Circumnavigating the Island

As vacationers, Dyann and I have a hard time just sitting and relaxing. You will rarely find us poolside all day basking in the sun sipping drinks. We might be able to do it for an hour or two, but no more. We try. We always psych ourselves up and say that we are going to keep a low profile, do nothing and just chill, but that never seems to happen. And this vacation is just another example. 

Gunung Nenek Semukut - The Twin Peaks of Tioman Island

Our version of relaxing is getting up at 6am, doing a killer workout in the gym and then being at the dock by 9am to circumnavigate the island in a small 40hp boat.

This is gonna be fun!

Our skipper is BiBi and we are joined by another couple here on a long weekend vacation from KL (Kuala Lumpur). With six stops on the itinerary and 8 hours to get it all done, it's time to go.  

Tioman Island is roughly 39km long and 12km wide. The island itself is a lush, dense green jungle that is 98% uninhabited and the waters surrounding Tioman are a protected eco-reserve by Malaysia. It truly is paradise. In 1958 the beaches of Tioman were used in the movie Bali Hai, an adaptation of the Rodgers & Hammerstein play, South Pacific. And in 1970, Time magazine selected Tioman as one of the world's most beautiful islands. It truly is stunning, and the best way to see it is by boat.  

Our first stop is the Asah waterfall. BiBi drops us off at the pier and tells us to 'stay right'.

That's it.

Nothing else.

No guide.

No nothing.

Just go into the jungle and stay to the right. We are in flip flops and swim clothes being sent off into a wild jungle on a basically uninhabited island to find a waterfall. An island filled with Monitor lizards and God only knows what else. What the hell are we getting ourselves into? This ought to be fun.  

'Stay to the right' 

My anxiety is all for not as we get to the end of the pier and find a perfectly good paved sidewalk that takes us up the side of the mountain to the Asah waterfall. 20 arduous, uphill minutes later and completely sweat soaked, we arrive. Dyann and I go straight for the water. It's cool and refreshing as we sit under the falls to cool off.

Of course both of our paranoia minds start to wander and we both think out loud (at the same time I might add), is there any flesh eating bacteria or critters that will swim up our urethra in this water? We'll keep our fingers crossed and hope there is not.

By the time we get back to the boat I realize that I'm starving. Between the morning workout and now a sweaty hike in the jungle, the lack of breakfast is catching up to me. Luckily our next stop is lunch just a little further up the island to Juara Village. Another picturesque hamlet nestled between the white sandy beach and lush jungle. I'm starting to feel the urge to relocate. This place just keeps getting better at every stop. But I am a little apprehensive about lunch after yesterdays interesting village meal in Tekek, but being famished helps ease my worries. I need food before I start to get hangry (I'm a true asshole when I get hangry).​

Dyann and I meander the one road that Juara has to find the perfect place to sit and relax. Lunch with a view is in order. 

Lunch with a view

Food courts are all the rage in Malaysia. The concept of shared space is great for small restaurants. We find a building that has four restaurants in it, each having roughly a garage sized space with a roll-up door with a kitchen inside while diners can all eat outside in the shared patio. It's fantastic!  

Our rule of thumb when ordering is to get 3 dishes. And we usually pick items that we cannot pronounce, have no idea what it is or the server recommends. Food surprises.  

Chicken in Peanut Sauce

Today we opted for server recommendations. As the server is also what appears to be the owner and sous chef, I think we will be in good hands for our meal selection. I go with the Chicken in Peanut Sauce and Dyann gets Malaysian-style seafood noodles. The aromas of our meals being cooked from the small closet sized kitchen waft across our table and it's heavenly. My Pavlovian response kicking in and I begin to salivate like a rabid dog. Our meal is so good, as I am deconstructing all the flavors and textures in my mind, taking mental notes on the spice level, herbs, thickness of sauce figuring out how to recreate this when we get home (I'm taking reservations now for our next dinner). 

Still hungry after our first two dishes, we order our third, the Ginger Prawns. OMG! Freakin' amaze-balls.  

