Girlfriends' Getaway at The Andaman Sea

This is where I went for my holiday with the girls...

Well... what can I say... it was a LOVELY holiday...

Of course, had to lie to MIL and my mum about the Krabi trip (told them it was a company's trip) to avoid unwanted remarks such as, How could you leave the little boy behind! which was sure to make me feel guilty about going and would just spoil the whole thing. Anyway, MrNordin consented to the white lie. And Nabila, if you're reading this, you know why I did what i did, ok? *wink*

The trip was really a last minute plan. It was almost aborted because of our conflicting schedules, but in the end we managed to pull it through. There were 4 of us, old friends from school ~ Intan, Dada & Liz. They left first on Wednesday because I couldn't get out of this pre-arranged Business Plan meeting at the office that day. So, I flew to Krabi alone on Thursday.

I was quite afraid actually, because it was my first time traveling on Air Asia, but it was not too bad (except for the crowded airport). The flight was ok. Didn't order any food, just read my Hello mag. The moment I stepped out of the immigration counter, I saw my dear friends Intan & Dada waving excitedly from the arrival hall. How glad I was when I saw their cheerful faces! It was sweet of them to make it a point to meet me at the airport eventho’ I knew the hotel is quite a distance from the airport (Actually, I insisted they met me at the airport. Needed to see familiar faces lah..)

We stayed at this beautiful resort, Centara Beach Resort, which I think is equivalent to our Andaman in Langkawi. To reach there, we had to take a 20-minute boat ride which, to me, was exhilarating. The hotel room was lovely. One had an outdoor Jacuzzi, while the other was equally nice albeit without a tub. Both facing the sea. So that evening after I arrived, we had a fun time frolicking semi-naked in the Jacuzzi under the moonlight. Hee... hee... talk about being outrageous as we turn 40! (Photos are censored. Sorry.)

Day 2 was spent island hopping. The boat took us to 6 different islands for snorkeling and swimming. Beautiful. But the thing is, snorkeling is not really my thing. I can’t swim. Have tried it in Redang before; didn’t like it. Still didn’t like it in Krabi...

But for the sake of fun, I went down anyway. Tapi punyalah takut, asyik berpegang pada tali yang anchor the boat! Orang lain relek je snorkeling and enjoying the beautiful coral and fishes under the sea, but I was struggling to look cool in the goggles and life jacket! Anyway, I was not alone. My other friends pun sama je… The mat salehs must be thinking “These women are so outdated!”

Watching the kids and other people swimming happily in the sea, I wish I could swim well… I wish my mum had insisted that I took swimming lessons when I was small… I wish I could just put on my goggles and jump into the sea whenever the boat stopped without having to worry about getting drowned. But that was not the case, and I have now come to realize that the sea is not really my cup of tea. Full stop.

Among the islands that we visited was that island where they filmed “The Beach” (you know, that Leonardo DiCaprio’s movie). Now, that was nice. We took a dip in the blue sea… it was lovely. The boat guy told us that some 3,000 people visited that beach everyday. No wonder there were rubbish strewn every where and the water was a bit murky on the edge. (honestly, the beach looked so much nicer in the movie).

The island hopping finished at 4.30pm. We were dead tired, and I swear I’ll never go on another boat ride for at least another 6 months. Enough!

That night, we had dinner at this 'halal' seafood restaurant in Ao Nang. The restaurant was just next to the beach, so we had the privilege to watch the beautiful sunset. It was awesome. My friend took a picture of that, will post it once I get it from her.

After dinner, we headed to the shopping lane. The shops were basically just like those in Feringghi Beach, Penang. Lots of clothes ~ beach wear mostly. I just bought a couple of shorts and t-shirts for the kids. I bought myself a nice long necklace made of green & red colored stones for RM50 only. Here in KL, i think, it'll probably cost more than RM100. By 10.30pm, we were already on the last boat heading back to the hotel.

What I like most about this trip is the fact that I got to relax with my girlfriends without having to worry about the children, the house and the office. We could just stop by whenever we wanted to or continued shopping if we still had the energy. That night, when we got to the hotel, we decided not to head straight to our rooms but instead, stopped by the poolside cafe for our last coffee before we leave the next day. We all sat under the coconut trees, chatting and laughing away about some silly stories from the past while sipping our cups of latte. The full moon was shining bright above us. It was heavenly, I tell you. Nothing beats a cup of coffee with a group of friends under the moonlight. And the sea breeze... it was just perfect.

The next day, I had a Thai massage at the hotel's spa before we left the place. My friends had taken care of everything, so I need not worry about checking out. The boat left at 12pm (itu pun nasib baik tak tertinggal because we were having lunch when the boat arrived!). We still had some time to kill because our flight back to KL was only at 4.30pm. So, we rented a taxi and stopped by in Ao Nang again for our last minute shopping.

Reached LCCT at 6.05pm. Was I glad to see my car! (I drove and parked at the airport. Only cost RM85 for 3-days). Dada and Liz had their own pick-ups, so I drove home with Intan. Still in jovial and relaxed mood. Not tired, as how I usually felt everytime I holidayed with the family. When I reached home, only the maid was there as MrNordin had taken all the children to a kenduri at a friend's home. So I could take my time unpacking and showered.

By 11pm, they all came home. It was such a nice feeling seeing everyone's smiling faces, especially the little boy, as they greeted me. MrNordin asked, "So how was your holiday?" All I could say was, "It was great. You should do it sometime, too..."

Some photos from the trip. Will upload more. Cheers!

On the boat ~ island hopping

The "Beach"

Dada & Intan

Splendid view from the room

Our room

Centara Beach Resort

Me & my girlfriends