Public washroom at Cenang Beach Langkawi

The spot marked with an "X" is the location of the toilet/public washroom at Cenang beach. 

 

The Underwater World Langkawi is pinned in the map.

How I rubbed a nettle with my thumb and finger in Germany

For a gullible visitor to Germany like me, nettle (I didn't even know what the plant was called) looked like a mint. I am from the tropic and had never seen a nettle before. Here are two photos of a mint and one of a nettle for comparison.

Mint (wikipedia)

This is a korean mint (aka Agastache rugosa) www.wellgrowhorti.com

Nettle

When I visited the botanical garden in Singapore, and while I was there at the herbs garden (also available at Science Center and other parks), I would try to rub the leafy herb softly before savouring the aroma. The Korean mint is very aromatic, and several types of leafy herbs give out different aromas.

What a SURPRISE when I tried to rub a nettle with my thumb and finger. It was excruciatingly painful at first. My first thought was that a spider must had hidden under the leaf and sensing impending danger, it stung me multiple times. I retracted my fingers lightning quick and tried to suck out any poison. It was still painful and beginning to get numb. I thought I was poisoned. Still in pain, I tried to spot the spider up close (because it would be informative to doctors if I can describe the appearance of what stung me). I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw fine "needle-lets" (transparent needles/spikes as fine as hair) sticking out from the leaves of a plant I thought was a herb. Not just the leaves, but the stem and flowerlet (floret) are also covered by the needles! "What kind of a sick plant was this?", was my first thought. A plant that doesn't want to be eaten should warn predators by exhibiting large warning signs (e.g. thorns) instead of insidious and transparent needles! I was worried that I might be poisoned.

Transparent needles are everywhere on the nettle! What a crazy plant (or rather, crazy person trying to rub it).

I tried keying in many different key words to search on Google what was the plant that stung me. Using Google Image, I managed to pin point the culprit. NETTLE. I tried to search for the toxicology aspect of this plant and fortunately, I will only get a numbing and painful experience for a couple of days before I can hold on to a paper or book without the discomfort. FYI, nettle has been used as medicine to boost up immunity and other ailments (herbwisdom).

I only recovered after a week's time.

How to get to Johor Premium outlet

Introduction
I have been to Johor Premium outlet (JPO) only once and it was few years back (2012). I bought my Puma sport shoe at a reasonable price (in comparison to what I would get in Singapore). I got a few tees and shorts.

A little information about Johor Premium outlet by Wikipedia, where the grand opening was on 11 Dec 2011. The outlet official site (Johor Premium outlet) and for a list of stores available there.


How to get there

Johor Premium Outlets®
Jalan Premium Outlets
Indahpura
81000 Kulaijaya
Johor Darul Takzim
Tel: +607 661 8888
Fax: +607 661 8810

Direction to get there from Singapore is available in the official site.

From Singapore (by bus)

1. Take the MRT to Kranji station. 
2. Then board bus number 160/170 traveling to Singapore ICA.
3. Board the same bus number 160/170 to Johor Sultan Iskandar's Customs, Immigration and Quarantine (CIQ) Complex.
4. At the Johor CIQ, once cleared the immigration counter, walk toward Johor Bahru Central (or JB Sentral) bus interchange (next to Jalan Jim Quee) by referring to the signage inside the building.
5. Once at the JB Sentral bus interchange, look for Causeway link bus number JPO1.

Causeway link bus no JPO1 route from JB Sentral to JPO

 The bus frequency is long at 2 hours intervals. The earliest bus is at 9 am (from JB Sentral) and the last one at 10.30 (from JPO). For full schedule, refer below.

Source from http://causewaylink.com.my

From JB Sentral or Johor Bahru City Square (by taxi)
You can also take the taxi to JPO. It will be charged by meter (most likely). However, there is no usual taxi from JPO to JB Sentral/City Square. You will have to take JPO premium and exclusive taxi back to where you came from.

It will be expensive to travel out from JPO by taxi. Visitors can't call cabs to JPO and also flag one down there.It's like the premium and exclusive taxi at some airports. I'm not sure if that is still the status quo or not.

