@travellingwiththeateam

Busy day exploring today, so we started early.

Andy was up and out at 6.30am, completing his daily 10k run around the streets of Sathon.

After we’d both ‘run the gauntlet’ and had a quick shower looking down to the 29 floors below, we tucked into a decent breakfast, before we departing in a Grab taxi before 9am. Our first stop was Sanam Luang (city park) the municipal heartland, where the Supreme Court is located along with the amusingly named Old Big Gun Museum. From there we headed north to the National Gallery and the Soi Ram Buttri area.

Having walked through the genteel Soi Ram Buttri, we moved on to the more ‘interesting’ Khao San Road, a place Andy visited some 30yrs ago back in 1994.

It’s fair to say the place has changed a little in the interim, but it still attracts the weird and the wonderful in equal measures.

After Andy’s reminiscing of days gone by, we returned to Ratchadamnoen Klang Rd and the Democracy Monument, before briefing pick up a tuk tuk with the intention of seeing the sights for a hour or two.

Despite having agreed a fee with the driver, he was keen for us to spend more and do some tours he would drive us to. We agreed this wasn’t on the cards, so he kindly told us he wasn’t going to charge us, but he wanted us to get out! Best laid plans foiled, but at least we had 10mins in a tuk tuk at no cost!

With a hour or so to spare, we had a walk around the Royal Pavilion before moving on to Rommaninat Park, where we stopped for a drink and a rest.

Early afternoon we headed to the cycle tour meeting point and met with the friendly guide Tommy, a Chinese Thai who has been running the ‘back streets of Bangkok’ for the last couple of years since Covid restrictions were lifted.

The cycle tour took us through some of the less well trodden streets, but it was so interesting to see the locals going about their business and realising how little they have financially, but how happy they appeared to be.

Michelle was a little unsure about the cycle tour at the start, but quite quickly got the hang of it and really enjoyed herself.

We both loved visiting the temples, which Tommy seemed able to access at no cost and enabled us to see so much more than we imagined. The temples are a feast for the eye, with bright colours, notably gold, drawing you in. It truly takes your breath away, given their scale and elaborate design.

Big Buddhas are here there everywhere and draw in the crowds. It’s a spectacle that you just don’t see in European places of worship.

We visited the latest and largest Buddha to land in the city, which was only finished in 2021 standing at 225ft in height and 130ft wide. You really can’t miss it!!

With temple overload starting to set in, Tommy took us to see his local food market, where fruits, vegetables and cooked fish and chicken were being sold to the locals. The food looked so fresh and delicious, although some were a little alien to us and needed explanation or a pre- purchase taste.

After 3hrs of fun cycling across 15k of paths, some more even than others, we finished up back at the start. Tommy was a great guide, very knowledgeable and was able to take a few photos and videos whilst we meandered around Bangkok.

https://videopress.com/v/DXOaxnhO?resizeToParent=true&cover=true&preloadContent=metadata&useAverageColor=true

After saying goodbye to our Dutch cycling buddies, we caught the SkyTrail back to our hotel and changed ready to visit one of the night markets, at the fashionable Asiatique on the Waterfront.

This modern take on a night market, was part shopping mall, part theme park, but most importantly a great location to pick up some local Thai cuisine at reasonable prices.

After seeing chicken pad Thai and corn on the cob, we were both in like a shot and we quickly devoured the plates. As we let the food settle we took a wander along the riverside and watched the numerous riverboats pass by, set against lit up skyscrapers.

After a beer and some sweet treats, we made a move back to the hotel to recharge our batteries before we go again tomorrow for another walking tour around the Grand Palace.

Today was flight day.

The first Malaysia Air from Langkawi back to Kuala Lumpur, before a short layover and an Air Asia up to Bangkok.

As a result we didn’t really see much, so our photo output was limited with just a single photo of our ‘two some’ at KL airport as we whiled away 3hrs between the two flights.

Our arrival, and swift departure, through Bangkok airport security and customs was much appreciated and we arrived at our hotel in Bangkok around 8.30pm.

After a very rigorous check-in at Mode Sathorn Hotel, which required every conceivable ID known to man, we eventually headed up to our 29th storey room. The room and layout are very impressive and so much better than we expected for what we paid.

