275 Teaching in Tioman
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I was called in at the last moment to help with a village development program sponsored by the Marine group of the Malaysia Nature Society I guess the plan is to get the villagers on side so that they respect nature instead of destroying it and that they can earn money by sustainable jobs like tourist guiding instead of lopping down trees

I took the bus down through Sunday night. Dodged the touts selling tickets to a non exisiting speed boat at 7.30. And joined the same tourists on the 10.30 ferry across.

We arrived at the Island at after 1pm.

View of Kampung Genting
showing one of the 15 resorts. (some abandoned) Sunny Beach owned by Azman

All the photos ENLARGE if you click them

The standard of the accommodation is quite high : aircon chalets with seaviews. Otherwise it's a set of resorts and small shops/restaurants strung along the seafront for a couple of Km, backed on to the hill forest.

Mang a guide took me along the beach and showed me the bats in the palm trees.

We had first class at 8.30pm and 50 people turned up, which brings all the problems of large classes : instead of being interupted by one person being late and saying hello in the local languange you get 10, instead of trying to get peoples attention when one conversation breaks out you have 10. Showing photos to 2 people is easier than showing the photos to 50.

Anyway first class can always be easier so I soldiered on. The classroom was OK and they did have a whiteboard, but not the very useful computerised projector I am used to. There wasn't even a copier. Then after 25 minutes the bloody lights went out. No theres a challenge I wasn't sure if they would come back on soon. After struggling for 20 minutes we went downstairs to the restaurant below where there was one light powered by a generator.

A tree had fallen across the powerline somewhere aroud the island. If there is one place where it's practical to use alternative energy it's here, cos when it's not sunny enougnh for solar it's windy enough for a wind turbine.

However the open walls meant I had to contend with huge whiteboard blowing down on me and later the rain washing the text off.


I found out that some of the people cannot read and write at all, which is a challenge I had not anticipated.

Azman has his hand up
Tuesday - Since I didn't have a copier or OHP I set used my digital camera and Eeyan's computer to print class materials.
We had less people on Tuesday partly cos some people come by boat so can only come if the tide is right.

Wednesday- Ever since I arrived I had felt so tired, partly the accumulated tiredness and lateness of the classes and maybe the on onff rainy weather at the end of this wet season. So I didn't wake up till 11. Not wanting to waste time I rushed off to explore walking to the next village. Paya This was OK, I found the forest rock pools easliy enough, but no the large waterfall I expected so clamboured up over the rocks. Though on the way down I touched a plant like a nettle except a 100 times stronger. turns out they have this plant called Jelutan which can sting for 3 days.

I had enough pain killers and adrenalin to do the class, but couldn't sleep Wednesday night. So I had to sleep all day Thursday.

We had an extra class on Thursday, but since many people were leaving on Friday we didn't do a class then.

Friday - I walked along the coast to Japa Mala and after that, but the path was not clear

Because the sea is heavy in the afternoon I decided to leave on Sunday morning instead of Saturday afternoon
Saturday - I walked up to the local river rock pools, which was OK for dipping, but then the rain came. I explored the forest and later walked upto Paya village again. Met a few westerners working at the expensive resorts in the south of the island. Later at the Chinese restaurant I found he had a internet service and copier (which I helped him with).

If there is one place where solar and windpower could and should be used it's that Kampung. It's either sunny or windy and if as often happens a tree falls ower the power line they need a backup.


Pictures of Mang and friends

Sunny Beach chalets


Picture of a chalet at paya ...the school room on the jetty at Genting
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