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Published: August 24th 2007
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By 3pm the next day, after a taxi ride and ferry, Sharon had her wish, we were on the beach on Tioman Island. We were a little disappointed at first as the beach itself was not too good. However, after a little exploration we soon discovered sandy beaches within a ten-minute walk along the jungle path. Better still, once in the sea, armed with Mask and snorkels we discovered the coral was much better than the guidebook had led us to believe.
We spent the next 8 days lazing around on beaches, snorkelling in the sea, or taking boat trips around the island. Each evening we could be found at ‘Hello Bar’ watching the setting sun sink below the horizon, whilst sipping Tiger Beer.We found several restaurants serving good food, in particular one that pulled out all the stops when the Island suffered a 16 hour power cut. They carried on regardless and managed to cook for around 30 people all by candlelight.
One night whilst watching the sunset Fearghal and Misa turned up on the island, we’d e-mailed them to let them know where to find us between 5pm and 7pm (happy hour at ‘Hello Bar’) but hadn’t
Happy Hour at Hello Bar, ABC Beach
Where you could find us most nights watching the sunset. really expected them to turn up.
We all joined forces the next day to charter a boat and do another snorkel trip together. Coral Island, our first stop, had some of the best coral I had ever seen and a beautiful deserted white sandy beach too. At the end of the day as we sailed back to Tioman the sky darkened and the weather took a turn for the worse. We were dripping wet straight from our last snorkel, so needless to say we shivered as the boat raced through the waves that began whipping up. We began to turn our minds to Britain where we’d be in a few days time. Was someone trying to prepare us? This was the first time I’d felt cold in over 5 weeks! Fortunately though the clouds passed and the rain never did come.
One of the significant things about Tioman was the frequent storm clouds, as the island is basically one high mountain it tends to attract the clouds. Many a time we would feel spots of rain whilst on the beach so we tended to jump in the sea for a snorkel around. The air temperature was always still
really warm, by the time we came out of the sea the clouds had passed over and the sun was shining again!
The following night as we dined on the sea front, lightening lit up the sky, it went on for some considerable time and was far more spectacular than any firework show. Later, as we drifted off to sleep looking forward to making the most of our last day together, the thunder joined in, then came the rain. This time torrential tropical rain that lasted for hours. We had just switched accommodation to one on the side of a hill side, the front end raised up on stilts. We began to wonder if we’d made the right decision, imagining land slides etc. Morning came and thankfully we were still in one piece. By soon after lunch time, the puddles had dried up and we were once again on the beach. That’s the tropics for you!
The following morning found us on the ferry travelling back to Mersing on the mainland before going our separate ways. Sharon was heading up the coast for another week before meeting Scott in Africa. Stan and I were returning to Bangkok via
kuala Lumpur to get our flight home.
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