Boats & Sunsets

9.32 a.m. – Shasha and I have just finished packing and met at the lobby to check out of the Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort. After thanking Puan Rosidah for her gracious hospitality and also the hotel hospitality directors for kindly accommodating us the last few days, Shasha and I called a cab and headed straight to Sunset Beach Resort at Pantai Cenang, where we would be staying for the next couple of days.

The Sunset Beach Resort is a cosy little resort right on Pantai Cenang Road. It has a somewhat ‘backpackers’ feel to it, due to its casualness and budget like accommodation. Once stepping into the Sunset Beach Resort, I felt as though I was staying at a hippy community village! It was quaint, cosy and very comfortable. I was surprised to find that my room was very decent. It may not have a huge plasma TV or a bathtub, but for RM196 per night, it was clean comfortable and pretty hip!

Room inspected, and settled in, Shasha and I rushed to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, which is located in the main town of Kuah, just a 2 minute drive from Jetty Point, where we had an appointment with their Executive Director, Mr Wicky Sundram for lunch. Once we got to the club, Shasha was thoroughly impressed by the aesthetics for the club itself. It was a gorgeous building. With a rising roof, which looks similar to the shape of the ship’s hull, stonewalls protecting and enhancing the beauty of the structure and a veranda with beautiful finishing. The Langkawi Yacht Club just oozed beauty and class.

After being greeted by a friendly receptionist, we were directed down to the club café, Charlie’s Place. This café was located at a prime spot; on the pier, overlooking the beautiful marina full of luxury yachts and timeless sailboats. A few minutes after being seated, Mr Wicky and his colleague Mr Rahman Mahani, The Senior Manager, joined us at our table and we begun our casual interview.
The Langkawi Yacht club is one of the forerunner sailing clubs responsible for the rejuvenation of the sailing sports and industry in Langkawi. Since its opening in 1996, the club has grown in tandem with the Island’s development, and now has one of the best facilities for yachts, sails boats and catamarans in the region! We are told that the Langkawi Yacht club has berthing capacity of 200 berths in the water, 8 of which can take super sized cruisers that go up to 150 feet, 24 hour security patrol and even a wireless internet network which covers the entire marina, so that internet can still be used while the boats are docked there.

Mr Sundram went on to speak about the care they put into their boats..

“We used to have a very big problem with the ferries coming into and out of the harbour. There are designated areas where the ferries need to slow down, but because they have to reach a certain quota, they ignore this rule. Now, when the ferries speed close to the marina, the waves that come through will rock the boats on the marina and may cause damage to the boats.

To put a stop to this, we have constructed a sea wall that takes the impact of the waves, decreasing the affects towards the boats berthed here.”

Apart from the marina the Yacht club also houses 2 restaurants, Charlie’s Place and also the Captain’s Deck Bar & Grill on the second floor, all overlooking the sea and famous Pulau Dayang Bunting. These restaurants have been popular dining spots on the island, and their catering team is also capable of managing functions, themed parties and private island catering as well.

After speaking about topics such as the history of the club, and even a proposed plan on making a hotel on the empty lot of land opposite the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, Mr. Rahman suggested we take a tour of the Yacht Club.

After the tour, we sat back down at our table and had lunch at the Charlie’s Place Deck Bar & Grill. Coincidentally, all of us decided to order the Ceasar’s Salad (Ruining my chances to pick on what Shasha was going to order. Darn it!) The salad was presented in a Nuevo-esque style, and tasted absolutely delicious! There is definitely no lack of quality in the food area at the Yacht Club! Over lunch, Mr. Wicky elaborated on how The Royal Langkawi Yacht Club do not base their club on a ‘members only’ policy as it will not help tourism and also, having a club as beautiful as it is, why restrict it to a select few! After having a after lunch coffee, we thanked Mr Wicky and Mr Rahman for their kind hospitality and bid them adieu.

It was a fascinating day for us at the Langkawi Yacht Club as we were treated to great architecture, classy ambience and par excellent food ! Kudos and many thanks to Yg Mulia Tunku Datuk Yaacob Tunku Abdullah of the Melewar Group Berhad and the management of the Langkawi Yacht Club for their hospitality and for their valuable contribution to the sailing community on this Legendary Island of Langkawi !

We decided to head back to our hotel to take the rest of the day easy.

(From Journal)
6.20 p.m. – Shasha’s just returned from the spa down the road and I’ve just finished the draft of blog. We’re hungry. Going to walk down Cenang to find food. Mmmm food.

