Nice Experience @ Langkawi

javern · Sep 6th, 09, 05:12 PM

Day 1: 12 August 2009

We arrived @ the Budget Terminal for our 1225 flight to Langkawi via the Tiger Airways...
Tickets cost $80 per person for a round trip inclusive of tax and an allowance of a 15kg baggage

and this is why i love window seats (:

As we arrived at the Langkawi Airport, there were many counters promoting their car rental services as well as activity packages.

After much bargaining, we finally got our rental car, a Proton Gen2, for RM80 per day as well as our island hopping and snorkeling packages, which cost RM35 and RM100 respectively.

We booked our hotel through the Wotif website for a 5D4N stay at the Hotel Helang, which is a stone throw away from the airport.
For the price of RM89 per night, it was quite a steal; plus the acceptable interiors...

Our first meal was @ 'The Loaf', located at the Telaga Habour Park.
It took us "forever" to navigate our way there, with the free (NOT DRAWN TO SCALE) map we got from the airport.

The breads were baked with simple ingredients, yet it tasted so nice.
However they were rather pricey; costing up to RM4 to RM7 per piece...

The serenity of the outdoor area was just perfect for us to chill and wind down, before heading out for more adventure...

Our road trip was great, especially when you are with the one you love (:

Next, we went to check out one of the many beaches in Langkawi - Tanjung Rhu Beach

You’d love this beach for its serenity; and it’s the perfect place to be, with friends or loved ones (imagine yourself lying on a beach mat and watch the world go by)

After dusk, we headed to the Night Market at Kuah Town!
The food is unbelievably cheap; and good. So good that we decided to have street snacks as dinner; and so we had our ‘romantic’ dinner in the car.

javern · 10:26 PM

Day 2: 13 August 2009

Brunch was at Artisans Café.

Our US fries and customized-order pizza consisting of Turkey Ham, Chicken Medley, Mushrooms and Pineapple (:

Afterwards we decided to visit the Bird Paradise Wildlife Park. Initially, we were rather hesitant as we were not into birds but we were glad we gave it a go.

Here's the gorgeous parrot named Tina, sitting outside the entrance

After purchasing animal food (that cost RM 4), which consists of carrot; cabbage; peanuts; sunflower seeds; bird seeds; and fish food, we started touring the compound.

We remembered having to pay for a photo with animals back in Singapore; but over here, its free!

We were super excited to see MONKEYS, as both of us love playing with the cheeky ones. we fed them peanuts, cabbages (actually they eat almost anything! Even bird seeds)

i love this shot the most (:

+ YouTube Video

Feeding the monkey

All the other animals we fed...

+ YouTube Video

The way this tortoise ate its carrot was super cute...

The rabbits were so adorable; they'll come running towards you once they see food.
By they, I mean the whole gang!!! Haha...

P.S. What we love the most about the Wildlife Park, was getting to play with the monkeys (:

Later, we made our way towards the Cable Car...

It is a common sight to see cows gazing among the fields beside the road...

After much driving and navigation, we reached the Oriental Village, and headed for the Langkawi Cable Car

On our way up...

The trees looked like broccoli from top-view...

We spotted the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls a.k.a the Seven Wells

When we finally reached the top, a sudden big cloud covered the whole view (it was rather amazing)

The scenic suspension bridge...

We had to walk up and down concrete steps and path in order to reach the suspension bridge. I wouldn't say its fantastic (but more of an experience)...

Next, we headed towards Kuah Town where we had the most amazing dinner...

At Wonderland Food Store !!!

Looks 'normal' but it tasted EXTREMELY yummy!!!

Fried squid served with thai chilli sauce was oh-so-good (:

The mantis prawn (crayfish)

The Tom-Yum soup was worth a try (something different; it was sour-sweet)

As Langkawi is a duty-free island, their beer/alcoholic drinks are much cheaper than your usual soft drinks or fruit juices.
The Heineken cost RM3.50 and the coconut, a whooping RM5

Guess how much we paid for 6 dishes...
Freaking RM50+ (where to get such cheap finds in Singapore... hehehe...)

javern · 09:17 PM

Day 3: 14 August 2009

We had breakfast @ the Breakfast Bar, located at Pantai Cenang.
Like the 'Wonderland Food Store', this was another place we visited twice throughout our entire trip.

Don't you (and I) just love their multilingual signage!!!

She had 'Langkawi Breakfast', which consisted of 2 slices of toasted bread, cheese, turkey ham, 2 scrambled eggs and strawberry jam.

He had 'Wanton Noodles', which was saucy and yummy, a totally different taste as compared to Singapore's

Next up... Island Hopping!

On our way to the Pregnant Maiden Lake...

