Tioman Island, Malaysia 2

Tioman Pahang, Malaysia
Page Two

We had originally planned to fly from Singapore to Tioman, but we found the flights from Singapore to be prohibitively expensive. Therefore, we took a bus into Malaysia, and then a ferry from the coastal town of Mersing out to the island. I think we had to be waiting for the bus at 7:00 a.m. in Singapore,but although the trip was supposed to take "just a couple of hours," we didn't get into the ferry terminal in Mersing until around noon. This was partially because our bus driver made an unscheduled stop for (his) morning coffee. Your mileage may vary!
I found the business card of the agency where we bought the bus and ferry tickets still stuck in my guide book, so if you're the type who likes to set things up in advance, you can contact them at T & L Tours, Pte. Ltd., 6001, Beach Road, #01-48, Golden Mile Tower, Singapore 199589. The telephone is 2939118, and the fax is 2931253. Tell 'em Glenn sent ya, and they'll say . . . "Glenn who?"

	On this page, let's take a walk down the path that parallels the beach. We'll start out on the southern end, about in front of Nora's, and head up to where the path ends at the northern headland. Here a couple of kids are playing in the sand, with the little island in the background.
This is the reception area of Ella's. I'm not including this picture because it's great photography or because I have some connection with Ella's; the only thing I know about it is that I walked past it holding a digital video camera. I'm including it because it captures some of the feel of Salang Beach. Don't come for the night life or the shopping, because it has precious little of either. Rather come because it's a lovely place to "get away from it all."
	The Salang Indah is the biggest complex on the beach. My 1994 edition Lonely Planet describes it as "pressing for resort status." This is a picture of their restaurant, where we had a few meals. They were working on some sort of building on the beach side of the path, and you can see a man doing work on the arch you have to walk through. The Salang Indah has a mini-mart for shopping, too. Don't go in looking for a cold beer, though. As the locals are practicing Moslems, the suds are pretty hard to find and comparatively expensive when you do.
These bungalows are the ones that most made me think, "Ooh, cool. I wanna stay there!" But alas, with two small kids in tow, it was out of the question. The reason, of course, is that a fall from the porch would put them right into the sea at high tide. At low tide they'd be head-first into the rocks. If we ever go back once they're grown, though, we're staying here. If you're interested in booking them, they belong to Salang Indah and they say "VIP" on the door.
	Farther up we come to the Salang Beach Resort. We looked into moving up to this end of the beach, although it is rockier and not as nice, just to experience a different area. We didn't find the rooms to offer as much for the money as Khalid's, though, so we stayed where we were. That's my daughter Kelly on the path.
Here's a look from the north end of the beach back south. You can see that there's a little point that sticks out in the middle of it. There's the same unfinished hotel complex we saw on page one.
	OK, since we've walked from one end to the other, it's time to take a break for something to eat. Zaid's was where we had most of our meals, and you can sit at tables outside with your toes in the sand. This is a tripod shot of us.
One thing you've got to be aware of, though, when you go to Tioman, is that the food is not exactly world renown. If you like fried rice, fried noodles, or curry, you'll be in heaven. I'm not going to say the food is bad, but I will say it's pretty basic. Here's what I had that day. Wait a minute, what kind of guy takes pictures of his lunch?
	We had many of our dinners at the Cafe Amin, the first thing you see as you arrive down the jetty. Here's a picture of the smiling proprietor hard at work. At night you can pick out the fish you'd like and he'll grill it for you right on the beach. I'm not fond of fish, however, so I had him grill me some satay. Add a cold beer and a setting sun and it's perfect.