The Arched Bridge above Seven Wells Waterfall @ Langkawi [Malaysia]

There's not much information about this arched bridge but it's the most imposing, albeit man-made, structure to catch my eyes when i arrived at the top of the seven wells waterfall in Langkawi. 

It connects to nowhere and hence, might not be considered a bridge in the strictest sense. Some might prefer to call it a viewing platform as it does bring visitors to a slightly higher elevation.

An elevation that let us soak in the picturesque sights of the mountain range in front of us! Did you realise that tall structure in the middle of the forest and the little dots on the far right?

It's actually the Langkawi Cable Car (otherwise known as SkyCab) system; featuring the steepest cable car route! Seven Wells Waterfall is super near the cable car and i would suggest you coordinate your trip to include both attractions on the same day. 

Up close!  

That's really how short the bridge is; thankfully, there were not many people as i always have that morbid thought that i would fall off a collapsing bridge! 

Transparent flooring - the bridge wasn't of scary height and given the hazy condition of the material; i didn't feel a tinge of fear. Don't ask me to jump though; that's a totally different scenario.

This is the view of the water streaming down the hill, towards the seven wells waterfall; we were on the upper level where the source of the waterfall is from. 

The place is known as seven wells as during the wet / rainy season, water from Mount Mat Cincang would pool in seven natural ponds; the climb up might be a major deterrent to many even though it was a highlight for our trip! 

Imagine having a natural slide! I must admit it's quite fun despite the danger of hurting your butt, knocking your legs against some sharp edges and plunging into a deeper than expected pond! More would be shared in due course.

View of the bridge from the bottom; that transparent flooring looked rather menacing from here although it wasn't all that bad once you are up there. A photobomb on the right!

And since it's already photobombed; no harm having more to make the picture more complete. Speaking of which; i better send both pictures to the guy who passed me his email.

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Location

Mukim Padang Matsirat,, Jalan Telaga Tujuh, 

07000 Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia

Admission

Free. Parking charges apply for motor vehicles.

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

Lhong Tou Cafe - The Dragon Head in Chinatown @ Bangkok [Thailand] #lhongtoucafe #cafehoppinginbangkok

On the last day of my 5-day Bangkok trip, we went to chinatown again as a travel mate wanted to buy some medicinal stuff for his colleague from a particular Chinese medicinal hall, and it was already closed by the time we arrived the night before. 

There were many old and traditional shops in chinatown and i would have given the above a miss, if not for the neon sign in Chinese, 龙头, which means dragon head.

I took a peak through the see-through glass and immediately; i recalled this was in one of the online posts for the cafes to check out in Bangkok! Now, i am not a cafe hopper and don't actively seek out cafes when i am overseas.

With its unique seating and our close proximity to the cafe, however, we decided to step in to soak in the rare cafe atmosphere. This is despite having a rather heavy breakfast back in our hotel; the Kritthai Residence. By the way, do be careful with the glass entrance door; it swang back fast and hit my finger when i was there.

We managed to secure the table on the upper floor! Not recommended for people with mobility issues as the steps were steep and rather narrow. Felt secure even though i am unsure if there's a weight limit for the pipe-grid system adopted.

For such a traditional sounding name, i would have expected a more Chinese-themed cafe. What would i have described this? Eclectic maybe as there were obvious influences with nature, huge portraits of peacocks, European style lamps and wall mural like the above Machurian crane with its chick.

Huge mirror across from us!

It's a rather small cafe and can sit maybe about 30 persons from my rough estimation. Having the mirrors, as any interior designer will tell you, does make the place look bigger.

Just to give you an alternate perspective of the space from the back of the cafe. Without the upper level seats, the number of patrons that the cafe can accommodate would be reduced by 12 persons. Hence, it's not just about design; it's also about practicality from the business operations point of view.

Views from "higher up".

Main counter; from the drink menu imprinted onto the mirror, you can find the usual cafe drinks like americana, cafe mocha, ice coffee etc. One interesting drink is this beverage by the name of "dirty".

Huge glass containers for the wide variety of teas and flower teas! Darn, i need one at home for my lemongrass and pandan leaves concoction although i still prefer to keep them in the fridge.

Panorama! Due to the limited space, the picture had the fish-eye effect; bulging in the middle. One of my travel mates made a comment; better sit up there as there's a risk for the bottom dwellers if those in the upper floor were to fart.

It's food time as i can't help ordering! The "dirty" in the middle is actually coffee with slightly diluted condensed milk / sugary syrup on the bottom and came with an additional mini cup of flower-infused water, and a packet of traditional gong tng (peanut candy).

I kind of enjoyed the salted egg lava bun which was deep fried but the steamed version, with soft, pillowy dough, would be preferred. The prawn spring rolls would be similar to the dowager's fingers served at The Larder's Cafe in Singapore.

