Bloop Bloop Bloop

11th May 2010

It has been 3 days since we arrived on this island, and I was still constipated. No new news... my usual 'sufferings' when I go on a trip! All came in control with a well thought breakfast..

Fruit platter (particularly bananas, papayas and pineapple!) + a bowl of yogurt!

This was a sure recipe to a trip to the toilet! Ahhh... such immense relief and satisfaction thereafter :p
He never had any problems... and opted for a nice colourful start..

Pancakes with Maple served with Butter + Maple Syrup with a side of fruits

It was a brilliant start to an exciting day ahead of us - we were both going out to sea! He was visibly excited with this, being his very first dive out.

RRRRrrrrrrr...... and off we went!

Chugging away..

Bye Bye Berjaya

The cargo-turned into-diving boat that ferried us..

15 minutes away from our first dive site, time to check your equipment!

BCD + regulator+ dive tank

Be sure that your tank is full!

Yes dear, you are safe with a full tank!

Your 'little' Dive Instructor has taught you well! ;)

Without this, he will not be moving... at all ;)

With everything checked and ready, nothing else to do but to enjoy the breeze and wait "patiently" till we get to the dive site!

Minutes before the boat came to a complete halt.. it's suiting time!

Pretty cute..

He calls me.. 'catwoman' :)

50 minutes passed like a fleeting moment, and before we knew it, we were back on board, propelling towards the next dive site. It was a gorgeous place which held even greater jewels/beauties below.

Self explanatory beauty

We had 2 great dives with minimal hiccups and glitches in between..

We'll be back for more! Proud of you, dear Teddy! :D

Back Under the Sea

09th May 2010

Waking up in the mornings at the beach is one of the most magical moments of the day. The soft lapping of the sea, the cheery chirps of the birds and a beautiful sight that greets before you.... BLISS!

As much as we were served by warm friendly hosts, we were more than happy to pack our bags and head to Berjaya Tioman Resort, where we will spend the rest of our nights there.
Thank you Norman's uncle for your kind generosity... (may you rest in peace)
One night with the mosquitoes, ants and crockroaches is more than enough... thank you!

The moment has come. After 2.5 years since my last dive in Perhentian Kecil, it was mandatory that I did a check dive before making my maiden plunge. 15 minutes later, I was estatic! The mere sensation of having suited up with the gears and going through the essential techniques at sea, brought back memories of the indescribable joy and sheer excitement I gained from diving. I couldn't wait till I make my first comeback in the afternoon.

Lunch break saw both Norman and I feasting on good ol' beach food.

Tioman Club Sandwich + Fries

Red Cabbage & Apple Slaw Salad

Oh yeah... and of course, the mandatory ice-cream when one is at the seaside! ;)

Yam & Vanilla Beach Sundae

As we strolled hand-in-hand back towards the dive center again, I peeked through my sunnies at the person beside me. I still looked at him in disbelief, trying to comprehend with the fact that he was actually really undergoing the Open Water Divers Course! This gentle giant is actually afraid of water... really afraid. No doubt this is taking him out of his comfort zone.

Is he doing this for me... or is he doing this to feed his 'guy's ego'? Hmmm....

SPLASH!! I logged in my first dive at 2.56pm @ Renggis Island.
Total bottom time: 56 minutes
Visibility: 18m
Temperature: 29-30 deg C
Weather conditions: Calm
Highlights: 3x turtles (swim, sleep, feeding), sighted a resident shark, lots of clownfishes amidst soft corals, damsels, angelfish, surgeons.. sea urchins aplenty.

It was a wonderful, WONDERFUL comeback.....

That night, I went to bed with a smile of utter contentment... :)

Back To the Sea

08th May 2010

The morning of 8th May started off bright and early.. leaving home before 6am, we arrived at Mersing Jetty by 10am to catch 11.30am ferry which eventually took us to Tekek Village @ Tioman Island by 2.30pm.

A long car ride...
A long boat ride...

But all weariness and tiredness evaporated on a certain kind of indulgence - Duty Free alcohol!!
Nope, he did not waste any time..

Three bottles of beers within 6 hours on the island... a little over the top, but he was obviously jubilant.

But before we finally arrive at Tekek village, an accidental mistake found us at Tanjung Gemuk which we stopped to have a simple, yet tasty, local lunch.

Nasi Goreng Pataya

Tomyam Bihun

Hardly 3 hours on the island, a side of Norm's slippers gave way! At the way he 'abuses' his slippers, this is of no surprise to me BUT groan... it couldn't be more timely! Looking for new slippers was more difficult than we thought with someone of a size 10. Clearly, the market here is specifically for a medium/average size Asians.

Disappointment and frustations surmount... but I broke out laughing when we saw this shop.

Here was a size way BIGGER than any one ever needed. Eventually we settled for a cheap one, a size smaller (that was the biggest they had!), and pray hope that they will last till the end of this trip!

We settled for a simple dinner of Seafood Cantonese Fried Noodle, a plate of stirfry spinach and fried calamari. And oh boy... you could still taste the sweetness of the succulent fresh calamari eventhough it was battered and stripped off its originality by being deep fried!

Fried Calamari

Naturally, with a slight help from the beer...

... he drifted off to Zzzzz easily.

I, on the other hand, had nightmares staying asleep.

Aircond was freezing cold..
A family of cockroaches in the toilet in the middle of the night..
Attacked by mosquitoes throughout the night..

I couldn't wait for the morning when I finally get to meet my friends under the sea!!