July 1st, 2019
Today we got up super early to catch our 6:30am bus to Mersing, Malaysia. From Mersing we will take a ferry to Tioman Island. I have read a lot about Tioman Island which is known for its beauty, snorkeling and scuba diving. A lot of comments I’ve seen say it’s a paradise but a pain to get to. Some even say you might want to choose a different island because of the hassle to get to Tioman. I didn’t really understand as it’s supposed to be a 3-hour bus ride from Singapore and a 2-hour ferry ride. We have done way more intense travel in a day than that! Well today I learned why people thought it was a hassle…
First, there was only one bus option which leaves at 6:30am. We bought our ticket the day before and were told to wait and buy our ferry ticket once we get there because the ferry can be ‘unpredictable’. We got off the bus when we crossed into Malaysia and went through immigration. We were given a different bus number to look for once we crossed the border. We finally located that bus number which was sitting way out in the parking lot by itself with its engine hood open. We waited by the bus with a couple other people but had no idea what time this bus was supposed to leave, or how long we would be sitting there on the sidewalk in 100-degree heat. There was no one around to ask. The people we tried to talk to didn’t seem to understand us. So, we just waited. Luckily it was only about 30 minutes, and not several hours before a driver came and started the bus.
We took that bus for several hours which we thought was going to Mersing. When the bus stopped and everyone got off, I thought we were there, but then someone told us ‘follow me for Mersing’. I looked on my google map and realized we were in some other town over an hour away from Mersing on the opposite side of the country. We followed the lady who took us with one other couple to a little car and were told to load our stuff and get in. The car was small, and I didn’t think all of our luggage would fit. It did, and we all piled into the car. The driver didn’t speak throughout this interchange. I wasn’t sure if he knew English or not. After about 10 minutes of driving and no one saying anything I finally asked, “are you taking us to Mersing?” In broken English he said yes, that he will take us to the jetty where the ferry is. I was curious how he knew we were going to the ferry since I only booked the bus ticket to Mersing, but it turned out that the other couple we were with were also going to Tioman Island.
We got to Mersing and the driver dropped us off where we buy the ferry tickets. It was noon and when we went to the desk they said the ferry left at 6pm. We learned the ferry schedule is determined by the tide schedule. No big deal, I thought and figured we could spend the time exploring town and maybe go to a nicer restaurant to kill some time. After we bought our tickets I asked for a recommendation on where we could get some good food. The man laughed and said, “this is a small town, there is no good food”. So, I said, “no problem, where would be a place if we just want to get a cold beer to try and cool off”. Then he said, “there is no beer here because of the Muslims. You have to walk to the Chinese area if you want beer.” He pointed us in the direction of the ‘Chinese’ neighborhood.
After walking through town, I realized how the cab driver knew that we and the only other white people on the bus were going to the ferry terminal. It was because no one would just go to Mersing. There is nothing going on there and nowhere to get out of the heat. As we wandered, thinking how we could kill six hours, we saw a laundry mat. We considered doing a load of laundry so we could watch the clothes spin but decided to keep searching for any better option.
We finally came to a place that had beer signs at a little outdoor restaurant. We stayed there for a few hours and the locals were very friendly.
After that we sat at the ferry terminal for the rest of the time. It was kind of funny walking the streets in the sweltering heat seeing other white people with their huge backpacks aimlessly walking, looking very hot and bored.
The ferry was packed, and we had to hold half of our stuff on our laps. Brendan made the comment that the boat handled the waves ‘surprisingly bad’ which was comforting. The boat swayed from side to side, so much I was afraid it was going to literally tip over. I have never been on a big boat that swayed that much. As chaotic as the boarding process was, I knew if this boat did tip over, there wouldn’t be any survivors; everyone would be in a frenzy yelling in all different languages and no one would do the right thing. Plus, all of the luggage was piled so high, most of the exits were blocked. I doubt anyone could get through if it tipped over.
We made if safe though and FINALLY made it to Tioman Island. It was dark and my phone did not get service there, so it was a little hard finding our accommodation. We did though, and surprisingly it had great Wi-Fi! Can’t wait to see what this Island looks like once it is light tomorrow, especially after the long journey it took to get here!
What can I say…we’ll, you found beer which was a plus…