Langkawi
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Accomodation- Alamanda Villas Langkawi
Dinner- Pia's the Padi
Karting- Morac Adventure Park
TL;DR
Day 1
Flight to Langkawi
Typical Airsia Flight- delayed. Candy Crushed my way to the island
Cable Car
Barely any queue and it was pretty clear why with the erratic weather alternating between fog and microscopic rain. And microscopic here refers to the droplets, not the quantity. We were brave/stupid enough to venture across the SkyBridge, which first entailed a trecherous hike down mountain stairs, then a zero visibility section of torrential rain as we walked between the mountains. But as you'll see, our rationality was inversely proportional to our Olympiad medals- a common theme that let us maximize our suboptimal situations.
Ultimate Experience
Waterfall Trespassing
Already drenched and on the west of Langkawi, we dropped by the legendary Temurun Waterfall. After a roughly 10km drive through nowhere, and going straight past the waterfall itself, we found a strangely deserted psudeo-park. Closed for monsoon? Well, a little red-and-white tape is no match for us soldiers. Besides a pair of honeymooners, the entire waterfall area, resplendent with thousands of Google reviews, was bereft of the vestiges of tourism. No giftshops harking trinkets, no noisy children, no photographers (besides me) getting the perfect shot. For that moment, it was just OUR waterfall, all the volume and splendour only for us. The morning rains just compounded the grandeur. After a few wows and a lot of selfies, we dragged our soggy selves back into the car. Only issue- it wouldn't start. A little Googling later, we found ourselves literally pushing the rented Nissan up and down the parking lot. Thankfully someone had the sense to call the rental company and after half an hour of pouting in the rain the damn thing finally started
Just as advertised- rustic and spacious without being opulent. Honestly a 6-man villa for SGD323 per night is a steal. The perfect place to hang out, watch football and do dumb stuff (which we did plenty)
Probably a sunset-watching restaurant. Was almost completely empty when we arrived (after sunset). Navigating to Pia's Padi is a challenge in itself. We missed a turn, looped back, drove through the narrow dirt roads of an actual padi field, turned into a rundown building and questioned our sanity, all before even spotting the restaurant. Anyway, Pia's is supposed to be full (according to the owner at least) and the food is the reason why. We were given free flow of rice to accompany the unbelieveably rich curries. Every dish was fantastic, particularly the fish curry- with tender shreds of fish in every spoonful. At ~RM40/pax, it's an umissable dining experience, best enjoyed just before dusk.
Supermarket
A 8km drive to this random Chinese-run psudeo-supermarket. It's a spartan mom-and-pop style store. As with the rest of Langkawi, there's cats everywhere- in the middle of the walkway, lounging in baskets and on the cashier's counter. Speaking of cashier, she might have been laughing at our frivolous expenditure. Racking up RM250+ in grocery spend is quite the accomplishment. Until now, I'm still unsure where the money went.
Day 2
Breakfast
Our "in-house chef" had early reville to make full use of the kitchen. Now I know why Mom hates open kitchens- the whole house was greasy after frying a few pieces of chicken. Guess Yekai is prepping to be a househusband.
Snorkelling
Chartered an entire boat, which gave us the privacy to be stupid. Honestly, between pollution and sediments, there wasn't much to see. Three fish species at most. Might have had to fork out for the marine park for better views. Even throwing bread is not a guarantee of fishes, such is the tourist:fish ratio. But had quite a lot of fun fooling around on the ride and trying (in vain) to catch the local fish. Views alone is worth the boat fare.
Driving
Driving is mandatory in Langkawi. With the rural distances and an absence of public transport, there's simply no other way to get around. Not to mention, the journey is really part of the experience. From breathtaking ocean views (after we missed a turn and looped around the whole island) to the winding forest roads, the (mostly) empty roads of Langkawi are a pleasure to cruise (or speed) along. Locals move along at a leisurely pace, so everyone can leave the stress and road rage at home.
Vegetarian restaurant in a country club. Slightly pricey (RM40+ per pax) and mostly patronized by white tourists. Didn't see any fat frogs around but do remember to pet the lazy dog. Good variety of food, assuming you're alright with vegetarian.
Shoes
Oof, they really stank.
Stench Generator
An unplanned excursion borne of boredom. Adjacent to the airport, the track location isn't convenient. But the purpose-built circuit was well worth the drive. At RM230 for the 30 minutes sprint race, the prices are on the higher side. Making up for that, staff were professional and go-karts very well maintained. Better yet, the monsoon season meant almost no waiting time. The track is technical (used for actual races too), causing some of my friends to be repeatedly reunited with the barricades. Should take about 10 laps for a recreational karter to familiarize with the layout. Wide track enables safe and easy overtaking. My only gripe was the visible tyre degradation from the clockwise circuit. For the competitively-minded, lap timings are automatically emailed and also displayed on the LED screen above the finish line.
Overall a really fun experience, with some of my friends crashing non-stop. Good competitive amusement for all of us, expensive as it may be. Not many proper circuits allow races for just 5 pax, so we really found a gem here.
Dinner (Grill)
Quite a meh experience- just another tourist-centric eatery in a tourist-centric street. Not writing much here cause it's forgettable. There's a significant disparity in standards and pricing for tourist and local eateries, which just highlights the level of prosperity/lifestyle of the Langkawians
Cats
They're everywhere. We even lured one into the house. Not sure if feeding it two servings of chicken is healthy. Especially compared to Greece, the felines here are quite docile, and seem very keen on human attention.
Day 3
Breakfast
What's better than Honey Stars and Milo while overlooking padi fields?
Mangrove
Booked a cheap guided tour. As per Malaysian punctuality and Langkawi industriousness, it started an hour late. Turns out to be the same village as our snorkeling. Just like snorkeling, the best part of the tour was the ride through mangroves. Feeding monkeys and eagles was mildly amusing. A nominal entry fee applies to enter the bay caves- though the missing handrails and construction detritus makes me wonder where the fees really went. Not a whole lot to see, besides the odd lounging monkey and a lot of sleeping bags.
Lunch (Floating)
Might have been the notorious RM1200 restaurant, but still the prices were fair for a gimmicky eatery. Nothing special about it besides creaky planks and generally shoddy construction. By this point I had seen enough mangroves to be disillusioned. But not our choice tho- we were quite literally captive audiences