Kerachut beach is the beach I visited most so far in my life. I have been there at least once every year since 2010. It has a camping site and a small hall. But it has no kiosk selling food and beverage.
The first time I went to the beach was with a bunch of juniors. It was sort of like a custom in our uniform body for seniors to bring the juniors there to camp for a night. However, due to the security concerns we decided to make it as a day trip.
We brought a lot of supplies including a tent and a stove there for the first few times, with all the zeal and energy. We entered the national reserve forest of Penang in the morning and walked for 2 hours to reach the beach. Then we would cook lunch and explore the area until evening. One will definitely reluctant to return from the forest track after the 2-hour tiring journey, so we would take a speedboat back to the port at the entrance of the national park.
It is my dream to spend a night at the beach. The dream is yet to be fulfilled because I find no comrades. The excitement to camp at the beach subsides through out the years because it seems to be a real challenge to survive in the wild long after I graduated from high school.
In the recent one or two years, we would just enter the jungle with a light backpack after lunch. No tent, no elaborate cooking. And we would spend the afternoon by reading books and eating snacks. We will absolutely watch the sunset if the weather is permissible before embarking on the return journey by the speedboat. Surprisingly, the fee to rent a speedboat which has 12 seats is still RM80 for the past 5 years.
The bad news is an entrance fee will be imposed starting next year. Besides, camera, fishing rods and other different items will be charged for a fee as well. I think I will still visit the national park but less frequently.
