A Holiday in Pulau Tioman

Dear Grace,How are you and your family getting on? I hope everyone is fine.
I await with eager

anticipation to share with you that I spend a family vacation on a tropical island ended up with this
wonderful holiday trip to Tioman, a popular Malaysian island resort which shot to fame as the island
of Bali Hai in the Rodger's & Hammerstein movie of 'South Pacific'.
First day that we started our journey, we boarded the high-speed ferry from Kluang ferry terminal in
Malaysia for the 2 hour journey to Tioman. I was so excited to be on my first boat ride but the
excitement soon wore off once I was in the open sea with nothing much to see except the
monotonous scenery of mainland Malaysia in the hazy distance.
Out in the open water, the sky was blue and cloudless but in the distance, clouds hovered above
Tioman.
English: Tioman Island, Malaysia, by Andrew Lih
The runway is only accessible from the north, due ...
tioman island women
As we neared the island, visions of the legendary Bali Hai from the movie 'South Pacific' fleeted
through my mind. Before long, the huge island of Tioman loomed before us, rising out of the water
majestically with its peaks (some rising as high as 1000m) towering over us and surrounded by an
emerald sea.
We arrived at the jetty in front of Berjaya Tioman and had to clear immigration officials who had set
up desks at the front and rear of the boat. After a long wait, we finally cleared immigration and
boarded another boat which brought us to the jetty at Kampung Paya, where we got down and
walked to Tioman Paya Resort, which would be our home for the next 4 nights. We had booked a 3
days 2 nights full-board package with two additional nights "free and easy".
We visited the Tioman Marine Park. As it was a half-day trip, the resort provided packed lunches. My
first experience seeing the fish's close-up was exciting. I had amazed that the fishes didn't have a
natural fear of humans, unlike most terrestrial animals. They would hang around snorkels waiting for
handouts and were even willing to be hand fed by visitors. Other fish species that weren't interested
in bread simply swam around or were busy feeding on algae off rocks and corals.
After visiting the Marine Park, the boats dropped us at Berjaya Tioman Island Resort where we had
the afternoon free. The resort was big and had all the trimmings of a luxury resort: airstrip, golf
course, shops and landscaped gardens. However, I noticed that the waters in front of Berjaya were
full of dead coral rubble and there were few fishes here. Probably there is a sign of over-
development in this part of Tioman. There was also a sign on the beach warning visitors to beware of
jellyfish, although I didn't see any during my stay here. They were probably seasonal.
During our "free and easy" part of the stay, I snorkeled around the house reefs at Paya beach. It was
fascinating to observe the fishes and I also noticed a lot of black sea urchins on the seabed or
wedged in rocks and crevices. They looked intimidating with their long spines and I had to be very
careful not to touch them especially in shallow water.
The Tioman Paya resort that we stayed was quite nice with its timber chalets blending into the
surrounding. The air-conditioned rooms were clean and comfortable with solar heaters mounted on
the roofs for hot water. Our particular chalet was located next to the forest. To get to the beach or
main dining hall, we had to cross a little wooden bridge built over a river with mangrove trees
fringing its banks. Monitor lizards would occasionally make their presence felt when they splashed
into the water. There were many of them here and some were quite big. Each morning they would
lie on the grass on the resort grounds, basking in the morning sunshine and running up the nearest
tree when we approached too close. Meals were served in the common dining area, which also
housed the other shared facilities, like TV, newspapers and other reading material. An ala-carte
menu was also available.
After 4 nights in Tioman, we reluctantly boarded our boat at Paya jetty which transferred us to the
main jetty at Berjaya where we caught the high-speed ferry back to Kluang. My first holiday island
trip had been a lot more enjoyable than expected, and I now looked forward to my next island
destination that is Pulau Redang!Well, it's time to end this letter, and more will follow. Also, I would
like to hear from all of you too. Take care!

A Holiday in Pulau Tioman

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Holiday in Pulau Tioman

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Description:

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

A Holiday in Pulau Tioman

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Dear Grace,How are you and your family getting on? I hope everyone is fine.

I await with eager

You might also like