Whenever someone mentions a South East Asian country, my mind pictures a great variety of food, beautiful landscapes, lots of cultural/religious sculptures, and colorful decorations. This is as per what I have seen on the internet. Over the past few years, I have become accustomed to Asian food like Indian, Japanese and Chinese. Chapatti ranks number ONE in my books and sushi is doing pretty good up there too, so my taste buds were fired up about this trip. I have this Chinese traditional dress called a ”Cheongsam” that I acquired from my sister a few years ago, and I finally found the perfect destination to wear it. Score! The fact that Malaysia is visa-free for me is also a big factor that made me choose this country. I have encountered visa problems before but that is a story for another day.
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Flying to Malaysia was the longest flight I have ever taken. It took me a total of 12hrs! I had a 5-hour flight to Doha, Qatar where I had a layover for an hour then a 6-hour flight to Kuala Lumpur airport. Getting to Kuala Lumpur wasn’t the end of our journey, nah-ah. Our destination was an island in the western part of Malaysia called Langkawi. So that meant we had to catch another one-hour flight from Kuala Lumpur to Langkawi Island. This was about to be one heck of an adventure!
I will start by saying Langkawi is a duty-free Island, you will find a lot of duty-free shops here selling products like chocolates, alcohol, cigarettes, perfume, kitchenware, bags, etc at very low prices. The government made it duty-free in 1987 to help promote tourism in the area. Chocolates that sell for $5 in my country were going for less than $1 here. This made me doubt those so-called duty-free shops in airports, their prices always seem higher if not the same as other regular shops. Apart from being duty-free, the landscape in Langkawi is mesmerizing. The first thing I noticed before we even touched down was the several islands with thick lush rainforests surrounding the main land. The island is an archipelago of 99 islands! So this means there is a lot to explore.
The weather at the island is warm and humid, like in the Kenyan coastal region. I’m assuming February would be considered part of their sunny season because it was hot when we arrived. The weather in Kuala Lumpur was somewhat the opposite because it was raining a bit when we landed there. The rains in Kuala Lumpur were only lasting for about 2 hours and then the sun would come out, making it look like it never rained in the first place. This is exactly what happens in the Kenyan coastal regions. One thing about me, I love the tropical warm weather because the good lord knows I don’t do well in cold weather, I can’t say the same for my partner though. I even get sick when I’m around AC for too long.
The first thing we noticed was how cheap the services were on the Island. Our first stop was at Starbucks in Langkawi airport (after promising myself I will only be eating Malay local food) and we noticed that it was way cheaper than any Starbucks we have ever been to. Our taxi ride to our hotel was also cheaper than what we expected. The budget traveler in me was already doing backflips at this point.
It took me more than a day, scouring through booking.com trying to pick a hotel, so I couldn’t wait to see how the hotel looked like in person. I tend to be very indecisive sometimes. I’m the kind of person who can take hours trying to decide between a brown and a nude-brown dress of the same design, so this can make decision-making a nightmare for me but I’m working on it.
Our hotel (Aloft Hotel Langkawi) was very chic and modern. We had this open-air reception that had a snack area, gaming area, a bar, and colorful/modernly designed lounging chairs. On the third floor, we had a massive infinity pool with a restaurant/bar and a health club/ children playing area. You could tell that it was designed for family and friends stays. The hotel was a 5-minutewalking distance to the beach and the hotel would provide free transport to the beach on a golf buggy, so cool. There was even a timetable for different activities every day arranged by the hotel like cooking classes, cocktail making classes, Aqua Zumba, Coloring classes etc. The hotel staff had this way of greeting us where they put their arms across their chest and made a little bow. I’m assuming that was Malay culture and a symbol of respect. Similar to my Kalenjin culture, when an elderly person greets you, you are supposed to slightly bow your head then the elder taps your head or shoulder. This is a sign of respect and receiving blessings from the elderly.
The views from our hotel were fantastic. From our balcony, we could see the lush green hills next to the ocean in the distance. Next to our hotel was a dense tropical rainforest. It felt like a whole new experience being next to the ocean and a rainforest at the same time, this is one of the major things I love about South East Asia. Back home these two terrains don’t appear in the same location. In fact, the only tropical rainforest in Kenya is found in Kakamega, so imagine fusing that with Diani.
