Landing on Langkawi, Toes in the Sea
In the morning, I took the monorail in Bukit Bintang directly to KL Sentral without transfer, then KL Express to KLIA T2, and took the AirAsia flight to Langkawi.
Here I want to elaborate a little about the trains in KL. The trains are clean and spacious, usually running out of tunnels to offer spectacular views of the city. The density of the crowd in the train depends of the time of the day, just like every city in the world. An innovate design which stand out for me is the three-pole configuration in the train. These three poles, connected at the top and bottom, form a cohesive unit that can be grasped from multiply directions while efficiently utilizing the limited space in the train. I also saw the same design in trains in Singapore, which is definitely a better choice than the single pole from ceiling to floor inside the metro in Guangzhou, since I always find there’s not enough space to grasp the pole when it’s peak hour.
Taking the KL Express the second time, I was more comfortable on the train since I was used to travelling in a new city on my own and able to enjoy everything around me, like a small TV screen hung on the wall, though the sound was too weak to be heard clearly. The train took me from the center of KL all the way to the suburb areas where KLIA is located, through vast areas of vegetations, which contradicts my old impression that most parts of KL are urbanized.
The check-in and boarding process in KLIA was not that smooth though, since this was my first time to take a flight in an airport outside of China alone. First things first, the policiesregarding liquid to carry and battery is different. In China, liquid more than 100 ml is not allowed to be carried on and should be put inside check-in baggage. In KLIA, however, this is completely opposite, so I needed to take my almond milk and all the products containing batteries in the suitcase out and re-pack up my suitcase again. A bit of a mess. Also, the check-in of luggage is self-service, and I needed to learn how do it by following the instructions on the screen. Before I could queue up for luggage check-in, a baggage tag should be printed and an airport staff would check it and my passport to allow be for self-check-in. A lot of new things to be learnt.
And boom! Arrived at Langkawi! The moment I landed on the airport, I could feel that this is completely different from what I experienced in KL: sky is bluer and clearer, clouds are white and fluffy, mountains clad with greenery can be seen on the horizon, and the air is fresher with smell of sea salt. A real tropical island! Here I am!
The first thing I did when I claimed my baggage and left the airport was to Grab, an equivalent of Uber, since there is no public transport on the island and for me, who is not capable of driving, the only way of going from places to places is to grab or take a taxi. Since Grab is more affordable than taxi, then let’s grab! Being the first time to really use Grab, I was overwhelmed, not knowing where to go to wait for the car and where the driver was. After a little bit of exploration on the app, I finally spotted the car that was supposed to pick me up but it was driving away and seemed to be leaving the airport! When I was thinking that the driver didn’t want to pick me up because he couldn’t find me, the driver sent me a message asking where I was and it turned out that he was circling around the airport to try to find me!
I was glad that I was finally able to get on the first Grab ride in my life! In Malaysia, as well as in Singapore, drivers’ seat is at the righthand side, so I sat to the left of him and we had a very pleasant talk all the way to my hotel. He told me that his main job is a firefighter and Grab driver is just his part-time job to earn more income to prepare his potential wedding with his wife! Having two jobs at the same time seems to be quite common among Langkawi residents, since I met another Grab driver who is also a headmaster in a primary school the next day. It strikes me that, living in a not-so-developed island of Langkawi, the livelihood of residents is quite difficult.
After settling down in my room in Adya Hotel Langkawi and learning some hotel vocabularies from the items list on the bed sheet (funny, haha), I ordered another Grab, which took me to the most popular and tourity sand bench in Langkawi, Pantai Chenang (Pantai means beach in Malay). The road is well-maintained and after leaving the only town on the island, Kuah, our car drove right into the vast areas of forest, with groups of monkeys along the roadside waiting to be fed by tourists! Obviously, the driver was so accustomed to this, but as a tourist who came here for the first time, spotting monkeys along the road was so intriguing to me! Sometimes our car drove on the road besides ocean and the view was so spectacular, though it only lasted for a short period of time and it was not enough time for me to take out my phone and take a picture of it.
Soon I arrived at Pantai Chenang. As I stood on the edge of the beach, I was greeted by a breathtaking panorama of nature's beauty. The soft, golden sand beneath my feet feels warm and comforting, like a natural embrace. The grains are so fine that they slip through my toes with every step I take, creating a gentle, exfoliating sensation. The sand stretches out in both directions, curving gently as it meets the water's edge.
