11 May - 21 May 2013 Pantai Cenang

 
Southeast Asia
Flawed-democratic Federation of Malaysia
Kedah Darul Aman
Langkawi Island aka Pulau Langkawi
Pantai Cenang
Tstar Cottage +6049555551 tstarcottage_langkawi@hotmail.com
Brand-new, stylish and comfortable double-bed cottage (no. S 05) with private bathroom, private verandah and private koi pond (a high-output mozzie breeder) for the introduction price of only MYR 45.- or US$ 15.- per night. Free but agricultural wifi. Sweet-tempered, pisang-goreng and keropok-lekor chomping, obese Malay staff.
Beer: 320-ml cans of ice-cold Malaysian Skol Beer (5.0 % alc./vol., “Enjoy Responsibly”) for MYR 1.90 or US$ 0.65 (tax free) from the grumpy but cheap Chinese Happy Souvenir supermarket diagonally opposite.

Click below for an interactive road map of the Tstar Cottage in Pantai Cenang and for directions:

N 06° 36.80' E 100° 03.80' 

Matt: Exploring the 2km-long, very touristy Cenang Beach aka Pantai Cenang, a heavily commercialised and overdeveloped beach section with fine powdery sand but totally defaced (i) with a gazillion of ugly beachfront bars with rip-off mentality, (ii) with overpriced pseudo-international fast-food eateries with the usual priceless menus, (iii) with a plethora of deadly dull “Malay” spas with prices two to three times higher than in neighbouring Thailand, (iv) with just enough well-stocked Chinese Malaysian duty-free outlets filled with all kind of non-halal and dirt-cheap booze, e.g. 1-litre bottles of carefully selected Hayman's James Brookes Highland Piper for MYR 25.- or US$ 8.30 per bottle, and (v), last but not least, with countless rather home-made holiday resorts with a service morale for each budget.

Matt: Hiking the almost bucolic hinterland of Cenang Beach (Kampung Temoyong, Kampung Ketapang and Kampung Lubok Buaya) and, all of a sudden, landing in a parallel universe, only a few kilometres away from madness, with very friendly Malay kampungniks, well-tended rice paddies and simple warungs selling cheap and delicious Malay food, thus, once more, becoming aware of the tourism industry’s negative effects on (i) a country’s psychology (e.g. mammonism instead of hospitality), (ii) a country's ecology (e.g. concreted-over areas instead of natural habitats), and (iii) a country's economy (e.g. regulated two-tier pricing instead of free-market economy).

Matt: Discovering a lesser-known piece of clean public beach nearby and enjoying melancholically the distance of exactly one diameter of the planet Earth between Konni and my aloneness (only shared with regular visitors from the animal kingdom: a shy morning gang of dusky leaf monkeys [Trachypithecus obscurus] and an aggressive afternoon barrel of long-tailed macaques [Macaca fascicularis]), thus having nearly a whale of a time and having sufficient time to prepare my upcoming solo travels to Korea/Japan and Borneo/Kalimantan.

Matt: Flagging  down a Malay taxi (with the Muslim cartelist all the time munching on his greasy nasi lemak whilst driving) to Langkawi International Airport (c. 15 km, ½ hour, non-negotiable flat rate of MYR 18.-), taking off with Firefly (“Your Community Airline”) +60378454543 in a clean ATR 72-500 from Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport for the steal of only MYR 35.- or US$ 11.20, all inclusive, and taking thereafter the Rapid KL bus no. U81 (MYR 2.50 per person, no change) from Subang to KL Sentral, Kuala Lumpur’s main railway station and hub for all kind of airport buses, jumping here into a yellow Aerobus coach (Wawasan Sutera Travel & Tours +60361892711) to Kuala Lumpur’s International Airport (KLIA-LCCT) at Sepang (c. 70 km, 1 ¼ hour, MYR 8.- per person), killing the small hours in the airport’s convenient Food Garden, flying thereafter, early on the next morning, with Air Asia X (“Now Everyone Can Fly Xtra Long”) in a worn Airbus A 330-300 to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport for US$ 102.- per person, all inclusive, changing in mid-air my watch from Malaysia Standard Time (GMT/UTC + 8:00 hours) to Korea Standard Time (GMT/UTC + 9:00 hours), being issued with a South Korean visit permit for 90 days on arrival, free of charge, and taking eventually the flashy airport limousine bus no. 6002 for KRW ("won") 10,000.- or US$ 9.- per person straight to the excellent Kimchee Dongdaemun Guesthouse +8227426696 in Jung-gu; anyeong hasseyo, Korea?!

