Good morning, sunshine.

I hope it wasn’t too cold for you last night. Get up, get up, and grab some delicious breakfast from the local deli. These are mornings you actually remember to thank the Creator for. Your mom got fascinated by the array of bread and pastries arranged in those glass cabinets. You must take a photo of these, she said, we would want to pick an idea or two out of the arrangements next time.

You noticed an Asian family seated next to your table, and their lingo seems familiar. Speaking in fluent Hokkien you wondered if they’re from your home country. As usual, mom greeted them first and both families got acquainted quickly. You didn’t say much, either it was still too early for you, or you were busy clicking away. You scanned the images in your camera just to realize that… the memory card got corrupted and the photos you captured this morning were gone. Luckily, you brought a spare and changed it pronto. You cursed silently under your breath about the lousy new memory card you have just bought for this trip.

But fate has its own ways of bringing people together – family, friends, lovers, unfortunate events can turn out to be pretty magical ones. Turns out that your second visit to the sites allowed your family to bump into the same ones at the deli. These time, they took time to get to know one another and found out that their son and his girlfriend were your seniors in university. Their older daughter is a private flight attendant and it didn’t take long for you young people to become friends.

Oh, and as all these took place, you were all at The Church of the Good Shepherd, overlooking the lake, which was the first church built at the Mackenzie Basin. It’s not a very big church, only the size of your living room perhaps, but there is a sense of serenity when you’re inside of it. It was as if you have found God. Why can’t all churches back home be like this, you wondered.

You and your new friends continued to awe at the beautiful lake, as I have promised you. Almost unbelievable, you had to touch the crystal clear waters to acknowledge my presence. How come you don’t have photos of yourself, your friend asked, making your wonder the same thing. She offered to take some photos of you and me, just so we can make others envious. Do you smell it? That’s the smell of freedom. Inhale. Remember.

The day was still early, and it was time to adjourn to our next destination: Mount Cook. The most enthusiastic person was your dad this time, naturally. Eager to meet his hero, Sir Edmund Hillary, one of the first people to reach the summit of Mount Everest, he drove the family to a familiar yet majestic sight: the snowcapped mountains you saw the day before in bird’s eye view. And now, you will see it life-sized, and it’s larger than life, literally.

No, we won’t be climbing Mt Cook. It’s a holiday, not a hiking expedition. You bump into your Malaysian friends again at the Alpine Centre! Apparently Mt Cook was not in their itinerary but your parents have somehow managed to convince them to make a trip here. You exchange hello’s again but it was time for you to leave before it gets dark. There is a salmon village somewhere near you, you heard, but it was nowhere in sight. Perhaps there will be some good salmon treats at Twizle when you’re on your way to Queenstown. You’re hungry already anyway. You leave Mt Cook behind, as you take the peaceful roads of Kiwiland again, occasionally accompanied by sheep and cows.

I’ll see you there, my love.

Aroha Nui,
Aotearoa.

I greet you with the most beautiful snow-capped mountains you have only seen on postcards. You must have been puzzled because you were told that spring has sprung and your suitcase was not ready for winter. But awhile ago the captain announced that you have crossed halfway between the equator and the south pole. Have you miscalculated, you wondered, perhaps it won’t be so cold down there, you silently hoped.

Touch down, and the cold air did not make you shiver, surprisingly, but instead greeted you with a warm familiarity you knew ten years ago. The strong wind sent an echo only you can hear, my familiar voice saying haere mai, which means welcome in Maori, if you still remember.

Familiar, yet foreign. You explored the modern North Island a decade ago, and this time, you are in the natural South. Before flying here you have read my promises of nature’s masterpieces bound to wow you, and now that you are here I only hope I won’t disappoint.

Shall we begin? Pop your suitcases into the car you rented even before you flew here, thanks to the wonders of technology. You decided to explore the earthquake-stricken Christchurch much later on, as you began your journey to one of my prized gems – Lake Tekapo.

Along the way, you made a stop in one of my many little towns, Geraldine. You were slightly disappointed that the shops are closed by the time you got there, yet you couldn’t help but be fascinated by the storybook-like shophouses that you can only find in, well, storybooks. A few photos here and there as you warm up that camera of yours. It’s an old camera, but it’s new in your hands. I see the smile on your face and was amused that even a quiet town with everything closed could interest you as much.

Your parents decided to carry on the journey to Lake Tekapo before the day gets darker, and you arrived just as the sun had set. You being you, even the dimmest scene catches your eye and you decided to capture a few more stills before you proceed to fill your hungry stomachs and call it a day. A cup of hot chocolate will do it nicely for you, as you and your camera batteries recharge to capture Lake Tekapo in the brightest of day tomorrow.