Before me, the ocean extends infinitely, its surface a mesmerizing tapestry of blues and greens. The water closest to the shore is a light blue. As the ocean deepens, the colors shift to rich cerulean and deep sapphire, melding seamlessly into the horizon.
Waves roll in with a rhythmic grace, their white crests sparkling in the sunlight before crashing onto the shore with a soothing, steady roar. Each wave leaves a lace-like pattern of foam that lingers momentarily on the sand before being drawn back into the sea. A gentle breeze wafts in from the ocean, carrying with it the salty tang of the sea. It ruffles my hair and cools my skin, providing a refreshing counterpoint to the sun's warm embrace. The breeze rustles through the palm trees that dot the beach, their fronds swaying and casting playful shadows on the ground.
At the horizon majestic mountains rise in the distance. They are clad in lush, verdant forests, with trees that tower proudly, their leaves a vibrant mosaic of greens. Their peaks are kissed by the occasional wisp of cloud. As the sun moves across the sky, the light plays on the mountains' slopes, creating a dynamic landscape of light and shadow.
Above, the sky is a vast expanse of brilliant blue, dotted by occasional white clouds. The sun hangs high, its golden rays casting a warm, golden glow over everything. Birds glide effortlessly through the air, their calls a cheerful melody that complements the ocean's song.
I feel an overwhelming sense of peace and contentment. The beauty of the scene fills me with a deep appreciation for the natural world and its wonders. The harmony of elements—the sea, the sand, the breeze, the mountains, the trees, the sky and the clouds—creates a perfect symphony that resonates within me. I am both invigorated and calmed, my senses heightened and my spirit soothed. It is a moment of pure bliss, a reminder of the simple, profound joy that can be found in nature's embrace.
However, the overall experience was destroyed a little bit by the bustling and noisy nature of people on the beach and water activities in the ocean. Many individuals or agents were trying to sell their water activities to you. In the ocean, banana boats, jetskiing and parasailing wereeverywhere. Waste could be seen in the water or on the sand
After enjoying the ocean views, I left the beach and tried to find toilets, disappointed by the fact that only paid toilets were available, no matter it was by the beach or within the ac-enabled shopping halls. With nothing to do, I went back to the beach, sat on the swing, and enjoy the exceptionally beautiful view of the sand and ocean as the sun went down. Here, I had a very wonderful conversation with a girl sitting on another swing near me. She was also a university student studying hospitability and came to Langkawi for a 6-months internship at Four Seasons Hotel near Tanjung Rhu Beach. Her English was much better than the average Malaysian I had met along the way without strong Malaysian accent, thus I was able to understand her perfectly. She said she had been in Langkawi for 1 month but only been to the beach twice, sharing the same frustration about the overly-commercialized beach as me. I shared with her my past few days in KL while she talked vehemently about her journey on SkyCabin Langkawi, highly praising the magnificent scenery of Langkawi from the cable car and recommending me to experience it myself. It was her recommendation that I changed my itinerary and went to the SkyCab the next day and met another wonderful solo-traveller there!
Soon before a huge rainstorm arrived, she left with her friends for dinner and I went to a food stall near the beach for dinner and free toilet (Thank you so much!). Oh! By the way, the menu offered by this eatery has names of dishes in both Malay and English so I was finally able to learn food names of Malay! The food I ordered was Nasi Goreng Daging Merah, Fried Rice & Stir Fried Beef With Red Sauce Thai Style, which is basically fried rice topped with a few beef, with a lot of sides that I didn’t like, so it’s quite mediocre for me.
Then came with one of the most fantastic experience in Langkawi – Grab ride! The songs he played in the car were all from Taylor Swift’s album 1989, which I enjoyed so much, and he liked them too because he was born in 1989! On my way home, he taught me a lot of Malay, such as “good morning”, “good afternoon”, “good evening” and “good night”, which I forgot instantly. When we arrived at my hotel and I was leaving the car, I said “good night” in Malay to him (Selamat Malam), of course still instructed by him! And he said “see you tomorrow, sir” to me, which I hoped so too but unfortunately it never happened.
