Born on the day when SNOW FLAKES fall from the sky
In my childhood memories,
there was me,
holding paper cardboards and jumping down from sofas,
using them as WINGS to fly that few inches in the air before landing painfully on my ass.
Location: Langkawi, Malaysia Transport: Tiger Airlines; TR 472, TR473 Accomadation: Malibest Resort, Bebilis People: Me ONLY No. of Days: 3 Days 2 Nights Departure Date/ Arrival Date: 17 September 2009/ 19 September 2009
Motive: To relax and bring in the SUNSHINE
CHAPTER 1: GOOD PEOPLE DO EXISTS! (Day 1)
First of all, i have to say, WHAT A BLESSED GIRL I AM!!!i prayed to God in hope that i will meet kind people on my trip and I DID!!!I met this lady "LAY HOON" at the shuttle bus stop to the Budget Terminal. (the actual story was i met her at that shuttle bus stop to asked her if that was the place to wait for the free shuttle bus service to the budget terminal.)
She was on her own, so I thought, "wow, another brave warrior like me, traveling alone".
and SO COINCIDENTALLY, she was on the same flight as me to LANGKAWI! the only thing is that she's actually not alone, because her two friends already are at the other side of Malaysia,travelling on another flight to Langkawi to meet up with her.
small side note: Good Person No.1 (Lay Hoon) at first i thought she's from Hong Kong, but who knows, she's a Malaysian like me too! On the journey there, we talked so much that we can write a bio about each other's lives!
Oh, and we talked so much that we missed the boarding time and the staff had to call for us. "Will the last two passangers for Tiger Airlines Flight TR 472 report to the departure area now." Opps. Hahah.
CHAPTER 2: ARRIVAL @ LANGKAWI (arrived early at 1.30+pm!)
We (Lay Hoon and I) met her friends at the airport upon our arrival. Her friends cannot be more cute la, Hahaha! They were actually holding up signboard with "LAY HOON" spelled out on the signboard! and they were busy taking pictures of us when we were coming out of the departure hall.
So there, Good Person No.2 and No.3 appeared in the story. (very funny and san-ba women)
and being such kind souls, they wanted to help a lonely traveler like me, so they offered to drive me to my resort.
Of course, the drive had to wait, because we had to first take a cab to their hotel to put their luggages and collect the rented car.
CHAPTER 3: THE CHARITY RIDE
The ride in their car was CRAZY!!! we went in circles (literally, especially once when we actually made circles around a statue) being that we were just a bit lost, but luckily we made it to my resort before the sky turned dark. haha!
The drive to my resort was SOOOOO LONG! not counting the time we spent driving in circles, we spent about at least 30 mins getting to my resort, because its SOOOO FARAWAY!
but thank you Good Persons No.1 - 3 !!! Couldn't have made it without you!!! THANK YOU!
On the way to my resort, we stop over at a mama shop to buy water supplies (for the next few days) with them. Note to all travel readers: it is UTMOST ESSENTIAL that you purchase clean water supply for consumption when you are aboard! And always carry a 500ml water with you just in case you are dining out and who knows what is added in your drink. We made another stop at a small coffee shop to have our lunch. All of us did not had much during the day so we were practically STARVED by the time we reached the coffee shop. We ordered some Roti Prata and Drinks.
(see, the Good People No.2 and 3, from right to left. ok you cant see. HAHA!)
After our short meal, they drop me at my resort and arranged to meet me later at the all-famous Cocomo Restaurant to have our dinner together!
CHAPTER 4: ME AT MY RESORT (HELLO hello!!!)
and after im done with packing my stuff, i went out of my room to explore the BEAUTIFUL BEACH which was just right outside my doorstep, AINT THAT COOL OR WHAT!!!
got a lot of STARES when i was busy taking pictures. haha!
SEE ME SMILE SOOO WIDELY!!! luckily my face didnt crack from all those smiles.
AND the sand is FREAKING SOFT! so soft that i cant leave a footprint on it and take a picture!
After taking the many wonderful pictures of the beach, i decided to sit and let myself bake in the sun while updating my "Insufficient Memory" journal(as seen above), so i sat on the warm sand near the sea and started writing.
while i was writing, this weird man wearing a diving suit came and sat beside me and i totally didnt notice until i looked up. and of course me being me, i got a shock and almost choked to death, because he was leaning very close to me.
