heaven anyone? Tioman!!!

what started off as little excitement turned out to be a good holiday. i feel rested, and there is a smile on my face, genuine and well deserved.

30 May 2008
Both him and i were seated in the bus. we were early to reach and so had decided to stop at macdonald's for a light snack before our trip. we paid RM20 for the cab ride. (it would cost about MR15 but we were afraid that we would not get a cab in time.) however, we were really early - almost an hour earlier and so MCD it was. after that we headed straight to the bus terminal to get our bus. just in time. the bus was punctual. he was complaining that the seats were close and that leg space was narrow. i agreed but since i had short legs, that wasnt a problem for me. he slept most of the way while i was too nervous or excited to sleep. the bus driver obviously didnt know the meaning of gentle. he sped along happily, blind to any holes, pots or animals. he was blind to cars further than 2 feet away for his stops were ALWAYS last minute...jerking me awake...i gave up sleeping until we reached kluang when he slowed down ( by 5 kmph)haha...

2.45 am - we reached mersing. since most of the passangers were still asleep, the bus driver made his round "calling" us to wake up. the two girls in front of us were still groggy and when the bus driver woke them up, the first question they asked was "Is this Mersing?" to which the bus driver replied "No, this is the bus. outside the bus is Mersing!" this only confused the girls further. i woke him and grabbed our bags and headed "out the bus" into Mersing near the jetty.

i was still sleepy and luckily there were tables and chairs available. unfortunately, mosquitoes were aplenty so after ten minutes, i decided to take a stroll. nuven had plonked his butt on a chair and folded his arms acrossed the the table as pillows, after having some buns.


my short stroll took me to the jetty. there was an uncle sitting there smoking. he greeted me and as usual we started chatting. he is 57 and has 6 daughters!!!! he was going on about his life and family. he really reminds me sakthi apupa (uncle). anyway, i learnt from him about pulau tioman and he also offered a good 3d2n package. i liked the package but was also afraid of being cheated. so off i went to search for nuven. the package was for accommodations for 2 nights, 5 meals (2 breakfast, 2 dinners and 1 lunch), ferry transfer (RM70 per person)



31 May 2008
my first impression when i entered was the room was that we were cheated. the sheets didnt look clean and one of the pillow cases were torn. i was determined however to not complain as i was the one who made the suggestion to come to this place instead of Berjaya Hotel that Nuven had booked. the rooms alone cost us almost RM800 for two nights. really too expensive i think.



well, tired since we had hardly slept the night before, i threw my pareo on the bed, cover the pillows with an extra t-shirt and lay my head down. i slept. so did nuven.
we woke up at nearly eleven, showered and took a ferry to tekek. tekek is the " town centre" of tioman island. it takes you about 20 minutes to go around on a motorbike. there's nothing much for you to do unless you go to the marine park. you get to feed the fish there. quite exciting though i must say, this is where i saw firsthand the meaning of "feeding frenzy". one fish even 'attacked' his hands. i got quite afraid actually seeing fish zooming in towards the bread and they were what 10 cm away...SCARY!!! we didnt go there on the first day. instead we went to Crest Vision- a place to get duty free items. he and i bought a bottle each and i also got a tiffen carrier. worth it lah...hehe...

we headed back to genting village and spent the evening on the beach...swimming and playing in the water before plonking our asses on big white comfortable chairs sipping our favourite beer "tiger". haha...talk about chilling. i must say i felt very relaxed and for the first time in months, money and work were not a concern. i had no plans...just chilled out and enjoyed the scenery, place and FOOD.




after finishing our beer (RM 35 per jug but the jug poured 6 glasses), we headed back and showered before dinner. we had six dishes served - fried fish in garlic and soya sauce, fried squid cakes, fish balls and seaweed soup, prawn sambal, and vegetables. delicious and we had more than enough. after dinner, we took a stroll straight into the chalet and slept till the next day.

1st June

we woke up early, took our shower and went to have breakfast. it was good. we had toast, cofee, porridge and fried noodles. after the COLD shower, breakfast was good. then at about 8.30 we headed out for our snorkelling expedition. It was FUN! it was a little difficult at first as i couldnt get used to the breathing equipment, but i didnt give up. soon though, i got used to it, though the sound of me breathing under water reminded me of scary movies. :P



the first place we snorkelled was really pretty. i felt like a whale (as usual) amongst tiny pretty fishies. they swam quite accustomed to humans swimming and staring at them. the hard corals were pretty too. i wish i could go diving but my blood pressure doesnt allow me...even after snorkelling at two places, i started feeling a little dizzy. i sat out the third one and promptly fell asleep to the gentle swaying of the boat. he didnt skip it though. just swam and said that the corals were pretty much the same and that i didnt miss much. not sure if that is true. but i was happy to head back to the chalet. we actually had planned to stop at the marine park and go off to salang, another part of the island but since the last ferry was at 5, we felt that it wasnt worth it and so headed back to genting village. we got there about 4.30 and had a shower. back to the little cafe and hard beer, nuts and KEROPOK. delicious.



we had a bbq dinner that night. we had lovely seafood - fresh squid and prawns. just over the grill and they were succulent and sweet. simply delicious. we also had sausages and chicken. when they were grilling the food, one of our guides actually gathered his courage and spoke to me in english. i had noticed earlier that he constantly looked at me, but i guess it was because he was curious about a tanned person speaking english and not the local malay language.i clapped and smiled, and encouraged him to speak more in english before turning away,trying not to have a quiet conversation with him. and honestly, i was more tired after the whole day and though i enjoyed the food, i was more than happy to fall asleep. unfortunately or rather fortunately, the food rejuvenated us and so we took a stroll down to the jetty, looking at the curious shops that sold curious souvenirs. we were wondering what to get for some of our friends and family. the walk was cool. we saw a few people fishing and a boat preparing to go out for night diving. it was awesome...feeling and breathing fresh air and sea water. the sound was beautiful too. i truly felt relaxed and refreshed.

slept after that. he went out to have beers with some of the locals we made friends with on the boat - especially the guides.

2 June
early morning, woke up to another lovely breakfast. the fried noodles were exceptional. toast and tea or coffee were also available. we took a quick stroll around to get souvenirs and then headed back to pack. in the past 3 days, he and i were relaxed. not arguing or anything. it was like two good friends have a good time together...something very innocent and refreshing.




we had lunch at a local stall and the seafood was delicious though a little expensive. found something cute as ornaments for myself...little tortoises made of sea shells. the two i put in the office are called TIO and MAN - get it tioman! haha...lame...but i like it.

bus was punctual. 1.30 we left and headed back to the city of kuala lumpur.
as i write this blog it has been two or three weeks but the effects of that relaxing wonderful holiday still beckons. i reckon i will be going somewhere soon...maybe back to tioman again...but i hear that redang is good as well...who knows huh?