The 10th Most Beautiful Island in the World!

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After a 4 hour bumpy bus journey from Malacca, & 1 1/2 hour speed ferry from Mersing, we arrived at Bamboo Chalets - Air Batang Village, Tioman Island. From the boat we could see the peaks of the mountains clad in lush rainforest vegetation topped with misty clouds. As we got closer it soon became apparent of why Tioman Island has been voted as the 10th most beautiful island in the world. The soft sandy white shores fringed by coconut palms and the crystal clears waters of the South China sea are perfect for swimming and snorkelling.

As we approached the jetty we could see our accommodation perched on the hills amongst the rocks and surrounded by bougainvillea and tropical gardens - not bad for just over ten pound a night! The view from our balcony was beautiful and we spent some time listening to the waves roll in, and watching the boats arrive and depart.

We spent a few days relaxing next to the beach and enjoying the local seafood/vegetarian cuisine. After sighting numerous large monitor lizards, a plentiful supply of birds, cats, butterflies, snakes, and more naughty macaques (seizing every opportunity to steal our food). We knew we were not alone on the island! We have also seen numerous stunning sunsets from our local cafe.

On our final day, we decided to use our artistic skills & joined the local batik artist Rikki Power in designing our own sarong batik, depicting the flora and fauna of the island. Rikki has been designing batiks for the last 18 years and he is very skilled.

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