Langkawi

---

Day 1
Upon disembarking from Captain Sleepybear's craft, we made our way towards the man holding a plastic case containing everybody's passports. High-tech security here! With the case opened like a tray of samples, people were able to select a passport of their choice. Luckily for us, ours were the only blue ones. Herded into a taxibus, we were taken to immigration for the penultimate stamp in our passports. All that was left to do was check-in and find somewhere to eat.
Vilified on Trip Advisor, I wasn't confident that our hotel was going to pass muster. We had only booked for two nights, hoping to find something else cheaper the next day. The imposing grand entry was certainly welcoming, although Dean reminded me that someone had said not to judge this book by its cover. Shown to our room, we dropped our gear after a quick look and headed out to find a feed.
After a smashing late night dinner in a Nasi Kandar restaurant, we walked back to the hotel, keen to sleep sans mozzie repellent. Brand new beds with clean and soft linen welcomed us. A bathroom with hot and cold water. A shower separate to the toileting area. We were in heaven.

Day 2
Dean hit the hustings while Eleanor and I hit the pool. Billed as Malaysia's longest pool, it is truly magnificent. No need to venture anywhere near a beach; three water slides, a wave pool, a lazy river and heaps of room to swim. Plenty of shaded loungers surrounded each area, so I didn't have to apply the greasy 50+. Our white bodies do provide a nice contrast to the leathery looking sun worshippers, however. Oh, also the lack of a tattoo distinguishes us from the rest of the crowd too. We are in a very small minority of travellers in South East Asia who do not sport some form of body art. The full sleeve is very popular, so maybe we should be like the rest of the sheep here and take home some permanent souvenirs????

Arriving back around lunchtime, Dean was flushed with success. How sad, I thought, I could easily spend a week here. Anyhoo, we all went to check out the new lodgings, but along the way we dropped into another place and decided to book there instead. We then had to cancel the other place Dean had booked. As we were leaving there, Eleanor said in a voice loud enough to be heard: "What friends? Who are we meeting?" in response to Dean's excuse that we had to cancel because some friends were at another hotel. Bless her honest little heart!!!

Once the accommodation was sorted (or so we thought!), we ate lunch at our favourite Nasi Kandar place. Still delicious although the decision to sit next to the clay oven was, in hindsight, regrettable. After lunch, we walked back along what I believe is a rather over-rated beach at Pantai Cenang. I think I was feeling a little sad that our new place didn't have a pool and wasn't looking forward to spending a week on a hot beach with miniature crabs, cigarette butts and jet skis surrounding me. The rain clouds were looming so we hot footed it back to resort world to escape the drizzly conditions. Some mediocre television got us through the afternoon until dinner, where we ate an extremely disappointing and overpriced Mexican meal. I know, what WERE WE THINKING?????

Day 3

In the morning, we all put in some quality pool time. Eleanor made a friend after some parental intervention tactics, and instantly we regretted having to move to another accommodation. With the speed of a snail (using Malaysia's equivalent of Telstra), we ascertained that we could book a further three nights here at resort world. Unfortunately the battery on the tablet was running out so we had to check out first, go to an Internet 'cafe' (a lovely Indian lady's lounge room) and book online. This meant that Dean had to go and cancel the other accommodation, which was a task he didn't look forward to. But we wished him well and spent the next 20 minutes or so catching up on some news and dodging mosquitoes under the desk.

Hauling our luggage back to resort world, we checked in again and were upgraded to an unrenovated suite. We had three massive rooms, two bathrooms and three balconies all to ourselves! Happy times! Safely ensconsed in our rightful place by the pool, after a brilliant and cheap lunch of Nasi Ayam, we continued to clock up our fair share of chlorine time. A brief interlude at the small beach where the hotel had its own hut (fancy word for shade tent) confirmed our opinion that the pool and its landscaped environs were far superior to mini crabville and the colony of itchy things in the sea. We did meet a friendly family from Norway who had shared the infamous speedboat trip with us to Langkawi and while Dean reminisced, Eleanor and I virtually ran back to our sanctuary by the pool. Dinner at a reggae bar/restaurant on the beach was okay, but I think everybody was too groovy to worry too much about the quality of the food.

