Langkawi - April 2015

It's been a while since I last updated. Laziness happened. And also an all-girls trip to Langkawi (again!). And I still have not written about my 1st trip there.

So anyway, for my 1st trip to Langkawi (this year) in April, I went with my Mum & aunt, Makton. 3D2N and we stayed at 2 different hotels. I wanted to spend 2 nights in Berjaya Resort, but it was kinda out of my budget range. We get a rental car, RM130 for a Perodua Viva. It's the smallest car just to fit the 3 of us & 2 luggages. And the price was slightly low because it was not a peak season.

We arrived early, about 10am. So we went to the jetty first. I wanted to take picture of the eagle. "Helang", in Malay. As in "Lang", part of the name of the island. Lots of tourists, and they had some kind of filming about to go on. Then we headed Haji Ismain Group in Kuah town for some shopping.

Dataran Lang

The women of Malaysia loves to shop here, I tell ya. They sell imported chocolates, cultery, pots & pans, trolley bags, etc. And it's cheaper because Langkawi is a duty-free area. They do have cigars, cigarettes, wines on the island, easily found if you go to the duty-free shopping malls by the jetty or The Zon in Pantai Chenang.

Our first hotel was Alia Residence. I booked through Expedia for RM128 per night for 3 person. They were kind enough to give us an upgrade from an extra mattress to an extra bed.

Our room. 1 double bed & 1 single bed.

The hotel was clean, reception was of course very nice & helpful. Their pool is always open but I didn't jump in. Location of the hotel is just OK for me. It didn't have a nice view (ours was overlooking other houses & trees next to the hotel) and there doesn't seem to have any nearby shops. It's on the quieter side, I guess. But, as I was only there to relax with my family, I'd say it's a nice place to stay. Breakfast was not a buffet, they'll have you choose from a menu, but this is OK by me too. They do have bread, juices & fruits on the small buffet area.

Pool

Clean surroundings

View from the back of the hotel

View from our room

That evening we just went around the island. Went for more shopping @ Kuah, then headed to Beras Terbakar, then drove up to Tanjung Rhu for an evening view. But it was raining, so I guess no sunset for the day.

We checked out at 12pm the next day and headed towards the airport. There's this area behind the airport where mostly Malaysians like to hang out. There's a few food vendors open up their trucks for some "pasembor", "laksa" and other local food. It's an island, so naturally, you know you'll be sitting under trees & by the beach. The view you'll get here is Gunung Mat Cincang - where Berjaya Hotel & Langkawi Cable Car are. And from time to time, you'll get to see airplanes land. I really like to hang out here.

Us having laksa & pasembor

View from the beach

View from the beach

When time came for us to check in, we headed to our next hotel, Berjaya. The Danna was on the way, so we saw yachts. I came to Berjaya a few years ago on my own, and I love it there. So now I had my Mum & aunt with me, I wanted to show them how beautiful this hotel & it's surrounding are. There was a large crowd at the lobby as it was a peak time for checking in & out. And you can only take the hotel buggies to go to & from your room to other parts of the hotel.

In front of our room

Our room.

Please excuse the mess

Our room was in the forest. Smaller than the room I stayed in when I was alone, but excellent nonetheless. After checking in & settling down, we head over to Langkawi Cable Car. The hotel provides free shuttle so it was the easiest! Makton is afraid of heights, so did not look anywhere. Shut her eyes & told me that that will be her first & last time going on it. Oh, poor Makton! Hehe. Mak was enjoying the view, taking pictures. She's cool about it, although she too, said the same thing.

View as we go up the mountain

View from the cable car

View from top of the mountain

It was a hot evening, so we had a clear view of Langkawi & the sea. They were having a renovation going on, so tourists were occupied to only 1 side of the lookout point. I wanted to go onto the Sky Bridge, as I did a few years ago. Registered, paid RM5 & walked my way down. It's a 450m hike and I managed to go until about 200m when I fell like dying. If I were to continue, I literally would die out there, in the forest, where there's a signboard that says they'll be hogs & snakes. Nobody in their right mind would want that! And so I climbed back up, with my lungs about to burst and covered in sweat from head to toe. Thank goodness I've been there once, in my 20s when I still have the energy.

The hike to get to the Sky Bridge

I was the happiest to reunite with the bed back at the hotel afterwards. I called up Pahn-Thai Restaurant to make reservation for us during sunset. The restaurant is above the water and have an excellent view of the sun going down behind the mountain.

