Posted by our first guest writer: Ms. Williams (Jonathan's mom)
I think we found heaven on earth - otherwise known as Berjaya Tioman Resort and Suites. Let me backtrack for a minute. My first day in Singapore, Jonathan, Jenn, and I huddled together to plan where we wanted to go and what we thought we'd like to do in Malaysia. Jonathan had already done some research of course and had a tentative route laid out for us. When he mentioned that one of the planned stops was Tioman Island, I reminded him that we could use my timeshare week there. He had not been in favor of this because it would tie us down to one place for a whole week, circumventing a couple of his planned stops. However, Jenn was ecstatic at the thought of not having to pick up and move for 7 days and be able to stay in what we hoped was a decent place near the beach. Needless to say, the female vote won. There was one suite available June 28 - July 5 at the Berjaya Tioman Resort and we took it. Jonathan then worked to rearrange his original plans and find how to best utilize our 10 days before arriving on Tioman Island which you have seen posted in the blogs of Taman Negara and the Perhentian Islands.
We said our goodbyes (and possibly good riddance since I had also developed stomach problems along with Jenn) to our 11-bed dorm room with its far away restroom facilities on Coral Bay in the Perhentian Islands and boarded a small motor boat for a ride back to Kuala Besut, a small fishing village and primary jetty town for boats traveling to/from the Perhentian Islands. The owner of the boat must have had some urgent business in town or possibly some invisible force chasing him - he kept the motor going at full throttle for the entire 30 minute ride, crashing through the waves and thoroughly drenching each of us.
Upon arriving back on dry land, we bypassed the many taxi drivers at the jetty and walked the few blocks to the bus station. Jonathan continued to ignore the taxi drivers clamoring for our business there and inquired as to when the next bus would arrive that could transport us to Jerteh where we would pick up the bus heading south to Mersing. We would have to wait an hour and chance missing our bus in Jerteh. About that time an older taxi driver sauntered over and told us he would carry the 3 of us to Jerteh for 4 RM (Malaysian Ringgit) each. This was done by his holding up four fingers and pointing at each of us (4 for you, 4 for you, 4 for you). We agreed as he had the cheapest rates thus far. This seemed to set off WWIII as the other taxi drivers began yelling to him, each other, whoever was within earshot. We quickly stowed our hiking packs in his trunk and took off along with one other young male passenger. I have to say this was the most enjoyable trip thus far. Every other bus, boat, taxi, etc. that I have been in, the drivers have all driven like maniacs. This guy was totally laid back and in no particular hurry. The other young man was the first to be dropped off, and we all watched as he paid 4RM for his ride. It was good to know that we got the same price as one of the locals.
As we pulled up to the bus station I asked Jonathan if he had twelve 1RM bills so we could each hand the driver 4RM. He didn't, so as Jenn and I got out and retrieved the bags out of the trunk, Jonathan handed him 12RM (a ten and 2 ones). The driver argued with Jonathan that the agreed upon price was 4RM for each of the 3 of us, not 12RM. Go figure. Needless to say this guy would fail my math class. He finally drove away, probably still believing that we had cheated him out of some of his money.
So after waiting about an hour, we boarded the bus for our 9 - 10 hour trip (which we originally thought was going to be more like a 12 hour trip - just goes to show what these maniac drivers can do as they pass every other vehicle in sight) south to Mersing. The bus made two 30-minute stops along the way so everyone had a chance to eat lunch or dinner. As Jenn and I were still dealing with the lingering effects of stomach problems we sat and sipped on colas as we watched Jonathan chow down on another plate of fried noodles with vegetables. Now let me say for all of you who have not traveled in Asia, the "restorans" here are not what we are used to in the States. The restoran here is more of an open air road-side stand with tables and plastic resin chairs set up around it. There is usually a large container of rice sitting out that was cooked first thing that morning, along with a couple of other unidentifiable dishes of meat or vegetables. (The meat is usually fried fish, head and all - not at all appealing to me.) I don't know how these people don't get sick and die from food poisoning or from some sort of e-coli bacteria from the food that sits out all day long in the hot sun.
