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Published: March 18th 2014
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We awoke, got changed and headed out of the hostel for breakfast. After a quick coffee at Starbucks, we went to the Freecat bus stop, located at the Komptar bus Station, the main bus station in Georgetown. The freeacat bus is a local free bus service that takes you around Georgetown. We must have just missed one as we ended up waiting for ages. We got chatting to an Indian couple who were also visiting Georgetown. Eventually, the bus arrived, and we took it to the Penang state museum.
The museum was incredibly interesting, well worth the visit. It was all about the history of Penang Island and it's colonisation by the British. It also gave a background as to how the Malays, the Indians, and the Chinese all came to settle in Malaysia.
We then walked over to have a look at Cheong Fatt Tze mansion. It was one of the most beautiful, ornate buildings I have ever seen.
After a bite to eat at the Soho free house, we went back to Syok to chill out and relax. After a rest, returned to Batu Ferringhi, where Ian had a final fitting of his suit, and my
trousers. There are more and more middle-eastern restaurants popping up in Batu Ferringhi, and for dinner we ate at an amazing Lebanese Restaurant recommended in our guide book. We took the bus back to Georgetown, and to the hostel. Ian fancied heading out and exploring Georgetown, so he headed out while I rested and had a chat to family back home. The wonders of Skype!
The next day we checked out of Syok and went across to the Soho free house for lunch again. Soho freehouse has certainly become a favourite of ours; familiar, with all the look and feel of a British pub, but with distinct differences - staff open doors and welcome you, seat you, take your drinks order and then bring your drinks over. Sounds OTT, but this is quite typical visiting a bar over here, whereas in the UK you probably would not get this level of customer service at your local! As we were feeling in a competitive mood, Ian and I had a quick game of table football. Ian beat me easily, and it was soon clear as to why. We counted the players, it turned out I only had 10 men on
my team while Ian had 11!
However, it was soon time to leave Georgetown and Penang Island. We took a taxi to the airport, and boarded yet another plane to the tropical island of Langkawi. Langkawi is situated north of Penang Island, and is famous for it's gorgeous beaches, spas and resorts, as well as being a duty-free haven.
We got to our resort, the Frangipani resort and spa and checked in. We were given some vouchers for complimentary welcome drinks, and for breakfast during our stay. For this place, we had booked a small cabin all to ourselves. The cabin was lovely, spacious and comfortable. There were a few issues with it, the bath was a bit dirty, the fridge froze our water, and it could have done with a little bit of a refurbishment. The highlight of the cabin, however was the private outdoor shower! From the indoor bathroom, you would step outside into a small garden area, which was all walled up to give you privacy, and there was a fab monsoon shower.
We dropped our cases, then hit the bar for our complimentary drinks. Walking through the resort, there were lots of lush
tropical plants, beautiful Frangipani trees with their gorgeous, delicate flowers, mango trees, even a coffee plant! At the bar, We were both given a refreshing frangipani tea to try, which was really yummy. We then hit the beach for sunset. It was beautiful, the kind of place that you see in holiday brochures, white sandy beaches , palm trees and crystal clear blue water.
We wandered out of the resort, looked for a bite to eat and settled on a Thai restaurant called Sawadee. There we had a very yummy, firey tiger prawn curry and pineapple rice. It was delicious, but we could have had more prawns! We asked for three tiger prawns each (these are big prawns, by the way!) but only got three between the two of us.
We then looked around for a lively bar somewhere, but not really seeing anywhere to our liking, we hit the hotel bar once again. There was a duo on stage, playing some of the latest tunes and party classics. I thought that they were pretty good, considering it was just the two of them plus a keyboard, but despite the entertainment the bar was a bit dead that
night. Despite the cheap drink, Langkawi is certainly not a party hotspot like Ko Pha Ngan in Thailand!
Next day we got up and had breakfast, then went to the beach for a swim in the sea. The water was beautiful; crystal clear and warm. I hadn't swum in the sea for a good few years, so it was a fantastic experience. Taking in the view around us, it was like paradise! We then had a quick dip in the hotel pool and jacuzzi.
After a light lunch, Ian and I then went out to Underwater world, the big aquarium on Langkawi, where we saw many different types of fish and marine life. They had a tropical area, that also included some flamingoes, a large blue parrot and a few other birds flying about. Another section of the aquarium was devoted to penguins, and you could go under their pool in a transparent tunnel and watch them swim underwater. They were so cute and playful! There was one penguin in particular who was very curious, and kept coming up to us while we were in the tunnel. The others weren't quite as bothered, and were out of the
water and resting. We then headed to the last section, where these guys at a stall had couple of pet pythons! For 20 Ringgit, you could have your picture taken with one of these pythons. I chose to hold the albino python, with it's striking yellow and white colouring and Ian and I had a picture taken with it.
After that we left the aquarium, and explored one of the duty-free shopping malls. Langkawi is a duty-free haven, and it's worth going there to pick up a few bargains. Surprisingly, a lot of people head there to get their hands on cheap cookware and chocolate, as well as the usual duty-free perfume, alcohol and ciggies.
You cannot visit Langkawi without booking into a spa for a treatment or two, and there are plenty to choose from. I booked into Alun Alun spa for a "golfer special" which consisted of a foot scrub, aromatherapy massage, facial and a soak in the hot tub. Ian also booked in and had a massage. An hour and a half later, relaxed and blissful, I rejoined Ian and we went out to an Italian restaurant called Osteria for pizza.
We then returned
to the hotel bar for a quick drink before bed.
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