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Guide to Pulau Tioman, Malaysia - Berjaya Tioman Resort

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

Pulau Tioman is located 32 km off the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia in the state of Pahang (it is, however, geographically closer to Johor). The island has eight main villages, and has grown to become a popular scuba diving spot thanks to the dense coral reefs surrounding it.

Getting to Tioman Island

There are two ways of getting into the island:

Berjaya Air from Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport, Subang/Changi Airport, Singapore
Ferry from the Mersing Jetty in Johor

Drove down to Mersing from KL (took approximately 4.5 hours) to get to the jetty. The journey was surprisingly delightful thanks to the scenic view and wide array of food to try along the way.

Jeti Pelabuhan Mersing located at Jalan Sekakap

Return tickets are priced at RM70 per adult. Ferries here do not depart on an hourly basis so do call beforehand to check as to make sure that not too much time is being wasted on waiting.

Queuing and waiting can take up to 1.5 hours.

And an additional 2 hours of traveling time *yawn*

Resorts and hotels are scattered around the island so make sure you know where and when to get off (the ferry makes multiple stops once it has reached the island)

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Berjaya Tioman Resort, Tioman Island

Berjaya Tioman Resort is the only international-standard resort in Pulau Tioman, and I was fortunate enough to have my stay there for a couple of days in one of its deluxe sea-fronting chalets. Once we have alighted from the ferry, we were directed to a mini shuttle bus which transported us to the resort in no more than 15 minutes.

It was an awful start to the very short vacation. It was raining at the jetty, raining throughout the 2-hour ferry ride, and still raining when we have arrived at Tioman. We were hoping to see some sunlight in the evening, but little do we know that we have walked directly into the lair of Indra throughout the entire trip. Well to be honest, it was partially our fault for paying no heed to the weather forecast and relying too much instead on the localized notion that the monsoon season happens only between the months of November to January in Malaysia.

The consequences of our poor planning? Frequent calls for room service and dips in the bath tub (which was surprisingly very enjoyable) and occasional peeks out of the window to say a quick prayer in hope that the rain would finally stop.

...but with a room like this, I really didn't mind staying in.

When it stopped raining for 15 minutes (still no sign of the sun, though), we darted to the beach with hopes of seeing the reefs and swimming with the fishes but to our dismay, it really just was not possible to do any that. FML.

Well at least the kids were having fun

Yeap, this was where I was supposed to flaunt my assets in my new bikinis and get tanned.

...And this was where I was supposed to lounge in the most seductive and alluring way possible while stealing glances (and boyfriends).

Yes, none of that happened and my life sucks. Well thank god there was good food to soothe the burn (inside)

Many resorted to spending time by the pool instead

Back to the chalet and ordered more food (...because what else can we actually do?!)

You'll be surprised how much a girl can eat.

This picture was taken while we were waiting for the ferry to bring us back to Johor. Yeap, it was still raining.

Tioman was beautiful..... if I was able to actually see it through the mist and rain. #fml

(Still one of the best trips ever. Thank you)

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Recipes

How to Make Pizza: Easy Pizza Dough

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

Wondering how to make pizza the simple way? You're in for a treat.

Just a few years ago, I courageously attempted to bake breads but none of my efforts worked and the breads just would not rise. What was supposed to evolve into a soft and fluffy loaf in the oven turned out to be a hardened lump of flour. Since then, I have firmly decided to stay away from anything that requires yeast as one of its ingredients.

How to Make Pizza: Easy Pizza Dough

It wasn't until a last December that I regained the confidence to take up baking again. Interest, coupled with the perfect pizza recipe that is so easy and effortless to follow, has victoriously made baking my favorite pastime again.

This easy step-by-step pizza dough recipe has been tried and tested and it makes 4-5 small pizza bases that will turn crispy and crusty when baked.

Easy Pizza Dough Recipe

1 packet active dry yeast
2/3 cup hot water
2 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
Extra flour for working
1 tsp. fine salt
1 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. plain yogurt

Step-by-step Pizza Dough Recipe

1. Stir yeast in hot water until dissolved. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and yogurt. Add yeast into the flour mixture:

2. Stir mixture in circular motion with a fork until tiny crumbles are formed:

3. Press and flatten crumbles until a dough is formed:

4. Transfer dough onto a surface that has been liberally dusted with flour:

5. Knead dough for 10-15 minutes until it is soft and elastic. My kneading method is to fold all four sides into the middle and flatten the dough starting from the middle to the edge. Repeat the process until the desired texture is achieved:

6. After kneading, roll dough into a firm ball:

7. Place dough into a bowl that has already been greased with olive oil. This is to ensure that the dough does not stick to the bowl after rising. Cover the bowl with a lid/foil. Place it in a warm area and leave it to rise for about 4-5 hours:

8. Once dough has risen, divide it into smaller portions. Cover bowl and allow dough to rise for another 1-2 hours. Your dough will be ready after this last step. They can either be used right away, or be kept in air-tight containers to be refrigerated (best used within one week).

Easy Pizza Topping Ideas

That is it! Making pizza is such a pleasure and you will never want to eat out again after making one. I personally love making pizzas because I can get creative with the toppings and use only ingredients that I like. Below are some pizza topping ideas that is fast, easy, and absolutely delicious!