back from tioman!

So. Tioman island was loads of fun!! Regardless of what some people say, that I can't have fun, well, to hell with that. I had loads and loads of fun!! Anyway, I went for a small holiday in Tioman with my two best friends, L and B, and 2 other friends (Y and H). There were 5 of us, 3 guys and 2 girls. Here goes the details of our trip.

It was budget all the way, with us waking up at 445am just to catch the first train to Kranji. Instead of taking a coach, because we were going budget, we travelled via public transport all the way to Mersing, Malaysia, and from there we took a ferry over to Tioman. The ferry to Tioman was damn long, I can tell you that. It was about 2 hours plus or so. But in total, the travelling there was cheap, say about less than SGD10.

Alighted at Tekek, Tioman, and proceeded to Juara Beach Resort. Tha resort is so clean and comfortable, and L and I vowed to go back to the same resort should we go back to Tioman again (of which we definately will!). The owners were very friendly and courteous, not to mention helpful.



This was our first day at the beach. The water was so clean and clear, we could see right down to the bottom of the seabed. This picture above captured the jungle mountain which is the backdrop, and that was the mountain we trekked through the next day to reach a waterfall. And believe me, it ain't easy. So we swam for quite a bit on the first day, then L and I decided to take a nap, while the 3 guys decided to bury each other in the sand. The thing is, this beach had so many fucking sandflies, and because L and I fell asleep, those fucking disgusting things bit us. As a result, we have many many sandfly bites to prove. I have many of those tiny red bumops on my legs, and they're itching like fuck, but hopefully they'll go away soon.





On the second day, we trekked through the mountain which was a jungle all the way, climbing up through huge volcanic rocks that were slippery with moss, jumping through holes in the mud, clinging on to the rope for dear life on our way up and down because it was so steep. The above picture is an example of the rocks we had to trek through. It looks easy here, but trust me, it isn't easy at all. Because in between these rocks, there is no ground. It's just an empty hole all the way down, and if you miss and fall in between, you'll be dangling in midair. The jungle was also full of poisonous and dangerous trees and leaves that were so thin and sharp and had so many thorns. And L and I got cut by those leaves and trees, so now we've cuts on our legs too.

On the way, we came across this very dangerous looking insect as can be seen above. Whatever that insect was, it scared the hell out of me and made me have goosebumps because it looked damn scary! Oh, and there were numerous mosquitoes buzzing around. Lots of them.

And after that tiring and dangerous trekking, we reached our destination. A small waterfall as seen above. It's pretty, isn't it? That was the loveliest part. It was as if all our hard work trekking through disgusting jungle territory was worth it. So we waded into the waterfall, played a little, climbed further up, and just relaxed for a bit. The water was damn clear and very cold, but boy, was it fun. L nearly lost her life trying to swim down with the current. The current was damn strong, and she got washed down, even though I tired to grab her hand. Luckily, before she got swept right to the bottom where all the dangerous rocks were, she found her footing on a rock and I pulled her up. That stupid silly girl was just trying to be adventurous, and she didn't even get travel insurance!!

Anyway, the trek back down was much more difficult than the trek up. It was a totally different route. And because we were the only ones to trek through the jungle mountain, there was absolutely no trail for us to follow. Because apparently the tourists who come trekking here go by the road, whereas we went through the jungle. So the trek down was dangerous, because we trekked very close to the edge of the mountain, and we couldn't see a trail. The grass was almost knee-high and after a while, brushing through them made our legs itch. L almost lost her life again, because she slipped and almost slipped over the edge of the mountain; B caught her in time though. And I fell right into a hole that was covered by grass, so I couldn't see it. However the hole was only up to my waist, so it was still easy for me to climb out. So the whole journey down was just Y bashing his way through the grass and making the trail for us (because he was in the scout recce division in the army previously) with a parang and a stick.

The conclusion after our trekking across the jungle mountain. I'm now rough, tough G.I. Jane. Haha.

The third day was spent snorkelling in the open sea. The pictures are with Y, so for now, there are no photos. We spent almost half the day snorkelling in the open sea. The currents were very strong and the sea was quite rough, but snorkelling was great, great fun!! We snorkelled in the 12m deep sea, and I saw so many beautiful corals and many colourful fishes! I wanted to catch them but of course, I couldn't. Anyway, all 5 of us had never snorkelled before, prior to this trip, so we couldn't really snorkel down into the water. Oh, and I saw a shark and a flying fish!! That really made my day. But, our small speedboat broke down as we were about to leave the place. And B was already seasick, he threw up twice. and Y threw up 4 times, twice in the sea while snorkelling. Because even in the sea, the currents will still sweep you away, so your body will follow the movement of the current, and that would make you feel seasick.

So anyway, after a while on the boat, I started to not feel too well either, so me, B, and Y, just lay down on the boat and slept while the boat was being repaired. After which we went to the marine conservancy park, where we snorkelled in 7m deep water without any currents, and fed the many fished that swarmed towards us as soon as they saw food. The fishes were huge and colourful, and just very pretty. Although I didn't like getting cut by some big fish's fin or scales or whatever nonsense, because it hurt very badly for a while after that. Oh, and we jumped from the 4m jetty into the water too! L chickened out at first, so that only left me, the only other girl, to jump. The guys had already done it by then. And knowing me, I didn't wanna lose out, so I jumped too. And. My bikini top flew up. But only after I landed into the water. So it was still okay, right??? Haha.

The fun part came when we went back to the resort. I made L skinny dip with me in the sea, because I felt like it. She didn't want to at first, so I just stripped off my bikini top and waded into the water. And she did the same after a while. The feeling was really, shiok la.

Anyway, after this trip, I realised that L has already seen like, every part of me, and I've seen every part of her too! Because she just stripped in front of me while changing in the chalet. And she opened the door while I was showering to wash her face, so she saw me in the buff. Totally. I don't really care, though, so that's alright. And she saw me peeing, too! Because she didn't hold on to the door tight enough, and the door swung open!! My conclusion? We've both already seen every part of each other.

So, that's about all. The trip to Tioman was really really loads of fun. It took my mind off every troubling thing back home, and relaxed me. The only thing is that I got very sunburnt, so now I'm peeling on my face and my shoulders. And I've a lot of itchy sandfly bites on my legs. But still? It was great, great fun. The trip to Tioman with my two best pals and my two other friends is what I totally needed.

I wouldn't trade this experience for anything in the world. :))