Pulling into Langkawi we could have been in our own Hauraki Gulf, it looked quite volcanic and not at all tropical. Once on board our bus we continued with the original itinerary just in case the wind dropped. There were not many people at the Oriental Village which was situated at the base of the mountain. This was a purposed based tourist village but was very quaint and had a great variety of shops. I had to pay 50 sen for the toilet and the little lady held out a toilet paper dispenser for me to take some toilet paper. Now this is a little personal, I mean how much is a polite amount to take. And if I took a whole pile then would they all know that I was heading for a number two? I took a tiny amount knowing that I had tissues and wipes if I needed them. The toilets were pretty good but the feature was the lovely waterfall that was in the toilet area. Lance went also and gave the lady a 1 ringgit note and didn’t want change so she gave him a whole pack of tissues! Maybe she thought he would be requiring extra wiping!
We had been told that we would wait an hour to see if the cable car would open so we wandered around and had the most delicious freshly squeezed mango juice. But alas we weren’t able to proceed, once again blue made us bale. Blue group 2 were the losers that day as other groups that got there later were able to go up the mountain.
On we went to a really cool tourist center that had a wonderful selection of hand made items and batik garments. We got some tiny pottery bowls for dipping sauces. Hope they make it back to NZ in one piece. They are so well bubble wrapped that they take up half a suitcase.
Our next stop was a rice paddy where a nice man explained how rice was grown. By now it was stinking hot and the humidity was 98% so Lance and a few others sat in the shade whilst I obediently followed the tour.
Because we missed out on the cable car they took us to "Underwater World" instead. This was pretty good but Lance chose to go to Macdonald’s instead as we hadn’t had any lunch and were starving. I whipped through the aquarium feeling sorry for the gigantic fish and headed for Macdonald’s myself. I like to try new things so opted for a hot and spicey burger. I am not a fan of Macdonald’s and can’t remember the last time I had it. Scoffing my burger on the bus I wished that something a bit more delectable had been available.
Langkawi was a pretty place, clean and organized it looked like somewhere we could come back to for a holiday. It would be essential to be in a resort on a beach and there were some large resorts and more being built. The restaurants on the streets were a nice contrast to the fancy resorts and were the sort of places that you might wander along for a meal and a drink.
All aboard was st 6pm. We were aboard well before that and had a beer out on our balcony. As 6pm came I marveled at the people sauntering down the long pier to the ship without a worry. Then at 6:15 a guy came racing down the pier running flat tack. The whole port side of the ship cheered as he panted up to the gangway 15 minutes late. The night before we were tendered back to the boat and the lady tender was at 5:30. Once again we were early aboard and at about 6:10pm the Captain broadcast that we were just waiting for seven . . . HUNDRED! People! Our mouths gapped at the thought!
Back on the ship we went to one of our regular dining rooms and were served once again by a cheery waiter Nilo. Nilo is charming and witty and remembers what we drink. In fact he was also at breakfast and asked me if I had finished my bottle of Cloudy Bay and did I need another with breakfast. Anyway towards the end of our meal last night I started to have a grumbling tummy. We needed to make a quick exit because what I needed to do required my own bathroom! Bloody Macdonald’s! Later that evening we were in the Crooners Bar when I said to Lance that I needed to nip back to the room to use the toilet. By the time I had got ten paces it had become urgent, so urgent in fact that I forgot that I was on level 7 and started to go down the stairs. Fortunately I had only gone down one level when I remembered and dashed to the lift to get me up to our level, level 11. By now I was starting to sweat and couldn’t wait for a lift so took the stairs which is pretty hard to do with your bottom clenched. Finally at our room and anticipating the soon to be relief I found that my door card wouldn’t work. I was desperate and couldn’t afford a wrong turn whilst looking for a toilet so back down the stairs to level 7 where I knew where the toilets were. I just had to ignore that fact that some ladies were chatting as they washed theirs hands and I dived into the nearest toilet. So there you are, there is never a holiday without a toilet story.
Tomorrow we disembark in Singapore and have had a day at sea today. We have had to make a detour as a passenger has had to be taken off for a medical emergency. The captain said that they had asked for a helicopter to come and winch them off but they were not able. The sad thing is that he asked people to respect the person’s privacy and not take photos as the passenger was being taken aboard the emergency launch. How sad that he even had to say that.
So we are all packed ready for our suitcases to be taken this evening. Our last dinner will be back at the Sterling Steak House and I guess a few last cocktails!
Oh! And I am sporting a bit of a black eye where Lance and I had a head collision! We were sober!
And last little story. Last night Lance got up for a tinkle but must have been still sleepy. He found that he had opened the cabin door into the corridor! Thank goodness he wears undies to bed! And thank goodness he woke up before taking the couple of steps required before taking a tinkle!
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