Desaru Coast, Storytelling by the Sea

 

“Hi there! Saw you were at Desaru over the weekend…” said the text message from my friend Elsy, in Kuala Lumpur.

 

I was pleasantly surprised because besides the good people in Desaru Coast who invited me there, only my family knew that I was in Desaru.



Sandy beaches at Desaru Coast, Johor


Keen to find out what she saw, I replied Elsy with a question, “So what did you see?”

 

After all, I had nothing to hide.

 

I was with the editorial team from Options, The Edge, guests who were participating in a specially curated corporate event, hosted under Desaru Coast’s fully customized retreats in their Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibitions (MICE) Corporate Reimagined, programme.

 

Elsy replied, “It was on Instagram. You were reading your Johor Stories (book) under a tree to a rapt audience. Then you said, ‘I can’t see!’”

 

My Johor Stories series of books are
available from MPH bookstores
nationwide and online via mphonline

When I read this, I had an instant flashback to that exciting ‘live’ experience where I shared my stories and experiences about Desaru with the guests gathered close to a bonfire built on the beach, near the Beach Bar at the Westin Desaru Coast Resort.

 

Then when I tried to read a portion from my book that documented my earliest experience of coming to this part of Johor, I failed to do so because the poor lighting was just not enough for me to see clearly.

 

I was rather disappointed that I could not see better to read an excerpt from my story, Travelling with Dad, published in My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People where I wrote about reaching Teluk Sengat by boat.

 

I so wanted to read the excerpt where I documented a time when there was no direct route to Teluk Sengat by road but had to reach this village by boat in the final sector.

 

Aside from this hiccup, it was fun to meet our guests, the team from Options, The Edge, made up of Diana Khoo, Anandhi Gopinath, Tan Gim Ean, Kong Wai Yeng, Lakshmi Sekhar, Emily Yap, Aireena Azni and Law Soo Phye, and to share my stories with them.

 

Storytelling by the sea at Desaru Coast with a group of corporate guests


My storytelling time was a casual and comfortable, inter-active and intimate session with the guests who were welcome to interject with comments or questions while I wove an audience-centered story with interesting links to the nearby towns and villages, to give the guests a wider perspective of this region.

 

The beach was behind me in
the dark background

As they relaxed, lounging on beanbags and low seats, this storyteller took them back to a time, long before Desaru Coast was developed as a leading destination resort with a portfolio of globally renowned hotels and resorts.

 

From 2016, work was under way for the development of an integrated holiday destination that covers over 3,900 acres of land with 17km of beachfront, and which brought brands like Hard Rock Hotel Desaru Coast, The Westin Desaru Coast Resort, Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas and One&Only Desaru Coast, to Johor.

 

Desaru Coast is also home to Adventure Waterpark Desaru Coast, Desaru Coast Conference Centre, The Els Club Desaru Coast designed with the Ocean Course and Valley Course, and Desaru Coast Riverside, a waterfront landscaped retail and lifestyle village.

 

Since March 2018, I had the privilege of witnessing its development, step-by-step starting with the Desaru Coast Recruitment Party until its official opening by the Johor Sultan during the Ombak Festival celebration in July 2019.

 

My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People,
Rich Heritage
, is placed in the luxurious villas
of the One&Only Desaru Coast

I could not help but share in their pride when this integrated destination resort in Johor earned the prestigious accolade as one of TIME Magazine’s World’s Greatest Places of 2021, counted among a list of 100 of the magazine’s top destinations from around the world.

 

A quick check with the guests revealed that only Diana, the Editor of Options, had read My Johor Stories when she stayed at the One&Only Desaru Coast recently.

 

[Some hotels and resorts know that visitors liked to stay in a place with a story.

 

The One&Only Desaru Coast has placed my 2017 Bestseller, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage in their luxurious suites and villas for the guests’ reading pleasure.

 

My story on the family who established the Desaru Fruit Farm is documented in its sequel, My Johor Stories 2: Interesting Places and Inspirational People, published in 2018.]

 

I was glad that at least someone was familiar with My Johor Stories while Diana, however, lamented that she only managed to read part of my book during her stay with the One&Only Desaru Coast…

 

Old matchboxes with the
brand identity of Desaru

In my storytelling, I mentioned various towns and villages and brought them back to the early years when the South East Johor Development Authority or Lembaga Kemajuan Johor Tenggara (KEJORA) started to develop Tanjung Penawar with Bandar Penawar.

 

Attractions like hotels, resorts and a golf course were opened in Desaru and visitors used to drive more than two hours on the scenic route via Kota Tinggi to reach Desaru for day trips at the beach and beachfront holidays here.

