yours truly,: say oh! la la..say oh! part II

Oh la la Langkawi..!
Put a bunch of 20 year-olds on a parent-less 5-day holiday in a legendary island of sorts and all you'll get is a memory that's pretty hard to forget.
Put a bunch of 20 year-olds on a parent-less 5-day holiday in a 5 star resort of crystal clear blue water, sandy white beach, scorching bright sun, million of stars and green, tranquil forest, you'll get a memory that you'll never forget.
Now, add airplanes, road trips, digital cameras and *ahem* very cheap duty-free stuff, that's a memory you'll never ever forget.
Thank you Langkawi, for your generous hospitality.

pictures are courtesy of four cameras, mine, yi jiang's, li wei's and woei jye's.

Day 1
Woohoo ! My very first time on an airplane. Finally got to go to K.L.I.A. to send myself off instead of other people. I get to check-in, mind you. A slight case of nerves at the beginning, but totally enjoyed it, considering the view from up there is absolutely wonderful. Gracias for disturbing me all the way and filling my head with horrifying scenarios of crashing and burning.

Upon landing and collecting our Renault 7-seater in fiery red, off we went, with maps in hand to the Underwater World. 25 bucks is a bit pricey, but what the heck. Cute waddling penguins, sleeping beavers and humongous fish made my day!

Man, Berjaya Langkawi Beach and Spa was incredible. Full of Mat Sallehs, foreigners and rich-looking people, to say that we were out of place would be one huge understatement. I can sense them thinking, Must be datuks' and datins' sons and daughters la, if not how to afford?!

Our chalet was one of the last few at the very top of the hillside where chalets are built in and around pristine forests, accesible by a narrow road only meant by their hotel buggies. 24-hour service, where you need only call them and they'll come pick you up right at your doorstep.

I absolutely adore the place. I couldn't think of anywhere else to be.It's like my own version of heaven. A beautiful beach, hotel-like interior(with lots of pillows, now that may seem like a small thing, but trust me, it's important) and a jungle-like exterior. Trees all around! Monkeys may even sneak into the room if you aren't watchful. Saw a family of them, but they were kind enough to leave us alone.

This here is my idea of a perfect evening.

And the rest thought I'd gone bonkers or was depressed or something. No worries, I was not!

Step onto the resort beach in the afternoon and it's like you've been transported to an Australia or US. Bikini-clad women and half naked men laze around sunbathing. No Asians in sight. Probably all cooped up in air-con rooms, God forbid they should let the sun touch them.

Day 2

We went driving 'round the island, stopping by at tourist destinations along the way. Tiring but fun, Hot, bothered but educational. Pictures galore!

First up, The Seven Wells waterfall. This one is located halfway up the hill. Cool, clean water!

Black Sand Beach. The whole beach wasn't black but there were spots of black here and there la.

Caught in the act of stealing some sand. Hey, can't blame me for wanting some sort of souvenir without having to pay. There's plenty to go around anyway!

Air Hangat Village.

Just a little well with bubbling water. Supposedly contain the highest amount of sulphur in the whole of Southeast Asia.

Durian Perangin Waterfall. Huffed and Puffed all the way up to see this.

Makam Mahsuri, or rather, Kota Mahsuri was surprisingly entertaining and educational. The fact that her descendents are still alive lends a mysterious aura of fact blended with fiction around the infamous story of her being framed and of course, her white blood and curse. No photos inside the museum, but took some outside though. There were wooden houses there, of which, it seems, used to be residences of Mahsuri and the people connected to her, and her story.

As luck would have it, we managed to catch the sunset over at the Eagle's Square. Marvelous!

Day 3

The whole day was spent on what was an interesting and overall, fun Island hopping trip. Thank goodness it was a bright and sunny day. So bright that by the time we were done, we were barbequed beyond help.

Got dunked whilst on a Banana Boat ride in Tasik Dayang Bunting, a beautiful fresh water lake. While wearing a life jacket of course. (I'm not That adventurous, I don't wanna drown!)

Have you ever had fish tckle your feet? You should. You just might scream your head off.

Stopped by at the Beras Basah Beach.

And watched feeding eagles.

Exhausted, off we trooped back to the chalet and stayed there til dinner time.

Late at night, we stayed up at the beach, watching the millions of luminous stars that seems so near and surreal. I even caught a falling star! (not literally, of course) of which I wished a little wish. Played silly campfire games and made so much noise that thank goodness the other chalets weren't so nearby, or else we'd have beach slippers thrown at us.

Day 4

Went on the cable car ride up to Mount Mat Cincang. The view up there is simply breathtaking. Indescribable.

There's a suspension bridge up on the mountain too. Not your usual rackety wooden bridge, bear in mind, you're hundreds of feet from the ground; but a steel one, beautiful, nonetheless.

This sign on the bridge had me burst out laughing. Amusing. I'm sure it succeded in deterring people from climbing.

After rounds of shopping for souvenirs, liquour and chocolates ( I went home with 2 bags), we drove, okay, sped to the nearest beach, Pantai Chenang, I think, with take-away McDs to catch the last sunset in Langkawi. We did reach there in time, but the dang clouds covered the sun. And the numerous mosquitos spoilt the fun a little. Not as romantic as it seems. Oh well.

Day 5

Almost woke up late( courtesy of us going to bed only at 5 a.m.) but managed to make the flight just the same.