Gathering at Kranji MRT station
Finally, everyone arrived by 6:55am and we boarded 170. The bus was full, but not to the point of being squeezy, which was a good sign because there won't be too many people at the customs. Well, that was true for singapore's side of the customs but it still took a long time to clear the one at Malaysia. My Malaysian friends passed through without much hassle but my Japanese friend and I had to queue up at the other lanes.. The queue wasn't long but it seemed to take forever and because of that, we only managed to get though it at about 7:40am. By then, there was no way to get to Larkin on time to catch our bus. The bus lane was stuck because some bus companies stop decided to pick up their passengers, not caring about the long tailback that they have created. It was extremely frustrating to wait at the bus queue knowing that your bus is just 10metres away from you but we can't board it because we had to wait for another bus to finish receiving passengers.
Transit at Larkin Terminal
By the time we arrived at Larkin, we rushed out of the bus and started running to our next bus. Really glad to have sport shoes on for this occasion. We had ran all the way to the other side of Larkin, snaking though the crowds while clutching our bags to stop it from bouncing about as we ran. When we reach our berth, the only thing we saw was an empty lot. What a way to start our holiday, we thought, feeling disappointed as we risk a very real possibility of missing our boat to Tioman altogether. We approached one of the staff to ask if we had missed the bus and we were told that the bus is actually late! What a relief! For the first time, the tardiness of bus operators is most appreciated.
The way to Mersing
The bus took 'highway 3', which was a single lane - dual carriage way towards Mersing. Almost very similar to the roads from Pengerang to Desaru, only more undulating and curvy. In a car, it will be very pleasurable to drive on, but in a bus, it was unnerving as the driver handled the big vehicle as if it was a nimble little go-kart. Some corners get tighter as it curves and the driver simply jerks the steering to correct the amount of turn in needed rather than slowling down. I seriously doubted the quality of the tires that carried us through. For sure, a skid will probably be unrecoverable given how heavy the bus is and how fast it was going. And it didn't help sitting at the end of the bus as every bump on the road lifts us enough to wake us up from our sleep.
Reaching Mersing terminal, we were greeted with a very quiet town. Being there on a weekend meant that most shops are closed. It is quite different from Singapore where people generally come out to shop and enjoy themselves during weekends. In Mersing, during weekends, I suppose, people stay at home to spend time with their family rather than go travel around for shopping. The terminal we arrived at was beside a river and it was a short distance from our ferry terminal at the mouth of the river. The ferry terminal was a 15 min walk away from the bus terminal. I like small towns. Anywhere you need to go is within walking distance and we could slowly soak in the views of the town. Mersing, itself feels like a town that has developed because of people stopping over en route to further places. As such, there are many small shops from ranging from internet cafes to motorycle shops to spectacle shops. The rate for the internet cafe was rm1.50 per hour and a peek inside revealed a range of activities happening inside - some people were playing games, some were on facebook and so on. HB also said that some of these internet cafes are 'illegal' as they doubled as mini gambling dens while using the computers as a front to hide their gambling.
The ferry terminal at Mersing is very easy to spot because it looks exactly like how a ferry terminal looks like - a bunch of resort operators at the side, many seats and a little rustic-style cafe by the side to cater to western tourists, eager to taste a bit of (possibly expensive) packaged culture. Of course, we didn't eat there. We headed to the next little coffee shop for a little lunch. I ordered a nice plate of Maggie Goreng and ice-lemon tea. Can't remember how much, but it was less than rm5. Great value, as expected from a coffee shop and tasty too!
Onward to Tioman
Upon heading into the waiting area, we had to pay rm5 of 'conservancy charge'. No idea how they are using the money to conserve the Tioman's nature though. Our boarding passes consist of a big red slip of laminated paper with its edges worn out from repeated use. We were also handed another piece (not the same red slip) for our return trip. The ferry is fairly comfortable. Low engine noise, no vibrations and the seats are comfortable. The boat ride was 1 hour 30mins according to the time stamp from Moahan's pictures. A speed readout from my iphone shows a speed of 40km/h (cruising). The ferry stops over at Genting (not Genting highlands) a jetty at the west of Tioman island where we had to take another small motorised boat towards our resort at Kampung Mukut at the south of the island. This small boat is simply a sampan with a honda motor at the back. Travelling at 18km/h, the boat struggles to keep itself planted on the water. The water splashed all over my face and it was quite nice to be able to touch the splashing water. It was also where I got my only sunburn during the entire trip.
Arrival at Mukut
We were a walking distance away from our resort. The resort operators hung out at "Sea Side Cafe" where our meals will be served. [to be continued]
Summary
Getting to Tioman from Singapore
1) Take public bus SBS 170 from Kranji MRT through the causeway to Larkin Terminal
2) Transit to "Causeway Link" bus from Kranji to Mersing Terminal (2h30min)
3) Walk along the river towards Mersing Ferry Terminal
4) Take Ferry towards Genting Jetty @ Tioman (Must take note of which jetty to alight at) 1h30mins
5) Transfer towards Kampung Mukut (45mins) operated by resort
Getting around Kampung Mukut
As a tourist, we do not have the luxury of having a motor vehicle or bicycle like most locals do. All our travelling is done by foot around the region. The furthest we could go was to Minang Cove resort, which was a 35min walk through paved roads, followed by a trek through the jungle since roads are still under construction.
Getting around Tioman Island
The only way to get to other parts of the island is to charter a boat for rm350 to take you to different resorts. The island is rather big - 17km long 10km wide with dense vegetation and hilly terrain in the middle of the island.
