notes from an island

tioman. 30 kilometres from the east coast of malaysia. 39 kilometres long. 12 kilometres wide. often referred to as one of the world's most beautiful islands. with no exaggeration. it swung into view as the 48-seater plane dipped through cloud. and my jaw dropped, promptly.

the first written record of tioman was found in records kept by arab merchants little before 1000 a.d. indian, persian and chinese traders came next. pirates arrived in 1830, capturing locals for the slave markets. during world war ii, the japanese set up a watch base. soon, tioman disappeared from view, surfacing only when hollywood noticed it for a musical called south pacific.

history, for me, took a backseat the minute i found a motorboat at the jetty. scudding across the waves, i reached a huge rocky outcrop two kilometres off the island, put on my snorkelling gear, and plunged. 20 metres of crystal clear water, unbelievable coral formations, and fish in more colours than you thought possible. where are you guys? behind computers at some office?