Travel Around Langkawi Island (16 - 18 Nov 2006)

It has been a very long time that both of us not going to Langkawi Island. We were so excited. We spent so much for this trip to get our camera gadgets like tripod, 1GB Memory Card and battery. We really were bleeding a lot! Our flight was at 10.30am. We took cab from our house at about 6am to KL Sentral. From there we took bus to LCC Terminal. We reached LCCT about 7.30am and we needed to wait for an hour for the check-in time, so we went to take breakfast at the restaurant opposite McDonalds. After finished the breakfast, was about the time to check-in. Boon took the camera to shoot few photos before we proceed to the check-in counter. After checking-in, I suggested we could go to the departure waiting hall since nothing to do. Ooo, it was boring there! So Boon was playing with the camera. The airport, airplanes, people and ME became his shooting targets. =_=" Finally, it was time to queue. Wow! Quite a number of people going to Langkawi. This was my first time to take Airasia airplane. The interior was clean but the seats were a bit narrow. Anyway, Airasia is budget airline, can't request much. :-P The flight took about 50mins to reach Langkawi Airport. The first thing we did after entering the arrival hall was to grab all the information brochures provided free at the airport then we proceed to the car rental counter. There has few booths for renting car and also activities packages services for visitors to choose. We rent a Proton Wira for 2 days with RM140.
This was the Airasia airplane that we took.	Finally we reached Langkawi Airport.
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After we got the car from the car rental people, we went to the nearest petrol station to refuel the car. We refuel RM60 petrol. Due to we could only check into the hotel at 2pm and it was about 12pm, so we started our journey to Durian Perangin Waterfall which is located at the east Langkawi. Boon drove; I read the map and guided the way. Langkawi's roads are quite nice to drive, less traffic and not complicated. We reached the car park of the Durian Perangin Waterfall about 12.40pm. It was a hot day and only a few cars parked there. There were two Malay restaurants at the entrance. We took a short distance walkway which will pass by a few pavilions for resting purpose to reach the lower tier pool. We saw few kids were enjoying swinging on the cables and swimming in the water. Unfortunately, the water wasn't clear and wasn't able to attract me to jump into it. :-P We just stayed there for an hour and left for the next destination. Our next destination was Tanjung Rhu Beach which was about 15 mins drive distance from Durian Perangin Waterfall. We saw a lot of cars parked nearby the beach. There were two rows of wooden shops doing restaurants or selling clothes. There were people selling activities packages as well. The beach was so beautiful and so clean. The sand was soft and purely white. The biggest attraction to me was the limestone formations of the nearby islands. They looked so cute. We took a lot of photos on the beach until the sky was drizzling. Then we went to 1 of the restaurant there to have our lunch. We enjoyed our lunch there until the sky stop raining. We continued our photos taking session there until 4pm then left the beach. Our next destination was the Black Sand Beach (Pantai Pasir Hitam). Unfortunately, the beach was very disappointed me. It was very dirty and oily. It wasn't well maintained at all. Anyway, there is a small market selling clothes, souvenirs, shoes and snacks. We weren't staying longer there as there had nothing for us to see. So we left and went to Awana Porto Malai to check-in. Before we go to Awana hotel, we stopped by the Pantai Cenang to look for some activity packages for tomorrow. There was a Malay guy who recommended us to join the island hopping which is a 4 hours trip. We agreed to take that trip with RM38 per person. Awana Porto Malai is a 3 stars hotel. It is located at the seaside and it is jetty point for Star Cruises. We were given a King-sized bedroom, but it wasn't facing the sea view. Too bad! We took rest and bath then we went out for dinner at 8.30pm. After the dinner, we straight went back to hotel to save energy for the trip next day.
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We woke up very early about 7am. The sky was so bright and clear. We decided to take a short morning walk behind the hotel. The morning sunlight given us a fresh breathe and cheer us up. After a short enjoyment on the morning view, we went to have our free buffet breakfast at the Seagull Restaurant. The buffet breakfast had variety of choices and tasted good too. The environment of the restaurant was well decorated. We were satisfied with the breakfast. After finished our breakfast, we back to the room to prepare for island hopping. 9.15am the driver was there to fetch us to the departure point which was nearby the Awana Hotel. We departed at 9.30am. There were 15 people on the boat. The boat was passing by few small islands which we don’t know the names before reaching the Pregnant Maiden Island (Pulau Dayang Bunting). Our tour guide stopped the boat to allow us to take photos with the Pregnant Maiden Mount. Then only proceed to the Pregnant Maiden Lake (Tasik Dayang Bunting) to drop us there for an hour. This Pregnant Maiden Lake is the largest lake within Langkawi Island. The water was surprisingly clear. There were people dipping their legs into the lake to allow the fish nibble the feet, and there were people swimming. There were water sport activities like banana boat, paddle-boat and water boat available. We paid RM15 for a 45mins water boat riding. It was quite tiring riding but the scenery was so beautiful there. We back to the boat at the jetty to continue the next tour for eagles feeding at an unknown estuary. Our tour guide was throwing some dead fish into the water. Then the eagles were screeching down across the water to grab up the food. Wow! So amazing! After 15mins watching the eagles feeding show, we continued the tour to Wet Rice Island (Pulau Beras Basah). The tour guide dropped us there for an hour to enjoy swimming or sunbathing. It is a white sandy beach. The crystal clear water was attracting us to jump into the sea immediately. We were enjoyed ourselves there. But sadly, the good time passed so fast. It was time for us to back to the boat to get back to our hotel. Anyway, we were happy with this 3 hours island hopping tour. We went back to the hotel to take bath then we went to the Underwater World which is