Langkawi + Family = ..?

On a family vacation, be prepared to be tugged every which way (except for the way you want to go) :P

Family has a way of turning a relaxing vacation into a very complicated dance of itinerary and schedule! However, since we know that family member very well, all we can do is clam up and play along...

Oh, yeah! I got myself some new equipment ;)

This trip was meant to be its first trial run. The above picture was from one of my first few tries. I gotta tell you that lugging this huge thing around made me really self-conscious at times...

Arrived at Langkawi late in the evening so we called it a day. Early next morning, we headed towards Machinchang and stopped by Telaga Harbour on the way.

Ma was all aflutter at the prospect of visiting Dr. M's pastry shop, the Loaf. But once there, she was so shocked by the prices that she went out in a huff after making some appropriate noise of indignation :P hehe...

I expected as much but hated to take the wind out of her sails and let her find out for herself.

I loved the table setting at a neighbouring restaurant. Though I try hard to immortalize it in this photo, the atmosphere did not come through.

Left the harbour for Machinchang. The group decided to give the cable car ride a miss in favour of taking a (very, very short) walk around the area.

This photo should remind you that rearing your prize ducks in the same area as your ornamental fish will only lead to unnecessary heartache :P

'either-or' ladies and gentlemen, 'either-or'..!

Leaving Machinchang barely touched, we proceeded to Chenang beach. I was most fortunate to be able to photograph some youngsters parasailing.

Stopped by Underwater World, and stop was all we did. Instead of admiring the beauty of aquatic and semi-aquatic life...

...we went (Lord, lend me strength!) price checking at the neighbouring duty free shops!

Managed to pull off some shots of the wares before an enterprising sales staff remembered that photography was prohibited within the premise.

Then we walked across to one of many restaurants available along the road for late lunch.

Before going back to rest, we dropped by the Langkawi Lagoon Resort next door to take in the scenery.

And no, that bicycle is not for mere display. That's how their security team gets around.

Then, it's a relaxing splash in the pool for me before taking my camera out for a short evening walk.

Oops! Siapakah itu yang sedang snappy snappy tak ingat dunia dengan hanya berkemeja T dan berkain pelekat? :P

A small port for the nearby village to moor their fishing boats.

The fly-over that passes right in front of our apartment.

Later that evening, Pakcik and I went out to Kuah town to witness Dataran Lang at night.

And we weren't alone :), I got my buddy, Wah, to guide me again :)

Stopped by a roadside restaurant for supper.

Wah and Pakcik opted for drinks only but I went the whole course :P

One oddity though, I usually order kuey teow ladna but somehow that night, I decided to go for the Chinese style fried rice...

Ma and Makcik wanted to do some shopping the next day. I pleaded my case and managed to escape for a mangrove tour instead.

This trip was one of the Kilim packages. The advantage was that it was guided. This here is the original bat cave- minus fancy state of the art equipment, plus smelly guano! Phewww!!!

Going through Gua Buaya. We were lucky that it was low tide at the time.

Eagle watching.
Lunch stop at Rakit Restaurant. Simple fare, deep fried prawns and fried rice.

We were treated to a 'fish show' before lunch. It was a simple one but it featured several unique displays that was new to me (and I've gone for this sort of tour at least 4 times!).

Then we stopped by Pulau Pasir Panjang for a rest or a dip, depending on one's mood, before taking the final trip back to Kilim Jetty.

I still had some energy left and decided to walk to the end of the water break nearby (a precaution against future tsunamis).

I almost regretted it. See those white dots in the distance, where the mountain range is? That's about where I started the journey...

...and there near another range of mountains, is where I'm headed. Took me an hour and a half to go forth and back, but that was probably because I was busy snapping photos :P

Lots of kaki pancing and joggers around in the evening.

Went out again with Wah that night. Dropped by the pasar malam at Chenang for the experience...

Walked up and down Jalan Pantai Chenang. It was still quite lively and bright despite the late hour.

Stopped by a seaside restaurant for dinner.

Arggh!!! Ma wasn't done shopping so we headed for Kuah again on the third morning.

Afternoon, Pakcik decided to tag along on my annual pilgrimage to the nature sites.

He followed me all the way up Telaga Tujuh- amazing for a modern age, 51 year old man :)

There were a lot of visitors this time around.

Next was Temurun waterfalls.

Also crowded. A group of MRSM Langkawi kids were having an outing.

Since it was almost dawn, we stopped by the Laksa Power stall to rest and buy the family's dinner.

Some kids having fun by the beach while their elders enjoy laksa, cendol pulut, pasembor and rojak buah...

Managed to capture a different kind of sunset that evening. It was cloudy so the sunlight was coming down in curtains from among the clouds.

Still have some leftover cash to spend. Decided to try out one of the fancy looking eateries along Chenang. Now which one should I pick, hmm..?

A friendly tourist recommended Putumayo to me and the food served was as lovely delicious as expected.

So ends this years rather exhausting Langkawi trip :)