Above: Penang by night from our hotel room.
Leaving Tioman
I left Impian Inn around 0845 for the short walk to Genting jetty for my trip back to the mainland. Cataferry showed up a little earlier than the scheduled time 0930. We continued our pick-ups at several stops on Tioman and started the journey in earnest about 1030, reaching Mersing a little before midday.
Thoughts on Tioman
On a sunny day, Tioman is incredibly beautiful to look at and awesome for swimming (provided you’re at a good beach).
Accommodation in Tioman is split between high end and very run-down. Both ends of the spectrum are expensive for Malaysia.
Meals and eateries may be hard to find on quiet days because many guests are on fully-inclusive package.
The island has big rocks, like its Indonesian neighbour in the South China Sea, Pulau Natuna.
Continuing to Senai Airport
Having had a good meal at the harbour complex on the journey out, I opted to eat lunch there before continuing to the bus station. Unfortunately, my meal today wasn’t that good from the same outlet. Perhaps they rushed it because they knew I had to be at the bus station soon.
I managed to stop at a pharmacy to get some antibiotic eardrops for my now infected right ear. At the station, it was a short wait before the Plusliner bus turned up a little before the scheduled 1330 departure.
In daylight traffic, the ride to Johor Bahru’s Larkin station took over 2h. To avoid the hassles of knowing where to meet my driver, I crossed the road to the nearby shops before summoning a car for Senai airport.
At the airport, around 1630, it was too early to drop my bag at check-in. I took a horrendously expensive meal and coffee at Ipoh Old Town, a franchise restaurant. Fortunately, both were delicious and well-deserved for the long day of travel.
Flying to Penang
I dropped my bag off exactly 3h before my 2025 flight and went airside to kill some time. The AirAsia flight to Penang departed on-time and landed a little early. Seated at the trailing edge of the wing, the A320neo was super quiet.
At the airport in Penang, I was met by Boo, a good friend, who will be holidaying with me for four nights.
We booked a car to the Cititel Express in the capital city George Town, getting there around 2230. Due to the pandemic, the reception of the hotel had been combined with it’s more upmarket sister-hotel, The Wembley. The two are linked by an internal corridor.