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The lobby at Citin Hotel, Langkawi.
Free WIFI is available at the lobby area. |
We reached Citin Hotel about 4pm. The hotel looks newly renovated (as mentioned in their website). This was no 5-star hotel but I would highly recommend to budget traveller. There was no problem checking in as we had earlier booked the room online. As we head for the room on the 1st floor, we were greeted by a nice cosy but rather small room. There were no lift but the staff was kind enough to carry one of our luggage for us right up. Our room fronted the road but being in Langkawi with very little traffic, there were virtually no undesirable traffic noise from the outside.
After a late lunch at a nearby Indian restaurant (look for Padang Pasir Restaurant just 3-4 doors to your right from Citin Hotel) and a shower, we headed out to the heart of Kuah town on foot. It was only about a 300-meter or less walking from Citin. Here is where all the famous duty free shops selling everything from tablewares, kitchenwares, luggages and everything else is located. Did I forget to mention "CHOCOLATES"???
Breakfast at Citin Hotel was fair considering that it is rated 2-star. The food was cold - they could have invested in warmer candles ! We went up to the room after breakfast to get ready for the next leg of our accommodation arrangement. As promised in our package at the MATTA Fair, the travel agent delivered a Kancil which would be our mode of transport for the next few days in Langkawi. We had requested the car to be delivered to Citin Hotel the day before. I had a tought time adjusting to a manual transmission as I have been driving automatics for the past 5 years or so.
After checking out of Citin Hotel, we headed out to our main hotel, The Bayview Langkawi. We were at Bayview around 10.30am and it was not the normal time to check in and we ourself did not want to do so. We only left our luggages at the hotel's bell service station for safekeeping. The hotel staff was very helpful.
We had wanted to make it to the Langkawi Cable Car in the morning before it there are too many people around. The drive of about 30 minutes up the Cable Car Station which also hosted the Oriental Village (another tourist spot) was great. You pass by paddy fields and local villages along the way. Part of the road up was a bit dwindling and reminded of the road leading to Cameron Highlands. The road up would also lead you to the Seven Wells Waterfall which is another spot for nature lovers.
We finally reached the station but to our dismay, the operation had to be closed due to weather and wind condition. Yes, it was pretty windy up there. To those of you who is keen on this cable car ride, please make an effort to call the cable car management office and find out whether they would be open or otherwise to avoid disappointment. Nevertheless, you could still do a bit of shopping and there are several activities you can do at the Oriental Village.
Do visit the Geopark Info Center where geological stones of various prigins are displayed. There is alsoa petting zoo where visitors are allowed to feed the deers and rabbits there for a fee of RM1.00 per packet of feed.
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| Feeding rabbits and deers at Oriental Village Petting Zoo |
After lunch we decided to head out to the Field of Burnt Rice (Padang Beras Terbakar). The place was actually the house compound of Ku Halim bin Ku Hassan. Story has it that during the war between Siam and Langkawi, the army of Langkawi was ordered to dig up a hole and burn all the rice in the village in an effort to deny food to the invading Siamese army. There was a plate of burnt rice displayed under the signage.
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| The history of Field of Burnt Rice.... |
From the Field of Burnt Rice, we proceeded to the Mahsuri Mausoleum which was about 20 minutes away. Here we could see the grave of Mahsuri Binti Pandak Mayah who was a victim of treachery and jealousy in the year 1819. Upon her death, she laid a curse that Langkawi would not be peaceful nor prosper for the next 7 generation to come. Mahsuri was a legend in Malay folk stories. Having visited the Mahsuri Mausoleum and surrounding areas, we proceeded to visit our last stop of the 2nd day in Langkawi.
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| The main entrance to Kota Mahsuri |
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| Entrance to "Kampung Kedah" |
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| Traditional houses inside the "Kampung Kedah" |
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| The Mahsuri Well.... |
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| Mahsuri's grave in the background... |
Perdana Gallery which is originally the residence of Malaysia's former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohammad exhibits many interesting gifts from various leaders of the world, achievements set by Tun himself. There were everything from gifts, trophys, souvenirs, cars, model planes and helicopters, firearms and swords, portraits of Tun and Dr Siti Hasmah and the likes.
The Perdana Gallery itself is an architectural wonder. The design of the gallery has obviously been well arranged. It integrates an oriental design and its exhibits are displayed creatively in its interior; allowing a feel of harmony that integrates with its prestigious items.
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Various portraits of
Tun Dr Mahathir adorns the
wall of Perdana Gallery |
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| My wife and I is a big fan of Tun Dr Mahathir and Tun Dr Siti Hasmah |
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The architecture of this gallery which was once
Tun's residence is really fascinating. |
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We were captivated by the architecture of the gallery especially the intricate skylight of the roof.... |
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| A gold plated sword... |
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| This AK-47 was also a gift. My son was fascinated by it... |
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Some of Tun Mahathir's personal collections. Most are gifts from other
Head of Governments and companies. |
It was a tiring 2nd day in Langkawi. We finally checked-in proper at Bayview around 5.30 pm. The hotel, as expected befits it's 4-star rating. The room was spacious with one king-sized bed (we had requested in our booking). Though we did not manage to get the sea-view room, it does not matter as the room was really cozy and comfortable.
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| Views of the Superior Room at Bayview Hotel Langkawi |
- Continued on Part 3 -
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