Island Hopping!!

The weather is gorgeous today!

Fully recovered and utterly excited about the day ahead of me, I hurriedly gave the cute suit the wake up call I had promised her...

.. 10 minutes early! Hehe.

But it didn’t matter though. She was already awake and probably just as excited as I was about our island hopping adventure!

It is worth mentioning that the Island Hopping Tour is one of the more popular activities in Langkawi, and that almost every resort or motel will offer this package. Although this tour is available almost everywhere, the price of this tour package varies depending on the agent selling it – so do try to look around for the best prices. Prices will range between RM35 – RM55 (even though almost all the packages are exactly a like!)

The tour that we chose consists of touring 3 islands off the main island of Langkawi; Pulau Dayang Bunting, also known as the Isle Of The Pregnant Maiden, Pulau Singa (Lion Island) and Pulau Beras Basah (The Island Of Wet Rice).

A van picked us up from The Sunset Beach Resort around 9.35 a.m. to bring us to the jetty where we would begin our island hopping adventure. The jetty was about 10 minutes away from Pantai Cenang and was already filled with van loads of tourists by the time we got there! Designated stickers were handed out to different groups (depending on their package) and each group had to wait at certain areas of the jetty to keep order and to eliminate total chaos! Yeah, imagine being as excited as Shasha and I were… times 100 people! Yikes!

Once we were allocated to our respective speedboats, our tour guide/boatman whisked us to our first destination; Pulau Dayang Bunting. On the way there, he stopped at a certain area in the open sea, where the formations made by the mountains made it clear to me why this island is named the Island of the Pregnant Maiden. The mountain range depicted a shape of a pregnant lady, lying on her back. There is also a lake in the middle of the island where, according to local folklore, if barren woman swims in the lake and drinks the water, she would get pregnant! Well, hope that folklore only applies to girls cause I intend to swim in that lake!

Wow, now I understand why Langkawi is so mythical and legendary. As our boat slowly made its way to the shore of Pulau Dayang Bunting, a calm feeling swept through me and I felt excited and curious to explore the island.

Stepping up onto the island pier, we saw that it was very crowded (as it was a combination of a weekend AND school holidays) but that wasn’t going to stop us from visiting the famous Dayang Bunting Lake.

I must admit, even for a rugby player like myself, the hike to the lake was pretty challenging! With steep and unleveled steps, and constant up-down hill paths, it wasn’t a stroll in the park I tell ya! Especially when there are 20 other people behind you, eager to get there as well, it’s hard to stop to catch your breath! But thankfully, there are a few rest spots along the way.

After the long hike, we finally arrive at the lake! Stepping out of the beaten path and walking onto a pier where lots of people jumping into the lake, swimming, running around and obviously enjoying themselves, I felt as though I stumbled upon a lost civilization! Everyone was completely in the moment, having lots of fun. For those who were not looking to get pregnant.. whoops, on swimming I mean, paddleboats were available for rental.

Shasha and I discovered a very unique and new feature at the lake; a real cat fish spa! Yes.. I kid you not. 4 foot long, large cat fish sucking on the scum of your feet. If that doesn’t say ‘Ahhh this is the good life’ to you, I don’t know what will! Hehehe.

After dipping my feet into the ‘NO CATFISH ALLOWED’ part of the lake to cool off, and to enjoy the wonderful scenery, Shasha and I said our farewells to Dayang Bunting’s Lake and made our way back to the group’s meeting point to carry on to the second part of our tour.

My suggestion is that, if you’re keen on visiting Pulau Dayang Bunting avoid school holidays and weekends. That way, not only will you be able to take your own sweet time without having to worry about holding other tourists up, you’ll also appreciate the island more as it’d be way more intimate! But nevertheless, it was fun and definitely a place my buddies would love to go to!

A short boat ride away from Pulau Dayang Bunting is Pulau Singa. We were told that we would not be getting off our speedboat for this leg of the tour, instead, we were going to to feed eagles! Hmmm I smell a photog opportunity!

Pulau Singha which is a mangrove island, is inhabited by different species of eagles.

The last item on our agenda was a chill out session at Pulau Beras Basah!

We arrived at the island of Beras Basah around 12.25 p.m. The Sun was out, it was breezy and the tourists were out to play! There were kids making sand castles in the sand, college students playing volleyball in the water, couples walking down the beach hand in hand Shasha chasing the waves on the shore and me -- the utterly stereotypical tourist, with camera in one hand, and tour booklet in the other! Haha, I felt as thought we were on one of those cliché ‘Wish You Were Here!’ Postcards and it was great.
All and all, I think for RM40 per person, the Island Hopping Tour lived up to its expectations and money well spent.

Till the next post..

Harith The Island Hopping Beach Bum

Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd.

