i never thought i'd enjoy myself so much! that i'm still reminiscing about the trip now..initially i felt a bit sian cos kez wasnt going and the whole morning on fri i kept on wishing and wishing she was with me! then i kept thinking that this trip would be so wasted cos im just going for the sake of going..that i didn't feel excited about it at all..but im glad that sianness soon passed once i reached tioman itself! cos the beautiful scenery cheered me up! :) hehe
i shall recount briefly how the whole trip went! just for memory-sake..
day 1 (fri, 23rd may):
5.15am: woke up
6.00am: left house and daddy drove zk and me to woodlands mrt :)
6.15am: met the rest of them and set off promptly for the bus interchange
6.30am: boarded the public bus to woodlands checkpoint -- i didnt know they have this high-tech passport scanning system now! its electronic & automatic and even has a biometric fingerprint sensor! but it seemed initially that technology was more of a hindrance than a help cos we took so long trying to scan our passports over and over again before the gate would open
(haha i can't remember the exact times anymore)
then we took another bus to the msian checkpoint and from there, took 170 into larkin..we had booked a coach (for only RM8.80!) to take us to mersing from there..the bus was scheduled to leave at 8.30..we reached damn early at 7.30 and decided to have breakfast at the coffeeshop there! there was like sooo much touting going on..people everywhere asking where your destination was so that they could provide the transport there for you..
the bus journey to mersing took around 2 hrs..so we reached mersing at 10.45..we immediately went to book a ferry (RM70 for two-way) to tioman..it was so rushed! we booked the ferry which left at 11.00am! we paid RM5 or 10 for some marine park conservation fee then boarded the ferry! poor zk was having runny nose cos of the aircon in the bus and was feeling terrible throughout the ferry ride!
the ferry journey was around 1 and a half hrs..so we reached tioman at around 1pm! we proceeded to check in at paya beach resort which we booked online beforehand (RM40 per person, 1 room with 4 beds!)
then we walked to a small stall nearby and had our lunch! the food there was not bad..zk and i had hor fun while the rest had fried rice..prices around the same as in spore..but it was really hot..and we learnt that power supply there gets cut off sometimes..and for a while the fan stopped working! *sweatsss*
after lunch, we went to rent snorkelling equipment (mask + life jacket) for only RM8! and set off from the beach by our resort to a nearby island..it felt really nice and relaxing..we'll just float on our life jackets and look down into the water and see fishes swimming below and around us! we spotted sword fish too! we then settled down on the patch of sand near that small island..and the guys started goofing around..trying to do handstands on the sand, throwing each other into the water..i so wished i had my camera around to capture those precious moments..it seemed so carefree..watching the silhouettes of them playing, laughing against the sun rays casting a golden glow upon the water and sand around us..i just wished that moment would last forever..
after being the first to bathe, i walked back to the beach, eager to snap lotsa photos of the setting sun..i think what's really beautiful about the sunset there is that you can really watch the sun disappearing beyond the horizon..and how its reflection forms an orange, shimmering strip across the sea..we hardly ever see that in singapore..
as we walked to dinner, we passed by the jetty..this next picture reminds me of what prissy was looking for to put in her blog template! just that the colours are probably not intense enough haha..and what intrigued me was how the sky retained its gradient of colour long after the sun had set..
we had ramly burgers for dinner! they're much better than those sold at the pasar malams in singapore..at least not so much mayo which i dont like! and they have a special name for the burger, called special burger, where they wrap the chicken/beef patty in a fried egg! haha and this name is like used throughout tioman! quite cute..the guys played bridge while waiting to be served!
went to the bar at our resort after dinner..few of them drank one bottle of beer..just for fun..i tried a sip and it tasted REALLY HORRIBLE! really dunno how my daddy can ENJOY drinking beer..they screened this movie called stealth on a makeshift screen using sparsticks & a whilte cloth..sth bout using AI to run military planes..i was damn bored cos i couldnt understand it at all but the guys, especially SH, seemed so interested in it! i ended up looking at the stars above haha..shared a bottle of alcoholic peach drink with zk..which everyone said just tasted like peach juice..haha! but i like..realised i don really like alcohol..or get any sense of enjoyment from it! after that we went back to our rooms and played citadel! its a strategy game where everyone is competing to gain gold and build various buildings..i think im quite good at it! :p hehe even though its far too mentally challenging for me..cos im quite bad at strategizing..most of the time i just use luck..and the guys all seem to know how to strategize! stressful!
