Langkawi: Escape to Burau 2008

This has to be the biggest, most anticipated outing yet for Ying’s family. “Escape to Burau” was a 3-Day-2-Night trip to Langkawi. Headcount was 13 adults and 2 children.

Day 1

We took the 8:15am ferry from Penang to Langkawi on 27-Apr-08. It took us almost 3 freezing hours. Upon arrival, we met up with Sam (contact him at 012-5293663) who operates a tour and car rental business. We had pre-booked 2 Toyota Innova MPVs at RM160 each. Sam was very accommodating and cordial, and quickly joined in our Hakka conversations.

We had a simple lunch at Kuah town and after some quick shopping, we were off to our first tourist spot – Beras Terbakar (Field of Burnt Rice). History tells of Datuk Karma Jaya ordering the people of Langkawi to set the rice granary on fire to deny the Siamese invaders food back in 1821. What was left was merely a miserable plate of burnt rice. We took a group photo on the stairs of a traditional Malay house. It was then that Gabriel felt his calling to put out the fire of the burning rice, sending his urine cascading down the stairs. Good job to the fireman!

Next stop was the Ancient Tomb of Ulu Melaka, it was not on the GPS map, and neither did we find road signs to lead us, most probably raided.

Next on the itinerary was Makam Mahsuri (Mahsuri Mausoleum). It is a complex with museum, auditorium, well-preserved traditional Malay houses, Mahsuri’s Well, and an aviary. It was the children’s first encounter with a peacock with tail fanned.

The last stop before heading to the resort was Langkawi Underwater World. It had undergone lots of changes since my last visit about 5 years ago. Among the new additions were a giant anaconda, seals and penguins. We were sort of short changed as the Underwater World lost some 600 fish including stingrays, barracudas and sharks due to poisoning in September 2007. Gabriel spotted a mudskipper in one of the tanks.

We reached Berjaya Resort at about 5:00pm. Ying had earlier called up to inform of late check in. We were shocked to learn that there was no reservation made under Ying’s name. The hotel staff managed to find us 6 rooms and also helped us save by downgrading a room from triple to double. The double-bed chalets have a double bed and a sofa bed which sleeps one adult comfortably.

The shuttle van transported us to our rooms. The chalets were smack in the middle of the forest. However, due to some shortsightedness, our rooms were quite dispersed. Walking from room to room was quite tiring as the roads were quite winding and hilly.

We drove to Orkid Ria Seafood Restaurant at Pantai Cenang for dinner. Food was good and reasonably priced too. After dinner we took a stroll and did some window shopping.

Day 2

We had breakfast at the resort. There was a good spread of food. They also cook to order omelette and puree. We had booked a boat that could take all of us for Island Hopping through Sam. Departure was set at 9:00am from Awana Porto Malai jetty. However, we only arrived at about 9:45am as everyone had to make a deposit at the ‘bank’.

First stop was Dayang Bunting Lake. The boat ride was fast and exhilarating! Several boats were headed the same direction and we were like racing. From the drop off point, we had to hike to the lake. Near the jetty, Gabriel saw mudskippers in its natural habitat. It was tiring, as I had an extra 14kg on me – Gabriel. The swim in the lake was refreshing after the hot and sweaty hike. There used to be many catfish that tickle people’s feet near the banks. Now some other type of fish dominate the waters. I did not dare to try. Some had a swim, and some went boating. By 11:00am, it was scorching hot. Time to get back to the boat, but before that, another hike.

From Dayang Bunting Lake we hopped on to Pulau Singa Besar. No we did not really set foot in the island, but our boat stopped in the middle of the sea. The boat man threw chicken meat into the water for the eagles. Many eagles can be seen hovering above, and occasionally diving for the catch.

We were all too tired to hop further. So we headed back to Awana Porto Malai jetty. Just before docking, Ying saw something in the sea popping up and down. They were dolphins! Ying had to wake Gabriel from sleep to catch the rare sighting. The boatman brought us back out to the sea to get closer. We saw many more, usually in pairs. They were grey with pinkish coloration on the nose. We were all tired but the dolphins revived our drooping spirits. It was a great finale to Island Hopping.

We went to Kuah town for lunch. I had a sore throat and fever. The nearest clinic was closed for lunch. So I had to make do with paracetamol. It started to rain and we scrambled back to our MPVs and headed back to the resort. After taking a hot cup of Ho Yan Hor tea and a nap, I felt better. It was time for some beach fun. Some lazed around the poolside. Some played beach volley. The children played sand. Loong became half a sandman. Kevin caught crabs for the kids. Ying and Gabriel took a walk on the floating jetty.

It was back to Pantai Cenang for dinner. We decided to try out Fat Mum Seafood Restaurant. Fat Mum is the chef. Fat Papa was the waiter who took our order. Fat Mum’s recipes were special and tasty. We ordered 2 fish dishes (using 2 different types of fish) among others. Fat Papa came back to us and said the grouper was a whopper and can be used for 2 different dishes. The whopper turned out to be just a fry. Fat Papa’s poor estimation left a few corners in our stomachs unfilled. Fat Papa should open a vegetarian restaurant instead.

Day 3

After breakfast, the children went for a swim in the pool – naked. It was like a nudist camp. They had a splish-splash-sploshing fun time. There were some beach toys left at the poolside. But Gabriel wanted to take custody. Then we all adjourned to the bar to claim our complimentary welcome drink. A farewell drink should be more appropriate. After packing up, we took our last roller coaster ride back to the resort lobby. We had lunch at Kenny Rogers’ restaurant. Then we hurried to board the ferry. There was a delay due to an air-conditioning malfunction. It was hot and stuffy in the ferry, as good as a sauna, unlike the Penang-Langkawi leg. Many left their seats and went to the deck.

On the whole, “Escape to Burau” lived up to expectations, putting aside hiccups which were beyond our control. We had great fun together. Until the next escapade……"rolling, rolling!"

More photos at http://picasaweb.google.com/cheahyuniq/LangkawiEscapeToBurau2008


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