After a few days experiencing the busy, urban, city-life of Singapore, we hopped on a bus to cross the border to explore the jungles and beaches of Malaysia. We crossed into Johor Bahru and snaked our way up the coast to the sleepy coastal town of Mersing, the coastal gateway to many of Malaysia’s outlying islands. We were headed to the biggest and most beautiful island on the Eastern coast of Malaysia – Palau Tioman. The white, sand beaches and crystal clear waters helped rank Tioman Island as having some of the best beaches in the world, and with the boom in popularity and tourism there were no lack of options of places to stay. Resorts have been developed all along the beaches, turning the island into a crowded, weekend getaway for Singaporeans and Malaysians alike. We decided to go a little off the beaten track and stay at the one lone beach on the Eastern side of the island, Juara Beach. To get to the beach we had to cross through the mountains in the middle of the island on a steep, paved, one-way road in a 4WD by our resort owner, a talkative local Malaysian named Stevin. We stayed at the comfy Juara Beach Resort for three lazy days, each a mix of eating, snorkeling, swimming, napping, eating, chatting, walking on the beach and, just relaxing. I will never get tired of beaches. Maybe it’s because I grew up in the middle of Alberta amongst plains, forests and lakes, but beaches still have that tinge of exoticness to me. There’s no sensation quite like digging your feet in the soft, welcoming sand and feeling the waves rhythmically wash over them.

We were surprised to learn that there was a sea turtle sanctuary at the end of Juara beach. The Juara Turtle Project has a staff of dedicated volunteers that scour the beach for turtle eggs every night to protect them from predators until they’re ready to be hatched, and once the baby turtles are born they are safely returned to the sea. There weren’t any baby sea turtles when we went to the sanctuary but there was a tank with a full-grown, blind sea turtle that has to be hand-fed each day by the staff. Sea turtles are my favorite animals. If I were to be reincarnated, I would want to be a sea turtle. I have a lot of sympathy for what they’re doing at the sanctuary, even more so upon hearing that the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico killed 300 sea turtles. It would be a shame if these majestic animals were to go extinct, I’d cry a little inside.

Malaysia’s island life is worlds apart from the city life. Time moves at a different pace, there’s no rush, and everything is quieter and more laid-back. I experienced the same thing when I visited the outlying islands in Hong Kong. The contrast between Kowloon and Lamma, Singapore and Tioman is indescribable. You can just feel the difference in the atmosphere (or maybe it was just the lack of pollution?). It isn't until you walk around the island and see the school, the local cafes, and vegetable gardens set against the jungle backdrop that you realize that these people live there. I was just a stranger intruding on their little island, hoping to share a few days of their beach and lifestyle with them.

Sooner rather than later, it was time to leave the island. Thinking back and looking at the pictures of our time on Tioman, I can still distinctly remember the sound of the lapping waves on the beach, the feel of my feet in the sand, and the soft breeze underneath the trees on a particularly hot afternoon. I’ll never forget my time at Malaysia’s one little beach with its love for turtles.