Tales of Langkawi III

Before my Langkawi Tales become basi, let me just post the last adventure here!!

Final Day

We decided the day before that we'd go around the Datai Bay area and check out the Temurun Waterfalls on our last day. It's been AGES since I went to a waterfall, and never in Langkawi. Since L and I wanted N to see the most of Langkawi (and N too, was open to anything), we gave the waterfall a shot. And we sure glad we did!!

Before cerita pasal waterfall, let me relate a funny incident at the hotel coffeehouse. L & N came down for breakfast first before we did and apparently the waitress kept bugging them for the breakfast coupon (which was with me). They kept telling the waitress to wait just a little bit as I was coming down in no time and bringing the coupons. It seems the waitress stopped L at the buffet line three times when she wanted to get food and sort of like threatening her "kalau tak de kupon, kena bayar kak..". L yang boleh tahan mak tiri jugak (hehe) said she ignored the waitress and buat muka dunno jek.

And finally when I came down with the coupons, L pun bagila the coupons to the waitress and told her sinisterly, "nak suruh saya bayar jugak ke??" hehe... marah akak tu!!

After we finished eating, I took out a food container which was earlier filled with some leftover brownies and muffins from KL and which we had already finished the day before. I wanted to refill the container (I know, tak de klasss kan?? hehe) with some muffins and buns from the buffet line. Just to have something to eat if the girls get hungry later. I asked L & N if they minded (ye lah, nanti malau lak kalau kena tangkap!!) and L said,"well, I've tried to be so sophisticated since we came but since the waitress treated me like I'm some kind of pompuan tak malu, I'm gonna act like one!" and she went to get plates of muffins and buns to fill up the container!! haha!! It was hillarious the way we were laughing and secretly trying to sorok2 what we were doing!!

The Datai Bay is something like 30 odd km away from Pantai Tengah where our hotel is. With L reading the a map, I drove (was the appointed driver the whole 3 days, L was the apponted map reader) leisurely asfter breakfast to get to the waterfall. We reached Datai Bay but couldn't find any signs to Temurun Waterfalls. Drove and drove until we reached a very quiet and secluded road... and tetiba saw the entrance to The Datai, a 6-star resort I've heard a lot of, but never been to.

Yang bestnya travel with ladies is that, bila rasa sesat je, we'd stop somewhere and ask for directions. It'd never happen with guys hehe. So, we decided to go to The Datai and ask directions from the hotel people. I waited in the car with N while L and my girls went down. Five minutes later they came back and told us, "wahhh the place is sooooo nice" (yelah, compared to our 3-star hotel, kan??). N and I decided that we too, want to have a look at the resort and so we parked the car and went inside. It was beautiful indeed. The typical resort filled with Mat Salleh's only coz they're the only ones who can afford it. And... the staff there were so nice... Before entering, we told the guys at the concierge if it was okay for us to just look around and they gladly welcomed us with big huge smiles.

So, we snap, snap pictures la... hehe. While walking to the car, we saw the entrance to The Spa. I suggested that we go have a look since I am SURE I'd never go back to the place ever again. And so we walked to the spa. There was one staff at the main reception who was again, soooooo nice. Genuine smile and called us Puan and not akak!! heheh...

The actual spa area is located in private villas scattered uphill. She invited us to have a look though I am pretty sure she knew we weren't going to patron the place. That was really nice of here. I mean, we were dressed in our Muslimah swimsuits with a t-shirt over!! How classy is that?? Still, she was sooo nice. I told the girls... see, only 6-star resort staff knows how to treat us as we should be treated!! (referring to how my friend L was treated at the breakfast buffet) hehehe

So, after the little visit to The Datai, coupled with directions from the staff, we found our way to Temurun Waterfalls. Have you been to a waterfall lately?? Was it clean or dirty?? I was surprised at how clean Temurun was, did not find ANY piece of plastic or bottles or any litter at all!! Again, the waterfall was masya-Allah, gorgeous!! Terpegun melihat betapa cantiknya ciptaan Allah!!

