langkawi trip: trip concluded

Day 3.

It was a Monday. It was time for me to leave the island now. Day started early for me as I needed to catch ferry to Alor Setar, then make a transit to airplane. Since my friend was heading to Alor Setar as well, I may as well bought the air ticket to fly from Alor Setar. I could have flew directly from Langkawi.

Morning View in Quah

The morning view in Quah was soothing. Blue sky, with nice cool breeze touching your face. The sun slowly shines through the island.

Pardon me with the lack of angle for the morning shot. I was restricted. I took the shots outside the balcony of my friend's apartment. There was no other choice.


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The Jetty

We arrived at the jetty around 8am, and got ourselves a ferry departing at 8:30am.


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Outside the jetty, while waiting for the departure.


The Airport in Alor Setar, Kedah

The ferry ride was approximately 90 minutes. This time round, the ferry was much better than the one I took in Kuala Perlis. Nevertheless, there was a similarity. Majority of the passengers in the cabin was Malays. I wasn't the only chinese around this time, but I was one of few non-Malay in the cabin.

After arriving the jetty, I went straight ahead to take a taxi to the airport. The Alor Setar airport is about 25-30 minutes drive from the jetty. Along the way, you can see many paddy fields. There weren't many highways, or big roads. Most of the roads are like the kampung roads (village roads).

Alor Setar Airport was pretty small and old one. It seems worse than our old Kuching International Airport (prior the renovation and reconstruction). Have a look.



5 check-in counters.



That glass-door leads you to the departing terminal.



Passengers waiting for time to go into the the terminal.. So M-A-N-Y people ah.. But the number of people eventually increased much later that morning. Most of them were taking the AirAsia flight...



.. same flight as mine. AirAsia is not my personal preference, but I had no other choice. MAS was offering much higher price. It's not worth spending that much on a one-hour-flight. Taking bus back to KL, means enduring another 6-7 hours bus ride during day-time, is not a wise idea for me, as it will cause fatigue. Furthermore, it's much tiring to take long hours bus ride during day-time. Travelling on the long journey on the highways during daytime could be really tiring.


The Loot

Here is the loot I got from the Duty Free Island.

Taa daa...
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Not that much la.. But still a loot ma.. I had to spend a combination of cash and credit on the loot. *sob*


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2 litres of liquor - Chivas Regal 1L, and Sheridan's Coffee Layered Liquor (I think it's also 1L)



2 cartons of Dunhill Red, King Size Filter. (I don't smoke! I swear it's a favor asked from my friend!!)


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Last but not least... Chocolates! A dozen of Ferrero Rocher.. 2 pieces of Bisquil Liquor Chocolate (V.S.O.P).. and couple bars of Tablerone dark chocolate!

The Bisquil Liquor Chocolate tastes great! I still have some in my fridge! ;-)


Recommendation I have left out...

I have left out some recommendation in my previous entry, as I didn't take any photos on them. I'll just fill it up here.

Food:
I have been dining for two straight days in this chinese open-air restaurant. It's called Wonderland. It's not far fron the place I was staying, Quah. The food's nice, and the price was pretty reasonable too.

3 of us went for dinner there, we had grilled fish, dried-chilli squid, butter prawn, and kangkung belacan. That costs us RM 47, inclusive of drinks. 2nd time round, we had similar type of dish, but different style of preparation. It costs us RM 51. It ain't too bad for seafood.

Try it! ;-)

Drinks:
Now, if you're beer lover, you gotta love this. Beer is cheaper than soft drinks! Yes, a can of beer is CHEAPER than a can of Coke islandwide!

Others:
I have noticed that most of the cashier counters I visited in Langkawi, they are putting different 'dosage' of condom there. Normally, what we have in any counters, be it in KL or other city, are those small packets which comes with 3 condoms each packet.

Here in Langkawi, they're all selling by dozen! One box with a dozen condoms inside. I don't see them selling the small-box ones. Hmm.. I wonder if the need or demand of condoms are really this much? I didn't compare the price though. *wink*


Getting there...

How much?

Bus: KL - Kuala Perlis: RM 35

Ferry: Kuala Perlis - Langkawi: RM 15; Langkawi - Kuala Kedah: RM 18

Flight: KL - Langkawi: RM xxx (check AirAsia.com for the best price), no idea on MAS flight.

How long?

Bus: KL - Kuala Perlis: about 6 hours (at night)

Ferry: Kuala Perlis - Langkawi: 1 hour (barring any engine failure); Langkawi - Kuala Kedah: 1 and half hour.

Flight: KL - Langkawi: approximately 1 hour

Where to stay?
I bunked at my friend's place, so pratically free stay. But you can get a range of hotels and lodges to choose from, e.g. FourSeason Resort, or Tanjung Rhu Resort.. Chennai area has got a lot of budget places to stay.

Transport?
I would recommend renting cars to get around the island. It's a common practice there. This way, you can have a thorough tour on the island.

The Equipment?
For this trip, apart from my shirts and shorts, and swimwear.. I had these:

Camera: Olympus Camedia C-3030 Zoom

Tripod: Sakure 5ft-tall tripod

Mp3 player

That would do fine!

Next island target..
Probably Redang Island, Perhentian Island, or Tioman Island.. or maybe a more developed Singapore. Undecided yet, but will try to make it there! ;-)

langkawi trip: day 2 - skull beach

Some photos from Black Sand Beach and Tanjung Rhu Beach, which I have left out. This entry has been delayed for way too long. I had been busy lately, mostly due to my work in office. Anyways, here I present you the conclusion, at least the last spot I visited, before I left the island.







Now...

The Skull Beach...

