instead of staying at home and living voraciously online, we decided to pack our bags and left home for a weekend trip.
it was short and spontaneous. we didn't plan lots of things. we just made sure we had a place to stay when we got there. so only the hotel that was booked in advance. we managed to get a nice one with cheap rate and in good location.. the rest, we would find out when we got there. not so many stories to tell as the trip was just 2 days, yet there are some photos to show around.. E.N.J.O.Y...
as long as my bag isn't too packed, there's always a room for BB to join the trip.
the ferry from satun to langkawi took 45 mins. quick, smooth and air-con. (but honestly i don't like it. i prefer an open-air slow boat. it felt safer riding on an open air boat. the air-con boat, i felt suffocated.)
we moved in a slow pace after getting off the ferry. wading thru the immigration, we walked around inside the duty free shops checking on things.. then, got out of the building, looking for a car to rent. the best and cheapest way to roam around the island is renting a car. we got 'nasa', a small compact car which perfectly fit the 4 of us. then, we found our way to the hotel..
outside the building in the jetty
after checking into the room, my sis and i drove 'nasa' to the nearest gas station. we had no idea how to fill the gas and what kind of gas the car consumed. it was a little adventure driving a car there. in thailand you have an attendant to fill the tank for you. but here it's self-service. we randomly parked the car in front of a free gas tank. then i walked up to the counter checking with the guy if it was the right gas for the car. he said yes. i asked him how much i should fill. he asked me back, how much i needed. i told him 'half tank'. he calculated for me and gave me a bill with 25RM. then i walked up to the car, pulled off the gas hose with handle from the gas tank and plucked it into the car gas tank. as i pressed the handle, the gas started flowing into the car. it stopped when the number turn 25 RM. done!
then we drove into kauh market looking for a restaruant to buy our take away lunch.
getting back to the hotel, we fixed our lunch and got ready to hit the road.
a view from our room
our rented nasa
we didn't plan an apparent destination. we just drove along the road, to see where it led us.
our first stop was muhsuri museum.
then the craft center
we kept driving until it rained. we were looking for the black sand beach.
and we found it!
at twilight, we looked at the map and found our way back to town. we got lost, stopped at a minimart to ask the locals for the direction and bought some snacks. and finally we were back in town before it got dark.
arriving town, we looked for a restaurant to fixe our dinner. we picked an old chinese restaurant with lots of locals sitting and eating. we ordered foods from the pictures in the menu. not long after the old waiter left our table, our foods arrived. then we started feating on them. after dinner, we headed to a mall near the hotel. my sis wanted to shop for shoes. bro-in-law and i wanted some alcohols and chocolates. we bought different kinds of beer and chocolate. we even bought liquor chocolates. first night, we tried remy matin and chalau chocolate. remy matin was good, filled with more alcohol than chalau. after the shopping, (we paid for our beers and chocolates more than our dinner!), we head back to the hotel.
after some alcohol cheers with bro-in-law, i took a long hot shower and dozed off easily. next morning, i got up at 7.30 am, changed into runnnig gears and set off to run. i wore my pedometer watch but forgot the transmitter. so i knew how long i ran but i had no idea how far i made it. i ran leisurely from the hotel to the jetty, ran around the eagle statue, greeted with a couple of tourrists and then ran back to the hotel. the total time was about 1 hour.
as the room price included breakfast, we didn't need to go out fixing it. we just ate there slowly.. we had the whole day to pass.. i was tempted to go down swimming but too lazy and the weather was a bit cold and hazy..
late morning, it was time for phun to nap, so we retreated to the room, reading books. as it was raining, it's better to get the boy inside before he got too cranky..
later in the afternoon, we left the hotel with the map to look for a way to underwater world. while my sis, her hubby and phun were watchnig fish, i walked out into the rain to the second-hand bookstore we passed on the way to underwater world.. i managed to buy one cheap book.. good one... after finishing 'the girl who kicked the hornet's nest', i needed a new book to keep me hooked and occupied..
then we got back into town, drove past the hotel to the jetty. i walked around watching people and taking some photos..
we fixed dinner at the same chinese restaurant and retreated to the hotel. before calling it a night, we packed our bags and got ready to check out in the morning. at first we planned to take the afternoon ferry back to thailand but changed our mind. we took the morning one instead. but we needed to be at the jetty early to change our seats and boat.
