Waterlust in B-B-BARLEYYYYY

Bali, if you were wondering what BARLEYYYY meant. It's an expression of our desire for the tantalising empire of water sports and high-class fun we would indulge ourselves in. BARLEYYYY. BARLEYYY. BARLEYYYYYYY. 

I'll skip ahead of all the chaos, sleep-deprivation (overnight flight) and tedious travelling that happened in between, 'cuz travel takes up like 3/4 of your overall time. I shit you not. At least 45 minutes from place to place.... by car! 3 hours, sometimes, if you have your destinations set further. My suggestion is to rent a personal chauffeur, or if you have a license, drive.

Villa

If you're heading in with a huge group, it's best to pool your budget for a villa, although it'll probably have rats and geckos the size of cats. Not much of a night partying nature, our staycation in BARLEY, but lots of water sports and scenery to behold.

Post-dive jumpshot with the paddy fields and le buddy

My Underwater Odyssey: 9-11 May, 2014

And thus, began my underwater mission to prove myself as an advanced diver. Having procured my Open Water Certificate at Dayang Island, I'd decided to take a second twist with Malaysia's Tioman Island to secure my Advanced qualification. Blue Reef Scuba was the company my friend had recommended to me, and it's at an utterly affordable rate -- about S$486 or so, I believe. Considering the market average to be about S$530, I'd say we were making a killing here. The staff are meticulous, friendly, invitingly professional and genuine. This was pretty short notice too, since I had signed up on the same week as the departure date, so I was quite impressed with their efficiency as well. 

                                 

Cruising around Tioman Island