I arrived at KL Sentral rain station at 9pm ready to board my overnight train to Alor Setar. I was quite excited and looking forward to the journey and what I would class as my first bit of proper travelling. I had booked a first class sleeper for approx. £18 for the 10hr Train journey. Not bad considering in London it costs me £35 to go back home which is 45 minutes away. The train pulled and I hopped on to the coach and found my cabin. It was how it looked in the photos. So I set my bag down and jumped on the top bed eagerly waiting to see who I would be sharing with.
First Class Sleeper
An old Malaysian man soon popped his round the corner and appeared in the cabin. We exchanged a few words, and it turns out he spoke very good English and had lived in Scotland for 8 years and London for 2. We spoke for a bit before we both decided to get our heads down, but not before I had eaten the Banana cake the 1st class passengers receive. I felt so privileged and it turned the bed was probably comfier then my bed at my apartment. I somehow managed to get to sleep quickly considering the noise from the track and the smell through aircon and woke up 10min before my stop at 7am. The Malaysian man was already up and about as he off the stop after. He then continued to tell me stories of working on the rice fields and growing coconuts on the land he now owns at I didn’t reach my destination until 30min after scheduled. He was very wise and I’m sure he could have talked to me
for another 4 hours had he had the chance and I could have listened.
My first view of Langkawi
I got a Taxi from station to the
ferry for MYR20 (£4) and then jumped on the next Ferry and slept all the way
for another 1hr 45min. By the time we landed it was about 10. To my surprise I was
the only traveller on the ferry from what I saw which I found surprising. The
rest of the ferry was full with kids and family's on day trips mainly. From
there I jumped in a taxi to Chenang and headed straight to Gecko guesthouse which
is apparently well known on the Island. I managed to get a dorm bed for 4 days
so dropped my stuff off and headed to the beach to chill out and take in the
views. That night I? tried to make some conversation with French guys in the
dorm but they were more interested in playing the guitar and watching TV so I
headed out for a beer on the beach on my own, watched some fire dancing for a
bit and got an early night.
Gecko Hostal Communal Area
After a mid morning walk to buy a bag
and find a mountain bike to rent. (Still not sure why I did this) Maybe because
the last time rode a scooter I was 18 and was scared of falling off or maybe
because I love biking. Probably the first one though and later on I wish I had
given it ago. Anyway after lunch I went and picked my rusty old Raleigh. It had
21 gears and a girls frame. Not sure what I had let myself in for. 18km there
and then back and little did I anticipate how hilly it would be but I thought
it would be a good way to see some of the Island. After about 30min I come to a
beach where I stopped for a bit to have a rest and it’s a good thing I did as
after there was some serious 1st gear hills and I being chased by a wild money
for a 100yds after stopping for a staring competition which the monkey won. I parked
the bike up and headed inside oriental village which you have to walk through
to the cable car. I grabbed some food cable car was closed due to bad weather. Unfortunately
it had started raining just as I arrived. So I waited for it to reopen after
biking all that way. As soon as I arrived to the top my cap blew off but the
view was amazing. It was extremely windy up there and the rain meant that the
view wasn’t that clear which was a shame after coming all this way. After I
went to Seven Wells water falls which you could see from the cable car. I didn’t
have a swim but the view quite impressive. I then commenced my journey back on
the rusty bike, gaining some gear changing blisters and a saw arse.
View from the top of the cable car - not the best time to go up
Hat shop at the bottom of the cable car I found amusing
That night
I met a nice couple from Brighton who had been there for 2 weeks while they did
a Visa run for Thailand. I went for a few drinks with them but we got scared of
the Monkey boat party we was supposed to go on when we had to give our names to
go across in case the boat sank so we ended up at the hostel drinking and watching
TV.