On the first day we arrive at a destination, we usually set aside that day to just relax but my legs were itching to start moving around, it’s like I run on fuel when it comes to exploring new territories. I made an itinerary for our entire stay in Malaysia because I didn’t want to miss out on anything. I did extensive research on the place, and the only thing remaining was for me to start speaking the Malay language.
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First thing on the list was to try a famous Thai restaurant on the island. My partner couldn’t stop raving about how much he loved Thai food, so Wan Thai restaurant was the perfect place. On checking the restaurant’s website (which I will recommend to ALWAYS do before jumping in that car) it wasn’t opening until 6 pm. Another piece of advice from me, always check a restaurant's reviews, opening/closing hours and a need for reservation to avoid disappointments. My partner got me hooked on always reading the reviews first, something I never used to do and it has proven very helpful. I will also recommend Google offline map which has always been a lifesaver on all my trips. As a back-up plan, we went for some drinks at Hidden Gems, another famous restaurant/bar by the beach. I had everything all figured out, you can already tell the kind of person I am from this. I will give out my itinerary to anyone interested. I will also draft a rough budget at the end of this article for the curious ones.
Hidden Gems is a very nice spot that we ended up going to a couple more times. Their cocktails and dishes were spot on. They mainly serve western cuisines and if you come later in the evening around 9 pm, they have fire shows in front of the bar, right on the beach. It tends to get full during this hour because of the fire show so make sure to come a bit early to get seated.
Later in the evening we headed to Wan Thai restaurant. It was on the southern part of the island called Kuah, and it took us around 30min to get there. Langkawi is a small Island, so a 30min drive covers a large stretch of the island. I will mention that our hotel was located at the Pantai Cenang area and this is where the best night life was and probably the biggest public beach. This would be agood place for a first timer to stay because of access to so many things.
This would be my first time trying Thai food, so I didn’t know what to expect. We saw a lot of locals flooded at the Wan Thai restaurant, so we knew we were at the right spot (This rule applies in my home country as well, always follow the locals).I made my order as per the menu review I had seen on the internet. I had Tom yam soup as an appetizer and vegetable curry as my main dish. I remember our taxi driver saying how good the Tom yam soup was, so I was very eager to try it. One thing about me when in a new destination, I will always ask the taxi drivers for recommendations on various things as they interact with many tourists.
My Tom yam soup arrived. It was prawns and other seafood in a soup that was served in a hot pot. They literally lit a fire under the pot. My vegetable curry came too and long story short, I ended up eating my partner’s food because mine was too “Kienyeji” for my taste buds. This is what you get for being too adventurous, haha. So there went my first Thai food experience.
Now I am going to skip to the activities that we engaged in at the island or else I will end up writing a novel.
Sky Cable car/ Sky Bridge walk
If you ask anyone what activity to do in Langkawi, this will be the first one on the list. The Langkawi sky cable car is 2150 meters long and climbs 708 meters high. It’s almost like going up Burj Khalifa on a cable car. It was awarded the Longest Free Span Mono-Cable Car in the world by the Guinness World Book of Records. By free span mono-cable, they mean that the cable cars are only supported by a single rope all the way up. They should have made us sign an indemnity form for this one. Expect magnificent views high above the tree tops of the dense 10-million-year-old tropical rainforest. This would be my first time in a cable car, first time for many things here eh? I am scared of heights, so being elevated 708 meters in a little cabin on a long single rope is something I wouldn’t go doing every day. The views along the way were however spectacular. This was the best way to get a glimpse of the Island. My main attraction to this island aside from the food and culture was how beautiful the landscape was. It is the most beautiful island I have been to yet. The hills with the dense rainforest next to the ocean was a whole vibe. This island sprang from a series of volcanic activities so the soil is pretty fertile, that explains the thriving rainforests. I noticed that the sand on the beach was a little different from that back home. It had a little brown hue and the sand was of bigger fine particles. I’m used to white sandy beaches with finer particles, so I could spot the difference right away. There is a beach herewith black sand as well, I have heard of black sandy beaches but never came across one before. I was also amazed by the fact that there was barely any seaweed in the water, which made such a huge difference too.
