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 Continue Reading »
Borneo activity number 2; scuba diving one of the Top 10 destinations in the world. Bring it on! The amazing thing about traveling around this part of the world is that you can get any flight you want, at bargain basement prices. Our one-hour flight to Semporna (Tawau) was delayed by 6 hours so rather than hang around waiting for it, we switched airlines and bought ourselves a last-minute ticket for 30 quid each. A breath of fresh air.
The only highlight of diving Sipidan Island off the east coast of Borneo is Continue Reading »
With a brief stop on Langkawi Island there followed a mighty 11 hour bus journey to Kuala Lumpur (advertised to be only 7hrs) which all-but-didn’t break down when the gearbox seemed to fail and arrived in the big city at midnight. The sheer determination of this driver to get us to KL deserved a medal. The only saving grace was the spectacular ice-cream glowing Petronas Towers looming above the city. We tried to go and see them but ‘someone’ didn’t read the guide book properly and they were closed that day. Starbucks in the foyer it was then.
Furthermore, our journey to the Petronas Towers wasn’t helped by the fact that it took us 2 taxis to get there. You’d have thought that literally EVERYONE would know where the two largest towers are, they’re the country’s icon, the building that physically towers above you all day, they peek around other buildings to remind you they’re there. Continue Reading »
