This trip truly was the vacation of a lifetime and really was a firsthand experience with paradise ;-)
Me and five other girls from SFS began our journey to Tioman on the evening of Friday, March 18 where we left at 11 o'clock at night to catch a flight to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Once we arrived early in the morning on Saturday (3/19) amidst the strong heat of the bustling airport, we journeyed another hour or so to a smaller airport on the eastern side of the country where we caught yet another flight to the small southeast island of Tioman. After what seemed like a long layover and a delayed flight before catching our final leg of the trip to the island, we made it safe and sound.
As soon as we landed on Tioman Island, we knew we weren't in Kansas anymore! The view of the tropical paradise was truly only something I'd seen in movies and to experience it first hand for the first time with 5 wonderful friends was something beyond wonderful. We stayed the week at a resort on the island called Bejayra Tioman Resort and when we checked in, we knew we must be in the tropics considering the lobby of the resort was open and had direct passageway through the entrance and the lobby desks.
Knowing full well that Amos and one of our other girlfriends would be arriving three days later from our initial landing on the island, one of the girls (Rebecca - a HS Science teacher) and I began our PADI Open Water Diver instruction that we might become certified scuba divers! Considering Amos and Jojo (our other friend who'd be coming later) already had their diving licenses, we wanted to be sure that we too had accomplished this great feat of scuba diving so that we might all scuba together by the time Amos and Jojo arrived :-)
Rebecca and I began our course certification on Sunday (3/20) with a Malaysian dive master named Khairil. Khairil was truly a man of no worries and relaxation. Considering the fast pace we were used to in both the U.S. and Seoul, this culture was a bit strange to us considering how relaxed its people were and Khairil was no exception ;-)
Khairil led us in a 3-day diving certification frenzy and by the time Wednesday rolled around, all Rebecca and I had left to do was take four 50 question quizzes followed by one 100 question test to certify we "knew our stuff" and were ready to become licensed divers...whew! Luckily, Rebecca and I passed with flying colors and I officially became known as "Scuba Poz" (see picture below):
Since Amos and Jojo had flown into the island on Tuesday night, they waited for us as we completed our testing on Wednesday before we all agreed to try and sign up for a dive outing together! Unfortunately tho, Jojo never ended up coming out with the three of us on a dive, but Rebecca, Amos and I enjoyed two dives together on Thursday and Rebecca and Amos went yet again on Saturday! Here is a pic Rebecca took of Amos and I after one of the two dives we did that day:
Since I'd decided to not go diving with Amos and Rebecca on Saturday, I instead treated myself to a full body massage and facial at the spa - talk about AMAZING relaxation!!! My body had never felt so good and my face had never felt so smooth! :-)
Aside from our diving adventures and spa treatments, a few of us went sea kayaking one day (SO amazing!), swam in the ocean, enjoyed drinks and meals at the poolside, and simply just relaxed and enjoyed each others company!
Most evenings, we ate our meals at one of the resort restaurants, but a couple different evenings, we ventured off the resort's premises and went to a few local Malaysian restaurants! Here's a picture of all of us on Tuesday night (3/15) after Jojo and Amos had arrived:
Because we truly were on a tropical paradise, the sunsets were breathtaking and Amos and I truly experienced every romantic setting a newly engaged couple could experience! He took several pictures of me and the two of us one night as we watched the sunset together:
By the end of the trip (we got back late Sunday night, March 27), we didn't want to come back to the cold of Seoul, but the memories we made and the bonds we created between each other were something none of us knew we'd soon forget! I was so grateful for the chance to spend time with these wonderful women and my amazing fiance - I can't wait to see what other adventures are in store for us in the coming years and can only hope that our future spring breaks will be as amazing as our Spring Break 2011 trip to Tioman Island!
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