An evening with Datuk Azhar Mansor

(From Journal)
5.23 p.m. – Shasha and I arrive at Telaga Harbour.
-- Its beautiful! And the yachts here are all so luxurious.
-- Have to go around to take photos!

The Telaga Harbour Park is a beautiful Marina and Waterfront development next to Pantai Kok. The vision and concept was mooted by our former Premier Yg Amat Berhormat Tun Datuk Seri Dr Mahathir in the late 90's. Yg Amat Berhormat Tun had a wish to promote Langkawi as a major sailing and yachting destination for the region. The entire marina and it's Waterfront development was designed to capture the romantic ambience and mood of the French Riviera!



This place was stunning! The harbour and marina was built on a natural sheltered cove, making it a safe haven for yachts, cruisers, speed boats and catamarans to drop anchor in the waters of the marina. The Telaga Harbour Waterfront is a long sprawling development where there are rows and rows of quaint 2 storey mediterranean styled shophouses facing the marina and also facing the lush forest. There is a gas station cum convenient store where the sea faring sailor a.k.a owner or crew of a luxurious yacht or 200 feet cruiser can get their necessary supplies, top up on gas and even use the wi-fi internet service whilst having a cuppa. There is even a fast food joint on the 1st floor which also happens to be my favourite one - Kentucky Fried Chicken! At the corner of this huge development and by the road is a lovely little mosque often used for prayers by locals, middle eastern tourist and some owners of the yachts and cruisers moored at the Harbour. We hear even foreign tourists stop to visit this mosque.



Whilst taking photos of the marina harbour and especially the Waterfront- I was reminded of my holidays with my family in Singapore where we would visit the Boat Quey and Clark Quey to dine Al Fresco at their many many exciting restaurants . At Telaga Harbour's waterfront, though not as busy as it's Singapore counterpart, there are also really interesting restaurants. There is seafood steamboat from the corner lot Chinese seafood restaurant, A Russian restaurant (I love there Russian decor!) and even an Italian Bar & Restaurant. Also located at a quiet quaint part of the harbour is Tun Mahathir’s famous Japanese-franchise bakery, The Loaf..

For those who may not know, Datuk Azhar Mansor is the first Malaysian to sail around the world on a solo voyage. in 1999, it took Datuk Azhar 104 days to complete his voyage across the continents in the sailboat, The Jalur Gemilang. Datuk Azhar has managed to set a new world record which has been verified by the World Speed Sailing Record Council as an official world record. Datuk Azhar is one of the few people in the world to circumnavigate the globe singlehanded non-stop, and is the only person from an Asian nation apart from Japan to do so. Fewer than 150 people have managed his feat, and he has earned the maritime world's respect and put Malaysia on the marine map. He is known as a hero and inspiration to the youth of Malaysia.

Our appointment with Datuk was at 6.30 p.m. and it was now 5.40 p.m. So many things were going through my mind, like ‘what if Datuk didn't like us onsight because we seem young inexperienced and not as savvy as the many hundred reporters who have interviewed him before?? What if midquestion, I freeze and forget the question? or maybe after half an hour, our conversation goes stale and an odd silence descends upon us? Worse still ‘what if Datuk Azhar finds us utterly boring?! 'Now I really wish Ihad worn a shirt instead of my usual rugby polo tee shirt’ Sigh. . too late now !

We were early. And I was dead nervous.

As the Sun slowly faded away, we discussed what we would talk about with Datuk Azhar, making sure we covered all the bases. His life, his adventures sailing around the world and even making sure all our information on Rahsia Estates was correct. The size of the development, the amount of cabana villas, where it was located and all that jazz! The last thing we wanted to do was to look silly in front of Datuk.

It was now 6.28 p.m. With the Sun now steadily setting behind theMachinchang Mountains in the backdrop, we received a call from Datuk Azhar requesting us to meet him at the Italian Restaurant, The Mare Blu, which was located next to The Loaf. Once we had arrived at the restaurant, we anxiously looked around in search of Datuk.

To be honest, I became suddenly so nervous and feared I would not recognize Datuk Azhar in person! I had read many articles about him and have knowledge about his successes and even know that he is the Managing Director of Telaga Harbour, and although I have seen pictures of Datuk in the papers, I feared I would walk pass him and that he would be so offended by me that he would call off the interview. Yes, I was so nervous that my imagination was running riot ! I think Shasha's rare silence was a sign she was equally as nervous as I was.

As we walked onto the deck of the restaurant, overlooking the harbour, we saw a pleasant looking man sitting by himself. Dressed in a short sleeve button down shirt, jeans and flip flops, sitting in a most relaxed manner sipping his water, simply staring out onto the horizon and enjoying the sunset! As he sat there gazing out to the sea, unperturbed by noises around him, he looked as if he were in a theater watching and listening to classical music performed by an orchestra or an art enthusiast in a museum studying a Monet original. He was simply absorbing the ambience of his surrounding . Not fretting about time nor fidgeting with his phone (unlike us impatient city folk!) He was just sitting there.. being in that moment..

