Driving with Frenchie… 

‘Few more weeks before back to reality’, he said.

‘Let’s do a road trip; Lets go to one of the islands before you leave’.

24 hours from the time Fabien landed I found myself in the driver’s seat heading southeast to Mersing. As much as I loathe driving, long distance driving is something I do enjoy, especially when my I have my partner in crime. Having the perfect twin to execute mischief is something I miss.

*Tioman is an island just off the border of Johor. Although it falls under the Pahang jurisdiction, to get here you have to get to the small town of Mersing in Johor.

‘At the round about, take the second exit’.

Ah…we are here! 

Hello Mersing!

Mersing is the port of call for Tioman. Mersing is a small seaside town in Johor. Trust me when I say you can't possibly go missing in this town, its really small and quaint. 

Have you ever seen a turtle nesting before? Or seen turtle hatchlings make it to sea? You’ll most likely get a chance to experience it if you are in the islands of Malaysia during nesting season. This normally runs hand in hand with dive season as well, which is from late March to early September.

Malaysia is the nesting home to 4 different species of turtles; the Leatherbacks, Olive Ridleys, Hawksbills and Green turtles. But in recent years only 2 out of the 4 species have been seen to nest here.

The Olive Ridley and the Leatherbacks haven’t been spotted nesting in the shores of Malaysia since the mid 2000. It’s been said and recorded that these species has been declining at an alarming rate since the 90’s. At one point Rantau Abang in Malaysia attracted Leatherback turtles in the thousands to almost none at all now.

Why? Because of us. Yes, us, the human race. 

Kuala Dungun, a small sleepy town in Terengganu, lies on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia. This little town has nothing much to offer other than a beautiful long stretch of powdery white sand beach and serves as a main gateway to one of the best secrets in the country, Pulau Tenggol (Tenggol Island).