Last Day in Langkawi! #lastdayinlangkawi

<<< Day Four

I wonder why i torture myself sometimes when i am overseas. It's a vacation and i should try my best to sleep in; hence, why did i book a flight for 8.45 am and had to wake up at 6.00 am to prepare?! 

Oh well, reasons aside (which i can't remember anyway since i booked like 7 months in advance), it's nice to find the road so empty although traffic wasn't bad in Langkawi except for maybe the Cenang beach area. 

Pity we didn't manage to check out the fun fair that reminded me so much of those in Singapore in the 1980s when i was still a kid! 

Daybreak; fenced up area was the runway of Langkawi International Airport.

We had driven so many times along this stretch that we knew this archway for a 2017 exhibition would infer a close proximity to the entrance of the airport. 

Expansion of Langkawi International Airport that should have been completed by now. Hopefully it would include a much better departure hall since the one i went to was pretty boring. 

Our three pieces of luggage! The excitement of not knowing the total weight as the luggage scale i had was broken; i am horrendous in estimation and was keeping my fingers crossed that i wouldn't have to wear multiple layers before boarding the plane.

The staff from the car rental company was late and we were in the midst of freaking out as we really didn't want to miss the flight. Thankfully, he did arrive; albeit about 30 minutes later. I was in such a haste to pass him the car i didn't realize i had left my can of Pokka Oolong Tea on the car roof! 

Finally stepping into the airport! 

Checking in; luckily Alex thought of one person queuing up while the other waited for the car rental company's staff as the queue was insanely long when i came in. 

We still have a balance of 7.8 kilograms; darn, i should have purchased more chocolate from the duty free shops in Langkawi although they were, honestly, not significantly cheaper than the ones sold in Singapore. 

Unexciting departure hall; click here to read more. 

Boarding the plane about 20 minutes before official departure. Don't you just love walking on the airport tarmac instead of over an aero-bridge? 

And it's so nice that we can take photos; back when there's a budget terminal in Singapore, we boarded the planes via mobile staircases or "ramp stairs" and you would be barred from taking any photos for security reasons! 

More pictures as i climbed up the ramp stairs from the back of the plane. Although aerobridge provides the comfort and shade from weather elements, i thought the mobile staircases were more efficient in loading passengers.

Our enclosed space for the next 1.5 hours. 

Getting ready for take off; Langkawi, i promised i would be back as i personally think it's a great place to rest and relax and things are not sold at ripped off prices like in Phuket. 

Departed at 8.56am! 

Flying past a Malaysian island that i visited back in 2016. I actually didn't know where the plane was until something caught my attention. 

The appearance of this longest bridge in Malaysia; the Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah Bridge or Penang Second Bridge! Yes, it's Penang! 

Can you guess where this is? Definitely not the Penang International Airport and i was only half correct as i thought the white section with parked planes was Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA).

Half correct because that's klia2 which is in fact also next to KLIA.

That's Alex all wrapped up; he will always bring a towel from home so that he can cover up and have a snooze! I envy people like him as i find it extremely uncomfortable to sleep on a plane despite my short stature. 

More photographs taken on the plane before it eventually touched down at Terminal 4 of Changi International Airport at 10.15am; five minutes ahead of schedule.

I had a fantastic impression of Terminal 4 and you may check out my post here. Please allocate more time to explore the newest airport terminal in Singapore if you happen to board a plane from there! 

Before i end this last day of my fun-filled Langkawi trip; here's a time-lapse showing the departure from Langkawi International Airport to arrival at Changi International Airport! 

>>> Summarized Itinerary

Langkawi International Airport (Departure Lounge) @ Kedah [Malaysia] #LangkawiInternationalAirport

It's horrible to miss your flight (speaking from personal experience) and i made it a point to arrive earlier at the airport. This would be fine if the airport in question is Changi International Airport as there are so many things to do (like sunflower garden, movies, shopping) that time passes fast.

However, not many airports around the world are as good although i remain hopeful every, single time, especially when it's an international airport. Hence, i was pinning my hope when i cleared the immigration at Langkawi International Airport.

This photo encompassed almost 90% of the departure lounge! What the heck am i supposed to do until i can board the plane!? p.s. to the right was actually the lounge for domestic flights.