..Yeah, I had a feeling this was THE man! We walked up to meet this man and he gave us the warmest of smiles and our nervousness melted away.

After the formalities of introducting ourselves and some ice breaking small talk, our conversation turned on the The Telaga Harbour. Datuk Azhar explained to us that unlike The Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, Telaga Harbour is located within a basin, surrounded by mountains and villages nearby. This location gave Telaga Harbour an intimate feel and it's very own unique character.

Datuk goes on to say..

“In Langkawi, there are no such things as competitors. Everything compliments one another. All hotels, restaurants and even ports have different feels and different atmospheres. For example, when a couple dines at an Italian restaurant in the city, its lively and exciting, and the next time they may feel like having Italian food in a more relaxing atmosphere, then they’ll eat at the Italian restaurant by the harbour! All people have wants, and their wants are always changing, having selection and balance is a good thing.”

We then spoke of tourism in Langkawi. He stressed on how Langkawi is a‘quality’ holiday destination. Even though Bali is still a top class holiday destination, with year round booming tourism industry, there is still the distant memory of the tragedies which occurred in Kuta and Jambaran Beach. Hence, casting a slight paranoia for some, when deciding to holiday in Bali. Langkawi, on the other hand has the advantage of being untainted by any major natural disasters or tragedies.

And recently, Langkawi Island was officially declared the 1st Geo Park in South East Asia (52nd in the World) listed under UNESCO . Hence, Eco-tourism boomed in a big way in Langkawi! Gone are the days when a holiday in Langkawi meant picnics by the seaside, banana boat rides in the sea and duty free shopping shopping and more shopping . The local tour operators have now reinvented themselves and added many more exciting tour packages which include more educational and well informed tours of the many Islands around Langkawi, visits to the many natural Mangroove sites by land or sea, tracking in 50 million year old jungles, exploring lime stone and granite caves, tours by bus to Historical and Legendary sites and for the laidback tourist, Island picnics, where freshly caught fish and crabs caught from the Adaman sea, are cooked in front of the tourists and they can than enjoy al fresco dining on the beach and soak in the natural surroundings of the enchanting island.

“Langkawi really is a quality destination. We have so many hidden treasures and beautiful places and it shouldn’t be outshined by the material aspects of this island! The problem is that, especially with the locals, the idea of holidaying in Langkawi is always followed by ‘shopping’ or ‘duty free’. This shouldn’t be the case! Langkawi Island should be an ideal funand facinating place for all ages in the family.

What I mean by distractions are the outside factors that will affect a ‘family’ holiday! For example, when a family goes on holiday to Singapore or Bali, the kids will want to shop, and then the parents will want to sleep by the beach... or vice versa! Yes, we have beaches here and shopping, but we also have marine parks where there is so much sea life. We also have mangrove tours and jungle trekking! These are the kind of activities that will bring families closer together, making it one unified holiday. Not individual holidays bunched up to make one holiday!”

I could tell Datuk Azhar had a huge passion for this harbour and for the island. Apart from managing the Telaga Harbour, his side project, or 'baby' is his boat yard, where he puts boats together and then sells them. He also runs a cruise out to the Thai island of Koh Lipe directly from Telaga Harbour.

Yes, to him this was really home. Although his family is in Kuala Lumpur, he visits them often and they will also come down to Langkawi to unwind. But when speaking about life in Kuala Lumpur, he cringed and told us how he could not stand the traffic jams, and the fast paced lifestyle. He elaborated that to him, living in Kuala Lumpur makes it hard for people to really think and to really appreciate themselves.

Sensing that our conversation was heading to a more comfortable, and intellectual depth I asked Datuk to elaborate...

“In K.L., everything is happening at 100 miles per hour. You do not have time to breath, time to think and time to appreciate life... Cause you’ll be too busy being stuck in a traffic jam!

You see, over here, there is no such thing as ‘time management’. There is no rush, and it is not hectic. Time will pass as you move along with it. And only then will you have the time to breath, time to think and time to appreciate life.

I will sit here by myself, and just stare at the sky and wait for the Moon to go over the mountains. Even thought I really enjoy this, it’s not for everyone! When I tell people of how I like to sit by myself and just enjoy my surroundings, they will say to me ‘Gile la Azhar!’ haha but you see I believe that when you are truly confident in yourself, you can do whatever you like without second guessing yourself.”

He then spoke of individuality. Datuk Azhar is a strong believer of one's sense of individuality. He said that when one is truly an individual, he or she will have the power and confidence to control their future.

“There is that saying that there is no ‘I’ in team. But I don’t think that is necessarily true. I believe that a real team is a group of strong individuals put together with one common mission or goal.

It is about leading by example.