Since we already had breakfast, a pot of tea would be good to aid in digestion! Chrysanthemum it shall be and it came with a modern glass pot, a stainless steel sieve and three traditional tea cups.

I honestly think my mom would love this place as air-conditioning was strong, she can have her Chinese food and she spends her time asking for hot water refill upon refill of her tea!

Someone was eating the traditional Chinese set; priced at 129 baht (about S$6), it's actually a typical Chinese porridge but with the different ingredients separately placed on nice plates, bowls and saucers! It's all about the packaging!

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Address

538 Yaowarat Rd, Khwaeng Samphanthawong,

Khet Samphanthawong, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon 10100,

Thailand

Location Map

As above.

Operating Hours

8.00 am till 10.00 pm

Menu (Not Comprehensive)

As above.

Pricing

Dirty - 85 baht

Hot Tea (Pot) - 160 baht

Egg Lava Bun - 29 baht

Prawn Spring Roll - 59 baht

Click here to find out what else i did on my most recent 4-Day Bangkok trip!

Haroo Haroo Korean Restaurant - Ranked 3rd on TripAdvisor @ Langkawi [Malaysia]

I rely rather heavily on online reviews whenever i travel overseas although i would also take time to evaluate across a few platforms to ensure that what i plan to do and / or eat would be acceptable.

Therefore, i was initially hesitant to visit Haroo Haroo Korean Restaurant as it just didn't feel quite right to travel all the way to the northern end of Malaysia for Korean food. However, it was ranked second on TripAdvisor in the list for the best restaurants in Langkawi, with a high review of 4.6 on google!

Since it's only a few minutes' drive from where we stayed at Cenang Plaza Beach hotel and all of us love Korean food, we thought it would be worth checking out.

Note: there's no air-conditioning! No big deal actually as Singaporeans are usually decked out in sleeveless t-shirts and bermudas and the restaurant was pretty airy with tall ceiling and overhead fans.

Jug of Plain Water - water wasn't served free and you have a choice of either getting a glass at RM 1.00 or a jug at RM 5.00. I am a water guzzler and believe the jug of ice cold, filtered water would serve me well.

Kimchi - actually, i didn't realize until now that there was a charge of RM 10.00 for kimchi as i always assumed it would be complimentary like many Korean restaurants in Singapore. My bad even though i found the kimchi to be a tad too spicy for my liking.

Spring Roll - simple, hot and crispy; exactly what i would need as a comfortable snack for my hungry tummy before the main dishes arrive!

Bibimbap (beef) - the Korean mixed rice kick-started my love for Korean food and despite my aversion to rice; it's hard to resist the temptation whenever i see it on the menu!

The flavour of healthy goodness when everything was mixed up! Taste was decent although it still lacked the oomph factor and was a bit bland. To address the second issue, just squeeze in more gochujang sauce!

Jap Chae - i have always liked the sweet potato glass noodles and believed no other noodles can beat its deliciousness! Like bibimbap, it's a play on my discipline but when you have both bibimbap and jap chae; it's a tough fight to call when i only have one stomach!

Not to worry; i had two companions with me and sharing was strongly encouraged! Pity, this was a letdown as there was too much of the sauce and this resulted in a taste that was too heavy and salty for our liking.

Haemul Pancake - seafood vegetable pancake!

Generous with the vegetables, prawns and squids; this was not bad with its light and crisp exterior and a seafood-infused bite whenever my teeth sank into the pancake! Yum yum.

Ribeye Beef Grilled Platter - at RM 60.00, we have a high expectation for this and assume it would be a better, juicier, tastier version of the Korean marinated beef!

Sadly, it wasn't to be; to put it simply, this was just pieces of ribeye with light seasoning. Nothing amazing, even after i wrapped it up with rice and lettuce; Korean style, apparently.

Free ice cream which was nice to have in the hot weather even though i was expecting somewhere along the line of authentic Korean desserts like the sweet tea from Ju Shin Jung.

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Anyway, my verdict on Haroo Haroo was quite evident from the review; prices were comparable to some of the mid-range Korean restaurants in Singapore but i get food more suited for my palate in Singapore. Service was good though.

Address

Lot 31, Jalan Teluk Baru, Jalan Pantai Tengah,

Mukim kedawang, 07000 Langkawi,

Kedah, Malaysia

Location Map

As above.

Pricing

Jug of Plain Water - RM 5.00

Kimchi - RM 10.00

Spring Roll - RM 20.00

Bibimbap (beef) - RM 35.00

Jap Chae - RM 35.00

Haemul Pancake - RM 45.00

Ribeye Beef Grilled Platter - RM 60.00

(Subject to Service Charge)

Additional Information

Only accept cash! 

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