Happy Birthday at Tioman

The resort we stayed at on Tioman island

It was my buddy Vaughn's birthday this past weekend and his wife managed to throw him a surprise weekend away on Tioman island just off the east coast of peninsular Malaysia.  There were a total of 6 of us that made the trek.  I had to really restrain myself from accidentally saying anything to him over the past few weeks, I don't know how his wife managed it. 

The resort we stayed at was actually pretty nice.  My room was spacious and reasonably comfortable.

My cabin

The price was decent since we split the cost of two rooms between four of us.  

view from my cabin

Food on the island was just ok as far as I was concerned.  Some places were expensive and some were cheap. 

The beach is decent, but apparently there are a lot of sand flies.  That's ok because the water is amazing.

clear waters of Salang Bay, Tioman

It's kind of hard to see here, but the water is crystal clear.  When you go out from the beach you don't have to go far before the fish are swimming around you, checking you out.  I've always found it a surreal experience when fish come up to you and are clearly looking at you to see what you are about.  I think that's the biggest part of why I like Salang Bay on Tioman.  The snorkeling is amazing and I'm told the scuba diving is every bit as good as you will find anywhere else in the world.  

There are quite a few resorts on Salang Bay, most of which are very hard to get ahold of.  The island mentality definitely holds sway here.  I really like the laid back atmosphere, but it can get a little tiring when you are in need of service.

Path up to a deserted resort

The area itself has some very nice spots.

There is even some wildlife on the island.

this cat seemed to like me

 There are so many cats living around this resort it's ridiculous. 

crabs in the river

this was a little monitor lizard.  there were a couple of pretty big ones as well

It was a great weekend visiting with old and new friends.  I don't get to visit with people all that often and when it is done in an environment like this, it is a special thing.  Here's to doing this again and more often then just once a year.