A friend of mine, who manages a team of 50 employees once came to me and told me that managing all these people was such hard work. And then I told him, ‘It is impossible to manage 50 people, but what you can do is reflect your capabilities on to them and lead by example.”

As Datuk Azhar, Shasha and I sat at that table at which by this time was full of little finger foods and drinks, in conversation which started off with business, then subtly moved on to his stories and now a full on discussion about life’s philosophies, I had realised that it was already 10.30 p.m.! The time must have completely passed us by without us noticing at all. I must admit, at the start of the day, my stomach was in knots and my head was scattered as Shasha and I continually psyched ourselves out by being utterly intimidated by this man. But by the end of the night, I can whole heartedly say that Shasha and I were pleasantly surprised and got a lot more than we bargained for from this meeting!

Wow. Shasha and I were in total captivation by this man. His theories and philosophies on life, the way he turned his theories into stories, making it more sensible than it already was. We could see that Datuk Azhar was definitely a man with many layers. Maybe it was journey around the world in seclusion, or maybe its just the magical island air, but whatever it is that makes Datuk Azhar the individual that he is..I sure want some of that!

Till the next post...

Harith The Inspired Beach Bum
Kindly Sponsored by Rahsia Estates Sdn. Bhd & A gracious thank you to Datuk Azhar Mansor for his time.

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.

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.

The List!

After a long and anxious night, I woke up this morning feeling pretty stoked about the trip down to the island. After a quick jog and a run through my e-mails, i whipped out the biggest luggage i could find and started chucking in all the necessary clothes and miscellaneous items to bring to Langkawi Island. After about 20 minutes of folding and placing of clothes into my massive luggage i started to really think about what I needed to bring. Toothpaste? check. Laptop charger? check. iPod? check. Shoes?! triple checked. After shoving in a pair of jogging shoes into my bag, (in hopes to get a little exercise done on the island) chuckling to myself about the time I was rushing to the airport to catch a flight to Singapore with my Grandparents when i was 7.. and realizing at the airport that i wasn't wearing any shoes, I decided the safest bet was to write down a list of my top 10 most important things to bring.

1.) SHOES
2.) Camera charger
3.) Camera (no point bringing a charger without the camera itself!)
4.) Sun Block from Dad
5.) External Memory Stick
6.) Phone Charger!
7.) Maxis Broadband Modem
8.) Yaasin' (for protection)
9.) My notebook
10.) ....?

Still not sure what my tenth most important item would be but i'm sure it'll come to me sooner or later.

After finishing off the majority of my packing I decided to give Nadia, one of my best friends, a ring to see if she wanted to catch a bite to eat (and hopefully coax her into letting me copy movies off her hard drive!). Turns out the whole crew wanted lunch so we headed out to Ayam Penyet Restaurant at The Curve. On the way there, in the between making fun of Miriam and eavesdropping on the endless streams of gossip coming out of the 5 girls sitting in the car with me, it dawned on me that this was the 1st time all 5 of my closest friends were in the same car together and the energy in that car was immense!

At lunch, the girls pondered into the details of my trip to Langkawi wondering how long i'll be there, what exactly i'll be doing there, whether i'll be alright and what I would do in my free time. And of course, reminding me how miserable I'd be without them there. And as much as I played along with there jests with sarcastic come backs, truth is a part of me really does wonder how I'd cope without the crew with me. As we all ate our food in almost pin drop silence (pin drop silence being RARE in our group of friends mind you!) a weird feeling swept through me in an instant. Hoping it was the spiciness of the sambal cili in my rice, I realised it was more a feeling of belonging and just plain happiness at the thought that for the first time in awhile I had a group of friends who truly truly appreciated me and did care about me. Before we headed off our seperate ways, Chiky handed me a doodle on the back of the lunch receipt displaying "We Love Harith!" in bold writing across the paper. Haha a little memento for me to hang on to till my return. So cute how we make it feel as though I'm leaving to be dropped off to the middle of the desert for an eternity!

Upon arrival home, I was greeted at the door by my 2 siblings and my busy mother, with her phone glued to her ear making sure everyone is doing what they should be doing and everything is well. Mom sat me down and made sure I had enough money, planned out my trip with me and was a little sad about not being able to see me off at the airport as she has an early meeting tomorrow. Dinner was pleasant and parents are excited about the trip too. Tomorrow's the big blast off so going to get ready so i don't end up forgetting to wear something else in the airport this time.

My Air Asia flight is at 12 pm tomorrow and i fly directly to the Langkawi Airport. From there i will have to find my way to Kuah Town where i will be staying at the Bella Vista Hotel right in the city. I hope to then get acquainted with the city and settle myself into my temporary home. Will keep you posted on my travels tomorrow.

Harith H. the soon to be beachbum.

PS/ Still don't know what the 10th item is yet.. wish i could put friends and family on the list though...