Pictures from Pulau Tioman






Ryan at our favourite mamak stall, Bukit Bintang




Tree near the airport on Berjaya - hundreds of rather large bats, hanging like heavy fruit off the bough, continually tussling with each other and spreading an occasional wing against the sun. Sound when they come off the trees at night is enormous...with wingspans up to 3 feet.

Tioman was lovely but the coral reefs are a mess, from tourists like us, the constant encircling of high-speed motor-boats, and the ocean's warming currents. Would snorkel often over acres of collapsed dead branches, like hovering over a cemetery. Visibility was poor because of the plankton, and we were being eaten both on land and in water --- sea-lice, sand-flies, bed-bugs. Ryan sprouted these horrible, festering, pus-sy wounds and we had to hit the clinic in Berjaya for antibiotics and calamine lotion.

Spent the first few days on ABC beach, where we made friends with this towering, flamboyant Australian documentary screen-writer who'd wear hot pink numbers to the local restaurants and had posted these mysterious signs we'd see everywhere for swapping mp3s. David had just worked on a doc in Indonesia about the local trannie culture.

Was aching to go snorkelling. Saw these three enormous hump-head fish...sort of proto-prehistoric looking, the largest almost four feet across. Followed a young giant turtle on the second day. Saw lots more dead coral.

Left ABC the day we discovered bedbugs swarming all over us in our bargain-basement hut. Plus, I almost shat on a lizard in the sunk-in toilet. Went after to the swarming tourist trap known as Salang. Terrible food. Got sick. More dead coral and awful but deadly catchy music in the local bars (the best of Bon Jovi would run about 6 times a day). There were a couple of quite butch trannie waitresses at the local makan place. Bright red lip-stick and hair tied in a bun without the frills.

Then we went up the other side of the island to Juara Beach, and all was well except for the sand-flies. Saw a school of cuttle-fish when we went diving. Got stung. Got eaten alive, actually. Drank beer which would go mysteriously flat from Sung Dynasty bowls (from a merchant ship that got wrecked hundreds of years ago).

Next time...Hujong! I hope...