From Singapore (by car)
If you don't have a car in Singapore, fret not. You can rent a car at as low as sgd 60 per day. Refer to the different car rental companies in Singapore (my favourite is DriveSg).

Public transportation (via rail)
There is a proposed rail service to Senai (near Senai Airport and JPO), but I can't seem to find the official site. I have no idea where JB Sentral 2 will be located too. Probably all this is still proposals.

Sourced from http://www.iskandarmalaysia.com.my/

 Here is the map and the relative location of Senai Intl airport and JPO.

Rail service in Johor, highlighted red region is the JPO, JB Sentral II station at Senai, and Senai Intl Airport. Source: http://www.iskandarmalaysia.com.my/

I'm hoping to visit JPO again this year 2015.

Type of cameras that is most useful during travel

I am not referring to those DSLR type of camera for semi- and professional series from Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. I am referring to the basic compact, point and shoot type.

After trying out many types and brands of compact cameras, I have come to realize that there are several criteria to a good camera (in my opinion).

• Battery type. I have seen compact cameras that uses AAA- or AA- type batteries and I used to scoff at these cameras because they are rather "bulky" as compared to cameras with their own OEM rechargeable batteries, which looked sleeker. However, I have come to love "generic battery"- type of cameras. The reasons are (1) replacement batteries are easy to find, (2) rechargeable AA- and AAA- batteries are readily available now, (3) if the rechargeable batteries are flat, just get the single-use batteries at convenient stores. In contrast, for the specific OEM type of batteries, buying spare will be more costly than AA-type batteries. In addition, the shelf-life of OEM batteries is less than 5 years and after which, getting a replacement battery from the manufacturer will be impossible. By then, the only place to get replacement OEM batteries would be from eBay (but not the authentic ones). That was the case for two of my compact cameras which I have retired them from service because I couldn't get the replacement batteries anymore. Read the review of "Top 10 best AA battery powered cameras" by ePhotoZine.
• Faster camera startup and shorter latency time (for image processing). I don't really like cameras that startup slowly because by the time the camera is primed to take picture, the momentous event has already passed! Read this article to appreciate the need for faster camera startup and shorter latency of image processing by DigiCamGuide.
• Better and energy efficient LCD screen that doesn't drain away most of the camera's battery hour. Most of the time, compact cameras are flat because the LCD screen drained most of the battery hours away. I wished that it is possible to use a built-in viewfinder to point-and-shoot the subject, rather than rely on the LCD monitor (which can sometimes be difficult to see especially during daytime under intense sun). An example of compact camera, in which you can switch off the LCD to save battery life while relying on the in-built viewfinder can be found in Canon Powershot G16 as reviewed by Imaging-Resource.
• Longer battery hour. I don't really go for those cameras with extra image-rendering functions that will drain away battery hours because most times I would be downloading the images into my notebook to do the image rendering (or "Photoshop it"). Just give me enough battery hour to shoot more pics and populate my 64 Gb (or more) high capacity SD cards.
• Better lens and high quality CMOS image sensor to acquire good quality pictures.
• Rein in auto-exposure problem by spot metering function. Tired of ending up as a silhouette in front of bright background? Well, to have a spot metering function (or exposure lock function etc.) on the camera will help to give you more control to correct auto-exposure weakness. Refer to "Fixing exposure problems – What to do if your photos are too bright or too dark" by discoverdigitalphotography.

There was a news article reporting that compact cameras will become obsolete due to the prevalence of camera phones in the market. In my opinion, compact cameras are still a necessity because camera function on phones tend to drain the phone battery faster and it wouldn't be wise to drain your phone when you might need to make or receive urgent calls (unless power outlets or external batteries are readily available wherever you travel). I would still prefer to use cameras for travels and camera phones for daily routines.

Just to share.


Other tips

• How to opt for Digi super long life plan. This is a prepaid plan and you can increase the validity duration by opting for Digi super long life plan (to 365 days) at a cost of RM 30.
• Get a small rice cooker on the go for family during trips. Having rice cooker helps during long trips.
• List of important things to take while traveling oversea.