Thankfully, there's always the smartphone that we can rely on to kill boredom and it's always nice to see charging stations in the departure lounge!

I wanted to get a cup of coffee but the queue was too long at the only convenience store / cum cafe in the departure lounge. You know what came to mind when i stepped foot into the hall? This feels almost like the one at Bandung's Husein Sastranegara International Airport.

There's only one consolation; i was actually rather late in checking in as the staff for the rental car was late in collecting it. This resulted in an agonising boredom that lasted only about 30 minutes before the gate opened for boarding. Yippeeee! 

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Location

Departure Lounge,

Langkawi International Airport,

Kedah, Malaysia

Click here for a summary of my 5-day trip to Langkawi, with a day trip to Alor Setar.

Day Four in Langkawi - Private Boat Mangrove Tour in Kilim Geoforest Park, Scarborough Fish & Chips Restaurant and French Factory! #langkawiday4

<<< Day Three

Our private boat mangrove tour was scheduled two hours later but we decided to depart way earlier from Cenang Beach Plaza Hotel even though it's only about 40 minutes away.

Reason being i found a restaurant online that served a local dish called nasi dagang (according to Wikipedia, it's "rice steamed in coconut milk, fish curry and extra ingredients such as pickled cucumber and carrots") and known for its location amidst the padi fields. 

Pity the Nasi Dagang Pak Malau restaurant was closed for business and while i could only recognise maaf on the notice (which means sorry); a quick search on the web revealed that the owner was facing an eviction notice from the landlord and had to relocated. According to its Facebook, however, i think it's back in business at its old site again.

Anyway, i had to take a few photos here so that it's not a total waste! Damn that i couldn't enjoy breakfast while being surrounded by such invigorating landscape! 

Something about a mahsuri's ring which is a crater formed from a meteorite collision over 10 million years ago. I honestly didn't a large gaping hole; maybe just some uneven indentation. 

With an empty tummy, we continued our way to Kilim Geoforest Park. Now, my trip was over 8 months ago and i couldn't quite recall if we had breakfast as i didn't take any photos of us going into a convenience store or stop over to eat something. 

I don't have the habit of eating breakfast and Andy had his tummy filled with love for this adorable, little kitten we found at the visitor entrance of Kilim Geoforest Park. The person in question is Alex who, despite his slim frame, needs his food at the common mealtimes. 

Our private boat mangrove tour was scheduled for four hours and the scenery was breathtaking; totally unlike the small mangroves we have in Singapore! As impatient tourists, we covered the following in just about 3.5 hours with a trusty guide and skipper, Alif! 

Stop No 1: Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)

Stop No 2: Cave of Legends (Gua Cherita)

Stop No 3: Private Beach

Stop No 4: Snorkeling at Dangli Island

Stop No 5: Tanjung Rhu Beach

Stop No 6: Eagle Feeding

Stop No 7: Crocodile Cave

Stop No 8: Fish Farm and Sas Rimba Floating Restaurant

Click here for the full comprehensive post on Natasha's 4-Hour Private Boat Mangrove Tour in Kilim Geoforest Park via Alanona Nature! I find it's really worth a visit and we even managed to get real close to some wild monkeys! 

Lunch beckoned at The Scarborough Fish & Chips Restaurant where we all had the same dish; deep fried dory! Food was decent and i totally enjoyed the eatery's laid-back atmosphere.

Drove back to Cenang Mall to park our rental car and it's time to check out the second floor of the shopping centre where we found a rather large store selling duty free chocolates, liquor and cigarettes!  

Extremely tempted to get the liquor! Imagine a bottle of Somersby apple cider at only RM 5.00 and Absolut Vodka at a ridiculous RM 40.00 each! Gosh, i need my family to go with me so that i can haul more back for my Absolut Vodka collection! 

The restaurants on the same floor that i never got to patronize. When i am overseas, i do try my best not to eat at dining establishments with branches in Singapore unless it's said to be better and / or Alex insisted his way (latter of which is usually limited to fast food restaurants).

Crossing the busy, frequently jammed road to Cenang Beach Plaza Hotel. I wouldn't mind giving a strong endorsement for the hotel but the jams can be a tad too exhausting. Hopefully the situation would be better when the road improvements are completed. 

