Taking risks on Tioman

TIoman Island is located off the east coast of Malaysia. Brought to notoriety in the 1950s by the movie South Pacific, you know scene, the one where a couple rolls around on the beach making out, it has been a tourist destination ever since. Sail Malaysia is heading up the west coast of Malaysia, so Tioman was not on our lists of stops, but after reading about Tioman in Lonley Planet I was really keen on checking it out, the only problem was that it is the beginning of monsoon season in Tioman and really not tourist season at all. Omar and Allison decided it wasn't worth the weather risk and decided not to go but Rhiannon was hoping monsoon season might bring surf-able waves and was actually looking to sell her surfboard as well. Clemont had already headed that direction and was planning on meeting us there.

Rhiannon and I hopped a bus in Singapore and headed back to the boat in Danga Bay to grab her surfboard and we were off. We were able to catch a bus to Mersing that night, a nice little town where the ferry to Tioman launched from, and at noon the next day we were on the quick ferry to Tioman. Clemont met us on the jetty and took us to the resort where he had negotiated renting a tent and sleeping on the resort’s lawn.

The next five days were bliss.

Tioman it appeared had settled in for an off season nap. A lot of the resorts had already closed their doors for monsoon season and those that were still open had a skeleton crew and minimal guests. The perfect white sand beaches were ours.

We spent time in four of the villages on Tioman; in Genting where we arrived by ferry we watched the local school girls play a game of net ball. In Paya we made an unscheduled stop on our trek to Juara because the beaches were so beautiful and so quiet. We spent the day swimming and reading under palm trees. That night we camped on a small island just off the coast, not taking into account just how high high-tide would be. Next we completed our trek across the island, some 9 kilometers, the first 5 of which were straight up, to arrive in Juara where I think I could spend the rest of my life. It was a perfect half moon bay hardly a mile long with white sand and the bluest of water. I’m not sure if this is where that famous South Pacific scene was filmed but I have to imagine it was. Juara is also where we found a surf school and band of surfing pirates, well not real pirates. And Rhiannon was able to sell her surf board as well, which was good because no one wanted to carry it back through the jungle. Finally we spent the night in Tekek, sleeping on the beach under trees full of bats (I would not recommend this to anyone) before jumping back on the ferry and making our way back to the Tropicbird.

Something about Tioman drew me in, maybe the beauty, maybe the simple sleepiness, maybe the wholesome way of life. Whatever it is I really hope to make it back there soon.

And the weather was perfect the whole time.

Genting beach at sunset.

Paya beach.

A view of Juara from the jetty.

Juara beach huts and surfer pirate friends.

 Jungle treking to Tekek.