Vacation in Tioman island (june 2011)

Pahang, the largest state in Peninsular Malaysia, is also home to Tioman, an enchanting island in the South China Sea . The state is blessed with a beautiful coastline, which offers endless tropical bliss for sun-seekers


About 36 nautical mile off Malaysia's east coast lies Pulau Tioman, or TiomanIsland a tear-shape paradise. An enduring and tranquil island, Tioman Islandboasts miles and miles of white sandy beaches and swaying palm trees, charming villages and friendly people. Its crystal clear water promise spectacular marine life and colourful coral gardens. The striking profile of the twin peaks ofGunung Nenek Semukut provides a markable landmark to this beautiful island reputed to be one of the most beautiful and idyllic islands in the world.

 Place to stay 


For those accustomed to living in style and luxury, Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort offers 596 rooms which come complete with all the trappings of a luxury hotel, including local and continental cuisine and fresh seafood. Those looking for accommodations within their budgets and to rough it out, can opt for cheaper yet comfortable chalets and dorms which are found scattered around Tekek, Air Batang, Salang, Juara, Mukut, Nipah, Genting, and Paya. You may make meal arrangements at your place accommodation. However, if you prefer eating out, there are many eating spots to choose from such as local cuisine and fresh seafood.For me,I have been staying at the Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort it is a very nice resort ,beautiful beach site ,nice pool, quite , nature you can see the birds  monkey and iguana walking around, the resort is also a nice place for organize wedding and event .the other site also the crew is very helpful and friendly . 
http://www.agoda.com.my/asia/malaysia/tioman_island/berjaya_tioman_resort.html

Place of interest 

Tioman Island, the largest in a group of 64 volcanic islands which includes Seri Buat Island,Sembilang Island, Tulai Island, Chebeh Island, Labas Island and Renggis Island, is situated about 80km northwest of Peninsular Malaysia's east coast. Said to be the final resting place of a fabled dragon princess who had turned herself into an island in the South China Sea, Tioman Island is truly one of the most beautiful islands in the region.

Blessed with miles of soft white sand, swaying palms, wild flowers growing in vivid profusion and cool waterfalls cascading down green slopes, Tioman Island is an adventurer's paradise for quiet retreats, trekking, sunbathing and sea sports. Noted for crystal clear water as far down as 33 metres, Tioman Island is a veritable green of colorful marine life, offering underwater sportsmen some of the best dive sites in the world.

There are several villages scattered around the island's coastline, the larger ones being Salang,Tekek,Genting, Paya and Juara. Each village offers a different atmosphere and will be a unique experience to enjoy.

Things to do 

Things to do at tioman island is water sports , diving , open water snorkeling ,island tracking,and shopping.

Diving at tioman island ......

Chebeh Island

• Depth– 13-27 metres
• Location – north-west of Tioman, north of Tulai (Coral) Island. 20-30 minutes by boat from Salang Village
• The underwater topography of this site is what makes it special. The tunnels, caves and huge boulder formations create labyrinths of adventure and make for excellent cavern diving and plenty of tight spaces to swim through
• There is plenty of colourful soft coral and gorgonian sea fans can be found in abundance. Expect to encounter napoleon wrasses, trigger fish, large puffer fish, angel fish and, if you are lucky and come at the right time of year, manta rays. Keep your eyes peeled for small wonders like nudibranchs and tiger cowry

Fan Canyon

• Depth– up to 30 metres
• Location – south-west of Tulai (Coral) Island, close to Genting Bay
• The famous fan canyon is filled with fragile gorgonian fan corals and the site has plenty of colourful soft coral. Divers are usually not permitted to enter the canyon itself so as not to damage the fan corals, but there is a tunnel to swim through at around 16 metres.
• Expect to encounter large scorpion fish, napoleon wrasses, barracuda, spotted groupers and green turtles, especially at the deeper part of the site. At the lower reef edge, keep a lookout for the resident ribbon eel.