went to sleep after that..the double decker beds are really quite dangerous..they have no railings at all! i had to rely on tucking myself under the blanket to assure myself that i wont roll of..but i dont usually move around when i sleep too la..shot of zk before sleeping! :)
i shared a room with zk, sh and his dad..and we all overslept! we were supposed to get ready and meet the rest at 6.50 but ended up being woken up at 6.50 by alfred! hahaha..we then went our complimentary buffet breakfast at the dining area..it was a simple spread of nasi lemak and western breakfast (like scrambled egg, french toast, potato, sausage) but it was yummy! there was even a chef there to whip up omelettes of our choice (we could choose to add ingredients like cheese, ham, mushroom, onion etc)!
being recharged after such a sumptuous breakfast, we packed our stuff and set off on our unexpectedly long trek to tekek village in a bid to find accomodation for our second night! cant believe SH said it was around 1 km! we ended up walking for 4hrs!! that's like 5km?? haha..
but it was an eventful journey! along the way we chanced upon a small herd of cows just grazing among the bushes..when i got closer to take a picture of them, they started running away! along the beach on the sand! it was a really cute sight..seeing them run as a group, and it was my first time seeing cows on the beach
the first part of the journey involved trekking through the jungle and quite a bit of climbing and descent..kinda reminded me of our odac expeditions..
we emerged from the forest to find ourselves at a very pretty beach, where we stopped to take many many pictures! the waters were really really clear..and i was all sweaty from the climbing that i felt so tempted to just jump into the water! we attempted the cliche jumping shots and seeing zk's pose really amuses me!
after walking for like what seemed forever to me, we finally managed to find accomodation at this place called monte chalet! at a very reasonable price too..Rm230 for 7 people..but we only had 2 rooms..one with 1 queen-sized bed, and another with 2 queen-sized bed + one additional mattress on the floor...and guess where i ended up sleeping! on the mattress on the floor! what gentlemanly guys i went with hahahaha :p but i volunteered to also la..cos what will zk's friends think if we share one bed! even though they kept instigating us to..i was really satisfied with the room! cos it was clean, air-conditioned and carpeted! it had an attached bathroom too which i was really delighted to find cos at first i thought it'd be a communal toilet or sth..but to my horror there were like 4 big cockroaches (3 dead though) in the toilet! eeks!
the bed jiashun and zk shared + the mattress i slept on:
we then went for lunch at this chinese seafood sarang restaurant which the chalet owner recommended to us..they must be friends! the owner then helped us get a deal with his friends who drive a boat for us to go out snorkelling! it was RM50 per person, inclusive of snorkelling equipment, and the boat would take us to 5 different snorkelling locations! the boat went REALLY fast and initially i felt quite scared! cos the waters were quite choppy and boat would go bang bang bang on the water and parts of the jouney were extrememly jerky and bumpy! but after a while i found myself awed by the high speed with which we were travelling across the water..this is quite random but i started to appreciate technology and how the human invention of boats with motors to race across waters was really amazing! i looked down on the sea beside me and watched the water below speed past so fast that i couldnt even look at any one point in particular..the wind was really strong too so all of us could hardly open our eyes too!
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ur first destination was coral island..where the current was really really strong..and swimming back to the boat was a total chore! no matter how much i paddled, i seemed to remain on the same spot! and i couldnt stop even if i was tired cos the current would just pull me even further away from the boat and i would just have to swim more later!
the next stop was some rocks near coral island..there were many more fishes there..ooh i must mention that one of the most common fishes there is this rainbow coloured one! i couldnt take a picture of it cos none of us had an underwater camera..i wish i could draw it out! they're really pretty! so back to my point, we started attempting to touch the fishes! they were in such close proximity that the whole experience was simply breathtaking..initially i thought i'd be scared by the thought of fishes (cold, slimy) just beside me..but once i saw them, i just wanted to touch them and be friends with them! and you don't get scared of them cos they're the ones scared of you..its almost impossible to touch them..they just manouvre away in time..then alfred made this funny discovery! he realized the fish were attracted to these stalks of leaves floating around..so each of us ended up with a stalk in our hands, just to get the fishes to swim closer to us so we could touch them! but the fishes seemed to get smarter and were no longer attracted to the leaves after a while haha..