List of important things to take while traveling oversea

When you are traveling as a family with children and babies, there are important things that you must remember to bring along during travel. That is because, sometimes it's very difficult to shop for the things that are readily available in Singapore.

Example, while I was in Heidelberg Germany, the formula milk for our baby ran out due to frequent feeding. I tried to look for the formula in Grocery shop, Supermarket, convenient store, and even pharmacies, but ended with no formula. The closest I could get was pasteurized fresh milk.

So, the list of things that I must remember to get while staying oversea are

• Formula milk (more than enough).
• Activated charcoal tablets (for treating drug overdose or poisoning). For more information regarding activated charcoal (WebMD).
• Lomotil pill for treating diarrhea, which is important especially when we get food poisoned while traveling long distance where public toilet is not readily available. How lomotil helps alleviate diarrhea can be found in WebMD site.
• Panadol or paracetamol tablets for sudden fever or infection. If possible, bring along children's paracetamol syrup (but normally the medication has to be stored in proper condition).
• Baby biscuits and food that they are familiar with (just in case kids got food shock).
• Anti-histamine pills just in case an allergic reaction strikes at unexpected time when hunting for the pill in a foreign land is improbable.
• Universal travel adapters. A list is available at Courts Singapore.

For the less crucial items, more like a luxury

• Medicated oil (My favourite is Axe brand). Important for bites, headache, and masking smells (some for aromatherapy).
• External battery. I'm not sure about availability of power outlets oversea but in Singapore, it's difficult to find an outlet sometimes. I know McD, library, Starbuck, and cafeteria have power outlets for patrons.
• Favourite instant coffee. I like Old Town white coffee and to have a supply during travel oversea will be great.
• Baby lightweight pram (aka stroller). To carry our baby weighing more than 10 kg is not easy. To have an easily foldable and lightweight stroller (at less than 10 kg) would be a great help. Alternatively, to have a good back-support baby carrier would be good. My favourite light-weight stroller is the Seebaby brand available in Singapore Tom & Stefanie shops (I can't find their official site!).

My favourite lightweight baby stroller for travels (Seebaby stroller)

Seebaby stroller at SGD 56 at Tom & Stephanie store Singapore

• Chilies (cili padi) or chili sauce. I think most places will have spicy chili or Jalapenos nowadays, so this item is not so crucial. Furthermore, Tabasco sauce is readily available in most places I've been to. Note that material with seeds such as chilies are prohibited from entering certain countries.
• Small travel size rice cooker would be great to have, especially if I want to cook something homey.
• Kettle for boiling water and preparing warm formula milk for baby would be useful. Some hotels do provide kettles for guests.

What are your crucial items to bring along while being oversea?


Other tips

• How to opt for Digi super long life plan. This is a prepaid plan and you can increase the validity duration by opting for Digi super long life plan (to 365 days) at a cost of RM 30.
• Get a small rice cooker on the go for family during trips. Having rice cooker helps during long trips.
• Type of cameras that is most useful during travel.

Renting cars in Singapore

To own a car in Singapore is expensive nowadays, considering how high the COE (certificate of entitlement) price is. The latest COE pricing can be referred here in Oneshift. For families with children, it is sometimes convenient to drive a car, especially if you plan a trip to remote places in Singapore (or to Malaysia).

For me, I love DriveSg because I can get a decent car for as low as sgd 60 per day. For a family of four, that translate to sgd 15 per head. A premium for convenience. The booking system is very convenient. The search return produces list of cars from different pickup and return locations and finding one near my place is easy. For added cost, I can drive the car to Malaysia. Sometimes, DriveSg will give discounts and promotions that are tantalizing.

E.g. Searching for any car from 16th (Mon) to 17th (Tue) Feb 2015 returns a list of available cars from sgd 51 onwards (Drive.Sg). From there, I can select the type of cars I would prefer.

There are some cars that allow entry to Malaysia as indicated by the red circle. You have to add-on extra cost for that.

The usual rate for entry to Malaysia varies, the lowest I have seen is sgd 15 per day. The rate is sgd 15 onwards.

