Singapore to Langkawi

Dom’s flight arrived early as well and it only took him 10 minutes from stepping off the aircraft to sitting in a taxi! We met at the hotel and headed out into the evening in search of dinner. The hotel is located right on Orchard Road, one of the world’s great shopping strips. Hunger over powered my desire to shop (it does happen sometimes!) and we caught a taxi to Lau Par Sat, a hawker centre near the CBD, and a favourite of ours (the original Satay Club stalls). 

Satays and stingray flap

It is such a wonderful and familiar thing, to settle at a plastic table on stools and order Tiger beer by the jug, and world famous satays. We ordered stingray flap, which is basted with sambal (chilli and garlic), and Char Kway Teow, my favourite noodle dish, fried with soy and chilli. The food was amazing and cheap - $27 AUD for 3 dishes, which would have fed 5 or 6 people easily. We’d forgotten what small and large mean in Asia (small is enough for two, large is enough for a village!). The smoke and aromas from the satay fires and the constant bustle of locals and travellers make for a fabulous atmosphere. 

We opted to let our dinner settle by setting off on foot for home. We usually stay at the marina, which is a pleasant stroll back from Lau Par Sat, but after 15 minutes' walk we were still a 10 minute cab ride from the Mandarin Orchard. I really enjoyed seeing older parts of Singapore and the renovated shop houses, now homes to boutique shops and bars. I am amazed at how much of Singapore I have never seen – I have been here many, many times, so it’s comforting to know that I still have much left to explore.

We were on the 30^th floor of the hotel but the noise from a night club or bar was quite invasive when we went to bed. We were so tired that it didn’t worry us and all was very quiet later in the night – certainly no street noise at that height.

In the morning we ordered coffee to the room ($20 AUD!). We rarely get breakfast included in Singapore as it is quite expensive (I can’t eat $30 worth of buffet breakfast and still walk around) , but often share a coffee as we get ready to go out for the day.

We packed and checked out on the TV – Singapore has always been one step ahead of Australia in technology for common use – then cabbed back to the airport in a London Cab. Very cool.

Air Asia now operates out of Terminal 1, as does Jetstar. Both used to operate from the low cost carrier terminal, which was much less salubrious. Terminal 1 at Changi has a very long concourse filled with luxury goods shops (Bally, Salvatore Ferrangamo, etc) and duty free (cheaper than Australia – the same gin was $20 cheaper here).

Our flight departed on time and the hour and twenty minutes passed quickly. To our Girls - we had our first kopi susu and thought of you all! To the uninitiated, kopi susu is coffee made with sugar and condensed milk, and is extremely tasty and energy-giving. On Air Asia it came all mixed together and dried in a packet but was still delicious.

Arrival was smooth and we had no problem organising a taxi to our hotel. In many of the Asian airports, ordering a cab can be a little confusing. You need to look out for a booth with a sign relating to taxis, let the person know where you want to go, pay them, collect a ticket, then find another booth closer to the exit, have an expectant look on your face, and then someone will take the ticket and guide you to a taxi. We learnt this the long way on our first visit to KL, and now know what to look for.

The drive took about 20 minutes through relatively undeveloped but lush, lush, lush countryside. This is definitely not a modern place, but rather beautiful in its original asian, unhurried way.

Main pool with pool bar

I must say, friends, that this place is my heaven on earth. The Westin Langkawi Resort and Spa sits on its own calm, clean beach, with three pools and an amazing view over the ocean and surrounding islands. I was truly impressed - the photos of this hotel on the internet go no way towards showing how wonderful the place is.

The afternoon was spent in the horizon pool, watching the boating traffic pass below us, and the clouds ebb and flow above us. The heavens did open, but we were wet anyway, so lounged in the pool bar with a mojito. It was a magnificent way to while away time.

Later in the afternoon we took a $3 cab ride to town where there was little to see. It is an old style working town for locals and not a town dedicated to tourists. We wandered back towards the hotel through unkempt gardens. It is so very different to Singapore where there are teams of men in orange overalls, tending to the foliage on a daily basis. This place looks as though it had a heyday, and it was 20 years ago. That in itself is charming, and does help us with our original plan to spend this part of the holiday just relaxing.

Tomorrow is my 41st birthday, and we'll be celebrating in fine style. Forty was an amazing year for me, despite some tough learning at work. This particular birthday always had such a stigma, such a presence as a historical milestone. It has now passed for me and I feel that another chapter is starting; one that feels new and exciting and uncharted.