Things we did at Kampung Mukut
Since we didn't get out of Mukut, there were only a few things we could do without spending a bomb.
Trek towards Waterfall
We trekked towards the east of our resort towards a waterfall. Follow the markings on the road saying "This way Devan" and you'll reach the waterfall. The rocks at the waterfall are very slippery but can still be very abrasive if you kick onto them. The water is pretty deep but there are ropes for you to hold on to as you walk towards the waterfall. Cool, clear water with very little tourists in the area.
Twin Peaks Trek
Consist of 7 checkpoints towards the valley of two hills. Trekked till checkpoint 5 before getting really lost. We did not succeed in getting to the top since it was getting dark. We got lost for a huge portion of the way down before seeing a familiar path. A lot of thorny plants along the way, they are extremely sharp and easily slices through skin. Highly recommended to get a guide. Rm50 per person for the guide to bring you up.
Snorkeling
Snorkeling was done around the jetty. Many corals were bleached and the predominant colour was greenish white. The water is extremely clear and we can easily see to the bottom. Equipment available for rent: snorkel, life jacket and flippers. All at rm10 each.
Star Gazing
We sat at the soccer field beside a school to watch the stars. Can really see lots of stars since it was really dark at the field. There are street lamps along the paved roads but there aren't bright enough to ruin the view. Nice place to eat mooncakes and drink tea.
Night Trek
We walked from our resort to Minang Cove through unfinished roads and foresty area in the dark just for a drink since most of shops and were closed at our side. Apparently, it isn't a good idea to go to Mukut on a weekend. Got to utilize my headlamp for the first time for a trek. Along the way, we saw some workers chatting in the dark. I was so scared to spot human figures in the distance on such a dark road until they shone back with their handphone backlight. I was very surprised to see that they are able to find their way around using just the light form their handphone screens! On our way back, we tried using minimal light and realised we could see enough to walk around using the moonlight. Even 2AA Maglight looked amazingly bright when our eyes are adapted to the dark. I was really loving my headlamp until HB turned on her iphone light. Haha. Kena owned by a phone!
Character of Kampung Mukut
Kampung Mukut is really just a small village with in the midst of it. It is a full fledged village with several mama shops serving the community and tourists, a mini school with a canteen of only 1 stall, a mosque and a police station. This part of the island would probably resemble Singapore's Pulau Ubin in its heydays of granite mining. We were pleasantly surprised to see 2 students alighting at our jetty at 7am in the morning to attend school. We also spotted people making fishing nets and collecting their catch at night. We saw no other economic activity in the area. Presumably, the villagers go to other parts of the island or back to mainland Malaysia to work.
The resort feels detached from the village. While the village is predominantly Malay, the resort operators consist of two chinese guys and 1 indian guy. The resort does not seem to make use of the village as workforce other than the cook. But we suspect that the food also comes from the village. The food consist largely of seafood, fruits, vegetable and chicken (possibly one of those we saw strolling around the resort the day before). The Malays seem to indulge in smoking while the non-Malays (the resort operators) are often slightly tipsy at all times of the day until they run out of beer.
The main mode of transport in this village is by motorcycle and bicycle. The roads are not big enough for cars and there ain't many roads to drive or ride on anyway. It is a very slow paced area where not many things happen in a day. Even the resort operators expect you to be bumming around. Of course, as city dwellers, we find that very difficult to do. This area is extremely boring if you are looking forward for beaches, drinks, water sports (other than snorkeling or diving). Otherwise, it may be a good place to mingle with the locals, provided that you can speak malay and possibly get to know them. Most of the locals we encountered are very friendly and would be the first to say hi when we walk pass them.
This area should be very safe considering that nothing happened even though we absentmindedly left our doors unlocked or with the keys hanging at the door.
T Resort @ Mukut
The resort is extremely minimal. They don't sell anything and I really mean ANYTHING. Beverages and snacks need to be purchased from mama shops around the island and that is about all you can find there. There are two rooms to each individual kampung style house. Very low quality building. Our sink was on the verge of dropping out of its fixture and the lights are just a dim glow. Our air conditioner was faulty and when we approached the operator to ask if we could have a discount since there was nothing they could do about it at that time, Rony, the operator was switched from his usual chatty mood to becoming rather hostile. Instead of an apology, he told us "your motor puncture, your problem wad". This forced my friend to replied "but hey, it is your resort, you know?". His colleague, sensing the situation was bad, cut in to say that he will change our rooms first thing in the morning.
Also, at rm350 for the 3D2N package per pax, all they do is to bring you to the jetty for snorkeling. Even the snorkeling equipment needs to be rented separately. Personally, that is a lot of money to pay for the operators to bum around. Only the meals were good but even so, they do not justify the high cost. Admittedly, that is one of the cheapest resorts that provide a reasonable place to sleep at night. However, spending another rm20 may able to get you a better resort with more facilities. From what we expect to do there (i.e. playing at the beach, drinking and doing stuff that people normally do at resorts), we failed to achieve most of them.
Although Rony became overly courteous from the 2nd day on, it no longer feels genuine. But rather, a facade to save his hostile behaviour on the first day. And that, feels very disgusting. Also, I cannot tolerate it when people drink while they are working, even if they are not directly serving us. There is a very thin line in being overly friendly and harassment and drinking blurs that ability to judge the situation clearly.
I won't recommend this resort unless what you want to do is to get a place to sleep in. In this case, saving money by paying for one of the cheaper resorts in this island is just being penny wise but pound foolish.