The payment method is via Credit card (Visa or Mastercard etc.) and direct bank transfer (DBS etc.). DriveSg is a platform for car rental companies to provide competitive and attractive packages for car rental. As consumers, we have a nice platform to search for the most attractive price (or attractive add-on) from different companies (or private entities) that car-for-rent service.


In addition to DriveSg, there are other online car rental services

• Avis Singapore. However the average car I normally see in the search is above sgd 100, which is too costly for me. For example, a compact during week day's drive is sgd 140 per day.

 

• Smart Car Rental Pte Ltd. The search engine is sub-optimal because I can't search for any car. It's a hassle to select car type for each search. Most of my tries return a notification, "sorry, your choice of car is unavailable". The search is just to unintuitive.

Difficult to find a car with Smart Car Rental search engine. Most of the hits I got is the "choice of car is unavailable". It turns users off.

• AceDrive. AceDrive has no search engine to browse for available cars and rental rates.You will need to email or contact them to get a quote or for promotional items. I prefer to look at the price onscreen rather than wait for a reply.

 

• Budget car rental. The search engine is good. The price list is more costly, in which average above sgd 100 per day and not inclusive of taxes and surcharges, e.g. for Toyota Vios from 3 Feb 2015 to 4 Feb 2015, it would cost me sgd 158.40 per day plus sgd 11.09 taxes/surcharges (total sgd 169.49). Furthermore, the pickup and return location is around Changi area, which will be inconvenient for most people.

 

• SgCarMart. This site provides a list of car rental companies in Singapore. Refer to the list of car rental companies listed in SgCarMart. Similar to Drive.Sg, SgCarMart is a platform to look for the best bargain for available cars.

 

• Hertz car rental. Price is around sgd 100 per day exclusive of GST (for Toyota Vios type). There are three pickup and return locations in Singapore. I have not tried Hertz because the pickup and return locations are not convenient to me.

 

• MyCarForum also provides searches for car rental or leasing. I have not tried looking for a car there.

 

There are many other car rental services in Singapore and you can search for them via Google.

Self notes

• To drive one big round in Singapore only takes 90 km (circumference). For companies that offer unlimited mileage in Singapore would mean that the mileage would be less than 90 km for me. Normally, I'd be driving in Sg for shopping, outdoor activities such as going to the Sungei Buloh Wetland Reserve, or hunting for favourite local food.

First post: Going to Langkawi in October

I will reach Langkawi at 1 pm on a Saturday via Air Asia flight to Langkawi International Airport, 07100 Padang Mat Sirat, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (Tel +6049551311 Fax +6049551314).

I will be traveling with my family with kids.

Before the travel
Booked the air ticket several months before the travel. The rate was very good from Air Asia. Occasionally, Air Asia will notify of irresistible promotions.

A few weeks before the actual travel date, we booked a hotel online. According to friends who travelled to Langkawi often, hotels are not a problem and you won't have problem getting a good bargain. Some even advised us that going to the ferry port/harbour or airport to hunt for bargain is better, but with kids, we tried not to risk not having a place. Renting a car is a must, but for those not comfortable driving around Langkawi, I guess there will be taxi/cab. I will be booking a car.

List of itinerary

1. Dataran Lang (Eagle Square) with the iconic 12 meter-tall sculpture of an eagle (hence the name "Lang" for Helang [eagle in Malay]). SE of island, near to Kuah Bay, residential area, shopping mall (Jetty Point Mall) and near duty-free shops selling chocolates, alcohols and other goods.
2. Underwater World Langkawi South of island near Pantai Cenang. 6 million litre walk-through underwater tunnel tank for observing underwater creatures.
3. Langkawi Sky Bridge located at the terminal of Langkawi Cable car ride, elevated 125 meter long curved bridge on top of Mount Mat Cincang. On the bridge, a breath-taking view of the rainforest and other natural settings (converge at Langkawi cable car).
4. Waterfall, Telaga Tujuh waterfalls (converge at Langkawi cable car).
5. Air/Ayer Hangat Village hangout to appreciate the culture, food, and duty-free products. Note that nearby there is a beautiful white beach at Tanjung Rhu (near Tanjung Rhu Resort).
6. Hotels and beaches.
7. Food, food, and food without the "chopping board" (being charged exorbitantly).

Contacts
Langkawi Tourist Information @ Kuah Jetty (Tel +6049667789).

Rice cooker on the go for family

For most people, traveling while on a holiday comes together with eating out. This is true if you are traveling to other countries with different culture, ambience, and importantly food.

Anyway, thanks to globalization, there is no food that is not available in Malaysia and Singapore. We have Middle Eastern, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Thai, Pinoy (or Phillipines), Indonesian, Western, French, and many more. For those people, like me, who would prefer that once in a while to have a home-cooked meal that is heavy on the spices and hot chillies during travel (especially for a duration of more than 5 days) there must be a way to accomplish this...

When I was in Spain few months back, and after having taken so many Tapas and Paella (which were really great and tasty but still....), I was so desperate to look for Asian/Indian restaurants that I was willing to walk long distances to taste home. Unfortunately the food there was still foreign to me. That was when I realized that the only way to take home cooked meal with me (if there was a craving), was to get a mini rice cooker. One that can fit into a luggage and sufficient to cook for at least two people.

The advantages of rice cooker is plenty:

1. It can boil water. This is important for travelers with babies and who need to prepare milk (from formula milk powder).
2. Instant noodle. Any craving for noodles, rice cooker to the rescue.
3. Hot pot (or steam boat). You can find any fresh ingredients to your liking (in the market) and dump them into the prepared broth (after adding the prepacked spices or broth base). It will be super!
4. Steamer. If you have craving for anything that need steaming, the rice cooker to the rescue!
5. BBQ/frying. I have not tried it on a "basic" cooker (those portable ones with minimal function) before, but with a little bit of cooking oil and ingredient, I guess you can start stir fry them in the pot and it should work.
6. Bake. My wife had tried baking a bread with the rice cooker. It won't be as fluffy as baking them in the oven, but it is still tasty. However, I don't think bread is hard to get item in the world. Bread can be found all over the world!

There are several references describing what you can do with a rice cooker. I will list some of them here.

• 21 Surprising Things You Can Make In A Rice Cooker
• Frying foods in a rice cooker (eHow)
• Rice cooker recipes (Zojirushi)

Other tips

• How to opt for Digi super long life plan. This is a prepaid plan and you can increase the validity duration by opting for Digi super long life plan (to 365 days) at a cost of RM 30.
• Type of cameras that is most useful during travel.
• List of important things to take while traveling oversea.

Car rental with Rojam New Adventure Holiday Sdn. Bhd

Upon arrival at the Langkawi International Airport, we cleared immigration checkpoint and headed to retrieve our baggage. Before exiting the airport, there was a row of counters (more than ten counters) providing car rental services. There was no big names such as Avis, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, or Sime-Darby etc. Most of the counters was probably local companies.

We chose Rojam New Adventure Holiday Sdn. Bhd service. The car available was a Toyota Vios 1.6 and the rate was at RM100 per day. We took three days at RM300 plus RM50 deposit, with a total of RM350. The only setback/cons about the deal was that I had to pay by cash. They did not accept credit card. In a situation such as this, customers are at a disadvantage because:

1. You will have to bring sufficient cash with you and parting RM350 on the first day is too much. You will either need to carry much more cash, or you have to use an ATM to withdraw more cash for subsequent stays.
2. In case of a dispute or refund, it would be more difficult to get a refund if you had paid by cash as compared to credit card. If I'm not mistaken, credit card service do provide minimal protection to users in cases of dispute/fraud etc.

Anyway, to me, I think the first point is more pertinent to my case because I had to deplete my wallet of ringgit before I could even set foot out of the airport. Fortunately, I did prepare sufficient cash for the visit.

When the car was presented to me, my first impression was that the car was not good. The car was making a squealing sound and I highlighted this to the staff there. He said that it was "normal" and I just have to keep the engine running longer to minimize the squealing sound (from the engine). He also pointed out that the Toyota Vios is the last one available. Without much choice, I drove my family to our Hotel at Kuah town center. During the ride, the engine kept making the noise.

Fortunately, the car was able to bring us to plenty of places albeit with plenty of noise alarming other drivers, people, and even animals grazing beside the road. I guess on the bright side is that I won't be getting into any "accident", especially considering that most drivers will be made aware (and alerted) of my presence on the road.

I brought along my Garmin GPS during the trip to Langkawi. It was not a friendly machine and there is no way of doing a quick search like using Google. However, I was able to save locations for subsequent uses and that normally would save me time and hassle. I was able to travel with ease using the GPS, but not all the time because at certain places, the machine would be repeating, "loss of satellite". I tried Waze on my Samsung phone and I hated Waze. Without any Internet connection, Waze is a piece of crap. I was literally traveling on a white canvas because no map was loaded/downloaded due to no internet connection. I have decided to remove the apps upon reaching home. Sigh, when I returned the car to the staff at Rojam, I forgot to retrieve my GPS and left it there in the car. I guess the GPS is lost (considering that the staff had no information regarding my oversea address if they did want to mail it back to me).

For a Malaysian, it's very easy to fill in the application form for car rental service. I had to fill my name, phone number, and probably identification number. Rojam had no GPS rental service, and they don't have a baby seat for babies/toddlers.

The interior of the car was not really clean. The seat was fabric and hence, difficult to really clean it. The interior was a little musty (probably due to high humidity of the place).

All in all, the car did not fail us. There was only one time at Underwater World Langkawi that the car did not start. It was probably due to the heavy rain that probably cooled the engine and made it difficult to start up (especially when the engine was old). Fortunately, after several attempts and switching off the air-con and other electronics, I was able to revive the car.

For our next visit to Langkawi, I think I will opt for locally produced car such as Proton or Perodua. They will be cheaper and work as well as branded cars. Furthermore, some of the local cars might be newer. Also, I will try to look for counters that will accept credit card payment (if any). Alternatively, I will search for car rental services that allowed online booking and hence online payment via credit card. Online car rental services will normally have reviews from patrons and it would serve as a guide to choose for the best deal and friendly service.

Related blogs

• What to expect upon landing Langkawi Intl Airport.
• The hotel we stayed while in Langkawi.
• We visited the largest Langkawi Underwater World.
• We visited the Cenang Beach nearby the Underwater World.
• We visited and enjoyed the hospitality at Mardi Agrotechnology Park in Langkawi (highly recommended and if you like durian, then wait for the season, e.g. from June to August)
• We visited the Langkawi cable car and passed by the waterfall.

Tips during travel

• How to opt for Digi super long life plan. This is a prepaid plan and you can increase the validity duration by opting for Digi super long life plan (to 365 days) at a cost of RM 30.
• Type of cameras that is most useful during travel.
• List of important things to take while traveling over
• Rice cooker on the go for family.

Cenang beach and activities

Cenang Beach or Pantai Cenang is a stretch of beach that is near to lots of interesting places to visit, eat and hangout. With a family with kid, our first stop to the area was Underwater World Langkawi. 

Fig. Cenang beach highlighted green. Underwater World Langkawi is pinned.

 

Pic. Smooth/fine sandy beach with lots of activities to try for adventurer. My daughter loved sitting on the beach and building her sand castle. The waves was intriguing to her. The sun was bright and never tires until it sets in the horizon (it's the West side).

 

There are coconut trees that served as shade, but not sufficient to cater for all beach goers. If anyone wants to hide under a shade, parasols are available for rent. Remember to bring sun block/tanning oil, sunglasses/shades, and plenty of water. Coconut drinks are available. A public toilet/shower is available.

Cenang beach is walkable from Underwater World. There are plenty of shops selling beach wears, toys/floats, sand castle tool kit, restaurants, shopping malls (e.g. Coco Valley Pte Ltd), Cenang Mall, and many more that we didn't get to visit.

I didn't try any of these but they are available at the beach:

1. Paragliding
2. Snookering
3. Water scooter rental
4. Sunbathing
5. Swim/dip
6. etc.

Related blogs

• What to expect upon landing Langkawi Intl Airport.
• Car rental while in Langkawi.
• The hotel we stayed while in Langkawi.
• We visited the largest Langkawi Underwater World.
• We visited and enjoyed the hospitality at Mardi Agrotechnology Park in Langkawi (highly recommended and if you like durian, then wait for the season, e.g. from June to August)
• We visited the Langkawi cable car and passed by the waterfall.

Bayview Hotel at Langkawi

Bayview hotel at Langkawi. That's our hotel during our stay here. There is a car park, not spacious but sufficient. There are rooms catered for "sea view" and "hill view". We chose the latter because we wouldn't be staying in the room for long to appreciate the view. The pros about the hotel: there are kettle (for boiling hot water to sterilise and prepare milk for baby), empty fridge (for storing drinks or yogurt, and other food items), friendly staffs, fun facilities/amenities (e.g. swimming pool, gym, and unisex sauna), restaurant (Flamingo), and lounge. Another plus point is that free wifi is provided (which is useful for searching for interesting places).

Fig. Bayview Hotel and the interesting places within driving distance.

Cons are, carpeted floor was a little damp (probably due to high humidity in Langkawi), room was musty (similar to our rented car), and TV didn't pick up any program (probably too remote from any TV signal tower). 

There is a night market nearby the hotel every Wed and Sat. The night market (or "pasar malam") had few stalls that sold food and drinks. There are more stalls selling dresses/souvenirs than food. I thought I would be able to savor skewered meats such as satay, sausage, etc. but was disappointed

 

Breakfast at Flamingo restaurant was okay. Breakfast covered a wide variety of choices. There are roti canai/prata, Nasi Lemak, porridge, fried noodle, French breakfast, Western breakfast, and a variety of fruits. The fruits at Langkawi was sweet.  This is probably due to the hot and sunny climate here. 

The hotel is a walking distance to many shops selling duty free items such as alcoholic drinks and cigarettes. Other items such as chocolate and sweets are not cheaper than home. There are plenty of souvenir shops to get great items.

We got a room for three adults and a kid for SGD 85 per night (inclusive of breakfast and extra bed on top of king size bed). We booked via Agoda dot com. In this hotel, there is a spa (Alun Alun Spa) worth the visit. I had a 30 min message and it was totally relaxing. It was near a gym (with instructor), near a sauna, and swimming pool is open from 7am to 7pm. The best time for a swim would be when the sun is not way up there. It could be very sunny and hot. However, it's a best place to get a tan for those who love the "bake".

Related blogs

• What to expect upon landing Langkawi Intl Airport.
• Car rental while in Langkawi.
• We visited the largest Langkawi Underwater World.
• We visited the Cenang Beach nearby the Underwater World.
• We visited and enjoyed the hospitality at Mardi Agrotechnology Park in Langkawi (highly recommended and if you like durian, then wait for the season, e.g. from June to August)
• We visited the Langkawi cable car and passed by the waterfall.

Underwater world Langkawi

It's the largest underwater world/aquarium in Malaysia. The staffs are friendly. The animals are in good condition. African penguins were adorable. There were plenty of marine animals, some were singletons (probably made that way due to their natural behaviour, e.g. territorial). There were giant spider crabs, amazing seahorses, giant eel, coral fishes, tuna fish, and plenty of others. There was an eatery located half way of the exhibit

At the end of the walk, there were shops selling souvenirs, toys, and chocolates.

Coming soon was "adopt a penguin" program for visitors.

Note that there is no flash photography allowed. However, you can still take pics by disabling flash. You can also capture video of the lively animals in the aquarium. The entry rate for Malaysian is RM 30 per head. There are three main sections to visit, i.e.

1. Antarctic Experience
2. Rainforest (just a brief walk)
3. Marine 

Related blogs

• What to expect upon landing Langkawi Intl Airport.
• Car rental while in Langkawi.
• The hotel we stayed while in Langkawi.
• We visited the Cenang Beach nearby the Underwater World.
• We visited and enjoyed the hospitality at Mardi Agrotechnology Park in Langkawi (highly recommended and if you like durian, then wait for the season, e.g. from June to August)
• We visited the Langkawi cable car and passed by the waterfall.

