Adventure in Kilim Geoforest Park, Langkawi

One of the highlights of our holiday in Langkawi was when we visited the Kilim Karst Geoforest Park which is a Unesco World Heritage site.

The Kilim Karst Geoforest Park features magnificently formed landscapes of limestone hills with pinnacles of various shapes and sizes.

We chartered a boat for a half-day tour of the mangrove. It’s comparatively cheaper to charter a boat if you have a large group compared to paying for each person.

A van came to pick us up at 9:00am and brought us to the jetty at Kilim river to board our boat. The boatman expertly steered us through the wetland mangrove where the kids spotted small crabs and monitor lizards.
Our boatman then steered us into the Bat Cave which was quite like a tunnel. The kids were very excited to find hundreds of bats hanging upside down above us.

Further up the river we arrived at a fish farm called Hole in the Wall for lunch. The farms were actually nets that go deep in the water. We were promptly given a tour for a farm staff. The first net we stopped at had stingrays that we were told we could feed. No one volunteered save for my husband. He was given a small fish and told to hold it above the water and all of a sudden, a stingray practically jumped out of the water for the fish! Whoa! I had no idea stingrays could do that! After the tour of the farm, we ordered our seafood from the farm and had them cooked it for us for our lunch.

Feeding a stingray!

After lunch, our boat proceeded up to the river mouth before taking us out to sea. It was beautiful here where we could see the smaller islands that surrounds Langkawi.

On the way back we stopped at a spot to watch brown and white Brahminy eagles circling overhead before gracefully swooping down to feed on the chicken parts thrown by the boatman. These regal birds are a joy to watch.

This tour offered one of the most fascinating and unforgettable sights of Langkawi. The kids especially were thrilled by their adventure!

Our own little slice of heaven ....

One of the most amazing and memorable holidays we had was in the island of Langkawi, Malaysia. The legendary island in Northern Malaysia has beautiful white beaches and a host of attractions including the Unesco World Heritage nominated Kilim Geoforest Park. However, the real reason for this incredible holiday was the resort we holidayed in.

We had booked two rooms at Westin Langkawi Spa & Resort for our stay. I was already awestruck by the lobby. It had one of the most fantastic views I’ve ever seen!

However, a bigger surprise awaits us at check-in. Apparently the Westin was running full and so we are now upgraded to our very own villa. To be upgraded is one thing, but to a villa of our own? I think I momentarily blacked out at the very mention of villa!

This is how a single room villa looks like ....

We were ushered onto a buggy and were driven to our villa, and lo and behold, it’s a 5-bedroom villa! I could almost feel my jaw drop to the ground!

This is how OUR VILLA looked like! Woo-hoo!

With 2 living areas downstairs ….
And a piano …. And a dining room with our own kitchen ... with specially made fruit jams in the cabinets and full service I might add!
And a patio upstairs ..... Isn't the view amazing?

And a room with a four poster bed that opens out to …..

Ta-da!!! OUR VERY OWN INFINITY POOL! This is beyond our wildest dreams!

All ours!!! All ours!!!

We were given two rooms because there were other guests occupying the other rooms but we hardly ever see them so it’s as good as having the whole villa to ourselves.

There is a private jetty within walking distance from our villa where a romantic dinner for 2 can be arranged.

The Westin Langkawi occupies a wide expanse of land near the Kuah Town jetty. It has its own stretch of beach, although not as pretty as the ones in Pantai Cenang, the facilities in The Westin more than makes up for it. I really liked the hammocks around the beach. Lying in one of these is way better than lazing on the beach chairs. Imagine swaying beneath the coconut palms with the sea breeze in your face.

There are 3 pools at The Westin’s main property, including a very nice rock pool and a bubbly pool that kids love.
The breakfast spread at Taste Restaurant was big, although I preferred the one at The Westin KL. But one thing sets this breakfast spread apart from the rest and that’s the bubbly champagne they serve for breakfast. Yes, that's right! How cool is that?

The Kids Club is a favourite for our daughter with their organized activities for such as cookie-making, batik painting, nature walks, henna tattoos and shell-collecting at the beach. All she wanted to do the 4 days we were there was to get to the Kids Club.

Baking cookies ....

Collecting seashells by the beach

The Westin also has a special Westin Lounge at the Langkawi Airport for their guests to relax before their flight. It is personal touches like this that adds to the memories!

We couldn’t bear to leave at the end of our holiday. For a few days, we lived the lifestyle of the rich and famous. It was a truly unforgettable holiday!

Spectacular Halong Bay, Vietnam

We also visited Halong Bay as part of our trip in Hanoi. Halong Bay is a Unesco World Heritage site located in the Gulf of Tonkin. It includes 1600 islands and islets which forms a spectacular seascape of limestone karsts rising out of the Gulf. It took us about 3 hours drive from our hotel in Ly Thong Kiet.

Halong Bay is without doubt Vietnam’s most famous natural attraction and rightly so. The serene waters of the bay and picturesque scenery dotted with limestone karsts is nothing short of spectacular.

Our cruise onboard a junk took about 4 hours with seafood lunch served on board the junk. Although boarding a junk was a novelty, the real treat was standing on the top level of the junk with the wind sweeping our face to watch the beautiful scenery unfolding all around us.

I don’t believe I could do justice by describing Halong Bay’s natural beauty. It is something that has to be experienced. The geographical work of art is amazing.

Can you spot the dragon?

