Langkawi

Hi! I’m back from Langkawi!

The trip was, how should I say? Gratifying, but expensive. I can’t believe that a two-night stay like that would cost us RM5k! And this is Cuti-Cuti Malaysia, ok? Belum lagi pegi oversea. And naik Firefly, bukan MAS. Kalau naik MAS, lagi lah mahal. Adoi…

Why is it so expensive, you may ask?
1) Every time we travel the whole family, we have to get 2 rooms. So, accommodation is double the price (and accommodation in Langkawi is NOT cheap, ok?).
2) Flight tickets ~ 6 adults + 1 infant (infant pun kena bayar, albeit minimal).
3) Meals kira “6 adults”; no more “2 adults + 4 children”.

So, that’s why it’s expensive. Ini belum masuk duit makan minum, shopping, transport and other misc. stuff. That’s why everytime after balik holidays, we will shaking our heads in disbelief while sipping Nescafe tarik kat kedai mamak.

Anyway, duit boleh cari, kan? Time spent with the family on holidays like this are precious. Kena lah sacrifice sikit. Here are some photos from the trip:

Langkawi Airport (at the back is our plane)

In the car going to the hotel

Me & Sri

The bungalow @ Meritus Pelangi

We arrived in Langkawi at 3.45pm on Saturday. The flight was ok, better than the Berjaya Air Fokker to Redang. Nizzar behaved quite well on the plane. I was afraid he would be running along the aisle, but thank god, he did not (I think, the new toys I bought did the work!).

We were met by my brother, A, at the airport, who had arrived earlier by ferry. I’ve asked him to pick-up our rented car from Kuah and meet us at the airport. We got an Innova for RM160 per day, thanks to my uncle who made the arrangement for us (usually, an MPV like that would cost >RM200 per day during school holidays.)

Checked-in at the hotel, then we went out again to makan in Kuah. We missed the akad nikah which were held at 5pm that day simply because we were tired. We thought of visiting at night, but my mum said, “Tak payah lah, malam ni tak ada apa sangat.” So, we decided to check-out the duty-free shops in Kuah.

Actually, shopping in Langkawi is not that great, unless you’re into pinggan mangkuk and stuff. Those, chocolates and cigarettes are cheap, but other things cost almost the same as in KL. We bought some chocolates and cookies while MrNordin bought some cigars for his own consumption.

Tapi, I tengok orang lain shopping, gila sakan! Berduyun-duyun orang keluar masuk kedai, and bila keluar je, they’ll be carrying this huge plastic bags containing their purchases. Siap beli extra bag lagi! (err… we all did too, but only one bag). The men would wait for their women outside the shops. But in our case, WE the women had to wait for our men (because my husband suka membelek barang!)

After shopping tu, we went back to the hotel and lepak. I was too tired to even go out for dinner. MrNordin went out with the girls to find food along Pantai Cenang. They came back after midnight.

The next day, we indulged in some serious photo taking on the beach.

Our cameraman

The girls

The little boy who loves the sea

MrNordin & family

The little boy, playing with his shadow

In the afternoon, we went to my cousin's wedding.Unfortunately it rained, and so it was a wet wedding. I met my parents (who had arrived a week earlier), my aunties, uncles, cousins etc. I think the whole Tn Hj Wahid’s clan was there to help out with the wedding. This uncle is my mum’s youngest brother. He works with the Custom Dept. in Langkawi. His wife is a teacher. They met during their Uni days in USM. Very cool couple.

As for the bride and groom, all I can say is they are young. I think my cousin (the bride) has just finished her diploma in UiTM and the groom, I don’t know if he’s already working or not. He must have, kan? Otherwise, macamana nak tanggung bini? When I saw them, I told MrNordin, “Yang kawin, kawin… yang cerai, cerai juga…” I just hope they know what they’re getting into and are married for life.

On Monday, before we left for KL, the stopped by at Telaga Harbour. We bought nasi bungkus on the way there and scouted for a picnic spot around that area. We managed to find one, and had our nasi bungkus lunch overlooking the marina. Nice.. The kids seemed to enjoy this kind of 'impromptu' picnic these days. And I like it too!

After that, we headed to The Loaf, which was just nearby, for a quick coffee and dessert. I've been there before but the kids haven't. Somehow I feel that the coffee and bread there taste much nicer than the ones at Pavillion here. Entah lah, does anyone else share the same feelings with me?

What we saw while we ate our lunch

Last shot before we left the place (notice the little boy in the driver's seat)

Our flight home was at 9.10pm. Ramai orang! This time, the little boy was quite mischieveous ~ walking up and down the aisle, saying hello to the passengers. For that, he got some sweets from a nice 'uncle' and treats from the air hostess. I was afraid some passengers would complain, but luckily none was received. We reached home almost 12 m.n.

Next trip? Supposed to be Jakarta for another wedding. But on second thought, maybe only Mr & MrsNordin will be going. The kids have to stay becoz budget sudah lari. Itu pun kalau jadi pegi. I haven't really thought about it. Nanti lah dulu, slow, slow...

Cheers!