Skull Beach, known as Pantai Pasir Tengkorak to the locals, does not have skulls all over the beach. Nor does it shaped like skull (There is no Pirates of the Carribean effect here!). Skull Beach got its name from a local folklore. It was suggested that there was a bloody battle between the locals and the invaders (Thais) for the possesion of this part of Langkawi long time ago.

The water here is known for its clearness. The water was really nice, and so for the water for Datai Beach.

Enough said. Let the pictures do the talking.

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A little friend looked lost on the beach..

It was still alive! I thought it was dead.

When I was taking these pics, it was around 6pm. So, I set myself on standby mode for the sunset shot. I didn't even bother to swim. I stayed on the beach, waiting and waiting.

It never really happened.

All I got was gloomy clouds, which appeared to be rain cloud. It was about to rain soon.

I was disappointed. No great sunsetshot like Kennysia.com had in Phuket! Dang!

In the end, I went back, somewhat disappointed, as I couldn't really get the sunset shot I wanted. But still, it's a nice visit.

Up next, the conclusion for this trip. This entry has been long overdued.

langkawi trip: day 2 - black sand beach

Next stop: Black Sand Beach

But just before heading over to Black Sand Beach, my friend dropped by the Air Hangat Vilage. Air Hangat, hot spring in Malay language, is situated near Mt. Raya Golf Club. It isn't that near, but if you're referring to this map, then, the hot spring is somewhere there.



I must say, the hot spring was a disappointment to me. First of all, the hot spring isn't exactly hot. And there was no pool of hot spring around, where you can dip yourself in it. Hmm.. Also, due to some other constraint, I decided against taking photos there.



(Click on the photo above to enlarge.)

The piece of paper read: WELCOME TO THE ONE OF LEGEND.
Doesn't that just sound weird and incomplete to you? It is just all wrong.

We didn't even stay long. We left the place within 10 minutes.

Black Sand Beach...



Very informative piece of board. It is introduction about the Black Sand Beach.

The English column reads:

Black Sand Beach

Black Sand Beach is a unique stretch of beach boasting of black sand instead of the powdery white sand found on the island's other beaches. Its Malay name, Pasir Hitam, means black sand. The black sand has resulted because of the distinct mineral and soil composition found here - a mixture of granite with deposits of tourmaline, ilmenite and zircon. However, accroding to local folklore, the original sand was transformed into black sand by a mermaid who became angry with a fisherman for failing to keep a promise.

Other resources also suggested that the water here is not conductive for swimming. That explains why the lack of activity on this particular beach.



3 foreigners studying the black sand, while capturing photos on top of the black sand.







The sand on the Black Sand Beach are darker if compared to normal beach. However, the lack of maintenance on the beach makes it looks more polluted and dirty.

Next stop: Skull Beach.

langkawi trip: day 2 - tanjung rhu beach

Day 2.

The day started gloomy. It rained earlier in the morning. Fortunate enough, it stopped just in time for me to pay the beaches a visit. Rain in an island is definitely a no-no when you are on a short stay there.

I spent my lunch at the Chennai before heading off to the Tanjung Rhu Beach. (Quickie: Chennai is regarded as the most happening place in Langkawi. It's located at northern-central of Langkawi. It's roughly 10 minutes' drive from the Langkawi Airport, and 20-30 minutes' drive from Quah. Foreigners/Tourists like to gather here.)



View from the restaurant I had lunch in. The food wasn't bad. (I must say, I have left out the pictures of Langkawi food in my trip, my bad). However, food at Chennai area is a lil' bit pricey. What do you expect when their target market are the tourists. ;-)



After lunch, I actually stopped by one of the beaches near Chennai. I couldn't recall what the name was.


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The beach was rather alienated. I didn't see much visitors around. With so much cloud above the beach, I thought it was best to leave that area and head off to a nicer place.



However, there is a place worth mentioning. There is a western restaurant opened by this beach. It was highly recommended by my friend. They serve probably the best western food around the area. I did not get to try, as I had my lunch already. (On top of that, I was told the food are much more pricey.)



Someone please give the food a try at The Lighthouse Restaurant next time, and write review on the food served.

The plan for the day is to visit the Tanjung Rhu Beach. It is located northen of the island. As far as I remembered, there are 2 resorts located at that area - Tanjung Rhu Resort and Four Season Resort.



I must say, this beach is nice. With white and smooth sand under your feet, and great view of the sea with few small islands within your reach. It is really relaxing to spend your vacation here.





Pine trees along the route to Tanjung Rhu Beach.

Tanjung Rhu Beach is one of the main tourist attraction in Langkawi. Upon my arrival, I discovered something rather disturbing. I found...

THIS!
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(Click on the photos to enlarge.)


Above: The signboard reads "Fishing Trip Swiming N Snorkling" ... "Ruzaimi Boating Servis" ...

I reckon the locals have localized English pretty much. It is probably called Englay or Mangrish.



Above: More Englay-Mangrish -> Aktiviti - Cruis go to Dangu Island, Fish Feeding and Flaying Fox, Snorkling Fishing Trip, Swiming BBQ Beach.

Spelling alone wasn't just it. The structure was all wrong. How embarrassing.

Let's just leave those behind, and get back to the beach.



Clear blue sky, some clouds, white sandy beach. Don't you just wish you were there?



For those city folks who miss beaches, here are some beach feast for ya'all.







I spotted this man carrying a kayak towards the sea.







And guess where he was heading to when I last checked on him?



He went all the way to the circled area in the pic above, with the kayak he was carrying. I guess he was heading to one of those small islands there. Must try next time round.

Next stop - Black Sand Beach.