Teluk Kador (Kador Bay)

• Depth– 5-23 metres
• Location – north-east of Tulai (Coral) Island. 15-20 minutes by boat from Salang Village
• If you exit the lagoon of Coral Island, Kador Bay is to the right. Rocks slope down to a depth of about 20 metres and there is a small overhang where some moray eels and stonefish may be hiding
• There are numerous species of local reef fish as well as blue-spotted sting rays amongst a variety of hard corals

Malang Rock

• Depth – 6-15 metres
• Location – west of the northern tip of Tioman Island. 20-25 minutes by boat from Salang Village
• This is also a popular snorkelling spot. The one side of the rock is protected by Tulai (Coral) Island while the other side is deeper. The sheltered side has a shallow reef with potato corals, lettuce corals and sponges. In the deeper water, large rocks are a continuation of the above-water island
• Sharks, including leopard sharks are often spotted in the deeper water while an exquisite variety of fish make their home around the reef. Look out for yellow-spotted stingray, schools of barracuda, trigger fish, lion fish, moon wrasse and nudibranchs

Labas Island

• Depth – 5-25 metres
• Location –  25 minutes by boat from Salang Village
• Labas is similar to Marang in that it is a pile of rocks, with the tip protruding above water. The large boulders create an abundance of caverns and spaces to swim through and the remainder of a Japanese fishing boat can be found nearby
• Turtles, puffer fish, moray eels, sweet lips, blue-spotted stingray and nudibranchs are some of the marine life that you can expect to find here amongst the soft corals and fans

Tiger Reef

• Depth – 10-25 metres
• Location – close to Marang Rock, in the channel between Sepoi and Labas Islands. 30 minutes by boat from Salang Village
• Impressive hard coral formations make up this submerged reef, including brain, plate and fire coral. The surrounding boulders are also completely covered in hard and soft corals
• There can be some strong currents, but this means that black tip reef sharks and barracuda schools often turn up. Other fish species such as yellow tail snappers, trevally, tuna, jacks and batfish are all attracted to this site

Soyak Island Reef and Wreck

• Depth – 5-15 metres (Soyak Island Reef); 20-25 metres (Soyak Island Wreck)
• Location – Opposite Salang Village, about 10 minutes away by boat
• These are actually two sites in close proximity, one being the Soyak Wrecks and the other the boulders and reefs around Soyak Island itself. The colourful soft corals that cover the Soyak reef and the wrecks make this a popular night dive spot
• A common sighting in this area is a 1.8m giant grouper. Apart from local tropical reef fish, turtles, lion fish, bump head parrot fish, nudibranchs, yellow tail kingfish, trevally, fusiliers, and the occasional black-tip reef sharks are other species that you may encounter here. Lucky divers have reported whale shark sightings in season

Salang Bay

• Depth – 5-15 metres
• Location – In front of Salang Village
• There are two easily accessible reefs here on either side of the jetty and this is a popular site for those refreshing their skills after a long period of no diving or for those undergoing training. This is also a popular snorkelling spot
• The shallow reef consists of staghorn, tabletop, brain and blue corals. Sea anemones with their resident Clown fish are always a favourite, as are the hawksbill turtles. Keep an eye out for the noisy schools of Bumphead Parrotfish

Marine Park HQ

• Depth – 8-30 metres
• Location – Between Ayer Batang and Tekek villages, off the beach at the Marine Park headquarters
• While the water around the Marine Park jetty is filled with clouds of fish chasing the chunks of bread fed by snorkelling groups, the attraction of this site for divers is the eight wrecks at varying depths close by
• Inquisitive batfish will follow you around as you navigate your way around. As this is a breeding ground for fish, you may find thousands of tiny fish, especially between March and May. There are plenty of soft corals as well as big shoals of fusiliers, jacks and trevallies

Renggis

• Depth – 6-15 metres
• Location –  Close to Tekek Village, in front of the Berjaya Tioman Beach Resort
• A small, rocky island in front of the Berjaya Resort, this is one of Tioman’s most popular sites both for scuba diving and snorkelling. It can get quite busy at times, and both training and night dives are often conducted here. For a deeper dive, you can explore the wrecks (and the hidden reef) close to the island at a depth of 20 metres
• The water around the island has some large, impressive hard coral formations and green turtles and black-tip reef sharks are a common sight.  Another reason why Renggis is so popular is that it is teeming with marine life - puffer fish, angelfish, butterfly fish, sting rays, moray eels, trigger fish, giant grouper and many other species abound

