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BALIK PULAU: A hermit living in Monkey Beach, near here, was unaware that the country implemented a movement control order (MCO) on March 18 until he went to Teluk Bahang to obtain supplies a month later.
The only hint he had of anything odd was that no one was heading to Monkey Beach, a popular tourist spot in the northwest corner of Penang Island that can only be reached by foot or by boat.
It was only when he took a boat to Teluk Bahang to stock up on supplies that he learned of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The 54-year-old, who only wanted to be known as Azlan, said visitors to Monkey Beach informed him about Covid-19, but he did not know how serious the situation was. “For five years I lived on this beach. Tourists would come by the hundreds every day.
“In March, the beach suddenly became quiet. No one came at all and was confused. I thought it was due to bad weather behind the hills.
“In April, my supplies ran out and I took a boat to Teluk Bahang city and learned of the closure,” he said.
When the townspeople told him that Covid-19 was spreading in Penang and the MCO was explained to him, he was filled with fear.
“I grabbed only the essentials I needed and quickly got back to Monkey Beach,” he recalled.
Away from civilization, Azlan said he last went to George Town in March 2018.
“I was born in Singapore and raised in Australia because my father served in the Royal Malaysian Air Force and was based there.
“Then, for 11 years, I had a job in Europe as a technical diver repairing oil rigs and earned a large salary.
“I can speak eight languages: Dutch, German, French, Swedish, Finnish, Spanish, English and Bahasa Malay.
“After I retired, I returned to Batu Ferringhi and opened a boarding house, but closed it after seven years and moved to Monkey Beach to get away from society,” he said.
On the beach, Azlan’s simple hut has basic amenities like a bathroom, a kitchen, and electricity from a generator.
His friends are Honey, a two-year-old Golden Retriever, Amoi, a four-year-old mixed Rottweiler, and several cats. Azlan said that before Covid-19 broke out, about 90% of visitors to the beach were international tourists.
“Between 30 and 50 people would set up tents and camps here before the pandemic. Some even camped here for up to two months, but now it is rare that even 10 people spend the night here, ”he said.
Monkey Beach, properly known as Teluk Duyung, is a 700 m stretch of sandy beach behind Penang National Park.
The land near the beach is privately owned and is not under the jurisdiction of the Forest Department, which administered other beaches within the park such as Pantai Kerachut and Teluk Kampi, where there are official campsites.
While day trips are allowed, camping in national parks across the country is prohibited during the MCO.
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