The Emancipation of the Island Girl

Island life, love it. That is Sentosa's tagline. Years spent on Sentosa's manmade beaches has led me to believe that was what island life was all about. My recent trip to Tioman has emancipated my alter-ego.

Tioman Island in Malaysia is divided into villages, and travelling between villages is made only possible by sea. An intricate fusion of kampong life and urbanized living, I spent three days at the Paya Beach Resort at Paya Village.

It wasn't what I was expecting - something out of a beautifully shot travel brochure.
I did manage to get my part of the bargain though. I had a spa facial; went tanning at the beach and by the pool; and enjoyed sumptuous dinners by the sea.

But that's not all.

Welcome to the real island life.

There was something humbling in filling my idyllic days with down-to-earth activities like playing in the crystal clear waters; laying on the jetty to watch the abundance of stars in the night sky; tasting water from a stream; as well as feeding the array of colourful reef fishes with stale bread.
With the absence of Singapore's usual handphone symphony, and the vast sea just a few steps away, I was closer to nature than I had been in a long time.

Then again, nature was not quite the idealistic picture of sparkling waters; pristine beaches; exotic marine life and lush green fauna I had painted in my mind.
Flies; sharp rocks and mudskippers were a few of Mother Nature's many creations that dominated the island, and some of the exotic marine creatures were just plain weird.

Being able to see the fishes swimming amongst the rocks and the occasional coral or two was great, but going closer to swim with them requires a truckload of courage in overcoming my fear of being attacked by angsty sea creatures.

Exploring hidden pathways and partially submerged islands requires a high tolerance for discomfort and freaky insects.

I am not gungho enough to appreciate Mother Nature's wide network, yet.

The delusional island girl concedes defeat.

Maybe next time. :)