The walk to Pahn-Thai Restaurant

Unfortunately, it rained heavily. I didn't want to cancel, so after the rain we went out to enjoy what's left of the view. But it was still a nice, cool evening. Food was not great. It's not that it's bad-tasting, but the portion's too little but it's way too pricey. The three of us had sweet & sour fish, green curry chicken & somtam. Plus our drinks, everything totalled up to RM230.

View from Pahn-Thai restaurant

Nighttime at the lobby

Going on a trip with the elders means the only night activity is sleep. So we had some rest & woke up early the next day to enjoy our buffet breakfast. They had a promotion, so the extra person only costs us about RM40+. It was a good deal since they have a lot to offer at breakfast. And we had a little bit of everything. After that we just went chilling by the hotel beach & checked out at 12pm.

Me, while waiting for the buggy

The pool

Private beach @ Berjaya Hotel

View from the beach

Entrace to Berjaya Hotel

My friend's mom is a Berjaya shareholder, so we had a voucher that gave a special price. Our room cost us around RM330++ per night. It's another good deal, I'd say. So our total spending in Berjaya is just a few Ringgit more of RM600.

Pantai Kok

Pantai Kok

Our flight was at 3pm, so we chilled out at a small beach beside The Danna, went out to get food from the food trucks again & then to airport where we handed back the car keys. Of course, I had to purchase extra baggage allowance because we had almost emptied out the store at Haji Ismail.

Tanjung Rhu, after the rain

All in, I really enjoyed this trip. We had loads of fun driving around the island. It's a nice place to enjoy with family & friends. But if you're looking for a party scene, this is not the place for you. Langkawi gives a very laid-back & chilled-out environment - good for relaxation.

The greens of Langkawi

View from Berjaya Resort Langkawi. Which will be in the next post, about my birthday trip to Langkawi.

I love Langkawi. It's so chilled-out, it's green & the sands on the beaches are smooth & white. It's just awesome to take a break once in a while to this island up in Kedah.

Sightseeing @ Cape Rachado

After Portugal conquered Malacca in 1511, the Portuguese wanted to build a lighthouse to guide its ships. Tanjung Tuan was chosen and the cape was named Cape Rachado by them. Subsequently, a lighthouse was built between 1528 and 1529. As Malacca switched hands to the Dutch and later to the British in 1641 and 1824 respectively, so too did the possession of the structure.
(Source : Wikipedia)

There's a forest reserve that surrounds the area. It was a refreshing walk for us. Calm & quiet. Not too quiet tho, you can hear the birds chirping.

It was quite a walk through the forest & up the hill. The view from up above was nice. I wouldn't say magnificent, tho. But you'll be staring out at the open sea, and down below you'll see the white waves hitting the shores.

After all the sweats, the best way to end your day is to have some "air batu campur" or ABC, with a bowl of "rojak" & "pisang goreng" by the roadside, with a bunch of crazy cousins. The Malaysian street food, the Malaysian culture.

Pantai Leka, Muar.

Caught up in laziness, I haven't written about my recent visit to Parit Jawa with cousin Nur, Fatin & Syami. Let me call it Exploring Muar - a mission I had when I first came to know about Pantai Leka from a friend of mine on Instagram. It's basically a fishing village where the air is filled with the smell of dried fish. Yikes!

Very relaxing environment with ah pek sitting down by the banks having conversation and families having drinks at the small shop nearby. Youngsters with huge cameras-hanging-down-their-necks positioning themselves in weird ways, trying to capture the "moment". Local youngsters of boys and girls flirting on their motorcycles (yea, you better snatch one while somebody wants you!) giggling over some so-called-funny-jokes.  A lot of boats & herons, I guess. Sunset is beautiful, as always.

All in all, I'd say it's an OK place to go for a nice evening out with the family. For now I'm still loving Bandar Maharani's own Tanjung Ketapang.

Pantai Leka playground view from it's Menara Tinjau

On my next Exploring Muar activities, will head over to Sri Menanti - Pantai Mesra. Can't wait! But in the meantime, you might wanna browse some photos on Pantai Leka before you plan your trip down to Muar for a weekend-getaway.

Bukit Tinggi, West Sumatra

A post from March 2013.

I did a crazy thing this year. I got off from Jakarta & booked my next flight to Bukittinggi, Indonesia only 3 weeks apart. Well, to some (read: rich people), this is pretty normal, but for regular folk like me, this is kinda crazy. With the money, work & annual leave situation. 

