Day 3 Continued...

After the tropical storm passed we headed to some night markets. By this time we had worked up an appetite, and were keen to sample some of the delicious (and unusual looking!) hawker food. While Mark was slightly more daring, trying anything and everything, we both ended up finding lots of yummy meat and vegetable treats(unfortunately we actually have no idea what we ate and so cannot give you anymore information!).

Day 4

We rose at 6am today to hear the Muslim prayer music sounding out over the city. We were excited to travel to the airport to catch a flight to Langkawi Island. After the hustle and bustle of KL, it was such a lovely change to escape to this beautiful island. Langkawi is quite a small island, only taking a couple of hours to drive around. Everything in the shops is completely duty-free, and it has lots of amazing tropical beaches and restaurants.

When we booked our mystery accommodation on wotif.com we had no idea what to expect. We were lucky enough to score a deluxe room in the Berjaya Spa Resort, only to be upgraded to a superior chalet room on arrival! The resort was absolutely stunning, and the staff were so friendly and helpful. There was so much wildlife to see, including lots of different types of monkeys and lizards (we were advised to lock all our doors as apparently the monkeys have a habit of breaking and entering!).

After arriving hot and tired, we decided to head straight for a swim. After experiencing the warm ocean water (not quite as icy as Torquay!) we made a beeline for the hotel pool bar. As we ordered some Long Island Iced Teas from the friendly barman Muhammed, we heard the familiar Aussie accent. These accents ended up belonging to Ben, Fi, Amanda and Luke. These guys were on route to Borneo for a work conference. After realising that it really is a small world, with lots of common aquaintances between us, they kindly invited us to join them for dinner at the Thai restaurant situated out on a pier on the water.

We had an amazing meal with excellent company and a beautiful sunset, whilst being serenaded by traditional Malaysian musicians (who were also willing to play a few Aussie from the 80's as the night wore on!). It was one of the best meals we have ever had- we feel like we are experiencing so many flavors that we never knew existed!

Day 5

After enjoying our complimentary breakfast overlooking the stunning coastline, we met up with our new Aussie friends again. Together we took off towards the Langkawi Cable Car. We were all a mixture of nerves and excitement as we climbed into the rather small and wonky cable car which was destined to take us to the top of a mountain, some steep 750metres above sea level. While we were initially a bit jittery, we were quickly overcome by the amazing view. From our little cable car we could see the whole island. There were several platforms along the journey that gave us the option of leaving the cable car and climbing out into an observation deck. This gave us a chance to settle our nerves and also provided terrific views.

Feeling exhilarated (and glad to be back on solid ground!) we farewelled our new friends and took our rental car ($15 AU per day!) for a spin. While we didn't know what to expect from driving on the island, the 10 year old locals didn't seem to have a problem cruising around the island on their motor bikes (often with their young siblings on the back!) We spent the afternoon and evening exploring Langkawi beaches, shopping strips and markets.

We arrived back in KL later that evening, tired but very relaxed. Langkawi Island is a breathtaking location that we hope to visit again (?potential honeymoon destination??)

Terima Kasih,

Mark & Jessie