Help save the cockroaches

We saw this clever sign when we visited the Langkawi Wildlife Park a while back. It's so Malaysia, not only are the people here nice and considerate to tourists, they care about everyone down to the smallest cockroach. That's good karma!

Why we adore taxi in Langkawi

A few days ago we decided to go to the Craft Cultural Complex. Since we don't have our rental any more, we called a taxi. After approximately 30 min. driving we arrived at the Complex and our taxi driver surprised us by asking: shall I wait for you? We hesitated a little since we knew that it might take more than an hour, but he said it was OK! After an hour waiting he welcomed us with a smile and we continued exploring the island for three more hours. He took us to several places, waited each time patiently, always with a kind smile and not a word of complain and we paid RM100 only (which is 200 SEK or 70 PLN).

It was a good day for everyone: Nelly and mom were happy to have daddy sitting next to them, the taxi driver was pleased with his clients and we were satisfied with the price. Good deal for everyone!





And finally a piece of advice - under no circumstances take taxi 468 - the taxi driver is a very hostile man, the only unpleasant person we met in Malaysia during the entire stay. He must be the worst taxi driver since Robert de Niro.

There are parking tickets in heaven

This morning like every other morning Nelly woke us up at 7 a.m. sharp (oh, she's punctual). The refrigerator was as empty as our stomachs, so we packed our shit and drove to Starbucks.

Nelly likes it there and the feeling is mutual. The staff is (just like 99,9% of Malaysian's population) very friendly and helpful and they always have time to play around with cute babies which is perfect cause it gives parents a chance to unwind.





After our java break we strolled to Dataran Lang (or Eagle Square in English). We've mentioned before that the eagle is the symbol for Langkawi. The Malay word for eagle is helang - shortened is "lang". Kawi means strong or rock. Hence the word Langkawi means eagle rock in colloquial Malay.





The Dataran Lang park is dominated by probably the most prominent landmark of this island, a huge statue (not Statue of Liberty huge but still pretty damn impressive) of a proud eagle spreading its wings ready for take-off. The wing span is over 70 feet.







When we got back to our car we noticed that the front window had been decorated by the local police. The traffic fine read "for causing unnecessary obstruction on a road". The claimed offense is a joke if you ask us, who are they to speak when they themselves put up big road signs in the middle of the sidewalk. Talk about obstruction!



But anyway what can you do, we're just gonna bite the bullet and pay. Although it feels somewhat embarrassing because the car is not the rental, it's our host’s car that he was kind enough to let us borrow for free.



VIP means Very Important Plutt (Nelly)

Nelly by the pool - The Movie!

Check out this short but sweet film of Nelly doing her morning exercise with mommy in the swimming pool. It's just another stunningly beautiful morning here in Langkawi, Malaysia.

100% Dundee

Today all 3 of us paid Taman Buaya Langkawi a visit. It's Malaysia's largest crocodile park. So this post is croc galore if that's your type of thing. We mostly found it nerve-wracking to tell you the truth.

For one thing they have this bridge that crosses a pond. And that small... puddle really, is home to 400 hungry crocodiles. It's exiting and absolutely terrifying at the same time, mostly the later.

Then after crossing the bridge it's time to check out the crocodile show. Paul Hogan get bent! What you get to see is 3 courageous but foolhardy Malaysian mini "dundees" who does various death defying tricks with 4 big crocodiles. And when we say big crocs, we ain't talking about the Bambi cute version depicted on this sign.



No, we mean 4 x 1 ton predators, each with more teeth than the tooth fairy at their disposal. Apparently these beasts don't appreciate being poked in the eye with a stick. But somehow our brave mini dundees didn't read that signal cause that's exactly what they did to the crocs, just to provoke them to show their deadly teeth for the amazed tourists.

We have to say the whole thing left us with a bitter taste in our mouth. We felt guilty that we with our entrance money contributed to the mini dundees salary. Cause really we think they would be way better of even as unemployed. No one should have to put their arm inside a crocodiles mouth just to pay the rent, but that's exactly what they did, for our amusement's sake.

Life's a bitch

We keep hearing complaints from friends and family back home that it's the coldest winter since Elvis left the building and how everyone been carrying around the same cold for weeks while waiting for a bus that never comes, and so on, and so on. Stop complaining people, we also have problems, not everything is peachy here in Malaysia. So with that said, please stand back and let us bitch a little.

• First of all it's really hard to keep beer nice and cold in this heat.
• The local Starbucks uses regular milk in the latte, not Barista milk.
• If you do not park in the shadow it takes the air con at least a minute to cool down the car.
• When you eat mango, your hands get really sticky (unless you have a napkin of course).
• During our vacation so far it has rained for more than one hour.
• Our swimming pool can get crowded (we spotted at least five people this morning).
• We have been eating seafood for over a month, how much more can you take?!
• And finally, it's hot! The heat makes you tired and it takes at least one nap a day to recover.
  

Wow, so glad we got that off of our chests, it actually feels a little better now ;-)

Sailing away

Yesterday we went for a 6 hour afternoon and sunset cruise and spent the day drifting among the 99 islands of the Langkawi archipelago. We appreciated the fact that we were taken to secluded areas away from the tourist hot spots, for hours we were the only boat around except for a few local fishermen.

The drinks were freely flowing all day long and the freshly cooked food was delicious. After a few hours of cruising we jumped from the yacht into the water and swam to the uninhabited beach in the middle of nowhere! Instead of exploring the beach as some of the other passengers did, we just stayed in the water, holding each other and drinking champagne. It's cool to feel rich for a day!

After this "exhausting" adventure we got back to the yacht and while Eva (our captain) and her staff were cooking dinner for us, we were laying on the cushions on the deck relaxing and enjoying the stunning scenery.

The dinner was served at sunset and we were still amazingly enough the only boat around. It was quiet and peaceful, the wind was cooling us off while we were eating dinner and enjoying the breathtaking view.







Martin chatting with a lovely Scottish couple (Glasgow Rangers fans) who got engaged on the cruise.