Ginger Prawns

Fresh prawns right out of the ocean, fresh ginger, green peppers, tomatoes and chili peppers wok seared to perfection. So good. (I did have to show Dyann how to eat the prawns as they arrived with their heads still attached... )

Rolling down the pier like Veruca Salt after chewing the blueberry gum, back to our little skiff we set out for the rest of the island, hopping from spot to spot snorkeling in some of the most beautiful locations. (Sorry for the lack of pictures here, I am trying to get the GoPro to talk to my iPad, but right now they are fighting and the GoPro is winning)(I will post some blogs just on the snorkeling adventures once I get things up and running). 

Our day with BiBi came to an end as he delivered us to the Beach Bar. Dyann and I were ready for an afternoon cocktail, a shower and then some dinner. Tonight we are off to try the beachside restaurant outside the resort gates... 

Waking Up in Paradise

The beach outside our room at sunrise

One thing I love about vacationing with Dyann is that we don't sleep in. We get up, get going and look to suck the marrow out of every minute possible. So right around 6am we were up and ready to get our day going. With most of the guests still slumbering in their beds and the staff just starting to arrive, we basically had the entire resort to ourselves. We found a papalup, cleaned off a couple of beach beds and I made coffee and hot tea to watch the sun come up over the island. Spending the better part of the morning reading, relaxing and recooperating.  

As the beach chairs slowly filled and the peaceful sounds of birds and lapping waves turned to kids playing and people having a good time, we decided it was time to do a little exploration into the local village. We needed a few supplies. Mainly some booze and wine so as not to have to pay the hotel for drinks, even though the average cost of a cocktail is 20 Ringat or about $5 US (talk about inexpensive!). Beyond supplies, lunch sounded inviting as well, so off we went. 

Not knowing how far the Tekek Village was from Berjaya we opted to cajole one of the bellmen to give us a ride. They use these crazy trucks with the back cut out filled with bolted on seats to get guests to and from the resort. It was fun. Kind of like a Tioman Safari Truck, although there were no wildlife to be seen today.

Realizing again that this is still the Malaysian New Year, almost every shop was closed, except for a couple of Duty Free liquor stores, BINGO! And the random back alley restaurant. Priorities! Shopping, then EAT. Once again the prices amazed us. A bottle of Captain for $40 Ringat ($10 US)! WTF?! This place just keeps getting better. A bottle of Captains, Bailey's (for our "special coffee" in the morning) and a bottle of wine set us back just under $30US. Crazy. Can I just keep saying how crazy it is. 

Now to find food. Not a lot of options. Through this alley strewn with broken down motorcycles, a goose pen with GIANT geese in it we stroll into what is being called a resort, but looks more like a youth hostel for those not wanting to be found. The restaurant is open and we are excited. Our first meal in Tioman outside of the resort. This is going to be great! Authentic food. 

Not! 

Nachos are on the menu. Tempting. 

French Fries are on the menu. Tempting. 

But on the back page of the menu there are 'local' specialities. Dyann goes with a chicken dish, and I opt for the fish curry.  

Mystery Curry

The food was, meh, but the rice was cooked perfectly, and it filled our stomachs (Dyann thinks that hers was not really chicken, and I have to think that it was something afoul too, reminding me of the mystery meat often found in the MRE's Uncle Sam liked to feed me). The view was amazing, perched right on the water, surrounded by bamboo, mangrove and palm trees. There were hammocks to be had, and even a treehouse for the Swiss Family Robinson in all of us.  

Strolling back to the resort donning my 100 pounds of booze and mixers (we are going to be here for a week) we pass what looks to be a promising food option right outside the resort gates. Definitely coming back here. 

Pre-functed a little in the room with a hard earned rum & pineapple juice cocktail. Got caught up on social media, emails and random Facebook comments (you know who you are - our African traveler friends) and it was about time to find the perfect spot to watch the sunset. BEACH BAR.  

Cocktails for two at a far, unknown corner of the world, Tioman Island.

It's the little moments like this that make traveling and exploring so worth it. To have a drink with the love of my life on a distant island away from the daily obligations and responsibilities. To just relax and watch the sun go down. There is nothing better.