After a long day of travelling/hanging around, the need for food and drinks was crucial. Fortunately the hotel has a welcoming restaurant which does a mean chicken and cashew curry, plus a little treat… truffle chips and of course Chang beers, we are in Bangkok after all.

To finish we had a strawberry cheese drink. Sounds a weird combo, but in truth it’s a liquified cheesecake which was chilled and very yummy. Definitely be ordering that again!

Tomorrow we start our adventures in Bangkok properly and have booked a cycle tour around the less trodden parts of the city, to get a feel for the way the locals live.

In addition we intend to take a tuk tuk, ride the sky-train and walk the Khao San Road and its close relation Ram Buttri Road, to see the various sights and sounds of old Bangkok.

Anyway it’s time for Andy to work up the courage, and fight his fear of heights, to walk across the hotel room and next to the window that looks down from the 29th storey.

Early morning start for Andy and his last run along the coastline of Langkawi back to The Westin hotel. After breakfast and a few hours at the pool, briefly interrupted by clouds and the threat of rain, we headed down to the Langkawi yacht club for our late afternoon sunset cruise.

The cruise is aptly called the Happy sunset, so its smiles all the way.

Fortunately for us there were only 8 guests on the boat so we had loads of space to sit and drink in the views.

As an acknowledgment of the ‘happy’ cruise we were greeted with Hawaiian styled leis.

In no time we were off out of the harbour and into the larger bay, with a first stop at Eagle Square for some photo opportunities, before navigating our way around the numerous smaller islands.

Due to sea erosion, there are over 100 islands that make up the archipelago that is Langkawi and we sailed past a good 20 or so, within the first couple of hours of the cruise.

With the sun beating down and the water close at hand, we decided to ‘dive’ into the sea jacuzzi…..

We really enjoyed the ‘jacuzzi’ although it was brought to an abrupt end when Andy spotted what he thought was a shark’s fin circling around the net, without alarming anyone we made our way back to the boat….only to be told once we were out that the fin wasn’t a shark but a friendly dolphin!!

Before we knew it, the sun had set and it was almost 8pm and we headed back to the marina and waved a goodbye to the Happy cruise boat.

Well that’s the end of our stay in the lovely island of Langkawi and tomorrow we head south back to KL, on a short 1hr flight before taking a further international flight back north to Bangkok and the start of the Thailand chapter of our journey.

We’ve really loved our stay in Malaysia and have found the people to be so kind and welcoming, we will definitely return for further adventures in the future!

After a morning at the hotel pool, we ventured out mid-afternoon to visit Langkawi Cable Car, also known as Langkawi SkyCab, one of the major attractions on rhe island.

The cable car provides an aerial link from the Oriental Village at Teluk Burau to the peak of Gunung Machinchang, which is also the location of the Langkawi Sky Bridge.

On arrival we took the opportunity to take some photos of the oriental village before making our way to the cable car.

The cable car takes a steep ascent up through the rainforest and as it reaches the summit the vertical climb becomes even more pronounced, making the eventual arrival a welcome relief. More so for Andy given his fear of heights!!

‘Sadly’ the eagle look out point was a hidden extra, so we decided to give it a miss and instead focused on the next cable car to the bridge link.

The views down to the sea below are breathtaking and you appreciate just how steep the climb is to get to the summit. It’s incredible how they constructed the cable cars with the lack of infrastructure and uneven ground. Added to this the heat of the day, even at these heights is intense and quickly we were both sweating even before we started any proper walking.

Once we got across the second summit link, we had a steep climb down into the rainforest before meeting up with the sky bridge.

Once we were back at the oriental village we manager to get a Grab taxi and spent an enjoyable 45mins in the company of a friendly Malay driver called Zaidi. He explained that since Covid tourist numbers have remained low as a result of reduced direct overseas flights to Langkawi, meaning that business was challenging and they were keen for a change of government to help improve the visitor numbers.

As we got close to our hotel we came across some rare black monkeys who were sitting on a telephone line next to the road.

As soon as we slowed the taxi down we were bombarded with local grey monkeys who are a lot braver and approached the car for food!

There was more wildlife later into the evening with birds and more monkeys in the trees close to the hotel all vying for attention and food.

