The Tioman Excursion

Hello everyone!
I just got back from Tioman Island. I had been talking about getting my scuba liscence for years, and been planning this trip for months; the only obstacle (albeit a huge one) was passing my MBBS...and i did it! So this little diving trip is a reward, a vacation and a dream fulfilled. More about my diving course in the next post.

My trip was from 16th-21st April, with Loo Kar Yee (the same gal i went to Korea with last year) and Avni (my classmate & seeming to b a new permanent fixture in my life)...the night before the trip, Karyee dropped a bomb saying the brother was coming along...tickets were already bought, room reservations were already made...oh well, her problem; i thought.

That morning my aunt dropped Avni & I at an LRT station...we made our way to sentral, then taking the KLIA Transit to Bandar Tasik Selatan where we were supposed to meet Karyee n board the bus. It was almost 9 and Karyee was nowhere in sight...when i called her, she dropped another bomb : she thought the bus was at 9.30!!! Mind you, she was holding ALL our tickets. I was majorly let down and was ready to cut my losses, but somehow Avni managed to negotiate with the bus driver to let us aboard without having the tickets.

5 hours or so later we arrived at Mersing. Took a cab to the jetty where we agreed to meet Karyee & brother. Within 2 minutes Avni got impatient and dropped a bomb : said she doesn't wanna wait till 4.30 and wants to get on the 3pm ferry instead. Personally i prefer everyone to just stick together. My preference aside, we got on the ferry, arrived in Tioman 2 hours later and headed to Eco-Divers to confirm my diving course. Thankfully they were able to accommodate another student (Yi Hou, Karyee's brother).

Next we walked to the end of the beach to Nazri's place, where we made our reservation. Unfortunately, there was only one budget room available. We walked back, stopping at every chalet asking for available rooms. It was 6pm and most of the chalets had noone attending at the reception. Then Avni dropped another bomb : she's not willing to pay 50 bucks a night. Mind you, MOST of the chalets cost around 100 bucks per night. She intended to bunk in with me and karyee and split it 3 ways...but now with Yi Hou in the picture....she wanted all 4 of us to bunk in one room. That's it, bitch mode is on. I'm not willing to spend my vacation all crammed, and sorry, i'm not willing to share rooms with a guy.

We walked on till we reached Mawar Chalets. We checked out the cheapest room, RM35 for a fan chalet...Avni wanted it, I didnt. I refuse to spend my vacation battling mosquitoes in a shabby room with only a wall fan that looked even more rickety than the one i had in my hostel. So, NO. We looked at the air-conditioned room...it was larger, with a queen size & a single bed...cost 100 bucks a night, excluding food. We took 2 rooms...one for Avni & i, the other for Karyee & Yi Hou. After putting our bags down, we headed further down the beach to B&J, a different branch of the dive shop where Avni had her initial scuba course. She asked about completing her certification, then once that's settled we headed to the jetty and watched the sunset....

Finally, Karyee and her brother arrives. I filled them in with what's goin on. On the up side, at least Mawar Chalets is closer to Eco-Divers. We had dinner, walked around, and headed for bed. now THAT was a bumpy first day.

Anyway...truth be told i was very disappointed that night and the following night...wondering to myself : is this how its gonna be for the rest of the trip? I initially regretted choosing to stay at that beach (ABC) because it was mostly rocky & full of corals, with only a few sandy patches along the shoreline. But on the up side, the water was really clear, clean and calm...This stretch of beach had chalets...several restaurants with very similar menus...a few convenience shops...and even fewer souvenir shops. A dive centre here & there, a few bars, and that's about it. And you know what, the forest is right behind you so there's bugs & frogs, monkeys in the morning & evening.....and i can assure you, you WILL come across a monitor lizard every single day.

Towards the end of the trip, i kinda got used to the surroundings...and thankfully the 4 of us got along great. And as expected, none of us wanted to leave the island. On our last night there, Karyee and i just sat by the beach at Sunset bar, enjoying the atmosphere and chatting about our dive trips, dreaming of future dives. We were savouring the moment as certified open water divers...wohoo! Avni & Yi Hou joined us later...they were busy trying to capture photographs of the lightning. Karyee and i just lazed there enjoying the lightning like a quiet fireworks display. At that moment, i felt so relaxed. I didnt realize how stressed/tensed i was before....it was a distant memory

Back in the room, slowly packing...suddenly Avni n i found ourselves at war with a grasshopper....or whatever it was. Haha...evetually i managed to get it out of our room. The next morning we had breakfast, said goodbye to Eco-Divers & Kelsey, my lovely instructor. We got on the 9.30 ferry, and then managed to get on to the 12.30 bus to KL...All through the bus ride, i slowly felt reality seeping back in....all my worries, the endless to-do list, official tasks, private dilemmas....all of em....I miss the island already. Then, on to the KLIA Transit to KL Sentral where we parted with Karyee & Yi Hou. Avni & I had dinner and took a cab back to my grandma's place in PJ.

Haaaahhh.....what a life.