Shasha and I decided to walk down the Cenang beach to find a place to eat. With us, it would take ages to decide on a place to eat, NOT cause we were both picky eaters, but because we both were easy eaters! So, as Shasha and a grouchy-due-to-hunger version of me walk down Cenang, telling each other random stories, we make it to the middle of the beach just in time for Sunset. It was a beautiful sight. The children running around in the sand, couples in each other’s arms, even locals trying to offer us cheap island hopping packages…

… But for 2 minutes, while the children were running, and the couples were in each other’s arms and the locals were offering us packages everything went into slow motion. Even though I was still in the middle of conversation with Shasha, my mind was glued to the image of that beach at that particular time.

The sky was in a battle of colour; the Sun’s orange tinge entangled with the cooling soft purple of the soon-to-be dark sky, caused a soft, yellow equilibrium right in the middle of the heavens. The silhouette of the mountains and reflection of the islands in the ocean made it look as if the sea and land were in matrimony, making one true entity.

Sigh..
… Alright enough sappy stuff!

After getting off the beach and onto the streets of Cenang, the cute suite and I decided to dine at the 1st restaurant we laid eyes on!.. “Café Italiano Cenang – serving Arabic food, Western food & Indian Food” Uh-huh yeah, you know your spaghetti isn’t going to taste like it’s fresh out of Sicily when your Italian themed restaurant of choice advertises food from every other continent except Italy!

Two blocks down the Café Italiano Cenang was a small quite restaurant with only a few patrons. We didn’t know how good the food would taste, or even if they were open! But I guess we had a gut feeling about this place.

Chicken cooked in garlic. Kangkong Belacan. Garoupa cooked in Soy Sauce. Omelette for two. Yum.

After dinner, Shasha and I took a slow walk down Cenang Road to check out the shops and nightlife there. Many of the shops only open after 7 p.m. The same goes for the pubs and lounges around this area too. Everything and everyone was so alive! the lights were flashing and the people were buzzing around. The hustle and bustle down Cenang Road was even reminiscent of Phuket's Patong Beach!

(From Journal)

10.56 p.m. -- Just got back from dinner and a walk through Pantai Cenang. So busy and lively! Must bring Nadia and crew here!

-- It's getting late and we have a long day of Island hopping ahead of us. Lights out!

Till the next post..

Harith The Konked Out Beach Bum

Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd. and a Special Thanks to The Royal Langkawi Yacht Club

My achey breaky... Belly. :(

I think all that nasi and cendol has taken a toll on me. I didn't get much sleep last night, NOT because I was out partying the night away at some Beach Discoteque, but rather entertaining the party going on in my BELLY. Argh. I had a sleep over in the bathroom as my stomach was aching throughout the night, making it almost impossible to sleep.

With absolutely zero energy, and motivation the size of my apetite at the moment (which was tiny for ONCE) I decided to have a day in, and just re-energize for the hectic couple of days ahead.

I spent the day reading my book, Paolo Coelho's Veronika Decides To Die and attempted to nap, which was constantly foiled by the over zealous house keeping who, with all credit to them, reallyyyy wanted to clean my room, checking up on my room every 15 minutes (that'll teach me to forget to put up the DO NOT DISTURB sign) and the excited family staying next door in constant high spirits.

It is now 9.40 p.m, 5 cups of tea and 1 Maggee Cup Noodle later, my stomach has finally calmed down and I'm feeling well rested, ready for whatever comes up next! Tomorrow will be my long awaited interview with Datuk Rahman, and I need to prepare the interview well, so that I squeeze out as much as I can from our meeting and also so that I don't end up looking silly in front of him.

Just got off the phone with Mum, which always calms the nerves and soothes the soul. Can't wait for my family to come visit in a couple of weeks. By then, I should be able to show off my tour guide skills, bringing them to places they never knew existed here. Muahaha. Anyway, going to do a little more research and them I'm off to bed. Sorry for the bland and picture-less blog, but I promise, there'll be way more to come! Goodnight and till the next post.

Harith The Aching Bellied Beach Bum
Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd.

Getting To Know You, Kuah Town.