Bahara

• Depth – 5-25 metres
• Location – South-west of Tioman Island, 20-30 minutes by boat from Genting Village
• The drop-off is one of the best things about this site: covered in barrel sponges, black coral, anemones and soft red and purple corals. This site is a favourite of underwater photographers. Currents can be strong in this area but the visibility is generally excellent
• The marine life here is prolific, including numerous species of reef fish and also sharks

Jahat Island

• Depth – 5-25 metres
• Location – 15-20 minutes by boat from Salang Village
• Jahat Island means Naughty Island, but the origin of the name is open to speculation. The island is surrounded by large boulders, creating a labyrinth of tunnels, corridors and caves
• Sharks and barracuda are the main attractions here, but don’t miss swimming with the resident turtle. Hard corals, sea anemones and sea fans complete the picture

How to get there 

By air 

Berjaya Air operates daily direct flights to Tioman from the Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Kuala Lumpur and Seletar Airport in Singapore.

By sea 

The island is accessible by boat from the jetties in Mersing. The ride takes about one hour and thirty minutes, depending on sea conditions. 

By road 

Tanjung Gemok in Pahang and Mersing in Johor, are two take-off points toTioman. Tanjung Gemok is a three-and-half-hour drive via the North-South Expressway. Visitors can exit at the Senawang Interchange, and proceed toMuadzam Shah and Rompin before arriving at Tanjung Gemok. To get toMersing from Kuala Lumpur , exit at Kluang in Johor on the North-South Expressway. 

more info about tioman island can go to this link ....

http://www.tioman.com.my/

Diving In Kapas Island (mei 2011)

Kapas Island answers to all your hopes for an idyllic tropical island – swaying palm trees, untouched jungle, turquoise water gently lapping at the beach and colourful coral reefs just off the shore.

This pictures que getaway is less than 5 km from the mainland and is reached within 15 minutes by speedboat from the coastal fishing village of Marang. Its accessibility from the mainland makes it popular with locals for daytrips and the fairly good availability of budget accommodation means that it is also popular with backpackers.

he resorts on Kapas Island are mostly spread out over three beaches on the western shore, facing the mainland. Accommodation here ranges from dorm rooms to moderately priced air-conditioned chalets.  More luxurious accommodation is available on Gemia Island, a small islet just a few hundred metres northwest of Kapas.Pulau Kapas means Cotton Island in Malay and this peculiar name is attributed to the pure white beaches that are the trademark of this island. The name comes as no surprise once you have walked along these beaches: the sand is soft and white and slopes gently into the crystal clear water.

Another reason why Kapas Island is popular is because of the excellent snorkelling in the waters surrounding the island. There is an abundance of corals and other marine life, visibility is good and the water is shallow and calm. Because the coral is mainly around the rocky edges of the island, you can still go swimming off the beautiful beaches, even at low tide. Kapas Island may be easy to reach, but it is much harder to leave this island after being immersed in its beauty.

First trip to Kapas Island or Cotton Island for me don't have a big expecting but after arrive the island is totally blow me away . It is a really beautiful ,very quite and private island .Not so many guest or tours know about this island .But this island is famous for diver to come for diving trip or weekend trip . From Kl to Kapas island take almost 5-6 hour by bus and driving also almost take same time .Me and my diving group stay 3day 2 night on kapas island at the resort call Mak Cik Gemok Resort .It is a small resort with simple accommodation only for diver to stay .For this diving trip we have done 5 dive at different area the coral reef in kapas island is protected and nice . Me and my friend are very enjoy this trip with the nice crystal clear water and clean beach is a nice destination for short vacation and running from the busy working city life .

for more info can put your comment here then i will help to give some info to you ........

Kapas Island Diving Trip....... Slideshow: John’s trip from Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia to Pulau Kapas was created by TripAdvisor. See another Pulau Kapas slideshow. Create a free slideshow with music from your travel photos.

Road to Hanoi and Ha long Bay , Vietnam

My trip to Hanoi ,Vietnam

Thủ đô Hà Nội ( pronunciation (help·info), Hanoi the capital) is the capital of Vietnam and the country's second largest city. It has an estimated population nearly 6.5 million (2009),^[1] (but only 2.6 million (2009) in urban areas).^[2] From 1010 until 1802, it was the most important political centre of Vietnam. It was eclipsed by Huế during the Nguyễn dynasty as the capital of Vietnam, but Hanoi served as the capital of French Indochina from 1902 to 1954. From 1954 to 1976, it was the capital of North Vietnam.

The city is located on the right bank of the Red River. Hanoi is located at 1,760 km (1,090 mi) north of Ho Chi Minh City.October 2010 officially marked 1000 years since the establishment of the city. On this occasion, Hanoi was named by Frommer's travel guide as one of the world's "Top Destinations 2010".^[3]

My trip  to Hanoi Vietnam began during the early febuary chinese new year holidays. By using AirAsia flight journey takes 3 hours 20 minit .We arrived two days before the society Hanoi welcomes 'Tet'. Experience celebrate Chinese new year in Hanoi Vietnam gives many meanings to me. This is the first time experiencing celebration in a foreign country and see the preparation of the population of Hanoi celebrate their festival .

Beautifully decorated throughout the city of Hanoi and everyone is busy shopping to celebrate Tet. The time we arrived the weather was around 12 degrees celsius.when we arrive the hotel we get feed for a free lunch while waiting room is available. After finish putting our luggage was out walking around the city of Hanoi and visit the festival market . Our vesion caught by the beautifull flower market. At night, we went to eat at one of the restraunt owned by famous chefs celebraty Boby Chin. The night before Tet, Hanoi city full of people to greet the ocean Tet  festival and went to watching the firework performance near the lake site .
Hanoi city on the following day turned quiet and many shops close in response for theTet festival. My friend and i get ready to go for our cruise tip to ha long bay on that day

We travel with a tour van it takes 5 hours to get to the jetty where our boat will take to get to Ha Long Bay. We will be crusing in ha long bay for  3 days 2 nights.Ha Long Bay is a very nice and amazing destination for visiting.we spend our time for crusing , kayaking ,caving,visiting fishing village and night fishing .

After spending three days and two nights on our boat we heading  back to land and back to Hanoi and stay for 1 more night before going  back to Kuala Lumpur. 
This trip has opened my eyes to see one of the world wonder and the beauty of Ha Long Bay. Apart from that I also can see and feel the humnities activities in other countries outside from Malaysia.

Trip to Hanoi And ha Long Bay Vietnam Slideshow: Johnoscar’s trip from Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia to Hanoi, Vietnam was created by TripAdvisor. See another Hanoi slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

for more info can go to this web :

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g293924-Hanoi-Vacations.html

Mulu National park Cave and Nature tracking

Gunung Mulu National Park near Miri, Sarawak, Malaysian Borneo, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that encompasses incrediblecaves and karst formations in a mountainous equatorial rainforest setting. The park is famous for its caves and the expeditions that have been mounted to explore them and their surrounding rainforest, most notably the Royal Geographical Society Expedition of 1977–1978, which saw over 100 scientists in the field for 15 months. This initiated a series of over 20 expeditions now drawn together as the Mulu Caves ProjectThe national park is named after Mount Mulu, the second highest mountain in Sarawak.

 

Gunung Mulu National Park is one of Nature's most spectacular achievements and the 'jewel in the crown' of Sarawak's expanding network of national parks. It is also the largest national park, covering 52,865 hectares of primary rainforest, which is criss-crossed by fast flowing rivers and clear jungle streams. Mulu is dominated by three mountains - Gunung Mulu (2,376 m), Gunung Api (1,750 m) and Gunung Benarat (1,585 m). Yet many of Mulu's greatest attractions lie deep below the surface. Hidden underneath the forested slopes of these mountains is one of the largest limestone cave systems in the world.

This system, a breath-taking natural wonder, contains a number of record breaking caves. With the world's largest cave passage (Deer Cave), the world's largest natural chamber (Sarawak Chamber), and the longest cave in Southeast Asia (Clearwater Cave), it is not surprising that Mulu is now world-famous. Over 200 km of cave passages have been surveyed but this is thought to represent just 30-40% of the actual total. A plankwalk leads through the forest to Deer and Lang's Cave whilst Clearwater Cave and Wind Cave are reached by taking a longboat up the Melinau River, or by following a 4 km nature trail. The more adventurous can do Adventure Caving.

Treks and Trails 
Mulu has three adventure treks, all of which require a certain level of physical fitness. Basic camping gear is useful as overnight stays in jungle base camps are required. Trekkers must be accompanied by offical park guides. Most tour operators can assist with travel arrangements for these treks and can also supply any necessary equipment and food.

• The Pinnacles
• The Headhunter's Trail
• Gunung Mulu Summit Trek

My trip to Mulu National Park

My trip to Mulu started on 27 -31 Disember 2010 . Trip going to Mulu National Park have to transit at Miri. Because I came from Miri so I took the opportunity this time to go back to visit my family while waiting for transit to Mulu on the next day.Trip to Miri with AirAsia takes 2 hours 10 minutes to arrive at the airport Miri. We stopped at my home  for the night before went to Mulu the next day. With the flight from Miri it take 30 minutes to reach the Airport mulu. After that we headed to Mulu National Park to check in our accommodation.

 Our trip in the Mulu National Park began shortly after we host our stuff at the hostel. We started our trip with the group tour the guide by a forest ranger who works in mulu national park. We brought a visit to the Deer cave and lang cave and in the way we introduced plants and animals found in the park. Deer cave is the world's largest cave passage cave and the rock formation in the cave is a very special attraction is The Deer Cave is named after the deer Utara Utara frequented the cave and native hunters pursued. It is large enough to hold London's St.. Paul's Cathedral five times over and is believed to be the largest cave passage known to man.Thousands of BATs live in this cave, and the odour from their droppings (guano) is noticeable some distance away from the mouth of the cave. Other cave dwellers include swiftlets, earwigs, centipedes, spiders, crickets, Scorpions and white crabs.The silhouettes of some of the cave's limestone formations have been creatively interpreted; notably the profile of Abraham Lincoln. The cave's east entrance opens onto 'The Garden of Eden' - a luxuriant patch of jungle, Utara was once part of the cave system, until the roof collapsed.After our cave deer brought to the cave where lang is near. After our visit to two caves we were brought to a place that is one more attraction of watching bats.The bats watching  platform was full of tourists who want to see the formation reviewed by million bats out looking for food.    

Our second day started with a ride to longboat Wind cave and Clearwater cave.Clearwater Cave is Asia's longest cave, measuring some 107 km. It has a subterranean river, part of Utara is navigable by boat. There are two ways of reaching Clearwater. Firstly, you can track along a 4 km nature Utara trail and it takes approximately one and half hours. Alternatively, you can travel by Longboat along the Melinau River, usually multi-level off at Wind Cave along the way. It normally takes about 15 minutes to reach Wind Cave by boat. When the water level is low the journey takes longer as the boatman often has to jump out of the boat and push.          

For the third day, we brought canting around rivers in the Mulu National Park to go to a great place to clearwater jungle tracking. Because the weather did not allow the rain during our trip down there. With the torrent of water subsided we like doing water rafting and it so challenging.when on the way back we stopped at a long house village to waiting for the rain stopped while I was buying some handicrafts.
Our journey in Mulu national park on the fourth day of the expiry of the go back to Miri and continue to fly back to Kuala Lumpur on the same day.