I think we were the first to arrive at the Waterfalls that morning. We had the waterfalls all to ourselves for a good 30 minutes before other people started to come, all of them Mat Salleh families. 20 minutes later, we decided to make a move as others started to come in.

We reached the hotel just in time to clean up and check-out at 1pm. Though we had checked-out, we could still use the rented car so we drove to Pantai Cenang for lunch. After lunch, dropped off the car at the car rental centre and had them drive us back to the hotel where the airport shuttle was waiting to take us to the airport.

Reached KL on Tuesday at 7pm and reached home at 8pm. The girls ponteng sekolah satu hari (exams were over) and we were back to the same old routine the next day. Sigh!!

It sure was a fun activities-filled holiday. If I have to describe Langkawi in a few words, I'd say it is a natural wonder in every sense.

pic above, bottom right -- the view of the main Datai Resort taken from the spa villas... gorgeous!!

Tales of Langkawi II

Day Two

Our trip was an AirAs*a Go H*lidays package, so the first half of Day Two was taken care off. On the itinerary was island-hopping!! Our first stop was at Pulau Beras Basah... beautiful island with such soft sandy beach. The wet sand almost felt like mud on our feet. Hampir-hampir nak bubuh atas muka!!

Next stop was eagle-feeding at Kilim mangrove area. Of course, we did not feed the eagles from our hands... instead the boatman threw chicken cuts on the water and this attracted the eagles. Being able to view the birds up-close, spreading their wings and descending ever so gracefully to pick up the food was a wonderful experience. It was not my first time, but I guess with the girls around this time, it made me marvel at this wonder with innocent eyes.

After eagle-feeding, we hopped to Tasik Dayang Bunting. I assume everyone knows the legend of the pregnant maiden right?? By this time, the sun was exactly on our heads!! Panasss!! The girls wanted to go on the boat ride at the lake, and since we had 45 minutes to kill, that's what we did. We took the water-cycle boat just the three of us... I kept thinking wow!! Masya-Allah... a lake within an island... isn't that something??

After Dayang Bunting, our boat made a pit-stop somewhere for fishing (not deep-sea fishing of,course). At first I was like... what?? fishing?? not interested!! hehe... but soon, when one of us caught a fish, the excitement began. The first to catch a fish was my friend N, followed by another friend, L. Pastu Misha got a fish!! Yeay!! She was thrilled!! She got a little ikan selar, I think... L managed to catch another fish, a 10-inch Talapia!! By this time, Maira and I was like... errr... how come we're not catching any fish nii?? Maira declared, "we're not leaving until I catch a fish!". Too bad for her (and me), we did not catch any fish till it was time to leave. Misha and N both caught two more. The fish was to be barbecued for us to savour later!!

Our next stop was of course, lunch under a hut at a little island. Perut dah teramat laparrr by this time. It was barbecued shrimp, crabs, chicken satay, stir-fried vege, fried meehoon and the star menu -- our catch!!

On our way back to the hotel, N, being the foreign tourist among us (a colleague, she has been in M'sia for two years but will soon resign from work. She will however come back to complete her PhD in UKM next year) insisted that we stop at Dataran Helang to snap a pic with the giant Eagle. Dah tak larat nak get out of the van dah by this time, but sebab nak menyampaikan hajat kawan, we stopped jugak and snapped pictures... It was scorching HOT by this time...

We went back to the hotel with the adults all flat and the children all psyched up to go to the pool!! So, after prayer break and a 10-minute terbongkang on the bed, we went swimming in the pool la pulakkk... hee hee... Mommy really needs to catch up with the kids' stamina nih!!

We chilled at the hotel pool for a while and later went out again. Wanted to visit the art galleries but all were closed by 6pm (why laa??). We took a drive around Pantai Cenang...quite happening this place since the last time I was there. Pusing-pusing, we decided to have dinner at the highly-recommended Hj Ramli Seafood.