I think we found heaven on earth - otherwise known as Berjaya Tioman Resort and Suites. Let me backtrack for a minute. My first day in Singapore, Jonathan, Jenn, and I huddled together to plan where we wanted to go and what we thought we'd like to do in Malaysia. Jonathan had already done some research of course and had a tentative route laid out for us. When he mentioned that one of the planned stops was Tioman Island, I reminded him that we could use my timeshare week there. He had not been in favor of this because it would tie us down to one place for a whole week, circumventing a couple of his planned stops. However, Jenn was ecstatic at the thought of not having to pick up and move for 7 days and be able to stay in what we hoped was a decent place near the beach. Needless to say, the female vote won. There was one suite available June 28 - July 5 at the Berjaya Tioman Resort and we took it. Jonathan then worked to rearrange his original plans and find how to best utilize our 10 days before arriving on Tioman Island which you have seen posted in the blogs of Taman Negara and the Perhentian Islands.
We said our goodbyes (and possibly good riddance since I had also developed stomach problems along with Jenn) to our 11-bed dorm room with its far away restroom facilities on Coral Bay in the Perhentian Islands and boarded a small motor boat for a ride back to Kuala Besut, a small fishing village and primary jetty town for boats traveling to/from the Perhentian Islands. The owner of the boat must have had some urgent business in town or possibly some invisible force chasing him - he kept the motor going at full throttle for the entire 30 minute ride, crashing through the waves and thoroughly drenching each of us.
Upon arriving back on dry land, we bypassed the many taxi drivers at the jetty and walked the few blocks to the bus station. Jonathan continued to ignore the taxi drivers clamoring for our business there and inquired as to when the next bus would arrive that could transport us to Jerteh where we would pick up the bus heading south to Mersing. We would have to wait an hour and chance missing our bus in Jerteh. About that time an older taxi driver sauntered over and told us he would carry the 3 of us to Jerteh for 4 RM (Malaysian Ringgit) each. This was done by his holding up four fingers and pointing at each of us (4 for you, 4 for you, 4 for you). We agreed as he had the cheapest rates thus far. This seemed to set off WWIII as the other taxi drivers began yelling to him, each other, whoever was within earshot. We quickly stowed our hiking packs in his trunk and took off along with one other young male passenger. I have to say this was the most enjoyable trip thus far. Every other bus, boat, taxi, etc. that I have been in, the drivers have all driven like maniacs. This guy was totally laid back and in no particular hurry. The other young man was the first to be dropped off, and we all watched as he paid 4RM for his ride. It was good to know that we got the same price as one of the locals.
As we pulled up to the bus station I asked Jonathan if he had twelve 1RM bills so we could each hand the driver 4RM. He didn't, so as Jenn and I got out and retrieved the bags out of the trunk, Jonathan handed him 12RM (a ten and 2 ones). The driver argued with Jonathan that the agreed upon price was 4RM for each of the 3 of us, not 12RM. Go figure. Needless to say this guy would fail my math class. He finally drove away, probably still believing that we had cheated him out of some of his money.
So after waiting about an hour, we boarded the bus for our 9 - 10 hour trip (which we originally thought was going to be more like a 12 hour trip - just goes to show what these maniac drivers can do as they pass every other vehicle in sight) south to Mersing. The bus made two 30-minute stops along the way so everyone had a chance to eat lunch or dinner. As Jenn and I were still dealing with the lingering effects of stomach problems we sat and sipped on colas as we watched Jonathan chow down on another plate of fried noodles with vegetables. Now let me say for all of you who have not traveled in Asia, the "restorans" here are not what we are used to in the States. The restoran here is more of an open air road-side stand with tables and plastic resin chairs set up around it. There is usually a large container of rice sitting out that was cooked first thing that morning, along with a couple of other unidentifiable dishes of meat or vegetables. (The meat is usually fried fish, head and all - not at all appealing to me.) I don't know how these people don't get sick and die from food poisoning or from some sort of e-coli bacteria from the food that sits out all day long in the hot sun.
Let me put in a plug here for how Jonathan and Jenn are trying to be good ambassadors and improve upon everyone's preconceived ideas of what Americans are like. Sometime after our stop for dinner, the young man sitting behind us got up and headed for the front of the bus to talk with the driver. He seemed upset and agitated, and the driver switched on the overhead lights inside the bus. We finally were able to figure out that he couldn't find his wallet and was probably wondering if it had been accidentally left behind when he was eating. I got out my flashlight and Jonathan got down on the floor to look for the wallet, and found it within a few minutes. It was interesting to note that no one else made a move to help out, even though I'm sure they understood much more of the conversation taking place with the bus driver. The young man was very appreciative and then helped us out soon afterward when we were trying to figure out if we were getting off at the right stop (Mersing).