 

When the Senai-Desaru Expressway opened in 2011, visitors are now able to travel more comfortably to Desaru Coast. Along the way they would have read road signs that indicated the exits to Masai and Pasir Gudang.

 

Speaking of Masai, UTM Associate Professor Dr Hj Kassim Thukiman, whom I met at an event organised by Yayasan Warisan Johor or Johor Heritage Foundation to discuss Johor’s Pepper and Gambier heritage, told me that, My Johor Stories: True Tales, Real People, Rich Heritage, was the first book he read which documented a story about Masai.

 

He was absolutely thrilled to read my story, Going back to Masai-chusetts, because while he was born in Kampung Kong Kong Laut, his place of birth was registered as Masai, the town nearest to his kampung.

 

One from the album: My dad and some
members of our family in the pool of the
holiday apartment in Desaru

While my parents were based in Masai for work, our family often visited the beach at Kampung Pasir Gudang where we enjoyed many picnics. We had wonderful family bonding times and this was where our dad taught us to enjoy the sun, the sand and swimming.

 

[A precious photograph captured during one of our picnics in Kampung Pasir Gudang is published with the story, My Mentor, My Dad under Memories, in this book.]

 

As we reminisced about the Masai we knew, Prof Kassim and I agreed that when Johor Port was opened in Pasir Gudang, Masai developed into such a boom town.

 

Since the 1980s my family and I were frequent visitors to Desaru, not only as day-trippers but also for staycations at hotels and a corporate-owned private apartment designed with a swimming pool.

 

An unforgettable experience was that year-end stay when we were marooned by the monsoon.

 

A bridge – on the route that linked Desaru to Johor Baru – was washed away by heavy monsoon downpours so we had the adventure of an unplanned extended stay in Desaru, just days ahead of Christmas.

 

We managed to leave after a temporary Bailey bridge was built for vehicles to drive across the river, to reach home just on time for our family Christmas Eve celebration.

 

This and other experiences just made Desaru a unique and special place for me.

 

Seated by the sea in the flickering firelight, I lost track of time as I shared my stories with the guests, peppered with anecdotes on the culture and heritage of this region in a rather unconventional way for a corporate retreat.

 

A few weeks ago, I was delighted to hear from General Manager of Group Corporate Communications at Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels, Gowri Mohanadas, who briefed me about their Corporate Events Reimagined programme and invited me to share My Johor Stories with their guests.

 

In a separate conversation with Roslina Arbak, Managing Director and CEO of Desaru Coast Destination Resorts, she shared about how the pandemic had driven them to rethink about how events would look like in the future and what we could do to let guests rejuvenate and reconnect with each other again at Desaru Coast.

 

My storytelling by the sea was among the spaces and experiences in the destination that could offer an enchanting mix of indoor and outdoor events for guests to take home fond memories of such curated activities at the beach, forest, mangroves, villages, golf courses, ballrooms and conference centre.

 

All smiles after our Storytelling time by the Sea at Desaru Coast


During the feedback time with the guests, I know Gowri and Roslina (who were seated among them) would have also heard the spontaneous views from each participant about their experiences in Desaru Coast thus far.

 

Gathered closely in the dim firelight, it was sheer pleasure to listen as each participant took their turn to speak because it was an honest reflection of how their experience and exposure in this short stay at Desaru Coast, had impacted them.

 

Such sharing from the guests made my contribution of sharing My Johor Stories by the sea, ever so worthwhile and brought my storytelling time to a fitting close.

 

We were ready to capture some photographic mementoes of our time together and it was unanimously agreed that the lighting (ahem!) was better in the lobby of the Westin Desaru Coast Resort so we headed indoors for the photo session.

 

With Roslina Arbak [Left] and Gowri Mohanadas [Standing Right]
and the editorial team from Options, The Edge


[After such an emotional high, it always took some time for me to unwind and relax before bed. Meanwhile, those who helped to snap the photos shared the shots with me and it was good to look at them and recollect those moments…

 

It was a warm affirmation of our time well-spent together when I read a brief text message from Gowri which said, “You did so well, Peggy. They enjoyed it.”

 

After Roslina had received copies of the group shots, I received her text reply that read, “Thanks for the lovely pictures. Each face in the picture reflects the appreciation of the storytelling session. Kudos Peggy.”]

 

It was my privilege to partner with Desaru Coast to help your guests get to know more about Desaru and the region through a ‘live’ experience with My Johor Stories. Sama Sama Thanks!

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