nearby to Awana Hotel. The entrance fee was RM28 per adult. We visited the Underwater World by following the walking trail provided. We firstly entered the Fresh Water Section where we could see different kind of fish and marine life from Southeast Asia, Africa, Australia and the Amazon. Then we entered the Tropical Rainforest Section where we could see the tropical fish in a big aquarium and other rainforest inhabitants such as anaconda, marmoset, flamingos and etc. Next we entered the Nature’s Gallery Section where we could read some displayed information about the natural’s life. Then we could see the Southern Fur Seals from the Seals Section. We could also see the African Penguins at the African Penguins Section and the Rock Hopper Penguins from the Rockhopper Penguins Section. There were Wildlife Gallery Section and Photo Gallery Section for visitors to read some information. We attended the 3.30pm 3D anime show at the 3D Theatre Section where everyone was given a 3D spectacle. But we felt that this show was more suitable for the kids than the adults. There were souvenirs shops and cafes in the Underwater World. After finished visiting the Underwater World, we went to have our lunch at the food court outside the Underwater World but the food there wasn’t tasted good. We left the place at about 4.30pm to go to the Eagle Square (Dataran Lang) at Kuah. For more information about the Underwater World, please visit its official website: http://www.underwaterworldlangkawi.com.my/ Entrance Fee: Malaysian Non-Malaysian Adult RM28 RM38 Child RM18 RM28 Eagle Square is situated near the Kuah jetty which is quite far from the Underwater World. We must go because it is the landmark to Langkawi. It has the huge eagle sculpture which is proudly facing the sea and welcoming visitors to Langkawi. The square is also featured with picturesque terraces, ponds, bridges, restaurants and barrel vaults, made of bricks. Boon was trying shooting the eagle with the tripod from different point of view of the eagle. We spent about an hour there because the scenery was beautiful. We then drove to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club which was nearby the Eagle Square. The sky was growing darker that time as it was going to rain soon. There were a lot of yachts there and the scenery was taken our breath away. The sky was drizzling, but Boon insisted to catch few photos on the yacht club before leaving there. We then went to a duty-free shopping mall to buy come chocolates to bring back to KL. After that we went to the KLG Restaurant to buy our dinner to eat in the hotel.
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Finally, it was the last day in Langkawi. Same as Day 2, we woke up at 7am to have the buffet breakfast at the Seagull Restaurant. The breakfast on Day 3 was slightly different with Day 2 but it was tasted good. After finished the breakfast, we then went back to the room to pack our luggage and check-out from the hotel. Our first destination on Day 3 was the Machincang Mount (Gunung Machincang). Before that we dropped by the Kok Beach (Pantai Kok) to have a look. Nothing was there but the view of few yachts on the sea. The cable car station to reach the Machincang Mount was located at Oriental Village. There were shops selling souvenirs and clothes, and also restaurants. There was a geopark in Oriental Village. The ticket for the cable car to reach the Machincang Mount was RM25 per pax. From the cable car, we could see the panoramic views of the surroundings forests and the Seven Wells Waterfall (Air Terjun Telaga Tujuh), as well as the Andaman Sea. The cable car took about 15mins to reach Machincang top station. The air was cool although it was under the hot sun. There was a 360 degrees view platform but the sky was a bit blur. We couldn’t see the sea and the islands clearly, but the scenery was fantastic. There was a 125m Curve Suspension bridge platform, pedestrian bridge across a deep chasm linking top station with Machincang moutain range. I felt a bit scary walking on the bridge because it was really high for me to look down and I could feel the bridge was shaking when there was a strong wind blowing. =_=” Anyway, it was a great idea to have this wonderful bridge in Langkawi. I think this is a good experience where anyone visiting Langkawi should not miss it. After an hour spending time taking photos and enjoying the panoramic view, we took the cable car to go back to the Oriental Village. We needed to go to the next destination which was the Seven Wells Waterfall. Seven Wells is a series of cascading waterfalls that fall into seven natural pools and is the most famous waterfall in Langkawi Island. When we reached the waterfall car parking area, we saw a lot of monkeys loitering around there. There were few wooden shops of restaurants and selling clothes. We passed by those wooden shops and came to a staircase. We saw another sign board showing waterfall on left side of a tar road. We decided to climb up the staircase first. Oh My God! I couldn’t see the top! It was a very long staircase. We climbed about 30mins to reach a pool area. It was so hot and the pool was so calm and clear. There was a displayed map regarding to the Seven Wells. We found that there was jungle trekking path to reach to the peak where there is a lake for swimming located. We were trying to take the path there but we couldn’t find the trail and we gave up. We were thinking that we need someone to guide us in order to reach the peak. So we took few photos at the pool area then we climbed down. We then went to the waterfall area by following the signboard. It was another long journey with steep stairs but we could hear the waterfall sound. It was so tiring, but when I saw the 90m waterfall I was so excited. It was so beautiful and the air was cool and fresh. We spent about an hour swimming and taking the photos. We really were enjoying at this waterfall. After swimming there, we felt hungry and we took lunch at one of the wooden restaurant. We were very careful of those monkeys while eating. The monkeys were so furious. After finished the lunch, it was about 2.30pm. So we went to our last destination which was the Sandy Skulls Beach (Pantai Pasir Tengkorak). There were a lot of people at the beach. We spent about half an hour taking photos there then left and taking the way to the airport. Our flight which was scheduled at 5.35pm but it was a bit late. Anyway, we were still able to back to KL. After having a 3D2N trip in Langkawi Island, we still couldn’t forget this beautiful island and we hope that we can visit it again.

