Day 2 – Langkawi Island 17.11.2006

It was morning again… and the sun was shining…the panoramic window of the chalet provided a scenic view of the beach…and hey, it’s my birthday today! Checked my phone… and there was a missed call and a voice message…checked it and it was from NK…and the voice message… well it was a birthday song from NK’s kids…how sweet! Received a number of other SMSes from my siblings, parents and friends…which made my day… and it was only 8.30 in the morning! Took a little stroll down the beach as the weather was just perfect…the sun was shining…the white sand was warm…and the blue sea was just so inviting.

After that quick stroll, we got ready and went out to have my birthday breakfast which consists of Nasi Lemak and my usual Nescafe Tarik…and right after that, we drove up to Gunung Mat Cincang to go on the Langkawi Cable Car which SAS has told me so much about. We decided to stop by the Petronas Quay which was too pretty to ignore…it was one of the most beautiful Petronas Stations I’ve ever seen. Imagine having a Petronas Station with amazing architecture located on the quay with the beautiful mountains and sea as the back ground…just gorgeous!

Not far from the quay was the Langkawi Oriental Village which was the entrance to the Langkawi Cable Car and located close to the Seven Wells. Took a little short-stop to the Rabbit Farm… being a bunny lover! One of them reminded me of Peter…my beloved rabbit who has passed away a month after I left the UK…there were so adorable! There was also a deer in the Rabbit Farm… unfortunately the deer was rather grumpy…and not as cute as the bunnies…We then decided to take the cable car ride…it was smooth and reasonably priced… costing RM15 for an adult ticket. The view on top of the mountain was amazing! You can see almost the whole island from the top…there were 3 viewing platforms available depending on which part of the island you’d like to see. Later we took a flight of stairs down to the Curved Bridge. It was an architectural wonder! A sight for sore eyes, most definitely! Apparently this whole thing was an idea from the previous Prime Minister, Tun Mahathir. Well done him! You’ve definitely got to try it out…

We then took the cable car down to the entrance and decided to have lunch at the Kuah Jetty which was a twenty minute drive from where we were. We went to the food court close to the Kuah Jetty and found this little place selling Nasi Campur with all sorts of dishes. I had Daging Masak Rempah and Serai…and also Masak Lemak Nangka. It was so good…that I had two helpings of rice...there goes my healthy regime! Urggghhhh

Later we went to the jetty to get tickets for the Snorkeling activity. It was a bargain…Snorkeling trip to Payar Island (one of the little islands around Langkawi)…RM110 per person inclusive of Hotel Pick-up, Ferry Ride, Lunch and all the activities…went back to the chalet feeling excited for tomorrow’s activities. Decided to stop by the Mahsuri Tomb... we were lost believe it or not... and we blame the sign boards... and the new look to the Mahsuri Tomb... it's now called Kota Mahsuri! We were charged RM3 for the entrance fee and an additional RM2 to bing in the camera...and GOD it has changed a lot! It did feel a bit eerie as we entered... not sure why. But as soon as we left the tomb, we felt a bit more comfortable and decided to get ourselves some banana fritters as we were hungry... AGAIN! And guess what... just so happens that the Banana Fritters seller is SAS's cousin. Apparently she used to take care of him and his brother when they were small...conincidence or what? Very nice lady...and she even threw in free Banana Fritters for us heheheh. After a quick chat we decided to leave for the chalet and promised we'd be coming to her place tomorrow for dinner.

Had a little rest back at the chalet and later decided to spend time at the beach. While “lepaking” at the beach…we suddenly had this idea of trying out the Paraglide….we were fortunate to be offered the newer version of the paraglide which launches the person and lands back on the boat itself so it avoids you having to launch yourself or to land on the beach coz if things go wrong… you might end up falling badly! We managed to get it for RM75 per person…and GOD that was one of the best experiences I’ve had…being up high in the sky…it was just fantastic! Another definite recommended activity! By the time we got back to the chalet, it started raining…so we went indoors and had our showers and rested before going off to do a bit of shopping and dinner.

We went back to Kuah town and did a bit of pre-shopping…and surveyed the prices of items we wanted to buy. Once that was out of the way…we went to a restaurant down by Pantai Tengah next to the chalet called The Lighthouse…a hip and trendy beach restaurant with good food. I had one of the best Rib Eye Steak that evening…succulent, well cooked and very tasty! Okay it might be slightly expensive but hey… it’s my birthday! Didn’t really care then…I had about 3 hours left before the day is over so…might as well pamper myself the best that I can… heheheheh The bill came to about RM200…it was worth the money most definitely!

We then walked over to the chalet and had an early night as we had to wake up pretty early the next morning as the bus will be picking us up in the wee hours of the morning… well not that early… but hey, we’ve got to get ready and that takes time!....One things for sure...it was one of the best birthdays I've had...THANK YOU EVERYONE!