Tomorrow is our last full day on Langkawi and we have booked to do a sunset cruise from the yacht club out into the harbour and beyond, This may be our last chance to see the islands and wildlife from a boat, so we plan to make the most of it.

And we are off, it’s boat trip day. First stop the harbour meeting point where we meet up with the other 15-20 people who are joining us for 4hrs of fun.

We boarded our speed boat, got handed our life jackets and had the usual safety drill….don’t take off your life jacket!

After 20mins we traversed across the bay along the coast of the main island and to the West part of the archipelago to the Pulau Beras Basah.

We were greeted by a floating dock and walkway of dubious construction. So glad no alcohol was consumed this morning, or we’d have been swimming the last section such was the rocking of the walkway off the boat.

Once we reached land, it was white sandy beaches under palm trees, a proper island paradise. Being Malaysia there were a few witty signs (see below) and a row of colourful beach huts for changing in.

We spent an enjoyable hour in this island paradise – the photos don’t do it justice, it is a truly wonderful spot with views across the other nearby islands.

Back on to the boat we went in search of eagles at Big Lions Island (Pulau Singa Besar). With food in the water from another boat, the birds started to appear in the water and the next thing we knew there were 15-20 large eagles diving majestically into the water to retrieve pieces of chicken that the boatsman chucked off the side of the boat. Truly captivating.

The island takes its name from these birds of prey, being a direct translation in Malay as brown eagle.

Our next stop was the sight of the ‘Pregnant Women’ hillside, so called due to the shape that has formed that mirrors a women lying down who is heavily pregnant.

We then disembarked at Pulau Dayang Bunting, kno n for its huge freshwater lake where we swam and watched others kayak and snorkel.

On our way to the freshwater lake we came across a local monkey tucking into their favourite Pringle crisps.

After descending some pretty steep steps we arrived on another floating jetty, this one a little more secure than the last. Without shade it was a hot place to be at midday so we quickly both jumped into the lake, which had been warmed by the sun and had hit a temp of 34c.

With time marching on, we climbed back up the hillside and back to our waiting boat for our final journey and the return to Langkawi port.

Before we left Michelle decided to place a flower in the waters of the Pregnant Woman Lake in memory of her mum who died some 23yrs ago today.

Sheila was a wonderful mother to Michelle and her sister Deborah, as well as an amazing mother-in-law to me and we talked and remembered fondly the time we had with her, although short, as a married couple.

Before we boarded the speed boat one last time, we came across a family of monkeys and it didn’t take long before the father tried his best to steal a bottle from an unsuspecting Japanese tourist!

By 2pm, we were back at the harbour and motored past the eagle statue that can be seen when you enter and leave the marina.

On returning to the hotel we spent a few hours back at the pool before getting a taxi ride back to the fisherman’s wharf for drinks and a seafood dinner

After dinner Michelle insisted on one last photo in her bikini which I couldn’t pass up. She looks stunning I’m sure you’ll agree. Reminds me of someone!!

Before leaving the wharf for the evening Andy purchased a Magnum ice cream in honour of our Borneo guide, Ben who couldn’t pass up his favourite ice cream whenever the opportunity arose. To you Ben, hope the break with your son is going well.

With no tours booked today, we decided to make the most of the hotel and enjoy the facilities!

Andy was back to his morning 10k run around the harbour and took a couple of photos of Maha Tower (looks a little like a mini Eiffel Tower) and the Vintage Villa Langkawi, one of the original hotels in the city.

After a sumptuous breakfast offer, which catered for every conceivable palette we ‘retired’ to the beach.

After a few hours of pool side action, rotating between the sun lounger, pool and sea, it was time to hit the bar.

After a cool beer at the pool side we headed back to the room and after a brief interlude watching one of the Mission Impossible movies for the nth time, we headed to the hotel bar & restaurant.

Again there was a singer and guitarist in the bar playing a mix of Malaysian and Western songs.

The food at the hotel, whilst a little more expensive than we’ve been used to it too date, is excellent and we loved the chicken stir fry with chillies – which definitely had a spicy kick to them!!!

It’s been a lovely day doing very little and we have been blessed with a full day of sunshine, so all turned out well.

Tomorrow we are off on an island hopping tour to see Eagles, the ‘Pregnant Women’ lake & hillside and to swim in Beras Basah beach under the palm trees.