Once you are at the top of the sky cable car station, next to it is the sky bridge walk. You can choose to take a little elevator to the bridge or take a walking path and interact with monkeys. The bridge is anchored on two opposite hill sides at an elevation of 660m. It is one of the longest curved pedestrian bridges in the world – here we go again with the world’s biggest/longest/highest hullabaloo. The views here are phenomenal. What fascinated me the most about the sky bridge walk was this massive hill covered in vegetation that was very close to the bridge, I felt like an ant looking at it. I’m so scared of heights I had to walk in the middle of the bridge and not look sideways. It didn’t help that the bridge was a little bounce when you walked fast. There were sections on thebridge where glass was put so that you can look beneath the suspended bridge. I really put my fear of heights to the test with these two activities.
Telaga Telujuh Waterfall
This is located about 5 minutes from the sky cable car station, it is also known as the seven wells waterfall. It will take you about 15-20 minutes to hike up a series of steep stairs to get to the waterfall. The way I was huffing and puffing along those stairs made me question my fitness level. People come here to sunbathe and slide on some rocks into some little pools formed above the waterfall. The waterfall didn’t have a lot of water because we had come during the dry season. I heard it’s quite a spectacle during the rainy season. You can choose to hike up further to a mountain called Machingchang. This will take you roughly 2 hours to get to the top. The way I was struggling up those stairs, no way was I making it to the top of a mountain, so we chose to relax by the falls. I remember raving about how much I wanted to go on an intense hiking session on this trip but I underestimated the strength and will power required for such an activity. The last time I went on a hike was probably a year ago. The dry season is the best time to go hiking here because during the rainy season, it gets dangerous. People get stuck in the mountains because of flooding or there is a risk of sliding and falling off the mountain.
Island hopping on a jet ski
I have never been on a jet ski before so this felt like it would be one heck of an adventure for me. I would equate the thrill of it to the Dubai desert safari I had. Driving a quad bike and jet ski is the closest I have ever been to driving a machine of any sort, I’m already getting goose bumps reminiscing it. This tour takes around 4 hours and we started at around 2 pm. The water was a bit choppy at first, but when we got close to the islands, the water was more still. I remember our guide mentioned that when there is a storm out in the ocean, the fishermen seek refuge between islands because the water there is calmer. An interesting phenomenon. We started by seeing the famous pregnant maiden island. It’s a group of hills that when seen from a distance, resembles a pregnant woman lying on her back. This island has a legendary story behind it, about a man who fell in love with a woman, and on bearing a child, the child died after a short while and was buried in the freshwater lake at the Pulau Dayang Bunting Island. The mother of the child later blessed all the infertile and childless women to conceive after bathing in the lake. This somewhat reminded me of the Island Te fiti in the Disney film Moana. I love a good legendary story.
We headed off to the Dayang Bunting Freshwater Lake. You are probably wondering, afresh water lake in the ocean? Yeap, the lake is surrounded by steep hills covered in tropical rainforests that separate the lake water from the salty seawater. Now how that occurred blows my mind. On this little island you can choose to swim, kayak, or have some fresh fruit juice at some of the fruit stands there. From this island, we hopped on our jet skis and went to check outa limestone rock formation in the middle of the ocean. It was quite massive and even had caves formed on the sides. From there we went to a place that was full of eagles and our guide would throw chicken skins at them. They would gather above us and swoop to get the chicken skins before they touch the surface of the water. We had another stop at some island where we relaxed then went back. I must say at the beginning I was really scared of being on a jet ski in the vast ocean, very far away from the shore. But after that experience, I’m surprised at the intensity of waves a jet ski can withstand before toppling. I would trust those things with my life.