After disembarking from the bus (around 9pm) and asking directions, we found our way to the Hotel and were able to secure a room for three with AC and an attached bathroom for about 65RM. WOOHOO! Now this is a deal for most of us (65 RM = about $32) but was much more than Jonathan was used to paying. Oh well, the next week is on me :)
The next morning Jonathan set out to try to get ferry tickets at the jetty. He came back to the room and seemed confused as to exactly when the ferry would be leaving. He thought we only had an hour in which to arrive at the jetty, but was not totally convinced. We also decided it might be a good idea to try to confirm our reservations for Tioman Island. After several tries, we finally connected with someone who spoke enough English to say yes they were expecting us and yes there was a small kitchen with a rice cooker and mini-refrigerator. However, most everything we asked had an answer of "yes", so we still were unsure of what we would find. It was decided that we would split up - Jonathan was going to run back to the jetty to check on departure times again, Jenn was to go in search of breakfast for she and Jonathan, and I was to walk across to the "mini mart" (aka Malaysian grocery store) to try to buy some food for our week's stay on Tioman Island. Jonathan gave me 45RM for this task, and I'm proud to say that I managed to spend 44.91RM in under 10 minutes on some of the basics - 2 small jars of peanut butter, 1 small jar of jelly, a loaf of bread, some oranges, a box of crackers, 2 individual pkgs of "cheese rings", and 10 pkgs ramen noodles. We all met back at the room, loaded up our gear, and took off for the jetty. Like many of our other adventures, this was a hurry up and wait deal - the guys rushed us past the man waiting to get his 5RM pier fee and told us to hurry on board where we promptly sat for at least 30 min. waiting for any others stragglers.
After a 90 minute ferry ride, we disembarked at the 3rd stop, Tioman Island Resort. Upon first arriving at the dock, you look around and it looks like much of the rest of Malaysia. Dirty, the street lined with a few open air restorans, people milling around trying not to get run over by the motor scooters and carts. When we got picked up by our hotel, however, we were in for a surprise. About a mile up the road, we came to our "gated" resort - over 210 acres of sandy beaches, palm trees, jungle, a golf course, pools, a soccer field, a game room and exercise facility, a couple of restaurants, and over 250 chalets and suites. It was just gorgeous.
After disembarking from the bus (around 9pm) and asking directions, we found our way to the Hotel and were able to secure a room for three with AC and an attached bathroom for about 65RM. WOOHOO! Now this is a deal for most of us (65 RM = about $32) but was much more than Jonathan was used to paying. Oh well, the next week is on me :)
The next morning Jonathan set out to try to get ferry tickets at the jetty. He came back to the room and seemed confused as to exactly when the ferry would be leaving. He thought we only had an hour in which to arrive at the jetty, but was not totally convinced. We also decided it might be a good idea to try to confirm our reservations for Tioman Island. After several tries, we finally connected with someone who spoke enough English to say yes they were expecting us and yes there was a small kitchen with a rice cooker and mini-refrigerator. However, most everything we asked had an answer of "yes", so we still were unsure of what we would find. It was decided that we would split up - Jonathan was going to run back to the jetty to check on departure times again, Jenn was to go in search of breakfast for she and Jonathan, and I was to walk across to the "mini mart" (aka Malaysian grocery store) to try to buy some food for our week's stay on Tioman Island. Jonathan gave me 45RM for this task, and I'm proud to say that I managed to spend 44.91RM in under 10 minutes on some of the basics - 2 small jars of peanut butter, 1 small jar of jelly, a loaf of bread, some oranges, a box of crackers, 2 individual pkgs of "cheese rings", and 10 pkgs ramen noodles. We all met back at the room, loaded up our gear, and took off for the jetty. Like many of our other adventures, this was a hurry up and wait deal - the guys rushed us past the man waiting to get his 5RM pier fee and told us to hurry on board where we promptly sat for at least 30 min. waiting for any others stragglers.
