Hey Guys! Thanks for stopping by again. Today I want to share with you snippets from Tioman Island. The trip was quite the commute, consisting of a winding, twisting, nauseating  bus ride to Mersing Malaysia from Singapore (4hrs) then a 1 hr ferry to the main Jetty, then another 30 minute fishing boat ride to the resort! But it was Sooo worth it! So Sit back turn your speakers on & Lets go to Tioman Island!

There was a different feel about this Island, it was very rugged terrain and so isolated. The backdrop of the Mountain peaks were jaw dropping as well. It was very Jurassic Park like. I kept looking around waiting for the pterodactyl and the raptors to descend! 

The staff at the resort was phenomenal, the Malayan people are so kind and caring, oh and they sure know how to throw a barbecue! This bad boy was caught that afternoon and grilled to perfection! It was honestly the best fish ever. Although, it was a bit creepy  as it was still looking at me, but thinking I better eat it before it eats me! The rest of the meal was awesome as well, shrimp, chicken, pork and a wonderful array of salads and fruits. Malayan etiquette dining tip! as you enter into the outdoor dining area its customary to leave your flip-flops at the entrance.

OK, now for the story behind the monkey sitting atop of our thatched roof cabin! Come to find out the monkeys in SE Asia are a lot different from back home where they are in zoos! They are pretty much everywhere just running around. We are getting used to them but at times they can be an annoyance. So when we arrived the staff cautioned us to make sure we keep our doors and windows closed and keep all food in the cabinet locked otherwise the monkeys will get in and steal your food!

Well you know where this is going…. We might have brought a loaf of bread to feed the fish when snorkeling….. come to find out Monkeys love bread. As Christina & Connor strolled back to the room she noticed this little guy hanging out on top of the roof, she thought oh how cute is that! Well come to find out he was the lead scout/ spotter for the troops. When they got inside the cabin she initially didn’t see anything out of the ordinary as she was laser focused on getting a cold beverage from the fridge… but upon closer inspection she noticed breadcrumbs strewn about along with the door to the cabinet was unlocked! she turned around and what she saw was enough to make her, well lets say (she needed to go to the bathroom really bad) 🙂

There were a whole tribe of unruly furry critters curiously looking at her and Connor as if to say “we weren’t done raiding your food supply yet” She froze dead in her tracks as she was nervously trying to conjure up a plan to escape without too much trauma. Now she knew she could outrun Connor so her life would be spared 🙂 Connor you are on your own she whispered…. JK. 

Mama Bear mode kicked in to action as she spotted a tattered broom in the not to distant corner, she forced herself to put one foot in front of the other and walk the few paces (which seemed like 30 meters away) grab the weapon of choice and shew them out the window that I might have left open accidentally. (Oops) After she had gathered her composure she cautiously made a bee line back to the calm secluded beachfront to join me on the lounge chairs. She so lovingly told me to get up to the cabin pronto and secure the place like Fort Knox! So like a good husband I did as I was told. Luckily we had no more Monkey Business the rest of the trip!

Sometimes I think these things only happen to us, but I’m sure these are common occurrences for the more seasoned traveler. Nonetheless Tioman Island was truly a great adventure. The 3 hour one way rugged jungle hike to the waterfall was exhausting, extremely hot and took a long time, but so satisfying. The roar of the waterfall from a long distance away kept our excitement / energy level to get there on track.

The night before we went on the journey we had made friends with 2 other couples that were staying at the resort as well, so at breakfast the next morning we asked if they would like to join us on the adventure. The staff graciously packed us all a delicious lunch to take with us and off we all went! Now we had only met the other couples briefly so the dynamics of spending basically all day in the jungle with people we had just met was either going to be a potential disaster of epic proportion and a blog entry for another time or an unbelievable Great Experience. Well it was the latter. As a matter of fact we are all still very good friends to this day. 

Once again much like our trip to Telunas we had no electronic devices, no cell service, no tv, no Internet (gasp) to distract us from actual human interaction complete with conversation without text…. and just sharing the moment.

OK Guys, gonna wrap it up for now. Remember to subscribe if you enjoy! I promise not to bite!……   Have a Great Day or Night! Vlog at you soon!

Cheers!

Gary