growing farm. They have similar energies and mental drives; what leaders are made of. Hans has a German wife whose energy for work perhaps even surpasses his and often one can see that she ran the show and kept things under tight control. These are to me the type of characters one rarely find in our daily life and the things they have to teach you comes through watching their examples, like what it takes to move on in a far greater way than just being ordinary. Many would not agree with their ways and methods and even at times their temperamental characters, but it comes in the parcel all tied together to make things happen. #lintangorganicfarm     

Zach the boatman's father in law was one of the first few characters that i got acquainted with although there was not much verbal communication between us we were able to smile our way through in getting to know about who we were. what tales we had to share about ourselves. Whenever possible i got his daughter to interpret what we had to say and I learned that he was facing an open heart surgery in the near future as soon as he returned to his country. In his way he seemed calm and accepting of the fact but there were times when I caught the forlorn look in his demeanor while sitting by himself and I felt sad if not sorry for him. However according to his daughter, her father is perfectly ready to face the inevitable  and was fully contented that he was able to visit her and her children. 

When you shake a tree be careful of may fall from the branches and when you dig into the lives of others deep enough you often shatter the illusion you have about them especially the judgement you have made before getting to know who they are. Hence sometimes it is best not to shake any tree and just accept it for  what it is, just another tree.  

Sometime in the evening I took a stroll to another part of the beach to witness the releasing of sixty turtle hatchlings from the nearby resort where a turtle hatchery has been kept by a non governmental organization. This effort has been going on for many years now and the effort to replenish the sea with turtles is a labor of love. I wondered as most of us would , how many of these baby turtles would survive to live an adult life and perhaps return to lay their eggs along the beaches. Terengganu was at one time visited by numerous numbers of turtles even on the mainland, however the reckless and ignorance of the people who only saw monetary values to the eggs they lay and the encroachment of their egg laying habitat by human activities has seen a tremendous decline of turtle visits in the area.  

 

The hatchlings upon release would make their way towards the water as though they knew where to go. It is said that the baby turtles were attracted by the light of the sun that led them on their way.  Most would become prey to the predators like birds and larger fishes before they were ever able to make it out to the open waters. Those that makes it would live a long and fruitful life like their ancestors did.

The Island boasts with some of the most beautiful sunsets and the mainland stretches from left to right all along the horizon. It was one of my favorite time to sit upon the soft sand and meditate upon the setting of the sun while listening to the gentle rhythm of the waves lapping along the beach and the gentle breeze cooling my soul. Moments like these was why I made  the trip to places like this.