Enchanting Langkawi!

16 till 18 May, 2009

finally, yes, we made our holiday trip..not Phuket as planned but Langkawi and it was fantastic! laidback, in fact very laidback, but surprisingly it turned out fine. the boys drove us wild with their usual comics and play but N and I chose not to restrain them too much. kids need to freak out too. they were absolutely into each other; we had to constantly remind them we were on hol and this is the time to enjoy the sceneries, and cows and buffaloes, goats and chickens that were on our path during the island drive. they listened and stopped to see outside as tho they had understood but within seconds were back to their own games..such a challenge it was not to raise our voices..sigh.

• Island Hopping - cost us RM120 (2 adults 2 kids) but worth it. 2 stops were made. we shared the boat with one white couple, one middle east lady and one couple and a female companion probably fr middle east too
Memorable Moments :

(a) Pulau Dayang Bunting -got to see the island ;was really shaped like a sleeping pregnant maiden.. amazing; trekked to the freshwater lake (Tasek Dayang Bunting) full of
'ikan keli' that nibbles your toes for a fee; saw monkeys that grabbed at just
abt anyone who dare carry anything that resembled food packages, one actually snatched a pepsi can and toppled it before licking the gassy drink dry

(b) Pulau Beras Basah - long stretch of sandy white beach with cystal clear waters; rishi went in and swam with his clothes on; collected shells while harish busied himself on the sand

(c) Pulau Singa Besar - watched White-bellied Sea Eagles & Brahminy Kite Eagles feeding in their natural habitats, the eagles glided and swept chicken pcs thrown into water; the boatman said that the white bubbles released by the boat attracts them; a must see for all who visit Langkawi after all this is the haven for eagles (the word Lang means eagle).

Our trip back was at least superbly fun for N and the boys. the boat sped so much till it shook. made sure life jackets were on. can't help catching Harish' expression - grinning from ear to ear as the wind blew hard on his face, and the boat rocked and jumped a little and the drizzle hitting hard against his face. rishi was too absorbed in the whole scene he didn't even hear a thing I said

• Adventure Tour

- cost us RM170 (hiring of boat); N tried to bargain-said he was ripped. if we had found ppl to share the boat, we wld hv gotten a much cheaper price. 2 stops were made

(a) Gua Kelawar/Bat Cave -entered a walkway that led into the cave; sighted many sleeping bats; they hated camera flash-climbed up a steep ladder; felt like we were in Bt Caves with all the stalagmites. Took a walk on the hanging bridge (Titi Gantung) which passed thru mangrove forest.

(b)Hole In The Wall (Fish Farm & Floating Restaurant) - this is a 7 mins scenic boat ride fr Kilim River Jetty- ate Malay-style fried rice (RM9 per person) as lunch. there is a stingray and exotic fish farm-and for a small fee u can enter and feed them.

(c) Yachts mooring zone - on our way to the restaurant above, the boat maneuvered past several docked private yachts, apparently owned by wealthy foreigners fr Australia, US , Germany etc. They pay mooring rent which is considered pretty low here.

(d) Mangrove cruise thru shallow lagoon- Ancient mangrove forest and limestone outcrops stretched all around us - supposedly the hideout for crocodiles but the crocs have long disappeared. harish was pretty worked up abt crocs suddenly popping out

(e) Taking pix of the islands; Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands scattered in the Andaman Sea and so many tiny ones at that, the boatman pointed one that was shaped like a shoe, called it Pulau Kasut. It seems when the tide is low, one can spot 104 islands. we spotted a 'Ikan Bilis' boat and the fishermen waved at us. we were shown neighbouring Thailand from our boat.

• Lush paddy fields - stopped at the paddy field with the Sentra we rented (RM80 per day) on our way to Makam Mahsuri. the mountains provided the backdrop. in no time the boys got engrossed picking pebbles and throwing them into the flooded field. they pointed at leeches, mud hoppers and tadpoles. and all the mimosa plant were put to sleep with their touches. saw water buffaloes nonchalantly basking in the rice fields. in the Mahsuri Museum, we saw pix of Mahsuri's living generation.

• Telaga Mahsuri - our stop at Makam Mahsuri next was during tea time. the tea served was nothing to shout about as it was dark orange and tasted like syrup. the stall was a small hut facing the vast expanse of paddy fields and traditional Malay countryside. the boys had sausage and nuggets. for the very first time, rishi saw a well. it seems this was the original well where mahsuri and family used to dip water. the water is considered sacred now. rishi tried his hand at dipping and all of us washed our faces and sprinkled some on our bodies. N bought one bottle of processed Air Telaga.