Our junk stopped by two caves, Thien Cung and Dau Go to afford us a short trek into the caves to see the rock formations. The short trek was worth it as we were soon rewarded with incredibly beautiful rock formations. We spotted a formation that resembled a dragon and another that resembled a lion. Kids would have fun in this cave!

Soon a seafood lunch was served aboard the junk. Unfortunately the food served was nothing to shout about.

We also stopped at a fish farm where live seafood can be bought and then cooked onboard the junk.

One very interesting aspect of cruising on the junk was that small boats will cruise up next to ours and the occupants will try to sell us fruits. Of course the prices are exorbitant but that’s a novelty for tourists, right?

Jatiluwih Rice Terraces, Bali

I have earlier arranged with Pak Made to take us to the Jatiluwih Rice Terraces in the Tabanan region. The Jatiluwih rice terraces is a Unesco-nominated World Heritage site. It is unique due to its irrigation system (subak) which has its roots in the Tri Hita Karana, the essence of Balinese cosmology, a philosophy that seeks to maintain a harmonious relationship between God, humans and the environment.

Our drive from Tanah Lot to Jatiluwih took approximately 1 ½ hours by van. We passed many small villages on the way up and saw for ourselves the daily rituals in a Balinese’s life. Fortunately for us, there was a religious celebration in one village and all along the road were prayer altars set up in front of every single home. We also passed by a wedding party waiting for the arrival of the groom and we managed a smile from the bride when Pak Made told her that we’re tourists!

Pak Made also pointed out for us avocado and coffee trees growing in the hills. The difference with a personalized tour and a full-fledged one is that the experiences you encounter are much more personal and interesting.

You just can’t miss the imposing presence of Mount Batukaru rising above the rice terraces. Our lungs were thoroughly nourished by the cool crisp air in Jatiluwih. It’s such a treat to breathe in clean air after the acrid air in Malaysia’s haze-filled skies. We took a walk along the road to take in the natural surroundings and also show our daughter how rice is planted by the farmers. It was an interesting experience for her because growing up in a city does not afford her many chances to experience something like this. Every time we visit a country I try to look for places, activities, cultural events that’ll make up part of her education. Each of these experiences are priceless and cannot be learnt in school.

Tomb Raiding at Angkor Wat 2007

It had been raining since we landed at Siem Reap's airport and I was getting worried that this trip would be spent in the hotel instead of traipsing around Angkor's famous ruins. However, my prayers were answered by nightfall coz it stopped pouring. We had decided to start early, i.e. see the sunrise over Angkor so we woke up at 5:00am and was ready and waiting for our guide and driver by 5:30am. We arrived at Angkor Wat at 5:45am and I realized that there were already many people at the site.

The splendour of Angkor Wat intensified by the colors of the rising sun

As excited as I was to finally set eyes (and feet!) on this amazing monument, I was soon running along the walkway to get to our spot near the small lake. There were already a hive of activity there - people were looking for the best spot and setting up their cameras. We waited quite a while in anticipation for the sun to rise but it was well worth the wait. Angkor Wat awashed in hues of purple, then yellow was a sight to behold. It was breathtakingly beautiful.

The Gods lining up one side of Angkor Thom

The famous smiling Buddha of Bayon

Once the sun rose, the crowds started leaving. We wanted to take advantage of the cool morning air to visit the other sites before the mid-morning crowds start streaming in. It was a good decision coz when we arrived at Angkor Thom and Bayon, we were practically the only tourists there. We took our time looking at the bas-reliefs, exploring and of course, took lots of photos.

The landmine survivors at Ta Phrom

Then, it's off to Ta Phrom where Tomb Raider was filmed. Along the way into Ta Phrom there were musicians who were landmine victims. It's such a sad sight, but I am proud of them for making an honest life for themselves. Ta Phrom is a wonder of nature, to say the least. Where else could you see nature co-existing with the structures? It's almost surreal.

Tomb Raider's film site

Visiting Ta Phrom made me feel like Lara Croft. I just had to take a picture of the famous tree!

Our journey continued to other sites such as Ta Keo, Banteay Kdey, Sra Srang, Banteay Srei. Banteay Srei was exquisite. It's smaller than I imagine, however. Banteay Srei is located quite a distance from the main Angkor sites and to get there we had to pass through many villages. One thing I noticed is that there were signboards outside each property stating the donor's name. According to our guide, the tourists donated wells to these homes which explains their names and country of origin on the signboards. The Cambodian villagers are very poor. Apparently it costs about USD80 per well. It is always heart-rending to know that there are people in the world who could not afford the very basic of necessities. So those of you who are planning to visit Angkor, perhaps you could donate a well and make life a little easier for them. A well would also help them be self-sufficient as its water could be used to irrigate the farms (that's what the guide told us).

We went back to Angkor Wat in the afternoon. It was a very steep climb to the top and I really did feel as adventurous as Lara Croft (I kinda idolise her if you don't realize that already). The view from atop Angkor were breathtaking. Exhilirating even, after such a steep climb! I could see hot-air balloons in the distance amidst the lush foliage surrounding Angkor Wat. There were many apsaras (celestial beings) carved into the columns and walls within Angkor. After we are done exploring Angkor Wat we paid our respects to Lord Shiva before leaving back to our hotel for a shower and well-deserved rest.

In hindsight, Angkor is truly well-deserving of its Unesco World Heritage status. It's almost hard to believe that these were ruins from an old kingdom. I think it should be preserved for the future generations coz nothing else even comes close to describing it. You need to see it with your own eyes.