Tioman Island

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Geo: 2.845, 104.16

I had heard so much about Tioman Island from many Malay as well as tourists and ex-pats alike that it was in my plans to visit while here in Malaysia. So after booking my ferry ticket and storing my bicycle at the hotel I was staying at in Mersing I headed off for a new adventure. I've been on several of these ferries now and although dreading the first few that I caught (thanks for looking after me Danny), I have to say I'm getting a bit more used to them although they can be really rough affairs.

Tioman Island's Salang Beach was actually featured in the 1958 American musical movie South Pacific as the beach called 'Bali Hai' and is a stunning place to be... with crystal clear seas, white sandy beaches, tropical fish swimming around, diving, snorkeling, fishing alongside jungle, mountains, waterfalls, and many animals like turtles, snakes, lizards, monkey's... it really is an onslaught to the senses, and is a beautiful place to be.

On the ferry across I met a number of other tourist and we decided to pull resources and share accommodation which made for a fun and memorable trip. There's a Surfing Festival on at Juara beach at the weekend and although we end up staying at Air Batang (better known as ABC) we all plan to go to the festival while we're here but first things first we need to find somewhere to stay!

Karim, Saskia and I end up sharing a room for our stay and although we ended up in a double room the first night we managed to find a triple for the rest of the visit which only cost us 50 MYR which was really cheap. We hooked up with Jenny, Armin, David, Marikilla and Llewelyn initially and got to know each other on the dance floor of a local bar on the first night which proved to be the first of many fun encounters, as well as Sam (a fellow cyclist), Victoria, Joe and Clare who joined us, and many many more.

First impressions of the island is really beautiful, although roads some of the way the locals and tourist use the ferries and boat taxi's to get around to the many different beaches so cycling would have been restrictive and difficult so I'm glad I decided to leave my bike behind. There are many places to visit and we initially get to know ABC and the nearby beaches, Tekek is the main town which is around 30 minutes walk away and has a number of shops which include many duty free places which making our stay all the more affordable on a budget.

One of our first nights Armin and Jenny sourced nearby coconuts and with help from Karim and Saskia wielding a cleaver, they soon became our vessels for a mixture of rum, lime and coke which was pretty potent stuff but with the taste of coconut it made the perfect chilled out drink for our paradise island and we all melted into our new surrounds... it's great what team work and a bit of imagination can achieve!

Daytime is spent relaxing, walking, swimming, snorkeling, fishing as well as the more adventurous days when we head off hiking through the jungle to Salang Beach which is a good 3 hour hike, or Monkey Bay which is a bit closer and even Juara Beach on the other side of the island, and organising what food we will have in the evening. I love the food on the island which is fantastic, especially the local Nasi Lemak as well as the spicy Tom Yam soup however nothing beats our home made dishes organised by our chef Karim and with the use of Sam's camping stove, he manages to turn out a feast of noodles, fresh vegetables, fish and spices and I can't thank him enough for his organising and dedication in cooking for us all... you're a star.

We all chipped in to help prepare the vegetables and spices and as Karim was cooking we organised plates, cups and tools to use with a bit of imagination. Our communal plate was a bed a banana leaves which was piled high with our carefully prepared noodles, cups were made from the bases of empty water bottles which were cut off, and tools to eat with... well our fingers did the job perfectly! We were all starving by the time dinner was ready which meant there was hardly a sound out of us except the sooking of the noodles which was great fun, ah I'm loving this island life... happy days.

The surfing festival over in Juara beach was on for a couple of days and everyone shared and hired motorbikes for the journey to the other side of the island however I think we were all feeling a bit fragile from more beers and dancing away the night before! I had never been to a surfing festival before and although I slept initially (even though my head was at a main speaker) I enjoyed watching the surfers and enjoyed the surrounding area of the beautiful beach, the waves crashing, the stalls of food, drink, clothes etc. and a general party atmosphere, and sharing the experience with friends.

Some of the surfers were fantastic and I was pointed out a camera which was hovering above the waves, controlled by a remote panel on the beach which was taking pictures of the surfers and their moves, I had never seen anything like it before. The music was great and although there was a band flown in from Kuala Lumpur in the evening to play in one of the bars, I bailed out for an early night.

We decided one night to have a BBQ down at the beach in front of David and Marikilla's place which was a brilliant idea. We all put in a kiti and everyone helped out with various jobs from shopping for food and drinks, fishing, clearing, to organising lighting the BBQ, preparing the food, gathering more plates, mugs etc. and it turned into a fabulous night. With chef Karim at the helm, David on the BBQ, Sam on the cooker, me gutting the many fish provided by Jenny and Armin (with a little help), the girls gathering banana leaves, others organising drinks for everyone... we all chipped in and had great fun. With a starter of freshly caught and prepared local fish, to the main course of BBQ'd chicken which we bought whole and did a DIY job on it, vegetables, noodles, spices, the works, it was another feast and once again thoroughly enjoyed by all. What a fab team we have, we all get along great and enjoy eating and drinking together prior to the dancing starting again!!!!

Although you may think by now it's all party, we did spend the days out walking and trekking or playing beach games as the sun was setting. We were also 'gifted' a snake, a python no less which a crowd of locals had found and we were going to release it back into the jungle on our way home. My heart was in my mouth at the thought of it but despite that both Jenny and Armin had it wrapped about their arms, dangling round their neck and had no fear of handling it at all, they even had it round my neck at one point and I am extremely proud of myself on my brief encounter!

During the second week more places started to open up for business as the season is just starting, and we started going to a local beach shack bar which played live music everynight and had a great crowd. The musicians were really talented and enjoyed performing as much as we all listened and even once the amps were turned off, we would all sit at the beach and sing while they played accoustic guitars, tamborines and had a lot of fun. The locals here were all very nice and joined in the fun times we had.

So although I could go on about our many adventures (I ended up staying almost 2 weeks), I'll leave you to have a flick through the photos but it really was a beautiful place to visit and explore and make lots of new friends.

Here's wishing everyone on their onward travels a safe journey where ever you end up, may we all cross paths again some day my friends, it was a pleasure meeting you all...

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Photos

BBQ night fun
Saskia, Armin, Clare, Joe, David, Maria, Jenny, Sam and Victoria

Saskia
Who let her loose with a knife that size?

The Crew
Karim, Saskia and Vicky

Comments

[ober]

Armin & jenni from austria?

[new_lands]

Yes... I think they are in Bali now.