Duty Free Shopping - we did ours in Kuah Town. chocolates were abundant. and ya, liquor & cigarattes too.

• Cable Car Ride - (Austrian technology) situated in Tg Rhu reaching the summit of Mat Cincang Mountain. A steep climb at what seemed to be a horrendous height. Think I was the only one unnerved. Saw the 'Seven Wells Waterfall' from the gondola. Local folklore tells u that this is the playground for fairies! Wasn't that cold even at 710m above sea level, slightly misty as we reached the top at abt 5.30pm. Surprised to see a few modern Indian honeymooners-young couples so in love, the gals with their henna-ed hands. Had milo with chipsmore at the burger cafe on the mountain, the boys swivelled on their high chairs as they ate and watched the entire island spread out in front of their eyes. couldn't figure out where the sea ends and the sky starts; startling blue & green shades all over. Alas! the suspension bridge was closed, kind of relieved actually.

• Wildlife & Bird Park- nothing unusual; it was just that the kids loved the feeding part. for RM6, we bought the feed (veges, grains, fruits, seeds). they fed the turtle, monkeys, birds, ostrich, rabbits and peacocks. the birds weren't afraid to feed fr their open palms. rishi caught some rabbits and harish chased some.

• Underwater World- this was our last stop. rishi did some fake fainting spells to emphasise his point on how amazed he was; esp by the sight of the sea dragon and jelly fish (check my pix on the right). they were the noisiest kids there and both N and I whispered hush! hush! many a time. the tunnel walk was disappointing; no fish or any marine life. tapped our feet in front of the penguin house; one actually moved its beak as tho speaking. somehow it seemed like there were lesser marine life exhibited than my last visit in 2000.

• Stroll during sunset at Pantai Cenang - the most happening place I guess as many tourists hang out here..we had a long walk on fine white sand on bare feet, natural reflexology

-Aromatherapy Massage -hmm..what is a hol without a massage/esp if u r a mom (moms out there, pls indulge), i must say N was the one who insisted i shd give it a go, so we headed to Ishan's Spa and while the masseaus/gals waited on N and boys, i did a one hr session, some oil was used and afterwards well i was kind of rejuvenated

• Minyak gamat (sea cucumber juice) - popular Malay product. Bought two bottles for sis, believed to have healing qualities

• Well connected roads - compared to my last visit in 2000, i must say that the govt has pumped in lots of money to build and maintain the roads in Langkawi, almost no area has been left out. food hunting is much easier with these many roads that connects towns to villages and small alleys etc.

An experience not to be missed! It is a spring back to the arms of mother nature. Not too commercialised or tacky (except maybe Kuah town) as much of Langkawi remains unspoilt, much of its charm is natural. One could never see a relaxed pace of life such as this in KL. Reminds me of Mahsuri's curse - whether it is a myth, legend or fantasy? It did feel like the 7 generation curse cast on the island had ended.

Wise decisions made :

1. To fly rather than to drive (reached Langkawi in an hr)
2. To carry only hand luggages
3. To book early promotional package during Matta Fair with minimal deposit (RM50) - package included accommodation, buffet breakfast, Toyota Vios (tho they gave Sentra), tickets to Underwater World and Wildlife Park.
4. Car rent co. was flexi, as we had access to the car till the last day (incl the time when flight was delayed)
5. Hotel located in Pantai Tengah, close to Pantai Cenang which is the main touristy area. Multi-cultured food / wide range of cuisine; Arab, Indian, Mediterranean, Chinese, Western, Thai, Italian, Irish, Japanese, Korean and Russian
6. Hotel is merely an 8-mins ride from the airport.

Lessons Learnt :-

1. Do not park at KL Sentral covered car park during week days as they charge hourly (RM4 per hr) and if flights get delayed (which is the case with Air Asia), you end up paying more.
2. Do not take SkyBus - yes booking online is cheaper, but the hassle of moving around with kids in tow! And as KL Sentral is under some kind of renovation, we were dropped off quite far fr the Car Park. And the moment we got off the bus, N was harassed by taxi touts ( this was at 2.00 am)!
3. Call the airport ahead for departure time - in case it gets re-timed (Air Asia does provide sms update)
4. Bring identification for kids below 12 even if its just a Mc D card - check-in requirement.
5. If u r on an Island Tour, pls bring along swimming clothes, change of clothes, sunglasses, sun screen lotion and plenty of water.