Pulau Tioman - Part II

I will admit, when Courtney described Juara to me I was a bit hesitant at first. “It's kind of like ABC, but even prettier and more chill.” I was actually worried that I may get a little bored. But here we are, ponying up to our hospitable bungalow proprietor for another night because I really can't get away. I will qualify Juara as the closest thing to the paradise island getaway as I've ever seen.






We have our little bungalow right on the beach (which is now $8 a night), beautiful white sand beaches, perfect sunshine swimming in and out from behind the clouds, and great people. There's a little cafe, Bushman's, right down the beach, that is so tasty we can't bring ourselves to branch out from (minus our afternoon Pringles and cookie runs to the little shop down the way). The fresh banana pancake and homemade bread for breakfast, and grilled fish or squid and veggies in a peppery garlic sauce for dinner has us hooked. Everything we've tried so far has been fantastic and of course very cheap. I'm not giving up on a good thing!

We had another nice jungle walk past an honest to goodness rubber tree plantation
up to a really cool series of waterfalls where we had a well deserved dip and hung out for a bit. We tried to get some more snorkeling in, but unfortunately on this side of the island the waves crash a bit too heavy and everything gets all churned up so the visibility is no good. I'm sure we'll find something else to do.

So here we are, spending our extra and we'll assume last day in this island paradise. More reading, relaxing, playing in the waves and blog writing. Tomorrow it will be a ball busting hike, vomit-inducing boat ride to the mainland and bus ride of who-the-hell-knows-how-long until we get to our next destination. Heading into the national parks and central highlands of mainland Malaysia. See you on the other side!