Seven Wells Water Fall
The next day not to hungover I got up
and booked on an Island hopping trip. I quite sitting the communal area around
11 and chilling out at this time as you would see all the backpackers coming in
and leaving and you got to see some new faces. I think I was quite lucky to get
in the day I did as they had to turn many people away. After 11/12 you didn't
have much of a chance as this was the place where everyone seemed to head to
first. It's the most well known as the taxi driver told me and it is the first
place I found on Google. This morning around 11 a couple of old Essex lads
turned up. Quite loud and boisterous and they were definitely from darkest
Essex. Turns out they were from Clacton on Sea. I hadn't spoken to them but
they had already stated making friends before they even looked at the room.
They had a good moan about Essex girls and the bad rep TOWIE gives them which I
found quite amusing over listening to. Anyway just before leaving to go island
hoping I got speaking to them and they were all-right geezers as one of them
would call me later. Anyway my lift arrived to take me to the Island hopping.
Just before leaving some mad Australian who looked Mexican with his tash and sombrero
on said he would join me (with his golf club) and then a couple, a Dutch girl
and a Malaysian guy also got in the car. She has been working in KL and I
assume met him there and they were on a 4 day vacation. They were quite a funny
couple. They didn't really talk much to each other and his English wasn't great
and I guessed he didn't know any Dutch. He was quite mad and just seem to make
loads of loud noises. We hoped on the boat, joined by a Malaysian family and
speeded off to the first Island. The boat was quite good fun in itself and they
don't hold back either throttle on those things. It was a bumpy ride. We landed
on the first Island - pregnant Island. Supposedly everyone that goes there gets
pregnant. We trekked a little and in the end come to huge fresh water lake. The
scenery was quite amazing. There was a kids pool, and you could hire a peddle
boat or just swim. I found it funny but I didn't realise Malaysians couldn't
swim. They all had life vests on bobbing about in the water which I did find quite
amazing considering they have far more water than us but I guess it's not
taught in schools as its too expensive. We were there for an hour, I laughed
after the Malaysians doggy paddle, and then last 10min the sky's opened and it
rained hard. It was warmer to stay in the water so us 4 stayed out while
everyone else sheltered. The crazy Australian Mexican had brought a golf club
and balls with him as he likes to hit balls in the worlds most amazing places
he said. So we hit a few into the lake. It was good fun! Getting back on the boat
to next Island was not so much fun but more like torture. Speeding off it's was
like a thousand little pins been stabbed as I was sitting at the front I got
the worst. I thought if I got a Tattoo this is probably what I would like. It
was quite painful like a thousand little pins going into your back every second.
By the time we go to the next Island via watching some eagles we only had 40min
but it stopped raining. We had a paddle in the sea but the sun was still behind
a cloud and then hedded back home. So both my activities have now been ruined
by rain. If you going to do something like this in langkawi do it in the
morning. It's much better and it always rains in the afternoon there.
Swimming time
Posing Time
That night the Essex lads had
basically got the whole hostel round a table and we started drinking before
heading back to their hut to drink on the porch. A lot of Vodka was consumed
and were all quite drunk before we headed down to the reggae bar on the sea. We
got a seat on the beach, drank some more downed some jaeger bombs and the next
thing I knew I woke up in the dorm with no T-shirt, no flip flops, no IPhone,
no money and no key. I panicked for about 20min then decided I got drunk and
lost them only to find an hour later I had asked one of the guys to look after
my stuff and walked off to my relief. So I do have some sense when I’m drunk. Still
I only had my IPhone back. I think id have preferred my favorite t-shirt back.
My last view of the beach - clear day - paradise
By now it was time to check out and
head home, via the duty free where I picked up a litre of Gentlemen Jack for
about £14 and a bottle of Absolute Vodka for £8. Ridiculously cheap and I
managed to sneak them through customs at the ferry port. I luckily just about
made my ferry and got the train station on time. I had booked a 2nd
class sleeper for the way home to get a feel for both classes and to be honest
its wasn't really any different, just minus the Banana cake. I slept all the
way, although I made a mistake of choosing the bed near the carriage door, so
it was extremely noisy. I left Langkawi at 3 and arrived at mine at 6am the
next day and went straight back to bed dreaming of an amazing 4 days in Malaysia’s
little paradise Island. Langkawi is one place I will be returning to before I
leave back for London.
2nd class sleeper
