| Part
2 : Rupert Still in |
Tioman? |
 I
didn't have enough dough to make my weekend stay happen at the Berjaya
Tioman Resort, which has its own 18-hole golf course and undeniably more
luxurious lodging and cuisine. I'm sure you would agree with me that if
MANAGEMENT had decided that this could count as a business trip, I would
have been able to sample the facilities of Berjaya Resort. Instead, I
stayed in a modest chalet at the Mastura Resort(1)
on the western side of the island. I picked chalet number 8 since that's
a good number. I would have preferred the number 69 but they didn't have
that many chalets.
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Anyway,
once we got there and settled into our chalets, I took a nap till about
2 in the afternoon. I needed to recharge my batteries after a night of
long-distance driving but I wasn't able to sleep for long. I was too excited
by the sight of crystal clear waters that didn't come from a pipe. Soon,
I was jumping into my bright orange beach shorts, sprinting out across
the sand, and plunging into the liquid glass. I was a child all over again
and I felt the worries and stress of life slide off as the salt water
washed over me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that there were corals
a bare 30 meters out from the shore so I swam back to shore to look for
a snorkel.
It
was sun, sand and sea for the rest of the day and as Phoebus disappeared
behind the mountains on the mainland, I laid in a dinghy that I had dragged
down to the water and paddled out. I laid there as the stars opened their
eyes and winked at me. I laid there as the moon rose gracefully over the
treetops, trailing my toes through the water, wondering when they would
feel the nibble of a fish out for supper.
 I
rose early on the second day. I breakfasted on a terrace facing the sea
and breathed in the fresh tang of the sea air as I devoured toast and
eggs, and gulped orange juice. And then we were on another speedboat that
sliced across the waves to an island nearby. The skies grew dark and were
soon spitting at me as I sat close to the bow of the boat. I leaned into
the wind as the rain bit into my skin. I was happier than I have ever
been in over a year and a little rain wasn't about to get my spirits down.
Perhaps
the sky wasn't feeling up to it but the rain stopped soon afterwards.
We snorkeled among schools of fishes. I saw several fish that could have
fed me for an entire week. I gave chase and they fled, leaving trails
of what I can only assume was either fecal in nature or some form of natural
repellant against predators. I saw pike fish and I saw tiny clown fish
hiding among sea anemone. There were brain corals, sea urchins and tiny
fish, which had problems swimming horizontally. At times I would hold
my breath and listen to the incessant nibbling sounds underwater. Rupert
has a friend named Angeline who is a walking encyclopaedia of the animal
kingdom but she was unfortunately unavailable for consultation. You will
be coming with me the next time, won't you Angie dear?
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For more information on the Mastura resort check out http://www.mal-island.8m.com
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