After a 90 minute ferry ride, we disembarked at the 3rd stop, Tioman Island Resort. Upon first arriving at the dock, you look around and it looks like much of the rest of Malaysia. Dirty, the street lined with a few open air restorans, people milling around trying not to get run over by the motor scooters and carts. When we got picked up by our hotel, however, we were in for a surprise. About a mile up the road, we came to our "gated" resort - over 210 acres of sandy beaches, palm trees, jungle, a golf course, pools, a soccer field, a game room and exercise facility, a couple of restaurants, and over 250 chalets and suites. It was just gorgeous.
Our suite is about two miles from the main reception area which has pools and the exercise room, but the hotel provides transportation about every 30 minutes between the two. We have two bedrooms, a bathroom with a real shower and American toilet, the afore mentioned mini-kitchen, a small TV, a couch and dining table, 3 AC units, 3 ceiling fans, and nice pillows to sleep on - YEAH! There have been 3 ladies at our door each morning to clean the bathroom, change the linens, take out the trash and sweep and mop the floors. There is a huge pool outside our front door and our balcony out back overlooks the jungle and beaches.
Our days were spent playing in the pool(s), hiking through the jungle or further down the road to a turtle sanctuary, finding our way to more remote beaches, swimming across to other tiny islands, snorkeling, reading and playing cards.
During our stay we had to make one trip into town to the mini-mart and bakery for more food. (The price of one "buffet" dinner at the restaurant was 70RM, which is about $23 a person, so we did our own "cooking".)All of the food we bought at the mini mart and bakery cost about 135RM ($45) on our first trip, then about 45RM ($15) on our second trip, so all 3 of us ate for a week on the price of the 3 of us eating 1 dinner at the restaurant. (You know we have to do our part to try to keep Jonathan within his budget.) Our meals consisted of boiled eggs, scrambled eggs, and fried egg sandwiches (from the 5 dozen eggs that Jonathan bought), PB&J or PB&banana sandwiches (using the 5 loaves of bread from the bakery), drinks, a salad from the lettuce, carrot, and tomatoes I picked up, spaghetti noodles and tomato sauce, a small jar of mayo, a couple of apples, a pineapple, 2 boxes of crackers, and a couple of cans of baked beans. After this trip I might become a real vegetarian - we haven't had any meat for a couple of weeks now.
Our tropical paradise boasted various types of wildlife - monitor lizards (they looked like small alligators to me), monkeys, bats hanging from a tree, turtles, cats (usually with no tails), and lots of fish.
Here's a list of my observations of Malaysia:
1. There are not public restrooms in fast food restaurants. You might find a restroom at a bus station or out behind a group of food stalls. However, they usually have Asian toilets (hole in the ground that you squat over) and no toilet paper. I think toilet paper must be more valuable than paper money here. There is also usually a charge for being able to use their "facilities".
2. Even in the poorest and remotest areas, everyone seemed to have a cell phone.
3. Fruit didn't seem to be as plentiful as I had expected.
4. Most of the buses we traveled on were air conditioned and pretty plush. I was impressed!
5. The Malaysians don't seem as environmentally conscious - I was surprised at the amount of litter, especially in or near the ocean. And they don't expect you to clean up your trash after eating a meal, so there are no trash cans located around a restoran.
6. The bathrooms here are wet rooms meaning that there is no separation between the toilet, sink and shower areas. Everything gets and stays wet.
1. There are not public restrooms in fast food restaurants. You might find a restroom at a bus station or out behind a group of food stalls. However, they usually have Asian toilets (hole in the ground that you squat over) and no toilet paper. I think toilet paper must be more valuable than paper money here. There is also usually a charge for being able to use their "facilities".
2. Even in the poorest and remotest areas, everyone seemed to have a cell phone.
3. Fruit didn't seem to be as plentiful as I had expected.
4. Most of the buses we traveled on were air conditioned and pretty plush. I was impressed!
5. The Malaysians don't seem as environmentally conscious - I was surprised at the amount of litter, especially in or near the ocean. And they don't expect you to clean up your trash after eating a meal, so there are no trash cans located around a restoran.
6. The bathrooms here are wet rooms meaning that there is no separation between the toilet, sink and shower areas. Everything gets and stays wet.