After yesterday’s epic (and mad tiring) day, I woke up relaxed at around 5:30am. Quite early, I know, but necessary as I wanted to catch the first jeepney to Bontoc, to get to Sagada by afternoon. (All transportation to Sagada passes through Bontoc)
Went to Greenview Lodge's restaurant for breakfastSkipped filipino food and opted for a fluffy pancake with maple syrup instead
After breakfast, I ‘booked’ my seat in the jeepney. In quotes because it’s really on just a ‘first come-first serve’ basis. So you just drop your bag in, tell the driver and reserve a space for yourself. (Banaue to Bontoc cost ₱150)
Once I was assured a spot, I decided to walk around town a bit, as I still had some time.
This lane pretty much houses all the lodges
The Tourist Information Center is right in the middle
Moma (beetelnut) spitting is a big issue up here and so, the municipality has warned locals from doing so on roads and buildingsSo they made designated spitting areas for the moma-chewers... which in this town, is practically everybody!The town resembled a lot of the small towns in the North East of India (and so do the people to some extent)
As it neared 8am, the jeepney managed to fill itself with enough passengers and we left Banaue town.
I hoped to see the Banaue rice terraces in today's sunny weatherI tried my best to shoot through the opening behind my seatThe jeepney would stop to pick up passengers along the wayThe rice terraces looked greener today
Aftermath of landslidesThe American girl I was sitting next told me some of these landslides were recent and that she couldn't go to Sagada the last few days because the roads were blockedI assumed we were travelling today because they had cleared the debris by nowWork was on-going
It was mostly tourists inside, and a few locals outside (seriously)See, I told youIt was, for the most part, smooth roads all the wayWe stopped at this market for a few minutes as farmers got down with their produce
Occasionally we would stop to remove the blockades from the roadPassed by some beautiful villagesOn this stretch too, the jeepneys do not ply on the roads beyond sunset
This was a beautiful valley
Saw a few construction firms on this route. With all the landslides and the subsequent road repair work, it seems like the only thriving business in these parts.
Beautiful
To say this ride was an eyefull of beautiful scenery is a bit of an understatement
We neared BontocThe journey from Banaue to Bontoc took around 2 hours
The jeepney stopped at a junction in Bontoc town and we were told we would have to wait for more passengers before it set off again to Sagada. Those who wanted to get down at Bontoc, got down.
The fares from Bontoc to Sagada for those who want to knowThere wasn't a whole lot to see from where we were standing
After waiting for around half-an-hour in the mid-day heat, the jeepney managed to get enough passengers to leave Bontoc and head for Sagada.
This stretch seemed a lot drier
The roads to Sagada were mostly roughAn hour after we left Bontoc, we arrived in Sagada
I didn’t have any hotel reservations but I had listed down a few names of recommended guesthouses and lodges. A lot of the places in and around the main bus stop (essentially where you board the buses or jeepneys to get to other towns) were full, so I walked downhill a little bit and took a room at George’s Guesthouse.
At ₱400 ($9.4/€6.5) a night, this was a higher price compared to the others at ₱200 to ₱300, but were full because of the Holy Week holidays.But I didn't want to waste time hunting for cheaper places to stay, even if it was for just one night. Anyway, they had hot shower, cleanliness and free wi-fi: all essentials in my book.
I freshened up and headed downstairs for lunch.
(This concludes the first half of this day; the sights I saw in Sagada will be in my next post)
After a rather disappointing day in Penang yesterday, we woke up early today to set off on our next island destination: Langkawi.
After a rushed breakfast, we hired a taxi and headed to the terminal to board our ferry to Langkawi. We bought our tickets yesterday itself, and its advisable to do so; our boat was full.
It’s air-conditioned inside and there’s a “first class” upstairs as wellThe ferry leaves at 8:15am every morningSoon after the ferry set off, we decided to get up from our seats and go ‘upstairs’…… and then outside. The mushroom cloud from yesterday was still there.
Goodbye Penang, until next timeOn one side it was clear sunny skies……on the other, dark clouds with some pockets of rainIn this wide panorama shot, you can see the pockets receiving rainfall in the distanceThere were some lovely cloud formations along the way
The fumes are coming from the ferryWith a cool breeze, calm waters, and sunshine…… it’s perfect for a napIt was cool to see rainfall like thisI wasn’t the only one on board donning our company t-shirts (Photograph by Loiyumba)By 10:30am, we were nearing LangkawiThe water was getting clearerAt this point, we were asked to go back to our seats
This was our ferry (Taken using my phone camera)Hello Langkawi! (Taken on the Nokia E72)(Taken on the Nokia E72) (Taken on the Nokia E72)Plenty of yachts out here (Taken on the Nokia E72)
We hired a taxi to get to our hotel, which was on Pantai Cenang beach. (Cost us RM24)
There is a pre-paid taxi booth outside the terminalThe main town in Langkawi is Kuah (Photograph by Loiyumba)
By the way, if you wondering where the iconic symbol of Langkawi (the eagle statue) is, you can find it near a park very close to the ferry terminal. We passed it while driving out of the terminal but didn’t bother stopping to take photos… as there isn’t much to it.
The drive takes around half an hour
We were quite happy to see all this
By 11:30 we were at Pantai Cenang
We could see a sign on the main road pointing to Sweet Inn Motel, the place where we had reservations. Problem is, the sign was pointing to the left side, into the mainland and not to the right, where the beach was.
We were a *bit* disappointed upon seeing the placeThis I’m guessing is the motel owner’s house (Photograph by Loiyumba)
When we made the booking via Agoda.com in August, the description read “on Pantai Cenang beach,” and though it is only a 2 minute walk away from the beach, it’s not a sea facing hotel. Oh well, at least it was cheap. Our triple room cost us Rs. 2360 ($52/€37) for two nights — that’s under Rs. 800 per person for 2 nights!
The rooms were also quite decent. The triple room was one double bed and a single bed, a TV with mostly local channels, wardrobe and a clean enough toilet with hot shower.
We couldn’t check in yet because our rooms weren’t cleaned and kept ready. So instead, we dumped our bags in the office room and hit the beach.
Is there any beach on the planet that doesn’t have a Jamaica-themed bar?Langkawi’s most popular beach — Pantai Cenang beach (panorama comprised of 15 shots)
We couldn’t hand around for too long at the beach. We needed to convert currency as we were running short of Malaysian Ringgits. Loi wanted to sit at the bar, so myself & Ramesh headed back to the main road in search of a money exchange.
There are a few Indian restaurants here
The resort you see above is Malibest Resort, and it’s by the beach.
So is this placeJust about every hotel has bikes for rentLanggura Baron resort is more ‘motel’ than ‘resort’. Reasonable rates & by the sea.
When we first came across a money exchange center, they were closed for lunch. We had to walk quite a bit before we came across one that was open. There really weren’t that many money exchange centers on Pantai Cenang road. Not as ubiquitous as I noticed in Thailand. My advice is to convert money either prior to landing in Langkawi or outside the ferry terminal if you come by boat.
Money in hand, we headed back to the beach.
Judging by the flags, Indians and Arabs form a large chunk of the tourists in LangkawiVilla Idaman Motel, I couldn’t find their official site so you’ll just have to Google for more infoDespite being Langkawi’s most popular beach, it wasn’t very crowdedAir Asia has plenty of daily flights to LangkawiNot sure if this hotel was open yetMelati Tanjung Motel, this another budget sea-facing optionThe usual watersports are on offer
Lovely ‘sand art’ by beach snails (I presume)…… and the shore line had lots of them!A dead jellyfish. Felt like poking it with my fingers… but didn’t.Inside Babylon bar
After having a beer to cool ourselves, we went back to Sweet Inn to check in to our rooms.
After we checked in, we freshened up and then stepped out again for lunch.
I had Nasi Lemak, pretty much the Malay-equivalent to India’s ‘meals’
Considered to be the national dish of Malaysia, Nasi Lemak consists of some rice, roasted peanuts, papadam bits, small dried anchovies, boiled egg and and sambal, a spicy sauce (in the above photo, it’s the red one with calamari in it). The meal is filling and is usually very reasonably priced.
Ramesh had the one on the left; Loi had the one on the right
After lunch, instead of taking a nap, we decided to rent bikes and head to the Langkawi Sky Bridge while the sun was still up.
We rented 2 scooters at RM22 (Rs. 325/$7/€5) each for 24hrs.
The bikes that were the most common were Modenas. This model is called the Karisma.
The rental shop made a note of all the pre-existing scratches and damages before handing it over to us.
It’s best you inspect the bike as carefully as possible, so that they cannot point at any scratch or damage on the bike claiming you did that when you return it.
Helmets on, we set off. Ramesh rode solo while I rode with Loi sitting behind me.
Photograph by LoiyumbaPhotograph by LoiyumbaPhotograph by LoiyumbaWe stopped to fuel up. Filled up petrol for RM8 (Rs. 118). (These are self service stations by the way)Quite a scenic drive
… and it kept getting better
This is one end of the Langkawi International Airport runwayThis is the route we took. ‘B’ is Pantai Cenang beach and ‘A’ is the Langkawi Sky Bridge.We had to stop to take a few photos. (Yes, I was aware of how big the helmet was on my head)Panorama comprised of 3 shotsHe’s fishing… not anything elseWe moved ahead and then stopped again. I don’t remember why though.Ramesh ridin’ solo
We stopped here on the bridge to take a few photos.
We moved on.
You reach a T-junction, from where you’ll see this fruit stall. Take the right.
Then, up ahead is a signal. From the signal, you have to take a left turn.
You’ll pass the Langkawi Yacht Club
The road to the sky bridge goes all around the marina
After setting off at 2pm, by 4pm we were at the Langkawi Geopark. It’s not that the journey takes that long, we just stopped on the way quite a bit.
There’s ample parking available for cars & bikes
There are stores and restaurants belowYou buy the tickets from hereTickets cost RM30 per adult (Rs. 440/$10/€7)
There are few mini-waterfalls here
This is the first station, there’s another leg to the trip to the topThe view is amazing even at half-way pointThat’s the sky bridgePanorama comprised of 10 vertical shots
We got into the cable car and continued up.
Great designOnce you get to the second platform, you have to take these steps to get down to the sky bridgeThat’s how high the sky bridge is above sea level
By the way, there are gaps in between the platform you walk on
Apparently the final scene of the Hindi film Don (starring Shah Rukh Khan) was filmed on the sky bridge. I didn’t see the film, but that’s what Ramesh & Loi said.
There were steps leading under the platform. Being curious, I took it.Apparently you can trek all the way down too. But you need prior permission.Walked a few steps down and saw this. So went back up again.
That’s the second highest observation deck
That’s the marina of the Langkawi Yacht ClubThis observation deck was closed for maintenanceSo we went to the other observation deckMe showing Loi where we were staying (Photograph by Ramesh)The first wing of the beach you see in the distance is Pantai Cenang. The one further up is Pantai Tengah.
If you want a video of the sky bridge, watch this HD capture by Ramesh:
The sun was setting, so we decided to head back down.
Ramesh took video of our journey back down:
(You can view it in HD for better clarity)
Temurun waterfall
Once down, we checked out the Oriental Village.
The Oriental Village mostly comprises of shops, restaurants and other services like massage spas. We were a bit hungry so we sat in a cafe to have something to eat.
This is what I had: Roselle flower juice (L) & beef burger (R)
It was was past 6pm, which is also closing time for the cable car ride. We wanted to make the most of whatever sunlight was available while heading back. So we set off…
…buuut we ended up stopping again near the Langkawi Yacht Club
A beautiful evening to close out a lovely first day in LangkawiThere’s a Petronas gas station near the yacht clubYes, me and my big helmet (Photograph by Ramesh)
As darkness fell, we still managed to get back to Pantai Cenang beach road in around 45 minutes. Instead of heading back to our rooms, we decided to make the most of the bikes while we had them. We drove straight, on to Pantai Tengah beach and past it as well, until we hit a dead end which looked like another docking bay for boats.
So we made our way back and decided to return the bikes tonight itself.
This is the place where we rented our bikes from
The reason why we returned them is because the next morning we had booked ourselves for an island-hopping tour which would last until afternoon. So by the time we would have gotten back to our rooms, it would have been past the 24-hour limit.
For our early dinner, we went to this restaurant which had a sizable crowdIt’s lovely place and isn’t that expensiveYumHmmm…Errrr…
(I kinda wanted to try it though)
But Loi & I ended up ordering this interesting looking butter pan-fried tiger prawns
We had a large plate of fries, some beers, and some pasta; all of which came to around RM44 (Rs. 650).
For dessert, and in my quest to try out new things, I had Kit Kat ice cream. It was okay.
With that, day one in Langkawi came to a close! We had woken up early in Penang today morning and tomorrow, we had to wake up early again for our pick up for the island-hopping tour.
After the madness of Dubai, it was back to calm ‘ol Abu Dhabi and more time with family. My mom wanted to show me the sands of Al Ain. So on a Sunday evening, we hired our usual taxi guy and headed outside Abu Dhabi.
We were on the highway to Al AinTo my rightStopped to take this panorama (comprised of 10 shots)
After driving for nearly 45 minutes, we got off the main highway and I got out of the car.
The sands, once I got into them, were extremely fine and smooth.
They were so smooth that you could slowly slip in to the ground by just standing still for a few seconds.
The only life out there besides us
Even though I’ve had enough sand in my face growing up in the Middle East, being here really was quite a splendid feeling. There were plans to go dune bashing in 4x4s but due to my friends being available only on Fridays made it a little tough to cram it in my already packed itinerary. I didn’t want to opt for a tourist package either ‘cos it was too corny for me.
My father in the back, collecting UAE sand. He's being doing that for every country he's been to.
After listening to hearsay tales from our taxi driver about desert snakes and other ‘dangerous’ reptiles, my father insisted that I don’t tread any further into the sand dune and asked me to get back in the car. Plus it was nearing sunset.
We weren't far from Al AinAll the trees you're going to see out herePanorama comprised of 8 shots
Heading back to Abu Dhabi
The next day…
Since I wasn’t going to sit idle at home, after lunch I took a taxi and headed to Abu Dhabi corniche.
The skies were all grey that day
After taking two Nepalis-driven taxis back-to-back, I got down near Corniche Road.
Abu Dhabi's construction scene is... still happening
You'd take this underpass if you wanted to get to the corniche
But I decided to take a stroll through the park on the other side of Corniche Road.
This park is only meant for boring purposes
I crossed the road to get to the corniche.
Don't have a cycle? You can rent one at the corniche
Really appreciated the emphasis on fitness at this corniche
Abu Dhabi corniche plays host to many cultural festivals
After a coffee break from Cinnabon, I decided to head to Marina Mall for some shopping.
That's a restaurant on top
After seeing Dubai’s mall offerings, there nothing special to point out about Marina Mall. It has all the usual stores — that’s it. And a Carrefour.
First time I've seen a dedicated Vertu store
After spending an hour shopping at Centerpoint, I took a taxi back home.
Found this post boring?
Don’t worry, the next and final sightseeing post from UAE will make up for it, trust me!
As it neared 8am, the jeepney managed to fill itself with enough passengers and we left Banaue town.
The jeepney stopped at a junction in Bontoc town and we were told we would have to wait for more passengers before it set off again to Sagada. Those who wanted to get down at Bontoc, got down.
After waiting for around half-an-hour in the mid-day heat, the jeepney managed to get enough passengers to leave Bontoc and head for Sagada.