After an enjoyable and mostly relaxing 5 days on Penang, we headed north up the coast to the wonderful island of Langkawi.

The flight of just 70 miles must be one of the shortest we’ve ever had, with the time in the air being no more than 15mins before we were back on the ground!!

Before the flight and whilst we were at the airport we heard from Jennifer, our Canadian travel buddy from our Lombok trip a month or so back. She was keen to know if we were still wearing our coloured Indonesian wrist band from one of our home visits. The good news is that they are still going strong, hence the photo proof below.

Once in the air, we took our customary photo and messaged our daughter Amelia to let her know we were flying just in case she messaged!

The next 5 days are being spent at the wonderful Weston hotel & spa which sits just outside Langkawi on the beach. Of all the places we’ve stayed at to date this has the best view. It’s absolutely stunning.

Once we’d had a brief look around the grounds we headed to our room. We’ve managed to get an upgrade to a garden room which is blessed with a uber sized bed and has its own perfume room spray – wow we are truly living the life.

As we missed lunch due to our flight, we decided to head to the bar area and grab a bite and embrace the 180 degree view across the bay with views of the archipelago of islands.

With our hunger pains kicking in, Michelle went healthy and ordered salmon and salad whilst Andy held firm and ordered french fries!

With hunger abated, it was time to hit the swimming pool and check out that vista and pinch ourselves that we are truly here.

We had booked this hotel stay almost a year ago, so weren’t sure whether the initial excitement of seeing the photos on-line would be matched in person, but I can confidently say it’s all we could have hoped for and more.

Still pinching ourselves that we are staying at such a lovely hotel and appreciative of what it has taken to get here. No doubt we will look back even more fondly when we are staying in the Cambodian jungle in our bunkbeds….!!!

Tonight we headed up to the main hotel lobby for pre-dinner drinks and enjoyed a local singer and guitarist play some classic tunes – Elvis, Barry Manilow and the Carpenters were just some of the ones we can remember.

Tomorrow we plan to chill by the pool before heading to the local yacht club for dinner (sounds posh, it isn’t, just a good recommendation from our friends at Google!)

Sunday won’t be a day of rest, as we are booked on an island hopping boat tour with a 8.45am start.

Better enjoy the rest first before we get back on the travel front!

Another day of relaxation and making the most of our stay both at the hotel & being so close to the beach.

Post breakfast we had a tour around the wider hotel grounds with the aid of the hotels shuttle buggy service!

Although we’ve been here for 4 days, we didn’t appreciate that we could make use of nearby tennis courts, golf course and spa, however given the heat and the cost, we didn’t trouble ourselves with any of these extra treats and instead enjoyed the simple things such as a sun lounger and the use of the pool.

The grounds of the hotel are however very impressive and it was pleasing to note that when they built the hotel back in the mid 1970’s, they were able to preserve the large original trees that stood on the site planted almost 250yrs ago by the first merchants arriving on the island.

The greenery and views are calming and beautiful, making our desire to leave the hotel that much less.

We meandered along one of the many paths through the grounds, which ran parallel to the water front and kept stopping to take in the view of the sandy beach and coastline in the distance.

Before we knew it, lunch had been and gone and it was already early evening. Another day had passed reading by the pool.

Andy went off along the beach and managed to catch another sunset, this time with a paraglider heading out for a final run before darkness descends.

For reasons unknown the local men appear with horses around sunset, presumably to try and convince tourists they want a photo on horseback. Whilst we both love horses, it wasn’t apparent that the Chinese tourists are, as very few seemed keen to get close, never mind want to ride them.

As this is our last night on the island of Penang before we fly up to Langkawi, we headed out for drinks and a bite to eat at one of the beach restaurants. Tiger beer as ever was the first thing on the menu, with Andy keen to get his thirst quenched before making any decisions on the food.

After deliberating about what to eat, we stopped off at a couple of street vendors, one of which was selling vegetable spring rolls. There was a large queue which drew us in and when at last they arrived in their little box with a chilli dip, we can honestly say they were the best we’ve ever tried. So much so, Andy went back and ordered another one!

Tomorrow we are off back to the airport and a short hop of 70 miles north to Langkawi. We’ve enjoyed Penang, especially Georgetown and have really appreciated the chance to have some downtime before we start our next big trip in Thailand in a few days time.

Another day of sunshine, but today we are determined to not get ‘distracted’ and go beyond the beach and the hotel pool!

So post breakfast we went for a short walk to check out the traditional local boats and to admire the views along the coast.

Early afternoon we jumped in a Grab and got a taxi back to Georgetown to visit the various jetty’s that were built by the Chinese over a century ago to avoid paying taxes to the British. Wow it was hot and with very little shade, we were struggling to walk around, never mind the thought of having to work in this intense heat.

The jetty’s remain vibrant and busy, with a regular boat service to and from the mainland which sits within touching distance, just a matter of half a mile waterway.

Back into the main streets of Little India and China town, we came across more street graffiti which brought a smile to both of our faces, as it feels like a positive attempt to make the area feel inviting with a sense of amusement.

You can’t help but smile when you see the signs and works of art dotted around this part of Georgetown. Almost every corner has something to attract your eye.

After the walk around the graffiti streets, we headed up to the Blue Mansion, made famous in recent times as a backdrop for the movie Crazy Rich Asians. It’s a stunning building, once owned by Cheong Fatt Tze, a wealthy Chinese businessman who embraced colonial styles and blended them with Chinese architectural imperialism.

The blue mansion was renovated about 20yrs or so ago and is now a boutique hotel for discerning travellers. We managed to get a sneak preview of the place, by saying we were coming in for a drink and were taken aback how beautiful and blue the place is, both inside and out.

Like other mansions in Georgetown, the styles and materials used emanate not just from China and Malaysia, but also the Uk (Glasgow to be strictly correct) where the tiles from this floor originate.

After our little tour, we had worked up a sweat and thankfully found a trendy cafe and bar where we were able to relax and enjoy a cool breakfast tea and a Carlsburg.

After the liquid refreshment, it was time to find a good restaurant and we’d found one on a local blog which recommended a place called Karaikudi, popular with local Indians.

On the way we walked past more temples, cafes and murals!!

We came across this street vendor selling samosa for 1 ringgit, about 15p and wow were they good. Andy would have ate there if he’d had the final say!

When we did arrive at the restaurant they were so friendly and inviting. The place we fill with locals even though it was only 6

We fancied a tasty vegetarian offer, which was stated as being modestly spiced, but definitely had a kick to it!

After a further walk around Little India we headed for the Komtar tower, but decided against doing the climb and

the transparent walkway.

We finished our stay in Georgetown with a visit to one of the original named buildings and then headed home for an early night.

No excuses, today proved to be a lazy one for us both. Waking up to another hot & sunny morning, we had originally intended to get our tourist ‘heads’ on around mid afternoon and head back into Georgetown to do some more exploring. However with not a cloud in the sky (more or less…), we fell into the trap of snoozing on the sun loungers and watching the world go by.

After spending several hours toing and froing from the sunbed to the pool and back again, we did eventually step up a gear and got round to booking our travels from Langkawi to Bangkok. After a hour or so on various travel apps, we are now flying back down to KL, to then change and fly up to Thailand. Turns out it’s cheaper and easier than our original idea of a ferry, bus and train up to BK, plus we get a decent nights sleep in the famous city, rather than on a busy train.

We decided that tonight we would explore the local town and headed down to Ferringhi for drinks and dinner.

After a shower and change of clothes (freshly laundered I might add!), we went Batu Ferringhi Beach to watch the sunset and have a drink.

Getting down to the beach, all of a sudden it felt like we were somewhere in the Mediterranean with packed tables of people enjoying the early evening sun. At this time of year, the main holidaymakers appear to be young Chinese who were out to party.

After an enjoyable Tiger or two on the beach, we decided to search out a decent local restaurant and after passing the Ship, a seafood restaurant no less, we settled on a Tripadvisor recommendation, Helena, a Malay institution, located just a couple of blocks from our hotel.

The food was delicious and whilst simple, it tasted so good and cost about £7 including beers, so no complaints from either of us.

As we wandered back along the main strip and took in the sights, smells and sounds, we both acknowledged that this was what makes this whole experience so distinctive and different. Hearing the call to pray, stands out as a cultural reminder that we are in a country with numerous religions but where people are able to live in harmony.