Visiting Paradise 101 Island
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For as little as $20 per person, you get access to this private island off the main Island, where you can do activities like kayaking, jet skiing, swimming, beach volleyball, etc. , or just enjoy some meals and drinks on the beach. Need I mention the $20 includes kayaking? Its unbelievable how crazy affordable things are here. Of course, I did kayaking. I think this is my favorite water sport at this point. There is a restaurant and bar on the island, swings, cozy chairs where you can sit and enjoy the views as you sip on some cocktails. The Island is very small so you can walk across it in 20min or less. When it is not crowded, it can be the perfect spot for a little romantic getaway from the main island. There is a famous picturesque lighthouse not so far from the island. People go there to relax and even have a little picnic. I remember coming across a Komodo dragon as we were coming from the lighthouse. In the flash of a second, I thought I had seen a crocodile running up a tree. It happened so fast I thought I was imagining things. Apparently Komodo dragons are commonly found in South East Asian islands, and a little fun fact about them is that they can smell blood from 6 miles away. So ladies, better hope not to come across one of them during that time of the month or you could get confused as prey. Seriously though, in Indonesia they won’t allow you into Komodo Island when on your periods.
Shopping
Considering that this is a duty-free island, this is the best place to go on a shopping spree. There are many shops written Duty-free where goods are being sold at awfully cheap prices. Kitchenware, chocolates, clothes, alcohol, bags, etc. are heavily discounted.
Parasailing
Everyday in the late afternoons, you will see people parasailing at the Pantai Cenang beach. Now I have never been the one to obsess over water sports because they tend to be so expensive plus I have thalassophobia- which I must say is slowly dwindling because I’m experiencing a lot of sea excursions. The most water sporty thing I have ever done is kayaking and I love it. Me deciding to parasail was an impulse decision, when the people we were on the jet ski tour with said they were doing it. Plus it is not expensive here. I remember getting strapped onto the parachute and the boat speeding off as the parachute lifted me. Surprisingly enough, I was not nervous at all, probably because I was too excited. Being up there was so relaxing and I could see a big part of the island. The sun was also setting so the views were magnificent. I was just hoping the rope connecting me to the boat doesn’t snap otherwise I’d be sent flying off into the sunset. I could see the jet skis and boats looking so tiny beneath me. So this is how birds feel every day huh? This activity only cost around $50 which was relatively cheap compared to other places. In my country, something like this could easily go for $200 or more.
Fire show watching
Everyday from 9 pm, you will find fire shows in front of bars by the beach. The performances are done for 15 minutes after every 30min. This reminded me of the water shows in Dubai by Burj Khalifa, they had a similar policy where every day from 9 pm, they had the shows for 15 minutes after every 30 min. So is this like a thing now? They put on a really good show with music and all. It is a nice way for them to attract crowds to the bars by the beach. Good marketing and it also attracts tourists.
Clubbing
Now I have to mention this club we came across called Rockefeller. I’m surprised that in my research for clubs on the island, this club wasn’t popping up as much as I would have expected it to. They had a band called Rockefellers that would perform live band music. They mostly played Old-school jams, adding a twist of rock to them. It was always packed when they were performing and the energy was infectious. It turned out to be our favorite clubbing spot, we didn’t need to sample other clubs after experiencing this one. The service was also really good.
Here is a budget breakdown of what to expect at the island:
· Round trip flights from Kuala Lumpur cost about $140 per person
· Taxi rides were ranging from $4- $6
· Meals at restaurants were going for roughly $10 per person
· Accommodation varies depending on what you are looking for. You can choose to stay in a backpacking hotel and pay $10 per night or go to a fancy hotel and pay $1000 a night or even more. Air Bnbs tend to be cheaper than hotels especially if you are many people. But if you want to be spoilt and don’t want to lift a finger, then hotels work great. I will recommend booking.com, Airbnb app or hotels.com when looking for accommodation.
· Jet ski island hopping tour was probably the most expensive activity I did, it was somewhere around $130 per person. Remember you can always negotiate the prices of activities. We booked our activities through our hotel, or you can go to the beach and approach the tour guides selling tours. You better be good at negotiating skills for this one. Sky cable car starts from $8 per person depending on the type of cable car you want. There are VIP cable cars that cost around $20 per person. Sky bridge walk cost around $1 per person.
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