then we went to salang village as a resting stop where i picked some seashells! they dont have very nice or big ones there too..comparable to singapore..and we posed for some pictures too!
after that we proceeded to monkey bay where we were simply intrigued by the amount of fishes we could see just from above the water surface! think they're too used to tourists feeding them bread that they just flock to approaching boats immediately..the boatmen bought bread for us to feed the fish..at first i was a little apprehensive cos i was afraid the fish would bite..but after assurance from all the more adventurous guys (who were already trying to CATCH the fish with their hands, to no avail though), i dared to let the fish eat the bread off my fingers! they were really cute! they'll try as far as possible not to actually touch your hand, but you'll still be able to feel them pecking against ur finger..
our next stop was marine park..where the fishes there were also visible from above the water surface, only that the fishes this time were much bigger! this time, i was a little more afraid and didn't really dare touch the fish..i simply swimmed among them and imagined what my photos would be like if only i could take pictures underwater hehe..
lastly, we went to ringgis island..we were all a little tired by then..so we just lay down on a floating wooden platform nearby..the guys started playing stupid games like pushing each other off the platform haha..we decided to continue snorkelling after that and i spotted a sting ray!! but so sad none of them saw it in time..then later i spotted sucker fish! are they called that? at first i was wondering how come this small fish kept swimming around and beside this larger fish..then later i realized it was eating off the body of the larger fish! i watched a documentary before that these fish are very useful! and help to eat the bacteria off the other fishes i think..then later another sucker fish joined his friend to nibble off the larger fish! who seemed nonchalant to these two fishes swimming around it..so cute..
after we got back, i was the first to bathe again..and after that i tried to capture pictures of the sunset again..but i was a little late and the sun had set..though the clouds were still pretty and orange..and strips of orange reflected of the sea..as i stood there alone, admiring the ebbing waves and pretty sky, i was filled with a deep sense of tranquility..and again, that would be a moment, a scene that i would always remember..
on our way to dinner..most of the locals get around on motorcycles..so even when taking this photo, there were so many of them scooting past us..that it got a bit irritating at times..even while walking we frequently had to make way for passing motorcycles..and im not sure if the people there need licenses to ride one..cos we see even kids from age 12 (??) riding their sibilings around!
after dinner the guys played the mini mahjong i brought..and i went to sleep! i was really tired and i have not much interest in mahjong anyway haha..and dont ask me what they were doing in the other photo
we were all pretty shagged and woke up at around 8 the next day only..had ramly burgers for breakfast again haha! they seem to have ramly burgers EVERYWHERE! i bought 2 small souvenirs made of seashells just to add to the display in my house haha..the guys went back and played soccer for a while while i slept! hehe..was really sleepy! then it started drizzling and we quickly made our way to the jetty which was around 300m away..we were very lucky cos after we reached the jetty it started pouring! the ferry was supposed to come at 12 but we ended up waiting till 1! the ferry was cool though..had karaoke videos being screened..and they screened white chicks later on too..
after we reached mersing, we walked to the town area..but sadly, most of the shops were closed cos it was a sunday..so we settled for eating kfc..its relatively cheaper there! our bus left mersing for larkin punctually at 5.30pm!
after getting through the msian checkpoint, it was really quite impossible to board any bus there! it was soooo crowded! so we just decided to walk across the causeway! it was my first time though..but it wasn't as far as i expected! :) our wondeful trip ended with dinner at the coffeeshop near the woodlands checkpoint!
okie that's the end!!
hahah omg this must be the longest and most tedious entry i have written! i wonder if anyone is really gonna read every word from the beginning to the end! haha..
on another note, i passed my basic theory test!! :D was soo scared i'd fail cos i was so unsure of so many answers!! but more on our whole silly experience the next time! hehe
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