22/10/06 - 24/10/06 (Pulau Tinggi Trip)

From the 22nd of Oct till the 24th of Oct,i was overseas in Malaysia with my fellow ex-NCC mates as well as our teacher and mentor, Xie Lao Shi. The exact place we were in was actually an offshore island known as Pulau Tinggi.Activities that supposedly awaited us there included a trekking trip to a small waterfall,a snorkelling trip to the coral reefs and a fishing trip in the deep sea.Our journey there comprised of a 3hr bus ride followed by a 1hr boat ride over to the island itself which was located off the coast of eastern johor. Upon arrival,we were greeted not by local traditional dancers but instead by several sunburnt individuals who were leaving the island on the boat that we arrived in. They had little or no expression on their faces that left us puzzled as to why they appeared as though they were caught up in a war. That of course wasn't the case but we were about to find out the reason behind their unhappy faces soon enough though. After receiving our keys,we proceeded to the dining area to have our lunch and were shocked to find that there was almost nothing left for us to eat. Not to mention the side dishes,even the staple rice was in miserable amounts. We ended up having to ration the food amongst the 14 of us as they were not preparing anymore extra food. Thereafter,with our half filled stomachs,we proceeded to check into our respective rooms. I am not sure about the others but my room was totally horrible.The toilet was equipped with a water heater shower and a toilet bowl but the tap that was supposed to turn on the water heater shower was stuck and i had to rely on a tap meant for washing legs to bathe. Next came the toilet bowl which was unable to flush as no water came out. So i could only fill up a pail provided and thereafter use the water in the pail to manually flush the toilet myself. That was not all. Then came the room which was air-conditioned alright but the only problem was,the air-con wasn't functioning correctly and the only air that came out was normal room temperature air. Thankfully,my room that i shared with jj was linked to the room next door inhabited by 2 of my ncc friends. We ended up opening up the link so that we could not only go over easily but we could use their shower which was working while at the same time,being able to enjoy the cooler air that flowed over from their room which had a better functioning air-con.In the later part of the day,we did some exploring and a few of us ended up going on the trekking trip to the small waterfall as we felt that since we had paid for it,might as well go for it. Well,i must say that it was a choice badly made as not only did the waterfall not have any water falling,it was also very dirty and the trek there and back allowed us to fill the stomachs of many mosquitoes.We emerged from the forest once again,each of us badly covered in mossquito bites. We then proceeded to explore areas of the beach where the tide had receeded and ended up making a seafood platter out of the various sea-life that we found there.Thereafter,we went over to the resort's swimming pool which was poorly maintained and played a game of wrestling water polo. After a bath,it was time for dinner which was slightly better but still insufficient to fill all our stomachs. We then took a walk around the resort's premises before heading over to the local village which was located just next to our resort to catch the live match between manchester united and liverpool in which manchester united defeated liverpool 2-0,woohoo! After the match,we retired back to our rooms and some of us ended up playing black jack while i chose to have a heart to heart talk with some of my friends. That concluded the first day of our stay on the island.

The second day commenced with breakfast which was much better followed by a speedboat ride over to another small island nearby where we snorkelled and took in the sights of a coral reef. There,we saw things which we could never see in singapore's waters. Right under us was a huge coral reef filled with corals,fishes,sea urchins and other inhabitants which we did not manage to see. Although it was not colourfull like that of the great barrier reef,the beauty of it all left us amazed nonetheless. After that,we then headed back to the resort for lunch before awaiting our next activity--a fishing trip in the deep sea further out. With our fishing lines and bait in hand,we set off on board a fishing boat to our fishing locations,previously marked out with floating buoys to represent that previously,there have been instances whereby large schools of fish gathered in the area.Everytime the boat came to a halt,we would cast our fishing lines into the ocean however for the fist few locations that we went to,none of us caught anything. Then came this fishing location just next to some rocks. Upon casting our lines,many of us managed to reel in fishes,despite their small size.After about 3 hours of fishing,we had caught quite alot of fish but at the same time,some of us had started to experience the effects of sea sickness,including myself. I was feeling dizzy and the feeling of throwing up was gradually building up inside me. Slowly,we stopped fishing one by one as we were feeling unwell. After awhile,all of us but the boat captain and Xie Lao Shi had stopped fishing. Just then,one of us threw up overboard. Sensing that the others may follow suit, we then requested to return back to dry land. Thankfully there were no further instances of anyone throwing up. Along the way,we also managed to catch a glimpse of the beautiful sunset. When we returned,it was time for dinner and thereafter,as usual,some of us went on to play blackjack while the others either went straight to bed or in my intance,went on to talk amongst ourselves.With that concluded day 2 of our trip.

The 3rd day saw us waking up in the morning for breakfast before heading out to the open space just next to the dining area for some beach volleyball,minus the beach which was now engulfed by the tide.After that,we went back to our rooms where we packed up and prepared for our journey back home. After an hour of boat ride and another 3 hours of bus ride,we arrived at a location very close to the causeway. There,we dug into our own pockets for a meal of seafood which all of us really enjoyed. Having filled our stomachs,we continued on our journey home.So that concluded our 3days,2 nights trip to pulau tinggi. We finally understood the reason why when we arrived on the island,those few who were leaving had such an expression on their faces. It was because they were disappointed by the facilities and conditions of the island. That things turned out not the way they had expected to see. But nonetheless,i'd still say that the trip was enjoyable,because i still got to experience things i would never have the chance to and at the same time,i was able to go on a trip with my fellow NCC friends. Cheers.