Tioman, the beautiful and wild island

  Malaysia: Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006

Approaching the island of Tioman (or Pulau Tioman in Malaysian), I feel that the place will please me. It's big, huge! In the maritime haze of the early morning, a steep profile, covered with a dense and humid vegetation, arises, still clinging with shreds of clouds.

There is jungle everywhere, mountains, beaches still not built too much.

The beach of Batang Air (ABC Beach)

I get dropped off at the beachAir Batang, also called ABC Beach, northwest of the island. It is the quiet beach for "budget travelers" and from the first steps on the path that runs along the narrow tongue of sand, I am excited.

It's calm, green, charming. It is far from overcrowded Perhentian Kecil and its alignment of bars, restaurants and cottages.

A Malaysian, advising my dive bag, escorts me gently, with the usual litany of questions (Where do you come from? How long are you staying? Etc. etc.) to the diving center located shortly after the pontoon.

A young guy is rinsing regulators (the tip that attaches to the bottle and "relaxes" the air under the water, which allows breathing). He welcomes me in English with this inimitable accent of home.

😂

We immediately go to French ... "Really, it's French Week! he told me. There are plenty of them right now. " To accommodate me, he advises me the first series of bungalows, the Mawar Chalets.

I go there and put down my bag without hesitation. I visit chalet 6, which has just been released. A deal, for only 20RM (about € 4.50), while I had to pay three times more on Perhentian Kecil to have the equivalent.

A basic bungalow (bed, mosquito net, fan, shower), all in wood, facing the sea, with a small veranda, where I will be able to hang my hammock. That's the first thing I do.

I arrived very early and I have the whole day in front of me to explore the surroundings. I will also register for the next day's dives ...

  Malaysia: Peninsula and Borneo - July 2006