Trip to Mulu National Park, Miri Sarawak Slideshow: Johnoscar’s trip from Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia to Gunung Mulu National Park (near Kuala Belait), Brunei Darussalam was created by TripAdvisor. See another Kuala Belait slideshow. Create your own stunning slideshow with our free photo slideshow maker.

for more info you can go to this web site :
http://www.forestry.sarawak.gov.my/forweb/np/np/mulu.htm

Journey to Siem Reap Cambodia

Introduction

There's magic about Cambodia that casts a spell on manay who visit this charming yet confounding kingdom.Ascend to the realm of gods at the mother temples. Angkor wat , a spactacular fushion of symbolism,symmetry and spirituality. Descend into the hell of Tuol Sleng and come face to face with the Khemer Rouge and its killing machine.Welcome to the conundrum that is Cambodia: a country with a history both inspiring and depressing, an intoxicating place where the future is waiting to be shaped.
 just a Angkor is more than its wat , so too is Cambodia more than its temples.The chaotic yet charismatic capitol of Phnom Penh is hub of political intrigue,economic vitality and intellectual debate.All too often overlooked by hit-and- run tourists ticking off Angkor on a regional tour ,the revitalised city of siem reap is finally earning plaudits in its own right thanks to a gorgeous riverside location, a cultural renaissance ,and a dinning and drinking scene to rival the best in the region. And dont forget the rest of the country :relax in the sleepy seaside town of Kampot and trek the nearby Bokor national park ;take dolphin at Kratie or simply choose a beach near Sihanoukvil.

My trip to Siem Reap , Cambodia  (8-11 August 2010)


By flying with Airasia to Siem Reap the trip takes about 2 hours from the LCCT , Kuala Lumpur . The feeling Of surprised upon arrival at Siem Reap airport is very quiet and clean  and also no either one plane at the airport .Luckily our drive and tour guide Mr. Tom were already waiting for us outside the arriving hall.

Mr. Tom sent us to the hotel first and after we check in and put our stuff , our trip in Siem Reap started by going to the floating village on the Tonle Sap Lake .The trip take around 1hour for boat trip around  the floating village .After the floating village trip we went  to having lunch at the street called Pub Street.After that we headed for Angkor Wat . Angkor Wat ( Wat Temple ) is the central feature of the UNESCO World  Heritage Site of Angkor the Magnificent containing remains of the khemer Civilization . Angkor Wat's rising series of five towers culminates in an impressive central tower that symbolizes Mount Meru Mythical. Thousands of feet of wall space are covered with  intricate carving depicting scenes from Hindu Mythology


Our trip in Siem Reap continue by visiting different and unic temple such as Angkor Thom, Bayon, The jumgle temple call Ta Prohm ,Baphuon, Prasat Suot Prat and Banteay Kdei .We also went to the lady temple call Bantey Srei temple and drove 2 hour to Beng Mealea which is a mystery temple at Angkor also name as a Lost Temple .The other interesting place we visited was a river full of stone carvings.To reach the place take 1 hour drive from the ladies temple and have to walk 1.5 km into the jungle to reach the interesting river and waterfall .

Sincerely Mr Tom has invited us to his house for lunch . our arrival was greeted with open arm by the family of Mr Tom . We also brought gifts to the children .After enjoying the meal we were taken by Mr Tom to visit a factory who producing leather and stone carving .all the handicraf made by children and orphans who lost thier families deu to war and the mine.because they are overhelmed by the situation we have bought some of their hands as a result of the contribution .

The last place we went is the Angkor Night Market .In the time we having the shopping we came cross a young seller in the middle of selling fried tarantulas and crickets then we stop and buy one of each and have a try ....

We also end up in that nite to having exortic dinner with BBQ sanke meat , kangaroo meat , frog legs,cors meat ,ostrich meat and some fresh prawn at one of the restaurant at the Pub Street.

Travel to Siem Reap giving thousand time of meaning for me to know and learn about some khemer culture and to watch the amazing of Angkor Wat that we always seen in discovery channel.

for more info about Siem reap Cambodia you can visit to

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siem_Reap
http://www.tripadvisor.com.au/Tourism-g297390-Siem_Reap-Vacations.html

Siem Reap Tour 2010 Slideshow: John’s trip from Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan, Malaysia to 2 cities Siem Reap and Siem Reap (near Sueydongkorn, Cambodia) was created by TripAdvisor. See another Cambodia slideshow. Take your travel photos and make a slideshow for free.