I didn't regret it. I enjoyed it thoroughly. It was a relaxing trip. Just sit around & hang out with my 2 buddies. No pressure. A stress-reliever. 

Kawa daun, served in coconut shell

Of course, my favourite Indonesian travel agent (whom I have mentioned in my earlier post), Ade, brought us to this shop that sells coffee that is made from coffee leaves. And it tastes like tea - Kawa Daun, the name. To coffee lovers, this would be the most insulting kind of coffee that has ever existed but knowing the story behind it, you just have to forgive them & let it be.

It was during the olden days when Indonesia was still under the power of the Dutch. Their coffee beans were all being exported by the higher power & leaving them only with the leaves. And so, that's what the people use to make coffee.

Anyway, we had ours with tidbits - goreng pisang, cucur udang, tahu goreng with cili padi & another kuih which-I-don't-know-the-name-of. I kinda miss it tho. Eating & talking & laughing. Super fun time.

Later that night, Ade took us to his friend's wedding. So we had the chance to go to a Minangkabau wedding, in the land of Minangkabau! Yeay! Just do a Google on Minangkabau wedding ceremony & you'll see a whole lot of colorful pictures. 

It was the fanciest pelamin I've ever seen. However, the reception itself was kinda dull. It was the 3rd & last day anyway. They had no music, people weren't talking loudly, and the food was not to my liking. Good social experience tho. And of course, my first time going to a wedding in t-shirt, jeans & red Converse. 

I am definitely going back to Bukittinggi. I wanna try their mie ayam, murtabak, belut goreng, sate Padang & all the other food that I've missed out. 

Apart from the food, I guess what I like most about Bukittinggi is the view. Very scenic, very green, fresh air & so relaxing. I love it there. And the weather is cool too. 

Pantai Morib, Selangor

This was a post of mine somewhere in 2012, taken from my old blog.

Yesterday was one fine Saturday, and I really wasn't gonna spend it sulking at home. So I googled Pantai Remis & Pantai Morib. Both are beaches that's nearby the city, about 1 1/2 hours away. Google search for images showed me that the crowd of people are less in Remis compared to Morib. Also, Morib has a nice, decent recreational park and so I made my choice to go there.

Wearing my new and oh-so-soft tshirt from Addini, I head out for my adventure (yea, rite!). But of course, 1st stop - lunch. At Wong Solo, Ampang. Ayam penyet is the best! After all those crispy chicken are safely inside my tummy, I continue on.

Ayam penyet

As I was closing in to Cheras, I decided to drop by Spermajalang's crib. To give him coffee from Bali & to say hi. Yeah, kinda missed him. Anyway it was kinda early to head out, I don't wanna have to sit in Morib alone while waiting for the sun to set - I needed a place to crash. After about an hour of watching TV & getting to know his soon-to-be-lawyer housemate who is also good looking & rich, I continue my journey.

I had my Google Maps on, but unfortunately I was brought to an unfamiliar area - somewhere in Putra Perdana, Puchong. On a nice evening & very much no traffic at all, I am glad I got lost. Driving around, seeing new things. 

Almost decided to cancel my trip since it was already close to 6pm when I reach Putrajaya, but my feet just continued on stepping on the gas pedal. So there I was, driving through Dengkil, on towards Banting and finally reached Morib at 7pm.

The sun was absolutely amazing! I was so happy I got there in time before it disappears. There was a lot of people, but parking was easy anyway. I had about 20 minutes there - paid a visit to the loo & then walked slowly to a spot where I had a full view of the sun and the sea.

Masya Allah, it was so breathtakingly beautiful.

That's about it. I went home after Maghrib. The journey home was scary, coz it was very dark and not a lot of cars passing by. I didn't know the way, just went with the signboards - my phone battery was completely gone. After about an hour of driving in the middle of nowhere, I found myself at KLIA. Thank goodness!

So I drove home on my usual route. On the way, my stomach was growling, so I decided to visit Ely at work in Subang SS 15. A whole lot of food there, plus I needed some updates on our girl issues. 

All in all, I had a great day. Very tiring, tho.