Langkawi Sunrise seafood restaurant

The restaurant is a walking distance from Bayview Hotel.

Ordered lemon (plum sauce) chicken (small portion, RM 20), salt and pepper mantis shrimp (small, RM 20), home-made special tofu (small, RM 16), daily soup old cucumber (small, RM 15), and home-made barley drinks (RM 3 each), and watermelon juice (RM 5 each). Total bill was RM90.

The place was okay. The staff was friendly. The food was not so good. The lemon chicken was okay because it's fresh, but the sauce and cooking style was not impressive (not memorable). The mantis shrimp was filled with batter to the extent that I can't make out if there is any shrimp at all. The tofu was nice and better than most of them. I didn't like the soup. 

I don't think I'd miss this place although I won't mind trying their other dishes, if chance permit.

 

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• What to expect upon landing Langkawi Intl Airport.
• Car rental while in Langkawi.
• The hotel we stayed while in Langkawi.
• We visited the largest Langkawi Underwater World.
• We visited the Cenang Beach nearby the Underwater World.
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Upon landing at Langkawi Intl Airport

Arrived at Langkawi Intl Airport. Went to immigration checkpoint. There are three counters for foreign passports and one counter allocated for Malaysian and APEC passports. After clearance, we went to baggage collection. Got the bags and headed out. On the way out, before the custom clearance counter, there are rows of counters promoting rental cars. The process is breezy for Malaysian, not sure about other nationals, e.g. requirement for driving license, passport, etc. We got a Vios 1.6 for a total of RM300 for three days. The car was with fabric seat, not really clean, musty, and the engine was making squealing noise. At least it was moving... There is no child seat, no GPS. There is minimal insurance coverage.

Driving in Langkawi is no problem. The drivers in Malaysia is generally friendly. Of course you will meet a handful of ugly drivers, but in Langkawi, it's way better than in highly congested cities. To drive in Langkawi is hence very convenient to explore more places of interest at the shortest and flexible time.

Language is no problem. Most people we met spoke English. Knowing Malay will be advantageous sometimes :)

We didn't spend too much time at the airport. A brief walk indicated that there are duty free shops selling liquor, chocolates, cigarettes, and others. There is a Tourist Information counter, phone shop to get a prepaid SIM card or to top up talktime credits (Hotlink; didn't notice other counters). There are restaurants/eateries and places to suit and drink coffee. At the airport, you can get a taxi. I didn't take one. We drove off with our squealing car.

Related blogs

• Car rental while in Langkawi.
• The hotel we stayed while in Langkawi.
• We visited the largest Langkawi Underwater World.
• We visited the Cenang Beach nearby the Underwater World.
• We visited and enjoyed the hospitality at Mardi Agrotechnology Park in Langkawi (highly recommended and if you like durian, then wait for the season, e.g. from June to August)
• We visited the Langkawi cable car and passed by the waterfall.

Air Asia flight from Singapore to Langkawi

We got a best buy for the airfare. Added extra cost for seat selection so that family members can be seated together. Added SGD 45 for a baggage check in. We travelled with our 2 plus year old girl. The seats were spacious and comfy. The plane was clean and fresh. I studied the menu. The selection was savory. I wanted to try the Pak Nasser's Nasi Lemak but I've got other food with me (so, probably on my travel home I'll order that). I've tried the coffee, asked for 3-in-1 and surprisingly, it was nice. It was just RM6. The travel time was just 1 and half hour.

All in all, it was a short pleasant trip.

 

Related blogs

• What to expect upon landing Langkawi Intl Airport.
• Car rental while in Langkawi.
• The hotel we stayed while in Langkawi.
• We visited the largest Langkawi Underwater World.
• We visited the Cenang Beach nearby the Underwater World.
• We visited and enjoyed the hospitality at Mardi Agrotechnology Park in Langkawi (highly recommended and if you like durian, then wait for the season, e.g. from June to August)
• We visited the Langkawi cable car and passed by the waterfall.