Almost a Whisper

It was on the last days of Ramadan 28th of September 2008 when Ali Saadawi, the serious-looking guy below, and I, the guy on your right, decided to cut a last minute deal trip to Langkawi, a beautiful beach-resort island in Malaysia.

It all happened so quick.

We had only two days left to Eid vacation , and thus, we were in desperate need for a destination that would not require a pre-visa application from two people, a Lybian and a South Lebanese, who may or are suspiciously belonging to the so-called axis of evil. Surprisingly for both of us, Malaysia happened to be kind enough to award us at least one week of residence upon arrival to its airport. We had only four days of vacation, so the island of Langkawi in Malaysia was our destination of choice.

Abu Dhabi International Airport

We had our package arranged through a nice lady working at Etihad airlines in Abu Dhabi. Now besides any unexpected surprise one can anticipate in this trip, this lady has initially booked our tickets under the names of two Philippino guys instead of ours! And although I was happy that I paid attention to this small fact and had it fixed, I missed the other little fact where she mistakenly booked our private transportation from the airport to the hotel in Thailand instead! Enough with the blabbering for now.

Since our plane was to depart at 2 am early morning from Abu Dhabi, it was natural to come across sleeping faces and snoring noses around the waiting areas,

not to forget an occasional cup of Costa Coffee left on a table.

Time to fly, we take the shuttle bus and head to our plane.

Kuala Lumpur International Airport

So at 10 am in the morning we finally arrive to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, commonly known as KLIA, and also one of Asia’s major aviation hubs.

We had around two hours transit time before we take an internal flight to Langkawi, so we decided to check the airport inside out and snap few photos here and there.

We barely slept for the past 10 hours.

And to Langkawi we fly.

Langkawi

We arrived to Langkawi’s airport at 2 pm. Weather was beautiful, little bit humid though, but no matter where you look around you, green nature will stun you with its exaggerated presence. Now as I mentioned earlier, since it was already too late when we found out that our private transportation to our hotel was booked somewhere else in Thailand, we took a government cab to the hotel and had the chance to meet Osman the driver. A very nice Malay guy who we promised to call later for tour rides but did not. Osman, if you are reading this, then please know that it was my friend Saadawi who lost your number.

We had our traditional Malaysian-style chalet booked at Berjwai Resort, which sits on a beautiful 5-million rainforest fronting the ocean. I highly recommend it for anyone visiting Langkawi, it’s affordable, comfortable, and has excellent customer service. Below was the path to our chalet.

Our balcony was in the first floor to the left.

We had a quick snack in the resort’s main dining area.

You can use the shuttle bus to move around and get to your room, but we took a walk around the area instead.

And got to meet few of the nice people in the lobby.

Langkawi Water Falls

Our first destination the day after was the Langkawi water falls, a scenic and peaceful location for a picnic or simple relaxation. It took us around 30 minutes to climb hundreds of stairs before reaching the falls. It was definitely worth it, but the humidity was a killer!

Few more to go.

After a bit of relaxation and cooling our feet with the flowing water, we sneaked into the surrounding forest for a quick exploration.

Saadawi’s photo recommendation, a house smashed down by a tree.

No matter where you are in Langkawi, traces of rain are visible everywhere around you.

Came across this cute old lady on the way down. Nice thing about the people there is their willingness to offer you a smile at anytime

except for the lady with the coconut-slaughtering hand below. It tasted really good though.

Rice & Rubber Land

Rice is to the Asian what potatoes are to the Irish, so don’t be surprised when you see a lot of rice lands on the sides of the roads in Langkawi.

Rubber is a main export for Langkawi, so you get to see its woods spread across large areas in Langkawi.

Underwater World

Next destination was the Underwater World, one of the largest marine and fresh water aquaria in South East Asia.

I would not have been able to take some of the photos below if it wasn’t for my Canon 28mm F1.8 fast lens.

Yousif

Meet Yousif, our tour escort throughout our whole stay. We met Yousif on the first day when we hired his cab to go for dinner at a sea food restaurant. Father to two kids, has very wide knowledge on the history of Langkawi and Malaysia, and all its tourist destinations, and best of all, speaks English very well. He was kind enough to take us around all Langkawi every single day, and entertain with his stories on every ride. If you ever go to Langkawi and require a good tour escort, I suggest you contact him on +60614347188.

Langkawi River Cruise

Next destination was the river cruise, where you hire a boat and it takes you through the Kilim river. The views of the forests lying down on slopes around you is nothing short of stunning, at least for me.

Meet our boat driver, Ali (now we have three Ali’s on one boat). He took us to the fish breeding farm, bat caves, and an area where you get to see Eagles fishing in the river.

The closest I could get to a photo of the bats in the absolute dark cave.

Did I forget to mention that monkeys are everywhere in this island?

Para Sailing

We could not resist trying it out and observing Langkawi from a higher perspective.

As hesitant as i was, and as risky as it could get, I insisted I take my camera with me on this parasail ride, and it was super damn worth it!

Oriental Village

A small resort surrounded by greenery and flowers, built in a classic manner, slightly similar to English houses. It acts as an entrance to the Langkawi Cable car.

We had our last good bye dinner with Yousif at Kenny Rogers.

Kuala Lumpur

We had few hours to spend in Kuala lumpur before departing back to UAE, so we took the KL Express and headed there.

Back to Reality

It was a beautiful trip by all means, and I highly recommend the place for anyone desiring a peaceful and relaxing short vacation. It would be difficult not to come across its very nice and welcoming people,

its beautiful unspoiled nature,

its scapes,

and it’s unforgettable sunset.

Yes Langkawi, I was here!