Touching the Maiden's breast... hehe

The boat then brought us to 'Tasik Dayang Bunting'...

First, we decided to dip our feet into the lake...

We then saw people feeding catfishes with bread. So we decided to dip our feet where the catfishes were.
It was ticklish when the catfish's slimy coat and whiskers brushed across our feet...

There were many cheeky monkeys hanging around the lake...
They never fail to get attention (and food) from tourists.

and of course from us...

We then went on for the eagle feeding...
It was rather disappointing as we thought the boat man would have brought food to feed the eagles; instead our 'eagle feeding' was just looking at the eagles fishing out food (small fishes I presume) for themselves from the water

Our last stop was at this beautiful beach...

The water was crystal clear...
Even though we hadn't prepared extra clothing, we couldn't resist having a dip in the water...

We then sat on the finest-sand beach to dry off under the warm sun; while watching people parasail...

After our island hopping trip, we headed for lunch...

At Fat Mum's Seafood Restaurant.

The 'Noodles on Fire' was a chef recommendation, and supposedly nice dish. However the noodles weren't really on fire when it came and it did not taste as good as expected...

In the evening, we visited the most happening (Cenang) Beach...
For some water sports (:

First we jet-skied; RM110 for 30mins

Then we went on to try parasailing (: which cost RM55 per person
It was lots of fun!!!

Cenang Beach by night was lovely...

After that we visited the Night Market @ Tanjung Rhu, and had street snacks for dinner again (:

javern · 10:31 PM

Day 4: 15 August 2009

Today's the day we've been waiting for since the first day of our trip!
Well... because its snorkeling day!!! (anyways it cost RM100 per person, including lunch and snorkeling gear)

We departed from the Jetty Point @ Kuah Town for a 1hr boat ride to Pulau Payar (Coral) Island

We then took a boat over to the beach...

Where the marine life awaits us...

A sea cucumber...

It was exceptionally beautiful to hold one another's hand while exploring the waters together...
Well we saw many kind of fishes, sea urchins!, corals and more...

In shallow waters, small fishes swam around us as we fed them bread...

+ YouTube Video

We then brought our bread out to deeper waters, and we had rather big fishes surrounding us, all hungry for food!!! It was truly an amazing experience!

+ YouTube Video

For the grand finale, there was a shark feeding session by the beach, where baby sharks swam pass us while the staff enticed and fed them with fishes...

It was definitely our unforgettable first snorkeling experience...

In the evening, we headed back to the Tanjung Rhu Beach to catch the sunset...

It was a cool evening as we sat on our beach mat and chatted, while enjoying each moment we had together

We then shared our most beautiful and romantic sunset together...

After dinner, we headed back to our hotel to pack our bags for our flight back to Singapore the following day...

javern · 10:35 PM

Day 5: 16 August 2009

After breakfast, we did some last minute shopping before heading towards 'The Loaf'; we couldn't resist the bread and thought of bringing some home for our family to share (:

It was raining that afternoon;
Everything else that happened on our way back to the hotel (after which we had planned to head to the airport for our flight) was a mishap...

"Our car skidded and collided with the road barrier. Thank God both of us were fine, although we hadn't had our seat belts on then. It was a jittery moment for us as we were 'stranded' by the road side; car stuck and motionless. Many thoughts went through our minds: How much will the car repair cost? Will we miss our flight? (well, it was 1230 then and our flight was scheduled at 1425).
Anyways when we finally got to the airport, the check-in counters were already closed. Which could only mean that we had missed our flight... (Even though it meant staying another night on this beautiful island, the accident was completely uncalled for)"

It was truly a frightening experience and I don't deny having flashes of the accident every now and then...

Well with little money to survive on, we booked a night at a budget hotel - Nadias Inn Comfort.
We then thought it would be best for us to chill at a beach; to just forget about everything (and perhaps make full use of the extra night we had in Langkawi)

As we strolled along the beach, we noticed a series of 'markings'. They were actually homes of little (hermit?) crabs.

After dinner, we decided to turn in early...

javern · 03:36 PM

Day 6: 17 August 2009

Early morning, we decided to dine by the beach (and have 'The Loaf' bread for breakfast)...
Afterwards we took a cab to the airport to get tickets for our flight back to Singapore...
... and we thanked God that we returned to Singapore safely (:

What was intended to be a short and affordable getaway trip turned out to be a truly unforgettable one; and certainly way over our spending budget. However despite our mishap, we hope to return to Langkawi soon; for more fun and adventure...

Total expenses: $150 (hotel)
$150 (plane ticket)
$600 (Changed to rm for expenses)

Means 1 person about $450.

"We truly need a well deserved break. So please bring us back to the wonderful Langkawi"