I will see you again when the sun rise, my dear.

Aroha Nui,
Aotearoa.

It was a long journey – a long, long journey. Never mind the fact that we spent 8 hours on the road from UTP to the Mersing Jetty in Johore, we spent another 2 hours in the ferry just to get off the wrong stop, whereby we had to wait another 2 hours to hitch another ferry ride (extra RM20 gone) to get to our destination: Tekek Village, Pulau Tioman.

Click here for photos from our island escapade.

Atmosphere

Tekek Village is, as its name conveys, a village. If you have been to places like Pulau Redang before this (like me), you may be expecting a straightforward beach-resort layout upon arrival at the jetty. This is not the case with Tekek. The moment you arrive, you will be greeted with a rather modern-looking arrival/departure hall and dusty tar roads. Occasionally you will cross a wooden bridge or two (which I like very much as compared to all the concrete) and you will notice developments happening in the village (when we were there they were building a new school).

I’m not saying that there isn’t a beach-resort layout at all – but it only caters for certain resorts along the beach area, including diving centers. We didn’t manage to stay at that side of the village because it was the school holidays so most of the nice sea-view resorts were already fully booked. People there are generally friendly, and majority are made up of foreigners. You’ll see plenty of kids running around, and people on motorcycles without helmets (and sometimes without headlamps). It can get rather humid on the island, so best to leave your pair of jeans and thick clothing at home.

Oh yeah, Tioman has gigantic mozzies buzzing around at night, so be equipped with some repellant or long pants. One of the best options would be opting for an air-conditioned room in the resort you’re staying.

Facilities

Transportation-wise, it’s a rather small village so you can basically get around by foot. If you want to travel further, then you can rent bicycles and motorcycles from the resort that you’re staying in. Of course, if you have the extra moolah and you’re staying in the more posh Berjaya Resorts, they will provide their own shuttle service for their guests.

Wi-fi is easily available in resorts and chalets. We stayed at Cheers Chalet, and internet was free – you’ll have to get the password from the people running the place though. Otherwise, they also have mini cyber cafes for you to reconnect to the outside world and make your getaway absolutely redundant.

As for ATMs and banks, there’s one in the village (or at least that’s the only one we managed to find), which is Bank Simpanan. Better than none, right?

Since it’s an island surrounded by crystal blue waters, it’s only sensible to provide snorkeling gear at every nook and corner. Yes, you can rent those from every resort as well. They can also help you arrange boat rides to different snorkeling spots at your own leisure.

Food

It’s an island bursting with tourists, what else can we say? Food is expensive and only so-so. Even the Chinese seafood restaurant that we went to just a few shops away from our chalet was not impressive. Don’t expect much from this department.

But yes, there was one thing that stood out among the rest – the little grilling booth next (note: NEXT to, there’s another one in the restaurant itself but that one is overpriced and over-grilled) to Sarang Restaurant – grilled seafood that melt in your mouth for reasonable prices. Even as I type this and recall our grilled squid, I’m already salivating.

Pulau Tioman is a liquor and beer haven for alcohol fans, thanks to its various duty-free shops situated at every nook and corner of the island. Yes, that includes imported chocolates as well.

Waters and Sands

Coming from the West of Peninsular Malaysia, I rarely get to see clear waters along our coasts. My first encounter with the East Coast beauty was in Pulau Redang and I was greatly in awe of its crystal clear waters and fine, white sand. And Pulau Tioman does not disappoint either. In fact, at some areas, the water was even bluer than Redang’s! The seas are teeming with life, and you can see them just by glancing from above. Needless to say, it’s even more spectacular if you’re snorkeling or diving. I won’t bore you with wordy descriptions of Nature, just see it for yourself from the photos above.

Verdict

We had some troubles adapting to the busy village lifestyle and humid environment on the first day, also probably because we were too tired from all the long drive, and the waiting and transit due to our own carelessness. But come Day 2, we fell in love with the island and its crazily clear blue sea. The boys went crazy with the alcohol, and we got some chocolates back to share as well.  I wish there wasn’t so much development happening, but yeah, I suppose those kids need a school to go to. If I were to go back there one day, I’ll want to stay somewhere with a sea view for the more island-like feel. Tekek Village has its own charm and I found myself growing fonder of it (was quite reluctant to leave!) each passing day.

All in all, it was a great getaway with good company – and we miss the grilled squid terribly.