Mar 16th, 2008
More blub blub…
Our final stop in Malaysia was Tioman Island, off the east coast of the Peninsula. We were meeting up with some friends we’d met on the train in Sapa, Vietnam, called Tim and Lies. Tim manages the dive school and Lies is now well on her way to getting her Dive Master certificate. What a wonderful place. If it hadn’t been for the incessant rain, again…
Pilots need a steady hand to successfully land the plane here; first a low entry under the cloud cover almost skimming the surface of the water, fly directly at the mountain, then a tight 90 degree angle to pop onto the runway. For some reason I was in a stewards seat that faces back towards the rest of the cabin, thank god I was. The incredulous look on Guy’s face said it all. For the local kids in the back it seemed like the highlight of their trip, a bit of a roller-coaster ride.
Tioman is one of those places that’s trying to run before it can walk. Where we were on ABC a beach towards the north of the island it’s a very mellow place, huts on the beach, a few laid-back restaurants. Further down the coast, towards ‘town’ they’ve been trying to build a harbour, which is over-sized in comparison to the islands small scale, and have been steadily concreting the beachfront land. It hasn’t gone down with the locals very well and the project has been stop-start from the beginning.
Again the diving was fantastic, this time the highlight was wreck diving and the stings we still have in our hands from the pesky creatures on the rope that lead us to the wrecks (the current would have floated you away here) are serving as a good enough reminder. And what a place to celebrate our 6 month Liketytrip Anniversary! Yes, time has flown by. And you probably haven’t even realised we’ve gone yet! A very big thank you to Tim and Lies for taking us down to the depths of the ocean, helping us out with finding accommodation and of course great company.
Now off to get our city fixes again. Singapore.