9.58 a.m -- I woke up this morning in a daze not remembering for a moment that I was not in my bed at home but on a mystical island. I had obviously over slept as I peered at the hotel alarm clock/radio and saw it was not 8.30 a.m but already 9.58 a.m! Yes. I overslept.. sighh. And I was now rushing down to the pool side cafe to make full use of my complimentary breakfast!! Being warned to come down early for breakfast to avoid having the soggy bits and unwanted dishes on the morning spread, I briskly walked my way down to the pool side in hopes that either everyone else had also slept through their alarm or the guests of the Bella Vista just didn't like beef bacon. As i made my grand entrance into the cafe, my nightmare came through as the buffet spread was almost completely finished! (Leaving me with soggy fried noodles, the all unoriginal Nasi Lemak and a whole lot of sambal.

I decided to burn off my uneventful, carbo loaded breakfast by taking a walk around the hotel surroundings and maybe get a mini photog session in the bag as well. Because the Bella Vista is located in the city itself, there isn't really a beach at the hotel, but they do have a beautiful infinity pool and an oceanside pathway to walk along while enjoying the beautiful back drop.

Once dressed and ready to leave the hotel, I took the hotel shuttle to The Jetty Point in the main part of Kuah Town. Jetty Point acts as both a single storey shopping depot and also a bunker where tourist activities can be acquired within, with a long row of booths with services such as car rental to island cruises. A few metres away from the Jetty Point is the Dataran Lang

(Eagle Square) where the giant Eagle Monument stands. This site is a must see for tourists as the dataran not only has a giant bird popped right in the middle of it, but also a few shops within the perimetre where homemade goods such as fabrics and beads can be bought.

A 10 minute walk east of Jetty Point is an area called Pekan Kuah which is an area of shoplots, and markets with a(nother) shopping mall at the edge of it, the Plaza Langkawi. I decided to have late lunch at a small Nasi Kandar (Mixed Rice) shop in the corner of the area where there was a large gathering inside it. Unlike mixed rice shops in Kuala Lumpur, with a self service system, this shop had a more Penang-esque approach where you'd have to tell him what you like, and he'll put in on your plate. A very charming concept where you will entrust your server with your meal! The chef gave me a generous helping of rice, with a side order of curried squid and stewed beef stomach. I didn't even have to taste it and I already knew I was going to like it. And like it I did! One of the best Penang style mixed rice i've had in a long time!

After the delicious meal that made up for a disappointing breakfast (i know, i know, i have to let it go!) I walked around Pekan Kuah looking at the various clothing and food stalls. Before heading back to the hotel, I spotted a quaint, little table-shop, selling a concoction called 'cendol-shake'. Now we all know that consuming east-west hybrid concoctions such as the satay burger and the nasi goreng bombay-jepun (yes, bombay-jepun is what i said) never really ends well, but the thought of a bowl of cendol (traditional malaysian desert consisting of shaven ice, palm sugar, coconut milk and jelly bits) merging with 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream just couldn't be passed up! Mmmmm.. cendol-shake, where have you been all my life.

11.07 pm -- Just taken my shower and edited all the photos of today. Think I'm going to watch a movie and then hit the sack! More adventures around Kuah tomorrow. Later.

Harith the forever eating Beach Bum

Kindly sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd.

Departures, Arrivals And Everything In Between

From the time I woke up until the time I reached the departure hall of the LCCT everything was a bit of a blur. Not cause I wasn't focused but because everything happened so fast. From getting dressed, to saying one last prayer before leaving the house to hugging my sister outside the airport. I suppose it is a good thing though as I am not a very big fan of goodbyes and the anticipation of being thrown into the great unknown would've phased me out. By the time I sat down to take a breath in and have a bite of my sandwich in the departure hall, it was already 11.30 and time for the passengers to board the plane. It was so ironic because just at that moment where the annoucer said 'Passengers of flight 5452 to Langkawi please make your way to p2', I was just finishing off a sentence in my journal which wrote '11.30am -- At the departure gate now. Just bought some food and about to settle down.' Haha, what's life without a little humour i suppose?

As my hopes of being on a relatively empty flight disintergrated into thin air, I realised that the majority of passengers on my flight were Middle Eastern (visiting Langkawi with their ever growing ginormous families) and local islanders making the trip home from a holiday in Kuala Lumpur with their extra luggage and last minute shopping bags. Once settled in to my seat, I started to make small conversation with the young couple sitting next to me. I told them about how I'm a nervous flyer, and how this flight is bound to be a very noisy one. The woman would chuckle politely and the man would agree with most of what i said. To numb down my nervousness of flying I made even more conversation with the couple, pointing out the henna on their fingers, signifying that they were newly weds. They then told me about how they planned to go to Phuket, Thailand for their honeymoon, but was too worried about the riots and also the lack of kosher food around the area; hence opting for their 2nd choice of Pulau Langkawi. They elaborated on how honeymooning here kills a flock of birds with one stone; the food is kosher everywhere, there are no language barriers, the beaches are beautiful and the atmosphere it just as laidback in Langkawi then it would be in Bali or Phuket!

