In two days, I’ll be in India. Excited? Of course. But spending the next four months land-locked and not seeing the ocean makes me a little squeamish, I have to say. It’s definitely the longest I will have gone in nearly the past five years without seeing the big blueness of the sea…and after four years in LA and seeing the ocean every day, it’s pretty scary.
So with my last chance of spending time with sand and surf dwindling, I had a wonderful guy I’m staying with in Kuala Lumpur dites-moi (coincidentally, he is French) a good place to go for some beach time.
He sent me to a special island called Pulau Tioman, off the east coast of Malaysia. So me and my one-hundred-and-one pounds of fun made the six-hour bus jaunt and two-hour ferry ride to the island. And if you’ll excuse and expression I use, the island was gorgeous! Even though monsoon season threatened overhead the first day, the rains held off enough to help me lose a bit of my flip-flop tan.
Because the island takes so long to get to, it’s still pretty remote. Much more quiet than most islands I’ve been to in my lifetime. Definitely no American fast food chains here. Instead, most restaurants are just little huts on the beach. Eating my noodle dinner while watching the waves break was definitely an enchanted evening and just what I needed.
Oh, and I forgot to mention one of the coolest parts of the island…it’s also the filming location of my second-favorite movie musical. If you haven’t figured out which one it is from the photos or all the incredibly cheesy clues, then you’ve got to be carefully taught musical appreciation like I was and shown this gem in 6th grade gifted class (yes, I was gifted…scary, I know).
If you still need another hint as to what movie it was, I’ll just say that I was super excited to find a man on a motorbike to chase down the bus after it made off with my bag. It had my ginormous Pureology shampoo and conditioner bottles. Not only are they impossible to find abroad (and seem to provide my fellow travelers with a good laugh), but getting them back also meant that I could wash (that man right out of) my hair.
*Yes, I know this post was probably as corny as Kansas in August…but what I can say? I’m Jayna. And I’m corny.
omg, what gorgeous, wonderful, beautiful pictures!!! and 4 months in India. i am so jealous! as u might know from my blog, i have a thing for bollywood and indian food. I look fwd to seeing your Indian eats and adventures. There are beaches in India, you won’t be near any? You’ll get to ride trains and drink tea out of those little clay cups. I’m jealous. What will you be doing there? Volunteering? Can you teach and make a little side cash?
haha, I have absolutely no idea what musical you’re talking about but that island looks unreal!
I’m dying to go to India, I can’t wait to read about it on your blog to get helpful hints for when I’m there in a few years
I definitely know about your Bollywood obsession, unhip, so I’ll keep an eye out for some recommendations once they come stateside. And I will be volunteering. Doing media stuff for an NGO for the first three months in one of the northeastern states. Hoping the side cash comes from a little article writing…
And the island WAS gorgeous! I would love to go back in a few years.