Since we had to take turns to shower, i thought it would be a good time for me to catch up on my blogging! Sadly, i wouldn't be able to upload to this blog when i am in China next week; no thanks to the Great Firewall of China! 

Giving another go at the Coco Valley duty free store next to Underwater World Langkawi; it's much bigger with more to offer like chocolates, corningware etc. I got some chocolates (which weren't incredulously cheap as expected) and a large pack of natural himalaya salt candy (not the popular extra cool ones although it's from the same brand).

Sending Andy to the airport as the poor chap needed to work the following day! Cenang is actually pretty close to the airport and we got there in like about 15 minutes of drive. 

Bye Andy; we shall see you in Singapore! 

Caught the beautiful sunset on our way back to Cenang Beach Plaza Hotel. I had to stop the car and take a few photos to capture the dazzling moment.

Paragliding as shot from the balcony of Cenang Beach Plaza Hotel! As you can see, The Cliff Restaurant was rather near our hotel. 

View of the sunset from the hotel. Even though i would like to stay in the air-conditioned hotel room a bit longer; i think it's more important to get out to bask in the dancing light of the setting sun. 

Low tide at Cenang Beach! This would be good time to check out Kilim Geoforest Park as the low tide would reveal another side of the mangrove and also allow us access to the Crocodile Cave! 

I mentioned dancing light as the sky changed its hues as the sun slowly got ready for slumber. If i have a gimbal, i might have taken a time-lapse showing the magical transformation.

We strolled almost to the far end of Cenang Beach and chanced upon this restaurant by the name of Cba. Ranked #29 out of 431 restaurants in Langkawi at TripAdvisor, the area was quieter than the rest of the beach and also commanded a great view of the sunset.

The crescent moon, the shimmering star and the departing plane! 

A kid's playground at Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa; it wouldn't have generated much interest for me but you did realize the slide was out of the dinosaur's asshole.

Walking back to the hotel although this time, it would be along jalan pantai cenang where shops flanked both sides of the road. I needed a drink and got into this T Shoppe.

It also served as a tourist information counter where you can rent cars, motorcycles, book hotels and tour packages etc. What i found interesting was the information board.

The pasting of photos taken at accidents; while gruesome, i thought it's a good way to remind everyone to be more careful on the roads. 

Traffic jam and the roadwork; since it's been about eight months since my visit, i sure hope they have already completed the necessary improvement works! 

Busking really adds to the vibrancy of a place.

Even though My French Factory was just a stone's throw away from Cenang Beach Plaza Hotel, we only stepped in to try their delish crepe and waffle on our last night in Langkawi! Why didn't we make the effort to visit on the first day of our visit?!?! 

Spending the rest of the night shopping at Cha Cha Duty Free; conveniently located on the ground floor of Cenang Beach Plaza Hotel, it's often crowded with tourists as the price of chocolates was almost to the point of being ridiculous.

For example, a pack of 12 mini kit-kats was like RM 3.90 when ONE NORMAL 4-finger kit kat could have already cost that much in Singapore! 

The expiry date is very important so do check it out before you purchase any. In this case, the pack of kit kat green tea was expiring on the very month that i was in Langkawi; hence, i didn't buy any back as souvenirs for family and friends.

Note: not everything is cheaper than Singapore. The Roca Thins, which i love very much, cost RM 27.90 (about S$9.00) and i just run a check on the pricing in Singapore. Cold Storage is selling them cheaper at S$7.95 a pack.

>>> Last Day

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Detailed Postings for the Day

1. Private Boat Mangrove Tour @ Kilim Geoforest Park
2. Bat Cave (Gua Kelawar)
3. Cave of Legends (Gua Cherita)
4. Snorkeling at Dangli Island
5. Tanjung Rhu Beach
6. Eagle Feeding @ Kilim Geoforest Park
7. Mangrove Monkeys at Kilim Geoforest Park
8. Crocodile Cave
9. Fish Farm and Sas Rimba Floating Restaurant
10. The Scarborough Fish & Chips Restaurant
11. My French Factory

Click here for a summary of my 5-day trip to Langkawi, with a day trip to Alor Setar.