Instead of being worried on whether i will choke myself to death, he just sat there and smile at me. (Grossed OUT!)
him: (still smiling) where you from? me: (struggling to smile back) Malaysia (which was not a lie at all, although i dont LIVE in Malaysia, but still, its my origins, presuming thats whats he's asking. haha!) him: MALAYSIA? (shock face) where??? Malaysia big, where?? me: (standing up) Err... (ok, now i cant say the truth or lie, coz i have NO IDEA which part of Malaysia im from) Hahahaha...Very far... (making the hand sign to show its VERY FAR) hahaha... oh (noticing he's wearing the diver's suit for the first time) you drive that one?? (pointing to a water ski boat) him: YA! haha! (i was already running away when he said his reply) ahahaha!!!
ohh, before i left the beach, i went to pick seashells! Just a few, so i wouldnt be ruining the environment. haha.
ok, you see that long spiraling one. That is actually ALIVE!!! I only realised there was a 'sea creature' residing in it when i carried it back to the room. EWW!!! SO SCARY!!! it was moving and turning in the shell. OMG. In the end, i left it in the basin with some water.
CHAPTER 5: DINNER BY THE SEA, THE SUNSET, THE SAND and the memories
We arranged to meet at 7.30pm, but i had nothing much to do, so i decided to make my way there first.
and THANK GOD i decided to go there first, otherwise i would have missed the view (and the sunset)!!!
and the picture below is my FAVOURITE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! its also Good Person No.2's favourite, you will see why later... hahaha!
the three Gorgeous and Beautiful ladies finally arrived at 7.45pm, and like me, they were stunned by the view. so we took some more pictures!!! Good Person No.2 suggested that all of us take a picture sitting at the table beside the beach and act like we are thinking of something, because according to her, er-erm, "it has a lot of FEEL!!!" hahaha! Now you know why its her favourite. hahaha!
this is Good Person No.1 LAY HOON!!! the sweet one.
this is Good person No.2! the crazy one. GOT FEEL GOT FEEL!!! WOO..
this is Good Person No.3! the most steady driver!!! (deep in her thoughts that she forgot she's suppose to pose, haha!)
and that's ME!!! the brave one. HAHA!
The dinner was GREAT!!! so great that we forgot to take pictures of the food. i guess we were too hungry, haha! and because the bill was spilt among the 4 of us, i only got to pay RM$24!!! WOO HOO!!! and it was a 4 dishes and rice kinda of meal!!! the reason why there were 4 dishes is because each of us got to choose what dish we want! YUM YUM!!!!!!!!!!!!
The 4-dishes-and-rice-kinda meal:
Lak-si Prawn
Kang Kong
Redang Chicken
Calamari
it was only after the dinner that Good Person No.2 remembered that she forgot to take pictures of the meal. HAHAHA!!! and here's ME again! Good Person no.2 took these pictures of me to compensate her for not taking pictures of the food. HAHA! i guess i was yummier than the food, HAHA! the trip back was by cab again, and it was the same cab driver because he has become my special ON-CALL cab driver. Apparently when i asked the resort's staff to help me book a cab, they called up their cab friend and got me a reliable one. (THANK GOD!) and this cabbie became my 'personal' cabbie for the rest of the two days at Langkawi.
this was taken on my way back to the resort. a very DARK, long and bumpy way back... spooky. HAHA!
woo.. before i went to sleep, i recorded another video ESPECIALLY dedicated to someone for scaring me about GHOSTS and SPIRITS the day before my flight. Ok, lets not mention names but Thank you ah, Brian.
CHAPTER 6: ADVENTURE ON FOOT (Day 2) I woke up @ 9 am with a blur expression, partly due to the fact that i have no idea where i am, and also because i was thinking what happened to my bed. You see, it usually creeks a lot when i get up in the morning, so when i got up from the resorts bed and not hear the usual creeking noise, i got confused (just for a second). Haha.
my blur-ness quickly turned into EXCITMENT because it was a very LOVELY MORNING!!! I was greeted by the sound of the waves and the morning sun!!! Ahhh...!!! what a great way to wake up.
After getting ready to leave the room, i walked out to the beach before i head on with my adventure. Remember our 'sea creature' friend who was living in one of the shells i brought back to the room? Ya, i decided to let it back into the wild. So i brought it along with me on my stroll to the beach. In fact, i brought along ALL the shells i collected back to the beach. Goodbye, my seashell friend! May you be happy where you are! So after the stroll, i came back and put on my bonnet hat for my ADVENTURE on foot. I decided that since i only had time to visit the beach on the first day, Im going to take time on the second day to roam around the places around the beach.
but before that, i took my breakfast, which was quite pathetic. see below:
SOYA BEAN MILK for breakfast. Boy it feels good to stay alive. Haha!
