This week for the Lens-Artist Challenge, Tina from Travels and Trifles has asked us to post any photos that have not been posted this year. Just two rules, they must be from this year and not have been posted before. The first rule is easy but the second.. I’m hoping I haven’t posted them, but who knows.
I have been photographing doors every time I see a good one, but have not got round to posting them for Dan on his weekly challenge Dan’s Doors. Sadly the door is closed now but you know what they say:
“When one door closes, another one opens”
~ Happiness often sneaks in through a door you didn’t know you left open ~ John Barrymore
_autotoneA turtle from Bali and an English squirrel
Plant lined walls in Hong Kong
♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️♦️
The iconic Langkawi Eagle, a symbol of the island.
A big thanks to everyone who hosts challenges, it’s a wonderful way to post photos and words. Best of all though is the interaction between the fantastic bloggers on WordPress. I have made many friendships over the last few years and love chatting with you all.
Enjoying an early champagne with my son’s lovely girlfriend while out shopping yesterday. There was a free pop up Tattinger Champagne bar! Just a donation to the food bank. We weren’t going to pass up a free champagne.
Here’s hoping you all have a very Merry Christmas and a happy and healthy New Year.
After checking out of the Tanjung Rhu at lunchtime we took a 30 minute ride to our next destination, Pelangi Beach Resort. We first stayed here 30 years ago so it would be interesting to see how it had changed. When we arrived we found the main lobby was under renovation and everyone was checking in at The Grand Ballroom. As we were early for our check in someone came to take our booking details and soon disappeared. It was like Grand Central Station there and it was hard to identify our check in lady, they were all wearing long grey robes with head coverings and masks. We were told to come back in 2 hours, so we set off to explore and have lunch. It did seem like there was some organisation to the chaos though.
We were given a map and saw how enormous the resort was. We followed the track down to the sea front to have lunch there. There were buggies driving past us every five minutes or so if you didn’t fancy walking.
I did have a few plans of things to see and do but after walking around and seeing the pools and the beach, they were put on the back burner.
There were two pools, one was more set up for children and the other had a swim up pool bar. Surprisingly neither were ever that busy. There were always plenty of sun loungers to be had by the pool and the beach.
Breakfast was served both in the air conditioned Grand Ballroom or outside on a small patio. Both had full buffet service with two egg stations. We tended to linger a fair while over breakfast as it was so relaxing.
Then it was off to find a sun lounger on the beach. It was such a treat to be able to pick and choose where we would like to sit, as there were so many empty spots. We did swim in the sea a few times until we saw a jelly fish sign and did not want to end up at a doctors or in hospital again! So after that we just enjoyed the view and swam in the pool.
The accommodation is comprised of two storey “Kampung” style architecture complete with a deck or balcony. They either have a garden, pool or sea view. We had a garden view with a two minute walk to the pool. There was a small sitting area and enormous bathroom and kingsize bed.
Our was the ground floor
Just opposite our block was a children’s farm and when we walked to breakfast in the morning we could hear turkeys gobbling, geese honking and ducks quacking. There was even a goat. All the grounds were beautifully manicured with blossoming flowers, trimmed hedges and large palm trees giving off plenty of shade. Lizards and squirrels were running around everywhere you looked.
Such a friendly chap, the goat was quite friendly too
The two ornamental lakes in the middle of the resort.
In the evenings we walked into the main drag of Pentai Cenang. Here there were many restaurants, bars and shops. Duty free is very good here also. Our first night we found an Italian/Mexican/Indian combined, a great idea after Covid to save on expenses. Life seemed to be well on the way back to normal and the places on either side of the road were buzzing with life.
One night we ventured further down into Pentai Cenang to a place called The Cliff. An overhanging bar where you could look down on the beach and enjoy a fabulous sunset.
Cenang Beach
As Malaysia have daylight saving there was still so much activity on the beach at 7.30 pm.
We could enjoy sunset cocktails at the beachside bar at Pelangi Beach Resort also.
We had such a fabulous four days at Pelangi Beach Resort, relaxing and unwinding. Hopefully we won’t be waiting 30 years to return again.
One of the activities I wanted to do was a Mangrove Swamp tour, and on our last day at Tanjung Rhu we thought we would give it a go. At the end of the beach there was a small market with tour guide stalls so we walked over and bought tickets. The sky was becoming darker by the minute and I was thinking that this might not be a good idea, but too late our driver was there to make the quick drive to the start of the swamp.
The Mangrove Swamps are set in the Kilim Geoforest Park, which is now a UNESCO geopark.
A typical boat for the tour
We were met at the jetty by our man Maddy and there was just the two of us plus him on the boat. Good job as the tiny roof was just big enough for two and he was rather on the large size! We had brought umbrellas but when we opened them up we realised they were child’s umbrellas! Five minutes down the river my shorts were soaked, at least it wasn’t cold rain. All of a sudden the boat started put put puttering and I was like “oh ooh” and our man said no problem and lifted the lid of the engine up and started pumping away at the fuel line. I really did not fancy sitting on the banks waiting for help.
It was quite difficult to take photos as we were going fairly fast by now and the rain didn’t help either. Our man Maddy liked to sit on one side so the boat was fairly unbalanced! But I managed to take quite a few.
We headed along the river, through narrow tree lined channels, under tunnels and outside the other side again. The limestone cliffs towering above us covered in dripping ferns were a sight to behold. There were monkeys clambering over rocks along the muddy riverbanks who came down from rocks and trees to greet us, hoping for a crust or two.
The Mangrove Swamps in Langkawi mangroves provide an important sanctuary for a wide array of life. They are habitats for many wildlife species, including fish, crustaceans, eagles, monkeys and otters. The mangroves serve as a buffer zone, a transition from the sea to the land, and act as a coastal barrier. If another tsunami were ever to strike these mangroves would serve to protect the coastal villages.
Leg like tree roots“Do you have a snack for me?”Mother and Baby
We had to take it slow through this tunnel and it was nice to get out of the rain for a bit!
Looking back through the rain
We met these very jolly fisherman in their colourful long boat as we passed through a very narrow channel between huge limestone rocks. At one point I thought we might scrape their boat!
Our first stop was a floating fish farm where we could disembark and feed the fish. We said no to the fish feeding and just had a wander around. Quite tricky getting on and off the boat with man Maddy balancing at the front helping us off!
The luxury yachts above were in quite a dilapidated state and have been left unattended for two years during the Malaysian lockdown. Most have been abandoned now. We saw many of these dotted up and down the river.
Sting Rays
Back onto the boat again and our next stop was Kelam Cave, a limestone cave housing bats. I didn’t realise that bats also play a very important part in the world, they are also pollinators like bees. They are becoming endangered in South East Asia due to fruit farmers shooting them down as they think they are damaging the fruit trees. Bats are highly sought after for their medicinal properties.
There was a very small charge to enter the caves and they provided you with a torch. I must say we found it fascinating but very creepy. We had to crouch in many places to get under the stalactites and extremely low ceilings!
The next stop was to feed the eagles, I think my favourite part of the whole trip. It was only after reading about the birds here that feeding is not encouraged, but all the tours still do this. I could not get one good photo but took many videos.
They really did put on a fabulous show. It was wonderful to hear the eagles crying above and watching them swooping and diving for the food.
Local fisherman out at sea
In the background of this photo you can see Thailand. Our Man Maddy said we could go back via the open sea or along the waterways of the river. There was no way I would take the chance of the open sea in the sputtering boat we were in! So the waterways it was.
Gorilla Mountain
This limestone hill really does look like a gorilla.
I hope you enjoyed the tour of the Mangrove Swamps as much as we did. If you ever visit Langkawi be sure to look out for this tour.
Finally we were on our way to Langkawi! Penang to Langkawi is only a 40 minutes flight and we flew on Firefly Airlines.
A propellor plane, hopefully it won’t be a rough flight
Goodbye PenangHello LangkawiRebak Island Marina
A driver from the hotel was waiting for us at Langkawi Airport and the Tanjung Rhu Resort was a 30 minute drive away. The resort is situated on the Northern part of the island and is quite isolated from the rest of the island. Surrounded by lush greenery with a large beach fronting the property.
We arrived around 2pm shortly before check in. The lovely lady who checked us in said would be mind an upgrade to a beach view and larger room. How polite, of course how could I refuse.
There was a separate living room plus a small balcony overlooking the beach, how wonderful is the view?
On exploring the resort we realised that only half is open to visitors, the other half is sadly beyond repair and closed up. We found out that the hotel is now owned by the bank. There seemed to be no overseeing of the staff. We did experience long waits for food or not turning up at all, and everyone blaming the next in line!
The deserted beach and beautiful pools did a lot to make up for these oversights. Being so far from everywhere else in Langkawi there was nowhere else to eat but at the resort.
Even though we were told the hotel was full we couldn’t see any evidence!
Adults only pool
Sunset Pool for families
It seemed like we had a private pool anytime we were there. The perfect antidote for recuperating, nothing but rest and relaxation.
Chef’s Table
This was the five star restaurant that we visited for two nights of our stay. The food was excellent as was the service.
There was also a pizza restaurant that put on a BBQ buffet one night that we ate in also.
This resort is good for day visits to get away from the busyness of the rest of the island, although it was wonderful for our three night stay.
It’s definitely a five star location and our room was five star, but with the restaurants that were open and only serving a limited menu definitely not a five star rating. The staff while extremely friendly seem to be working under different rules. Some were busy and others just standing around chatting. The website needs to be updated as one of the restaurants is closed to guests that are not on a package, the spa is also sadly derelict and the sunset pool bar is no longer open.
