A dip in the South China Sea

The end of April marked a year of Mike and I living in Singapore and so far so good.  We still like one another, our debts have neither increased or decreased, our love for Asia has far exceeded our expectations, we have been spoiled with visitors and most importantly, I managed to take three months of garden leave and I didn’t have to reproduce to do so - Mike’s still pretty bitter about that one (the garden leave part in case you were confused).

But the latest thing to be checked off the list is that Mike and I finally got around to getting our open water Padi certificates, which corresponded with us going to Malaysia for a full out dive long weekend.

After a little classroom and pool work, we met at a local dive shop after work on a Friday, piled into a mini van and headed across the border to Malaysia.  We knew we had jumped into the right van and would be okay when two of the other divers on the bus offered us beer and Mount Gay rum….. as you can imagine this lead to the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

2 hours later and “mildly intoxicated” we arrived in Mersing, a once sleepy fishing village on the South China Sea in Malaysia now known as a boat and ferry docking terminal to some of the region’s most beautiful and untouched islands. The plan was to hop a boat to a remote island called Pulau Aur - a 5 hour boat ride away.

Ian & Mike at the ferry terminal

Now it is important to note that once you cross the border from Singapore to Malaysia you automatically change to “Malaysia time” and need to adjust your way of thinking.  Its not that these two countries are on different time zones, it’s just that the pace in Malaysia is a bit slower and things happen as they happen and may or may not work.  For example arrive at your final destination at 5am instead of 1am on a boat that in any western country would probably be seen as unfit for the open waters, would cause many western travelers serious concern, anger, frustration and perhaps lead to heart attack levels of distress.

Our island

For the Malays time is just a number and the boat had an engine that worked, and didn’t take on water  - life was good. Further the trip was considered a success as no one drowned and we made it there and back in one piece. Therefore no harm no fowl.

Reef shot from our island

Our accommodations fell under the title of rustic and both Mike and I both felt like we were on an elementary school field trip by having to sleep on bunk beds and share a room with strangers but it was these things that made you appreciate this Gilligan island type paradise even more as anything else would have seemed to commercial and unnatural.  The beach and area around were absolutely stunning and it’s great to see that places such as Pulaur Aur and the neighboring Islands with all of their natural beauty still exist, although I’m sure its just a matter of time before the Sheratons and Hiltons of the world start to take notice of the Malaysian islands. One can hope that those days are still a few years away and the beauty and pristineness of these islands can be enjoyed for a little while longer. The Islands have become one of the areas of South East Asia that have been bumped up to the top of my priority list as areas to explore further. 

The view from the beach

As for the diving, although some of us still need to work on the whole buoyancy thing, both Mike and I managed to successfully pass our course, and had a great time and managed to see eels, turtles, barracudas, all kinds of bright colored fish and coral gardens.

End of the dive day

April also brought our friend Jennie through town who was on her way back from a month long trip in Thailand. Jennie had stopped over in Singapore on her way to Thailand but I missed her as I was in Cambodia for a work trip. Needless to say I was happy we were able to meet up for at least one night and catch up over a couple bottles of wine.

Jennie (I didn't have photo's from her recent
visit so Christmas will have to do) 

Finally May took me back to China on my third visit for work and brought Mike’s brother Luke through for a two-week visit. We met Luke in Bali, me for the weekend and Mike managed for the week. The two brothers embarked on a bonding week that took them for a week through Indonesia’s Lombok and the Gilli Islands before returning back to Singapore for a week of eating and for Luke a little well deserved R&R. 

A toast to Luke's graduation