Just before take off, as i dozed off into dreamland, the pilot announced on the speaker that there would be heavy winds throughout our journey, so we should be prepared for turbulence. Well.. that shot down any chances of 'dozing off' or 'settling down' until arrival! Throughout the flight I kept my nerves down by writing out what I needed to do in the next few days in my journal, which subtly turned into doodles, which then turned into tic-tac-toe... and then back into doodles.

45 minutes later...

I arrive in one piece! And now it was just a matter of collecting my luggage and heading to the Bella Vista Hotel in Kuah Town. Scurrying out of the hot sun in between the plane and the arrival hall, I noticed that in the corner of the arrival hall, next to the baggage collection belt is a long row of tour, car rental and cruise booths. And the most interesting thing about it was that the booth staff would yell at you on your way out to get your attention to visit their booth! It was like a night market frenzy in the middle of the day! There is also a Tourist Centre in the middle of the hall where holiday go-ers of can enquire, reserve and research on the many things and places to go to on the Island. At the exit area of the airport is a booth for taxi hire with a very good system where there are no metres and the taxi fare is fixed depending on where you are going. My taxi ride to Kuah costed RM25 and the trip to town was quick (taking about 15 minutes) and scenic.

After checking into The Bella Vista Hotel (which looks like something Mickey Mouse would have designed if he decided to become an architect), i decided to explore the grounds and was enthralled by the gorgeous beach view and the huge recreational arena the hotel has. What this hotel lacked in aesthetics, it made up for in a beautiful location.

My room was of a decent size and had a view of the garden below, and the TV had surprisingly impresive channels including HBO, ESPN, AXN, The Australian Network, NHK and lots more! (not saying you should stay in and watch TV the whole trip, but in the event you do.. this hotel has got you covered!)

After getting some well deserved rest, I took to the streets of Kuah for a photo session and to just do some soft exploring, as tomorrow I'll be checking Kuah out full on. I stumbled upon some interesting finds around the streets, such as Air Kelapa Abg Man, which was a van full of coconuts and a single man cutting them and pouring the juice into an ice and jelly filled container.. yeah it doesn't sound THAT interesting but what made it so was the long, long queue behind his van, waiting just to get a taste of his coconut concoction. Don't know whether it is his secret recipe or just plain ol' Global Warming thats boosting Abang Man's business, but whatever it is, it sure is working for him. Further up the road is the Parade Shopping Mall which houses the only cineplex in Langkawi Island but other than that is just like any other mall, except for a really rad shop on the top floor which really caught my eye called the Exodus Shop which was basically a Bob Marley memorabilia shop that had clothes, books and Bob Marley paraphenilia.

The shoplots which were sleepy and closed in the day time were now wide awake and brightly lit with row upon row of street food and drinks. With so much to choose from and my energy levels running low, I decided use the old theory 'eat at the restaurant with the most people' or in my case the longest line. Reminiscent of the coconut man's line of fan's, 'Burger Pokok Asam' had a line almost just as long but was more pleasing to the eye, with its brightly lit burger camp and pleasing to the nose with the smell of fried onion, egg and burger patty. So with my mind made up and my stomach steering me towards the stall, I proceeded to wait in line with everyone else. But through a stroke of good fortune (or my keen curiosity with the stall, taking loads of photos and 'oooh'ing and every order someone makes), the owner of the shop (who did not want his name or photo taken!) pushed me up to the from of the line and asked me what I wanted, in a very forced, semi-patronizing english accent! While waiting for my Burger Udang Special and attempting not to make eye with the 30 odd people giving me dirty looks for cutting their line, the owner of the shop explained to me how before he opened the burger stall he used to be an accountant working in Kuala Lumpur for a firm, when one day he decided he to quit his job, sell his house and move to Langkawi with his wife and child to start a new life. Mmm a delicious burger and coffee table conversation! The things we can get away with by looking like an utter tourist!

Well, now i've settled into bed, and am feeling a little restless and physically drained. I think I'm going to read a little and then hit the sack. Paolo Coelho's Veronica Decides To Die should do the trick for me. Goodnight and will keep you posted.

Harith The Beach Bum.

Sponsered by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd.