Flawed-Democratic Federation of Malaysia
Kedah Darul Aman
Pulau Langkawi
Kuah
Sri Lagenda Tower +60125914359 jaliza.sri.lagenda@gmail.com
Furnished apartment no. 9-14 on 9th floor for MYR 1,000.- or US$ 320.- per month, incl. swimming pool and stunning bay views over the Malacca Strait and off-lying islands Pulau Tuba, Pulau Dayang Bunting and Pulau Singa Besar.
Click below for an interactive road map of the Sri Lagenda Tower in Kuah and for directions:Borrowing a rugged and reliable 1.5litre Proton Saga from our Kiwi friends Pam & John and touring the coast and the interiors of Pulau Langkawi thus visiting its great beaches (the touristy Pantai Cenang, the laid-back Pantai Tengah, the deserted Pantai Kok, the rustic Pantai Pasir Hitam and the romantic Pantai Rhu), taking a dip in Langkawi’s most spectacular waterfall, the Seven Wells aka Telaga Tujuh +6049667789, and conquering Langkawi’s most challenging summits: (i) the 708-m high Gunung Mac Chinchang (by cable car: vertical rise 680 m, horizontal distance 2,079 m, longest free span 950 m, MYR 30.- per foreigner +6049594225) and (ii) Langkawi’s highest mountain, the 881-m high Gunung Raya (by ordinary car).
Frequenting our favourite (Chinese) seafood restaurants in Kuah, (i) the Wonderland +60124946555, (ii) the Sunrise +60146091340 and (iii) the May Yi +6049661063, and feasting on deliciously prepared fish, squid, (flower)crabs, mantis and clams, mostly served together with Asian veggies, (a) crispy kangkong (water convolvulus aka river spinach), fried with sambal belacan (dried shrimp paste), (b) baby kai-lan with garlic and oyster soy sauce or (c) bok choy (Chinese cabbage) with cashew nuts and ginger; yummy, yummy!
Discovering at RZ Corner +60124397884 one of the most unique Malay culinary creations, the lip-smacking roti jala (“net bread”), a lacy pancake made from a creamy batter of plain flour, eggs, butter and coconut milk with a dash of turmeric for colour, cooked briefly over a greased hot griddle and served with durian custard aka kuah durian, and indulging at Kuah's regular Wednesday and Saturday night market in delicious yong tau foo, a dish of Hakka origins which literally means “stuffed bean curd” or "stuffed tofu" and contains fish balls, crab sticks, veggies and greens, wonton, seafood, mock meat and fish paste, served in clear soup and eaten with noodles or rice; yummy, yummy!
Bracing ourselves for WWIII, on one of those nice and fair days with blue skies, and witnessing an obscene aerial display of flying killing machines, luckily without being ramsteined, at the LIMA ’11, the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition, a military commercial which glorifies warmongery, governmental power and corporate excess, and suppressing any indecent ideas on our side about what we otherwise would have interpreted as (i) ongoing sublimation of repressed sexuality into socially more acceptable actions (e.g. into blind patriotism and national defence) and (ii) subconscious, almost delusional projection of sexual energy towards phallus-shaped weaponry (e.g. gun barrels) - just stop it, please.
"Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don't discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone
Hell opened up and put on sale
Gather 'round and haggle
For hard cash, we will lie and deceive
Even our masters don't know the web we weave
One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world ... One world"
With no cause, we don't discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone
Hell opened up and put on sale
Gather 'round and haggle
For hard cash, we will lie and deceive
Even our masters don't know the web we weave
One world, it's a battleground
One world, and we will smash it down
One world ... One world"
"We are the people there isn't any doubt
We are the people they still can't figure out
We are the people who love to sing 'Twist and Shout'
(Shake it up, Baby now)
We are the people our parents warned us about."
We are the people they still can't figure out
We are the people who love to sing 'Twist and Shout'
(Shake it up, Baby now)
We are the people our parents warned us about."
Celebrating the winter solstice on the shortest day and longest night of the year, when the sun's daily maximum elevation in the sky is the lowest, in compliance with local custom (Dongzhi Festival) by making and eating of Tangyuan, balls of glutinous rice, which symbolize family reunion, and skyping extensively with our Eurasian grandsons Raoni and Tien in South Ontario.
Joining the international Langkawi Beach Hash House Harriers, a drinking club with a running problem, through the island’s interior for their 5-km long Christmas Hash (MYR 35.- per person for unlimited food and booze) and having afterwards, together with our close friends Deena & Jacob and all the other Hares and Hounds, a rowdy Christmas party with the most sumptious seafood steamboat ever (Hot Pot aka Chinese Fondue) at Ah Saw’s Ka Lee Lang Restoran +60124049637; Cheers! Pro(o)st! Gesondheit! L’chaim!
Bidding farewell to the old year 2011 CE, which has been a very good and rewarding travel year for us (our top destinations in 2011 CE: Tamil Nadu, Ladakh, Sulawesi), and welcoming the arrival of the New Year 2012 CE with the start of a tongue-in-cheek count-down towards the anticipated end of the world on December 21, at least according to the Maya’s Mesoamerican Long Count Calender and to a few other, eschatological New Age beliefs, and, to be on the safe side, converting all our supplies of tomato juice (with the not-so eschatological expiry date of 2013 CE) with the help of an undisclosed amount of Russian Vodka and American Tabasco into quite a few very, very Bloody Maries; cheers y’all and bottoms up … New Year 2012 CE, here we go!
Click below for blog posts about our time on Chagos
07 Jun - 15 Jul 2008 Chagos
15 Apr - 07 Jun 2008 Chagos
14 Apr - 15 Apr 2008 Chagos
07 Jun - 15 Jul 2008 Chagos
15 Apr - 07 Jun 2008 Chagos
14 Apr - 15 Apr 2008 Chagos
Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2011 Map Konni & Matt
2011 Map Konni & Matt
Recommended books - click below for your Amazon order from Germany:
