Trip to Pulau Tioman

Dear Grace,How are you and your family getting on? I hope everyone is fine. I await with eager anticipation to share with you that I spend a family vacation on a tropical island ended up with this wonderful holiday trip to Tioman, a popular…… Malaysian island resort which shot to fame as the island of Bali Hai in the Rodger's & Hammerstein movie of ‘South Pacific'.

First day that we started our journey, we boarded the high-speed ferry from Kluang ferry terminal in Malaysia for the 2 hour journey to Tioman. I was so excited to be on my first boat ride but the excitement soon wore off once I was in the open sea with nothing much to see except the monotonous scenery of mainland Malaysia in the hazy distance.

Out in the open water, the sky was blue and cloudless but in the distance, clouds hovered above Tioman. As we neared the island, visions of the legendary Bali Hai from the movie ‘South Pacific' fleeted through my mind. Before long, the huge island of Tioman loomed before us, rising out of the water majestically with its peaks (some rising as high as 1000m) towering over us and surrounded by an emerald sea.

We arrived at the jetty in front of Berjaya Tioman and had to clear immigration officials who had set up desks at the front and rear of the boat. After a long wait, we finally cleared immigration and boarded another boat which brought us to the jetty at Kampung Paya, where we got down and walked to Tioman Paya Resort, which would be our home for the next 4 nights. We had booked a 3 days 2 nights full-board package with two additional nights "free and easy".

We visited the Tioman Marine Park. As it was a half-day trip, the resort provided packed lunches. My first experience seeing the fish's close-up was exciting. I had amazed that the fishes didn't have a natural fear of humans, unlike most terrestrial animals. They would hang around snorkels waiting for handouts and were even willing to be hand fed by visitors. Other fish species that weren't interested in bread simply swam around or were busy feeding on algae off rocks and corals.

After visiting the Marine Park, the boats dropped us at Berjaya Tioman Island Resort where we had the afternoon free. The resort was big and had all the trimmings of a luxury resort: airstrip, golf course, shops and landscaped gardens. However, I noticed that the waters in front of Berjaya were full of dead coral rubble and there were few fishes here. Probably there is a sign of over-development in this part of Tioman. There was also a sign on the beach warning visitors to beware of jellyfish, although I didn't