Stranded

January 27th

A5.30am alarm call and we packed up and loaded up for the less than a km ride to the port, no boat til Sunday....at the earliest...so back we went to not much surprise from anyone and G laid down and zonked.

I went to breakfast and had a entertaining feast of conversation with Peter. He was a psychologist and lectured in it back in his native Netherlands but after traveling Europe in his camper he drove onto a boat and arrived in Chile. He was probably one of the most learned conversationalists or should I say learned monologue experts but it was interesting to hear that even at the ripe young age of 74 you can still not rid your spirit of the travel bug. I know of the madness of governmental bureaucracy in the UK but in Europe I was not so well informed. Imagine traveling all over Europe for 4 years and each year having to return home to tax your vehicle...bonkers if you think about it...which I hadnt up until then.

G and I eventually wandered down to the beach cafe for banana pancakes which was better than sitting in the bungalow waiting for the toilet to be unblocked! Not a fault of ours you will be pleased to hear more the tree roots and pipes in the sand having ongoing battles. No news on boats so we will remain optimistic for Sunday as this now directly impacts on our plans for Sing.


28th January


Chill, chill, eat, chill - if this paid a wage I could seriously get used to it. We spent the day writing blog updates and trying in vain to publish them on struggling internet connections and then a power cut put paid to any further attempts. The evening was spent with our new friends in the beach bar. All the guys were playing instruments or singing or both tonight. It was a privilege to be welcomed into their world and we spent a good hour talking to the bar owner who also happens to be, and in no particular order - dive instructor, climber, cyclist, surfer, singer, drummer, fire stick instructor, tow truck driver and grandson of one of the 4 founding families of Tioman. He is one of the most educated, informative and above all humblest of individuals I have ever met and at the ripe old age of 30 his views on the environment, ecology and community were just awesome. I want to live on this island at some stage in my life and if not to visit again.

The morning after the night before

29th January - the storm part 2


Woken in the early hours by the crashing of waves and wailing of the storm wind as it did its utmost to remove us from our 3rd bungalow and all thoughts of getting up early to see if the boat was there started to fade. We woke to find a calm see and a queue to get back on the first boat to the mainland. We met a family from New Zealand who had been trekking as a 6 across India and Nepal and were on Tioman for a short break...longer than anticipated but they were interested in our travels as much as we theirs. What an amazing education for their children.It was 13.00 before we set off and whilst the boat tried to dock at all villages south it was unable to do so, the sea was rough. G slept with me doing my best to maintain equilibrium just sitting in the seat. There was a lot going on around us and they took a different route back, slower but allegedly safer. 
Watched Tekken on DVD and almost before we knew it we were in Mersing 2 hours later. 


Hotel Mersing was our stop for the night, Internet cafe and back to P's for dinner and to share our tales with the Swiss owners. No matter what they say, Tioman is worth a visit, but please do not tell everyone.