And that was the end of Day Two.

Tales of Langkawi

Am back from Langkawi!! And I need a holiday to recover from the trip!! Hehe...

The five of us left for Langkawi on Sunday morning and reached the hotel before noon. Since check-in time was 3pm, we decided to rent a car and wasted no time in exploring the island. We got a Kancil to use until 10.30pm. As we were already feeling hungry at that time, our immediate mission was to stop for lunch on the way to Gunung Mat Chincang for the cable car ride.

And so lunch was at the Oriental Village. There were quite a number of restaurants offering Western, Greek and Mexican food among others, but we chose to satisfy our growling stomachs at a Nasi Kandar restaurant!! Kenyang!!

We had also considered having our lunch at The Loaf, but due to the limited space (the place was crammed - with only like 5 tables for patrons), the Nasi Kandar restaurant was our best bet!!

Alhamdulillah, the weather was kind to us throughout the trip. We were afraid it might rain since it was raining almost daily here in KL before we left. Tu yang kejar pergi cable car ride tu, as the service can be disrupted for days kalau bad weather...

We had to wait in line for almost an hour for the cable car ride!! We were told that it rained two days in row before that, so that explained the flood of people!! But the long wait was well worth it. The view from up there was breathtaking!! The blue sea and the blue sky seemed to merge into one... masya-Allah!!

After the cable car ride, off we went to Kuah town. Bought chocolates je... didn't shop for any of those pinggan-mangkuk/crystal though mata ni meliar-liar jugak (ok la, I DID buy a few things, macam tak real pulak la kalau tak beli apa-apa kan??) hehe... It was my friend who borong-ed barang-barang kat Hj Ismail Group tu... hehe

Dinner was at a seafood restaurant and by the time we were done, it was almost 10pm. Dropped off the car at the car rental and got driven back to the hotel. ZZzzzzzz... tidoq lena!!

to be continued...

Girls' exam results day

I was so glad I took leave from work last Thursday and Friday to attend my nephew's wedding in Janda Baik. It gave me the opportunity to spend some quality time with my girls in a relaxed atmosphere. The resort we stayed in was really nice too -- I'll post some pics in another entry.

However, we only attended the malam berinai and akad nikah and missed the actual kenduri as I rushed back to KL Saturday morning to go to the girls' school for Report Card Day.

The Report Card Day! -- I was quite nervous and anxious to know how my girls did in their first exam for the school year. The previous week, Misha had been telling Maira and me about the possibility of her getting first or second place in class -- her teacher had told her so, she said.

As for Maira, she told me that she thinks she'll finish off last -- as she's not confident in the Arabic and Islamic Studies subjects.

So, off I went to their school without any high expectations (for my own sake, really!). I went to see Misha's class teacher first. Misha actually did very well, getting A+'s and A's. But she did not get first OR second place. She was fifth in the class. This could be due to the only B she received for Arabic - 68 marks. Nevertheless, I was very happy that the very manja little girl who whines about almost everything did well in her first ever school exam. And according to the teacher the difference between first and fifth placing was about 4 points.

Next, Maira's class. Since she had been telling me that she might finish last, I was hoping that she'd at least get no. 10 ke... janganlah sampai berbelas-belas, kan? She actually came out third in her class. Her teacher complimented that Maira is a very bright and disciplined student. Alhamdulillah...

I immediately called the girls up -- my spirits were up and I was so proud of my girls (even though they didn't get first place, but...). Misha especially had been so excited about getting the results of her first big exam and had been telling me to reward her with presents.

On the phone, I told Maira she got third place and she was happy about it. But when I told Misha she got fifth place, she kept quiet. Then I heard soft sobs. She cried!!! My poor girl was actually very very sad that she did not get first or second place as she had expected (kenape la her teacher told her that when it's not confirmed...) I told her that I was so proud of her and that her results were really really good and told her that I'm coming back home to pick them up to get presents and have lunch somewhere.