Day 4

Eleanor's new friend and her family were checking out today but were going to visit a crocodile farm before catching the ferry back to the mainland. So Dean and Eleanor decided to spend the morning with them. This entailed hiring a car for the day and leaving me relaxing with a good book and a French bakery next door. I opted out of the excursion for humane reasons (I didn't think the crocs would be having fun in small enclosures and I also didn't fancy riding the world's steepest cable car either). Anyway, they spent a wonderful morning with the Columbian family checking out a range of crocodilia. Eleanor was impressed by the disabled ones and Dean was alternately horrified but also enthralled by the overcrowded enclosure where the crocs were fighting each other. They also enjoyed the cable car experience as it zipped them up and down the mountain for an awesome view of Langkawi and neighbouring islands.

What did I do? Checked out the French cafe. Delicious. When Dean and Eleanor returned, we all went for a swim and delighted in seeing a family of monkeys casually saunter across the lawns, through a paddling pool and climb into the trees. In the evening, at a nearby restaurant, we ran into the Norwegian family again and organised a play date for the next day.

Day 5

Feeling a little guilty that we hadn't done much in the way of sightseeing, I thought we should make a bit of an effort to see something other than the pool and its surrounds. Well, we'd organised a play date, so it would have to happen another day! This meant that we could swim and relax today, too! By this stage, our brains were rapidly turning into chlorinated mush. But, we don't have to use them until February, so in Dean's words, "Play on!".

With some more parental intervention, Eleanor found another friend and whiled away a couple of hours before lunch in the pool. Keen on some French food too, Dean and Eleanor agreed to have lunch at the bakery. Cakes and baguettes all round! Bumping into our Norwegian friends upon our return, they informed us that after inspecting our hotel and being dissatisfied with their accommodation, they were going to try and check in to the home of Malaysia's longest pool. Wonderful!

Meanwhile, Eleanor attempted to break the world record for the number of consecutive minutes a ten year old could spend in a pool without leaving it for sustenance. Things were looking good until the Norwegian family returned, successful in their quest to change hotels. Eleanor, her new friend from Sydney and the Norwegian's daughter then spent a happy afternoon frolicking under the waterfall mushrooms.

Meeting for dinner later in the evening, we treated ourselves to another western meal - Italian. Back at the suite for a nightcap, their little girl fell over onto the marbled floor of Eleanor's bedroom. Horrified, Eleanor saw her babysitting career go up in smoke as the purple, egg-shaped bruise began to swell. Despite the time out for injury, we ended up having a late night and thus had a good sleep in the next morning.

Day 6

We checked out at 12, after a nice Nasi Lemak in the breakfast buffet. I don't know how Eleanor is going to cope with the Aspendale buffet brekkie of toast, vegemite and weetbix. We had a last minute swim and then were collected at 1:30 by our host of the home stay. Waving goodbye to the hotel and our new friends, we hoped our new place would be just as fantastic. We didn't mind our old suite, the filthy staircase and the renovations going on around us (but not by professionals!) but we were looking forward to exploring a bit more of Langkawi. I think the imprints of the deck chair would become permanent if I had spent anymore time on them.

Our new accommodation was located in the middle of the island, amongst the jungle. My fears were unfounded as Dean had delivered once again. An absolutely sensational place, we were going to be spending the next three nights in a traditional Malay house. I was anticipating something akin to sleeping in a bungalow in someone's backyard, but this was nothing like it.

We quickly settled in, had a swim and then sat on our deck as the sun set. A few hornbills flew past and watched us from a nearby tree and then it was time for dinner. Our wonderful host suggested we make a quick trip into the night market close by for some fruit. So, with her son, we jumped into the car for the short drive to the market. Within minutes we were tasting all manner of delicacies and probably ate a month's quota of deepfried sugary snacks. We purchased some rambutans for dessert, however.

Our fellow diners this evening were an interesting family from Reunion Island. It was all very exotic, what with the French accents, humidity and tropical foods. Long after we'd finished eating, our very generous host brought out a durian to try. Dean had a few bites, Eleanor turned her nose up at the smell but put her tongue on the tiniest mouthful, and I attempted to swallow a small morsel but my tastebuds instantly rejected it. The vile smelling fruit found its way into somebody's used serviette (hopefully it was mine!) faster than you could say, 'VOMIT!!!!' It may be the king of fruit here, but it is truly an aquired taste.