Taiping Lake (12 May 2006)

We drove from KL to Taiping in the very early morning on 12th May to attend Boon's friend's wedding ceremony. After the ceremony, we still had few hours time before the wedding dinner. So we planned to drive around this small town - Taiping. It was a rainy afternoon. Taiping town was so quiet. We were thinking to go to the Taiping Lake as it is the most famous place in Taiping, but we didn't know the way to go there. We just followed the sign board blindly. :-P Finally, we found the way. The road entering the garden was so beautiful. A row of big trees was well aligned on the left hand side welcoming the visitors to this land. The trees, the flowers and the grass looked so pretty and greenish after being pouring water by the sky. I like this lake very much. It is so peaceful and clean. It is a good place for mind relaxation. There were people jogging, families having picnic and couples dating there.

Hooray! We got our 1st Digital Camera!

Today is the 2nd day of the PC Fair in KL Convention Centre. Boon and I planned to go there to get some computer accessories. The PC Fair was crowded with people. We visited all the halls to see what were there. Then we came to a Sony booth. We were looking at those digital cameras. Suddenly thinking to get one. :-P After listening to the descriptions about the cameras by the sales person, my heart was a bit shaking, thinking to buy since I have credit card, can use installment and the price is affordable.

Boon and I never have own digital camera. Everytime we need to use camera, we have to borrow from Boon's sister-in-law or friends. So we decided to buy the Cybershot T9 which is advertised on the TV. The price offered to us is RM1599 with a mini tripod, a camera case, a camera's strap, a battery, a 256MB Memory Stick Pro Duo and a Sony laptop bag.