I didn't realise that not getting first or second really hit Misha hard. She kept quiet in the car on the way to the mall. I had to assure her many many times that she had done really well! Kesian Misha...

The girls had wanted new schoolbags as presents, so I got them that (they actually used their old-but-still-nice looking bags at the start of the school year. Not that mommy kedekut, but tak nak membazir!)

Misha also wanted new colour pencils (they have tons at home, but I layan je la...), so got that for both of 'em. By the way, did you know that Faber Castell's 36-pieces colour pencils cost RM36??? Sooooo expensive, so I got them Stabilo's 48 pieces @ RM22.90. Jimat sikit!! Hehe... still good quality what? And with all the rising cost of everything from petrol to rice, cost-cutting measures are essential for survival!

Later, we went to Chili's for lunch. It was our first time there without daddy. I had been keeping away from that place since he's gone as it was one of our family's favourite eating places and I didn't want to go through yet another sense of 'loss' by being there without him. Ironically, that afternoon, it was me who suggested the restaurant to the girls. I felt strong. It's as though I wanted to test myself, really. I felt that if I could go to Chili's with my girls and be ok about it, then I am on the right track of moving on. And I made it ;-)

Sure, sometimes (all the time, actually) I wish that he's still around to watch how our little girls have grown and how much they take after him in so many ways. But I know that he ain't ever coming back for now and in that sense find comfort in that he is in a safe resting place, insya-Allah. I pray that Allah accept our prayers for him and bless his soul always. And I hope he knows how much we love him and that we miss him always...

Maira and Misha @ Chili's -- pix taken through Hannah Montana's 3D goggles.

Camerons IV: Garden Tea & Scones

One of the things I love about the place we stayed in Camerons -- Bala's Holiday Chalet was the fact that they serve tea in the gardens.

In fact, afternoon tea are served outdoors only (weather permitting, I suppose).

Of course, we had tea and scones... and some more tea and scones.

Simply cannot get enough of it!

For awhile, berangan kejap macam princess... ye lah... being served in my royal courtyard by loyal servants... hmmm... dream on!

Camerons III: I scream for ice-cream!

Home-made ice-cream with freshly plucked strawberries... mmm... yummy!

That's just yet another attribute to love about Cameron Highlands.

We went to one of the many strawberry farms called Kasimanis and had these...

Craving for one right now!!!

Camerons II: Boh Tea Plantation

A visit to Cameron Highlands would not be complete without a stop at the Boh Tea plantation.

The view is simply breathtaking!

The Tea Centre is a crowd-puller. Since my last visit some years ago, they have upgraded the observation deck and extended the cafe.

We had tea, strawberry cake, strawberry pie -- what's a visit to CH if you're not going to have tea and all sorts of foodstuff made out of strawberries!

The cool weather was perfect for a lazy afternoon, enjoying a nice cuppa tea while absorbing nature and admiring God's creation.

And of course, it was a joy to just chill out with my girls.

Perfect bliss...

A relaxing break @ Camerons

Wish the short getaway would never end!

The picture on the left is the view from our chalet.

Beautiful, isn't it?

We stayed at this quaint little English Inn-inspired Bala's Holiday Chalet, a former boarding school for European expatriate children which opened in 1934.

We had checked the place out the last time we were in the highland in 2003 (stayed at Strawberry Park then) and made a vow to stay there next.

Our visit this time around was without the integral person in our family... but he was with us in mind and spirit...

The girls and I were in Cameron with my elder sis. It proved to be a great place to relax and unwind, away from the hustle and bustle of the city -- and it was only a 3 1/2 hours drive away.

Pretty chalets in a row

The place was even more beautiful than I remembered.

The courtyard in front of our chalet - pic taken in the early morning

Look how carefree my girls were!!

More jottings and pictures from the trip in my next entry!

A much needed break...

Took the girls to the highlands over the weekend. It was a much needed break for me and for the girls too. It was a joy to just be with them and taking it easy... no rushing for this or that.


Jottings and pictures coming up soon!