While roaming around, i went to shop for souvenirs too. Well, the souvenirs are obviously ONLY for people whom i care about. And luckily i only have a few people whom i truly care about. Ta-da, here is the list of the PEOPLE WHO MATTER TO ME (aka people whom i missed during the trip).
SEE. It really only A FEW. 2 Hands, 10 Fingers + 1 extra finger! Hahaha! The rest, because I call the rest Acquaintances, so I dont consider them as friends. For those who really know me, like my besties, should know how i classify my friends. So that means we may see each other a lot even to the point of seeing each other everyday and we may talk a lot, but I may not consider that person as my friend, but only as someone i know.
OK, Friendship speech OVER! lalala...
BACK TO THE ADVENTURE
while i was roaming about, i came across this RICE FIELD. Its called "Laman Padi - Langkawi". And the great thing is that its FREE admission, a great tourist site for poor tourist like me.
Below are some videos I took while i was at the rice field. And it turned out better than i expected. :D
when i entered the Rice Field Exhibition gallery, there were a few people gathered around the table playing this malay tradition game, which i forgot the name, but it seems fun, so i joined in too! And to those of you who have childhood memories, im sure you will remember this game, because even i, a person so lacking of childhood memories remembers playing this game when i was young. Remember? we often play this during Racial Harmony Day in our primary schools. Seems Familiar?? Remember NOW??? Nevermind, if you still dont remember, watch the following video, then MAYBE you will recall something.
and with that, i end my tour of the FREE-ADMISSION-GOOD-FOR-POOR-PEOPLE-LIKE-ME-RICE-PADI ADVENTURE!!! hahaha!
After the rice adventure, i sneaked into one of the Grand Hotels near the Rice Padi to chill. See, look at me chill man, im really living it up. Ok, nothing's really chilling except the strong ocean breeze. Look at my hair fly!! Yipee! Flying without cardboard wings! Hahahaha!
And look, i was even chilled enough to measure the island opposite with my fingers. Yo man! Less than 5 cm i tell you! Hahaha!
and can you believe it, no matter how much further i venture the beach just never seem to end. Let me introduce you to the never-ending beach, Pantai Cenang. I guess it means Never Ending in malay, because the beach is simply too stretched. haha.
By the time i finish i never-ending stroll along the beach, it was already way past my lunchtime. To be exact, it should be my teatime already (3pm). So i settled at one of the nearest restaurants, and ordered Hokkien Mee!
but it turned out to be fried Maggie Mee, what the...
Almost left my hat at the restaurant! Thank God the staff ran after me to pass me my hat! See, i didnt pay service charge for nothing k! hahaha. opps.
On my way back to the resort, i continued my souvenir hunt, and i end up finding this:
i wish i could have brought it home as MY souvenir because its simply TOO COOL! it is actually signs which show the words "GOOD MORNING" in all the different languages in the world! COOL EH!!! but its too big to fit into my luggage... :(
CHAPTER 7: TIRED LEGS and many cats and dogs
Wah!! didnt know it will be so tiring to shop for souvenirs! haha!
Back in the room, resting... and writing postcards to SPECIAL PEOPLE!
Mum called at 5.30pm... ahh... felt like crying after hearing such a familiar and warm voice. BUT i didnt because Im simply TOO HAPPY enjoying my first holiday ALONE!!!
After asking about me (so sweet..), she asked me if there are cheap chocolates here in Langkawi (bloody hell, call me got motive one, hahaha!) but anything she needs, I will GET!
In fact, there are CHEAP CHOCOLATES here in Langkawi, being that they are all duty-free! especially if you love alcoholic chocolates, you can find some good ones here for CHEAP! but i hate chocolates, so luckily i dont have to spend on chocolates for myself! haha!
By the time i finish writing the postcards, it started raining CATS AND DOGS!!! It was a very heavy and long downpour, in geographical terms, a LONG TORRENTIAL RAIN... Great, just what i needed for my second night. No, im not being sarcastic nor am i sulking, in fact, im really glad that it rained, otherwise i would have to think of where to venture next. I was already walking like a zombie on my way back the resort, i wouldnt want to risk looking like one too. hahaha!
So i had no choice (thankfully!) but to eat in the resort's restaurant, which was to an extent Glam!
My Dinner was simple yet SUMPTUOUS!!! i order Tandori Chicken and Cheese Naan. Ok, i have to say, MALAYSIA'S ROTI PRATA AND NAAN ROCKS MY SOCKS OFF!!! Its soooo much better than Singapore's. It is more crispy on the outside and the texture of the prata is softer and tangier and the flavour of it is just HEAVENLY!!! Plus the prata skin actually STRETCHES like those Mozzarella cheese you find on top of the pizza!
Its nothing, NOTHING i tell you, like Singapore slate-bread-half-moulded-state pratas or naans!!! Shame on you Prata makers in Singapore! What happened when you crossed the causeway!? Forgot to bring your prata-making cousin along is it??
After my dinner, back to the room it is. Staying indoors wasnt all that bad, because i got to do my favourite thing which was to lay down and chill (again, hahaha).
CHAPTER 8: HORROR STORY directed by me (Day 3)
Time: Wee hours in the Morning, before Dawn.
I woke up with a shock, not because i had a nightmare, but because i thought i had LOST MY PHONE!!! The sky was still dark while I was searching for my phone. I cursed and swearlike a madwoman, and even shift and push the bed all about, but there's no sign of my phone!
You can imagine the look on my face already right. There, for those who have no sense of imagination, i drew it out for you.
AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! hahahaha. In the end, when i was about to give up and ask for help from the resort staff, I found my phone in my blankets... sighs.... what the... and there i felt so guilty for cursing and swearing at the very innocent bed, the motionless side table and whichever spirit I thought (misunderstood) who took my new phone away. HAHAHAHA!
and this was the picture i drew in my "Insufficient Memory" notebook:
ok if you cant see what the speech bubbles said, see below: "I swear i will kill you if you take my phone!" "even if you die already, i will kill you AGAIN!" "Ahhh!!! Where the XXXX is the phone!!!???" "WHATEVER you are, GIVE ME BACK MY PHONE!!!" and while i was ranting away, the very innocent pillow + bed + blanket motionless. What the hell was i thinking. Hahaha!
CHAPTER 9: CHEAP CHOCOLATE SHOPPING!!!
I called my personal cabbie at around 10+am to pick me up at the resort and send me to Langkawi Underwater World.
Mission: BUY CHEAP CHOCOLATES
Wheni reached there, the Underwater World was still not opened yet, but luckily the Duty-free shops were!
and while i was busy stocking my shopping basket full of chocolate (and busy calculating how much i spent on souvenirs and chocolates = 2/3 of my travel money WAH!!!) i came across this:
MY ALL-TIME FAVOURITE AND VERY FAMOUS AND BRANDED CHAMPAGNE: Moet & Chandon Brut Imperial!!!
let me tell you, it cost me only RM$ 165.00!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! CHEAP RIGHT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean comparing it with the price of it sold here in Singapore la. Im not rich you know, i just have the "Aunty" spirit of getting BARGAINS. Buying this was WAY beyond the miserly sum of money i have on myself, so i had to use Masters.
and while i was at the Alcohol section, i spotted the Japanese plum alcohol, Choya, another one of my favourites! Its SWEET alcohol, yum, yum!!! Cost me RM$ 75.00 for a big bottle of Choya: Extra Years from Tradition Japanese Umeshu. woo.. i can feel my skin glowing already!
ok, it seems like the FUN never ends...
After i alighted from the cab after my shopping trip, I realised my ROOM KEY was MISSING!!! another major freakout! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I remember i left the keys in my pocket, so the first thought that came to my mind was that i dropped it on the CAB! so i quickly ran after the cab with ALL my BAGS.
LUCKILY, the cab driver turned and wave goodbye to me, otherwise he wouldnt have seen me chasing after him! HAHAHAHA! So funny!
AND LUCKILY, the keys was really in the cab! hahaha!!! so thanks to my luck, im back in the resort to pack my stuff TO GO HOME!
another one of my 'art pieces' featuring ME chasing after the Cab. See the CHUNKS of bags i was carrying. HAHA.
CHAPTER 10: SAYING GOODBYE TO BOTH LIVING AND non-living THINGS
ok, time for my FAREWELL SPEECH! but before that let me show you the BEAUTIFUL sights of the beach again, this time with ME as your tour guide!
halfway through, the video broke down, must be too tired of seeing my face for so many takes. Hahaha! so here's the second part!
on my way back to the resort, i picked up a few seashells again! hey i couldnt resist it ok! but thankfully, there were no living things inside the shell this time.
ok, the long awaited moment is finally HERE! My farewell speech video! I actually recorded this before i set off to buy chocolate in Langkawi Underwater World, thats why.
CHAPTER 11: PACK BAGS and talk rubbish After my well-said farewell speech, i went on to saying farewell to the room that kept me safe from whatever dangers and spirits that were said to be roaming around.
So guys, if you are heading to Langkawi next time and you wish to get a room that is actually not haunted and clean, go to Malibest Resort and request for the Deluxe Room (Wooden) bearing the name BEBILIS! Its safe and clean! 100% Guarantee!
CHAPTER 12: AIRPORT, HERE I COME!!!
Before i headed off to the airport, i took a picture of the Resort i was staying in: Malibest!
This is the reception area. Although it seem a bit run down but the service is excellent and staff are friendly and approachable!
And all i need to do to book a room here was to make a simple phone call! No deposit required in advance! Cool eh! So trouble-FREE!
I called my 'personal' cabbie to fetch me to airport. Oh btw, i realise i havent disclose the name of the mysterious man behind the wheels. My personal cabbie's name is BASERI! and here he is!
On my way to the airport, I saw lots of cows! One after another! Yayy! Hooray to the wild and nature!!
Baseri made a joke while i was filming the video. HAHAHA! I was telling him that there are a lot of cows in Langkawi, and he said: "Ya la, haha, Langkawi, is Lang-COW-i mah, haha!" OMG!! His sense of humor is beyond words la. Yes, I am at LangCOWi, not Langkawi. haha! (The joke is made in the video, here, this one below)
When i finally reached the airport, Baseri told me that he can be my personal cabbie again the next time Im here at Langkawi, oh, i mean LangCOWi, according to him of course. haha! Oh and he mentioned that he himself is also going on a HOLIDAY soon too, if i remembered correctly, he said something about going to KL for a week. Wow..I think I laughed too much on my way to the airport that i forgot how to speak. Just look at the following video and you will know. Hahaha!
Ok, what i was trying to say is that i think they might not allow usage of handphone in the departure hall, but WHERE THE HELL did i get that thought from!!?? Hahaha. My brain must have shut down for too long during this vacation. hahaha!!!
And did you hear me saying im going to "DEPARTURE" soon, hahaha!!! Not only am i blabbering, i also lost my ability to speak proper English. HAHAHA!!! While i was waiting for my flight after checking in, my stomach was grumbling to me that its HUNGRY!!! so i went up to the only foodcourt available at the Airport.The menu of the only stall opened is so limited that i wanted to just tell my stomach to tahan the hungry until i reach home. But of course, my stomach kicked up a fight with me and even EMBARRASSED me in public by making a loud RUMBLING sound!!! ok, fine, at that point i just admitted defeat and ordered the thing that closest resemble a human food. I ordered WAFFLE PANCAKE!
but of course, the waffle pancake takes time to be ready, so while i was waiting, i took a picture of the many clocks i was staring at. Cool eh.
The Langkawi airport is pretty small and there is not much to do around the airport except to sit down and wait for the call for my flight.
CHAPTER 13: ONBOARD BUDGET but safe PLANE
Finally! The call to my flight! TR 473!!!
While i was queuing in line to board the plane, i sneakily took a picture of the plane UPCLOSE!
This time i got a seat beside the window! Yayy!! Great for lonely travelers like me, haha!!
AND THE VIEW FROM THE SKY IS GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I LOVE TAKING PLANES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I love the acceleration moment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I Love the taking off and landing part!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! WOOHOO!!!! CHEERS TO BUDGET PLANES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
CHAPTER 14: IM HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When I arrived at Changi Budget Terminal, i got a lot of attention AGAIN. This time is because everyone that alighted the plane were either in pairs or in groups, i was the only one who was a lone ranger, so continue staring if they must, but i got a bus to catch.
and can i just say how weird it feels to talk to a camera like that for 3 whole days, ALONE! not only did i lose count of the number of stares i got from talking to myself in front of the camera, i get people replying to whatever im saying to the camera. Like this video for instance, I was saying "Welcome back... im home!" to myself, and this Caucasian was like, "welcome back eh" and smile. Hahaha!!! okok thank you, im celebrity already! In just less than 3 days! Try talking to yourself in front of the camera someday, you'll be popular i tell you!
but no matter how popular i have become in these 3 days, right now i just want to shout:
"IM HOME! IM HOME!! IM HOME!!! IM A SURVIVOR!!! WOOHOO!!!"
Cant believe my first stop ended so quickly, well, as the good old saying goes: TIME FLIES when you're having FUN!!!
Listened to Ayaka's "Okaeri" (its in my playlist! go search for it) the minute i landed on Singapore grounds. "Okaeri" means "WELCOME HOME" in Japanese. These words mean so much to me now. Im going to treasure this home I have.
Seeing the familiar taxis and the familiar road signs, I didnt know all these little things can make me smile so much.
If anyone has seen my face now, they would know, I'm home.
[THE END]
(to be continued...the next stop: Genting Highlands)
(see, the Good People No.2 and 3, from right to left. ok you cant see. HAHA!)