Day 7

Hiring a car, we decided to spend a day sightseeing. Despite my best avoidance strategies, we found ourselves in the Wildlife Park. My suspicions of it being third rate were confirmed at the entrance when a polite young girl asked if we would like a memento photograph, 'No obligation', with some cockatoos. I definitely didn't, especially when she didn't know where the birds came from (although she checked with the lad behind her and declared, 'From Africa'😉. Dean and Eleanor posed with them while my silent protest went unnoticed.

The rest of the park was quiet, so we had quality time with the animals (mainly birds). Most of the cages and enclosures were like those of the Melbourne Zoo 20 years ago, so there's no need for anybody sympathetic to the plight of caged animals to visit.

Lunch at a roadside cafe and then off to Komplex Krafs. A little batik painting took up a fair chunk of the afternoon. I wasn't happy with my efforts, and after a standoff with Eleanor, I deposited mine in the ladies washroom. Dean and Eleanor will bring theirs home and hang them up proudly alongside our other works of art. The glass blowing studio was, along with being an extremely warm place, interesting and we watched a man create a couple of animals in a few minutes with skill and finesse.

Back to the ranch for a refreshing swim, rest and shower before dinner. We caught up with a few of the families staying there too and then headed out for an early dinner at a beachside cafe in the north.

Day 8

We were meant to go on a tour of the mangroves today, however Dean was feeling poorly so we postponed the trip. Eleanor and I went out for a drive and a spot of lunch but that was pretty much the extent of our activities for the day. By dinnertime, Dean perked up so we drove into Kuah to the night market.

Kuah's market had an interesting array of foods, so we made sure we sampled as many as we could. The usual array of clothing stalls and durian sellers were there too, so we didn't spend a lot of time at the market - just enough to fill our tummies. It was good to get back to the house at a reasonable hour. We have been eating dinner around 9pm and not sleeping until about 11 or 12. We were looking forward to an early night but Part 1 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows kept us awake until 10:30. Never mind, we would try for an early night another time!

Day 9

The mangrove tour was well worth the wait. On the boat for three hours, we were able to see monkeys, fish and birds in their native habitats. Some of the monkeys were a bit cheeky and jumped on the boat and the driver had to chase off one aggressive male. The bat cave was a bit stinky and I probably didn't need to see hundreds of bats hanging over the top of me but the walk through the mangrove was nice. Little blue Kingfishers were flying about and turned us into bird spotters and feeding the fish was hilarious.

In the afternoon we had to sort our accommodation in Penang. We hadn't checked our email in a while and found that where we thought we were going to stay was actually full. We eventually found something and were able to jump on the ferry with the knowledge we had somewhere to go once we landed in Penang. Dean will describe the ferry journey as the worst trip he has ever had to endure (how he didn't enjoy sitting in the bowels of the boat with a noise which eventually made us deaf, watching the first half of a dodgy Russian copy of The Expendables 2 and then after that froze, watching the first half of a dodgy copy of Hellboy 2, but at least it had subtitles so we didn't need to be able to hear, I don't understand!). I would have nominated our speed boat trip from Koh Pha Nang to Koh Samui with the girl vomiting in front of us as the worst trip ever, but who am I to say? Anyway, we arrived okay, jumped in the cab for the two minute ride to the hotel and settled in for a cosy night of air conditioned comfort.

---

Photos

Koh Lipe
Waiting for immigration to stamp our passports so we could catch the next speed boat to Langkawi.

Refuelling during the journey
Some mild spillage, I hope it missed the little girl's teddy. I wish I took a photo of the sleepy driver.

Our fancy shmancy hotel
Despite grim warnings on Trip Advisor, we opted for this grand old belle.

ASEANA beach hut
Expected a little more than this...clearly all the management's energy was being put into the renovations.

Pantai Cenang beach
It looks nice, but Dean's view was that Aspendale was much better.

Practising their circus act
Dean and Eleanor's only swim at a Penang beach.

Feeding the stingray
At a fish farm in the mangroves.

Cheeky monkey
On a boat during the Mangrove Tour.

Attack of the monkeys
Jumping on the roof of our boat during the mangrove tour.

Feeding frenzy
Fish going crazy during the mangrove tour.

Crowded crocodiles
Dean confirmed my fears - these animals weren't kept in a humane environment.

Eating the 'king of fruit' at Foxhill
Durian is certainly an aquired taste.

Comments

[Brad]

Can you see the finish line yet?

[AndrewFamily]

The finish line
Just like WW2 in Japan, it is not discussed.