Click below for more blog posts about Malaysia's very useful duty-free islands
22 Feb - 10 Mar 2013 Tioman

01 Jan - 04 Jan 2012 Kuah

29 Nov - 31 Dec 2011 Kuah

24 Oct - 26 Nov 2011 Kuah
30 Sep - 03 Oct 2009 Labuan

Click below for a summary of this year's travels

2013 Map Konni & Matt

Facing Korea
© Konni & Matt

Recommended books – click below for your Amazon order from the United Kingdom:

For Amazon schnaeppchens from Germany, please click here

For Amazon bargains from the United States, please click here

For Amazon bargains from Canada, please click here


From the 2013 Moral Travel Compass for our Grand Children's Journey of Life:

It’s bad to trust words;

It’s good to dovetail actions.

Keep your bearings!

01 Jan - 04 Jan 2012 Kuah

Southeast Asia

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 the 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:

N 06° 19.13' E 099° 51.47'

Greeting the upcoming New Year 2012 CE, certainly an exciting year with its prophesied cataclysmic and transformative events which will supposedly occur on December 21st, but worrying less about the various astronomical alignments and numerological formulae related to this date than more about the negative side effects of more mundane, nonetheless scary events in 2012 CE which we consider as quite possible, e.g. (i) an increase in the US government’s debt ceiling up to US$ 20 trillion, (ii) violent anti-government and anti-austerity riots across the European welfare states, (iii) the foundation of a global “public body” which will govern the frequencies used for GPS-enabled RFIDs in humans, (iv) the chaotic and bloody house-of-cards collapse of the Gandhi regime in India, (v) more theocratic governments with strict sharia law in the Islamic countries of North Africa and the Middle East, and still wishing the very best for our third grandchild which will be born in this year, may you do well, dear grand-son/daughter!

“If we are worried about the future, then we must look today at the upbringing of our children.”

(Gordon B. Hinckley)

Stocking up with vital and proven supplies for our medicine cabinet: (i) Dettol solution, (ii) Bactroban ointment, (iii) Amoxicillin tablets, (iv) Ibuprofen/Paracetamol tablets (only for travels to the Islamic countries with their notorious shortage of booze) and (v) Tiger Balm; nothing else has ever been necessary in the last ten plus years of independent perpetual travelling.




Borrowing a rugged and reliable 1.5litre Proton Saga from our Kiwi friends Pam & John for a spontaneous farewell tour over the island (Paul Theroux: “ … tourists don’t know where they’ve been, travellers don’t know where they’re going ... ”) thus getting a last all-round perspective of rather touristy but still nice enough Pulau Langkawi, the perfect place for doing everything or nothing at all, and bidding goodbye to our close (ex-)yottie friends Deena & Jacob from “Crimson Tide” (a million thanks for a million favours and for your lasting friendship), Cathy & Jeff from SY “Mirage” (we are looking forward to our next game of jungle ball, maybe in Alaska), Liz & Al from SY “Sunflower” (we are admiring your unconditional friendliness and resourcefulness), Elizabeth & Ian from SY “Ad Astra” (good luck with the ongoing sale of your beautiful SY “Ad Astra”) and Pam & John (hasta la vista, we’ll be back).

Flying with Firefly (“Your Community Airline”) in an ATR 72-500 from Langkawi International Airport to Kuala Lumpur’s Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport at Subang for the all-inclusive fare of MYR 99.- or US$ 31.60 per person, one way, and thereafter taking the local Rapid KL bus U 81 (MYR 2.50 per person) from the airport straight into the heart of Kuala Lumpur’s buzzing and sizzling Chinatown.

Click below for more blog posts about budget digs with a sparkling swimming pool
26 Feb - 06 May 2014 Siquijor
13 Mar - 18 Apr 2013 Bangkok
05 May - 07 May 2010 Krong Koh Kong
19 Nov - 18 Dec 2009 Lovina
04 Dec - 31 Dec 2008 Kuala Lumpur

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2012 Map Konni & Matt

Recommended books - click below for your Amazon order from the United Kingdom:

For Amazon schnaeppchens from Germany, please click here

For Amazon bargains from the United States, please click here

For Amazon bargains from Canada, please click here

29 Nov - 31 Dec 2011 Kuah

Southeast Asia

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:

N 06° 19.13' E 099° 51.47'

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"

(Pink Floyd)

Reliving the good old days of Chagos, where we lived like Robinsons for a few months in 2008 CE, together with our wonderful yottie friends and Langkawi residents Deena & Jacob (ex SY “Crimson Tide”) and Cathy & Jeff (SY “Mirage”).

"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."

(Jimmy Buffett)

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! Gan Bay!

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

Click below for a summary of this year's travels
2011 Map Konni & Matt

Recommended books - click below for your Amazon order from Germany:

For Amazon deals from the United States, please click here
For Amazon deals from Canada, please click here
For Amazon deals from the United Kingdom, please click here