Superb Surabaya

In 2009, with the flu still attached, I made it up Mount Bromo! Using the stairs lah. Hehe.. And, I went crazy.. shopping!! First off, Surabaya. Was very hot when we arrived. Mr. Ade (an accelent Indonesian travel agent of whom you can contact thru his Facebook page - just mention my name) welcomed us at the airport, with our tour guide, Wawan. Had Nasi Padang for lunch @ Silanggang Jaya Restaurant. After lunch, we headed straight to Cemoro Lawang. Halfway through the highway, we stopped by the roadside to see a village which was swallowed by lava.

 

On the way up to Cemoro Lawang, it gets cold. The view was breathtaking. The mist in the woods reminds me of Edward Cullen. I thought at any moment he would jump out of the mist. Along the roadside, there's fresh flowers and vegetables - mostly cabbage & potatoes, the main source of income for the villagers there. We stayed at a hostel called Cafe Lava. Very comfy bed, pillows and blanket! And yes, superb dishes too. We had Nasi Goreng Jawa, Soto Ayam, Nasi Campur dan Potato Cheese. I had a cabin all to myself, coz one of my friend can't make it for the trip. 

  

The sunrise there is very early, compared to Malaysia. 6am there is like 8am in KL. So I woke up at 3am and took a bath in the chilling water, since the heater was broken. Hey, I don't mind - it was refreshing! And when I went out to wait for the driver, I saw a whole lot of stars. I could lie and stare at the stars for hours and hours! Anyway, 4am we took a jeep up to Mt. Penanjakan. It was very cold! Bought gloves for Rp15.000 and rent a jacket for Rp10.000. A lot of tourists there, most of them with high-end cameras. Around 5am++, I can see a yellow line of sunlight. It's a magnificent view! I am absolutely awed by it.

 

Then we went down and continued our journey to the sand-sea, to take up the 250 flight of stairs for Mt. Bromo's crater. The moment our jeep came into the parking area, we we're being chased by horses! Coz u have to walk from the jeep parking area to the stairs. It's about 2 - 3 km and we decided to take a horse instead. First time for all of us! My horse's name is Pablo. The climbing of the stairs was so tiring for somebody as unfit as me! We had at least 5 pit stops before reaching the top. Upon reaching the peak, I have to say it was worth every single drop of my sweat. The view was spectacular! Me & Ely sat at the cliff to enjoy the view, while Linda sat nearby the stairs which covered her from the blinding sunlight - although it was only 7am. I didn't wanna go down, but I figured if I stay too long up there, I might get burnt!

   

By 8.30am, we have reached our hostel for breakfast. I bought a souvenir t-shirt for myself and postcards for my cousin. We checked out early because we wanted to check-out Madakaripura Waterfall. Signboard says 5km. Do not believe the sign. I felt like it was more like, 105km. But we didn't go in because there was some climbing of the slippery rocks involved, plus, there was a naked man taking a bath welcoming us. Scary! You may read the information for this waterfall from this Indonesian travel website.

We headed back to Surabaya, check in hotel. Quds Royal Hotel. The tallest building in the area. Interior is like a castle, but only 3stars. And the food? Superb! And cheap, of course. That evening we went to ITC - International Trade Centre. Where we had dinner @ the foodcourt and do a little bit of shopping. We had Nasi Timbel, and not forgetting Es Teler. I requested to go around the city centre, but it was too far away and we got lost!

That night, me & Ely ordered room service for more food! We ordered Fish & Chip, Pisang Keju & a very nice-looking, and excellent tasting Orange juice. So far the best drink I've had there.

The next morning, we had breakfast at the. I tried every single food and drink available. Nasi Goreng, Ayam, Soup, Sayur Campur, Roti Bakar with Strawberry Jam & Chocolate Rice, Pancake, Omelette.. I ate 'em all! After check-out, we went straight to Plaza Jambatan Merah. We read in a forum that this is the best shopping center. And yes, all too cheap to even imagine! We were expecting to buy "kebaya" for RM50, which we thought was the cheapest. And when we got there, we found a set of "kebaya" selling for Rp35.000. Equals to RM12! We went into most of the shops there, showing my skills on bargaining and finally came out satisfied. Still, with some extra money in the pocket. 

 

We treated our driver & guide for their help. Had Nasi Kebuli, which was good, and then went straight back to the airport. 

 

Surabaya was an excellent experience for me, especially Mount Bromo. I've been thinking of going back there - hopefully soon! But this time I'm not gonna ride a horse. I think I'll just walk. Am afraid with all my extra weight, the horse might not make it uphill.