Welcome back. This week I land on the island of Borneo. First stop is Kuching on Tuesday (July 25) for two nights; fly to the country of Brunei on Thursday (July 27) for two nights; fly to Kota Kinabalu on Saturday (July 29) for three nights. I'd added Brunei to my itinerary given its proximity (had planned to fly over the country in traveling from Kuching to Kota Kinabalu) and my understanding Canadians can visit visa free for 14 days which, thank goodness, was a correct understanding.
Langkawi Road Trip
Sunday was a day of new adventure for young David! I decided to rent a scooter and circumnavigate the island. I had two key stops on my itinerary - Skybridge and SkyCab plus getting up close to the Eagle in Kuah. The total distance around the island could be completed in two hours or so.
What added to the adventure was:
- My first time driving a scooter. I climbed on my 125cc 'hog' ready for freedom only a scooter can bring to life. Actually, I was apprehensive given my inexperience on the road. Thank goodness the scooter was fully automatic. I wisely declined the owner's offer to take a 165cc scooter. I'm in no hurry and the terrain I was traveling on was fairly flat.
- Driving on the wrong side of the road. Yes, the Malaysian were cursed with the British legacy of driving on the left side. And to think the reason for the English driving on the wrong side originated with safety navigating their narrow country lanes back in the days of animal drawn carts. Apparently it was easy to sit on the right hand side of the cart so the driver could see around the curves and hedges, etc.
My ride was uneventful; blessed with a rain free day in the midst of the wet season. I even had the opportunity to put petrol in the bike. Half a tank of petrol cost about $1 Cdn.
1st Stop - SkyCab and SkyBridge
SkyCab
The longest free span mono-cable car in the world, hovers over jungle and climbing over 550 million years old rock. SkyCab is located at the oldest part of South East Asia and the first to emerge from the ancient sea and estuary!
SkyBridge
Measuring at 125m in length, this structure ranks among the world’s longest curve suspension bridge. You ride a gondola to get up to the Skybridge. Here's more detailed info about the entire experience -
SkyCab and SkyBridge
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| SkrBridge |
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| Facts and figures about the experience |
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| Views of Malacca Straits from SkyBridge |
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| Think the love locks that once adorned Pont des Arts in Paris |
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| Looking up to SkyCab from base |
2nd Stop - Kuah
Welcome to Eagle Square Langkawi located in the city of Kuah which is the island's main town. Langkawi is Malay for eagle. Here's access to more details for those who like to do the deeper dive -
Eagle Square.
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| Maha Tower - across the water from Eagle Square |
A Man and his Scooter
I had a day of thrills on my fine blue scooter. Good weather throughout the day. The bike shop owner, Ryan, was a great island representative. He has a great desire to travel through eastern Asia and Russia by train. He was affable, informative and friendly. When I asked what I was signing when he presented the rental contract, he wryly said I was signing to rent the bike. It's that simple.
Meals
I adopted the Cactus Restaurant across the road from my hotel. Similar to most local restaurants throughout my travels, the people serving me become fast friends. Each meal is an unique dining experience with the food being just one 'ingredient' contributing to the outcome.
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| Sizzling beef |
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| Noodles and veggies |
Sunsets
A photo is worth a thousand words - isn't it?
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| Sunset from my balcony |
Hotel Views
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| Bay from my hotel balcony |
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Bay from the 3rd floor infinity swimming pool.
I'm more comfy swimming at the edge when it's
the 3rd floor - haha |
Kuching
Tuesday was travel day to the island of Borneo - had to connect through Kuala Lumpur. My 14:30 flight to Kuala Lumpur was delayed as was my 18:25 flight to Kuching from KL. Finally arrived around 9 pm or so. Interesting to note that we had to clear Malaysian immigration at the Kuching airport. A woman in the Kuala Lumpur airport had given me the heads up to expect the extra step. Another first in my travels. Clearing immigration when traveling within the same country. The immigration officer had the most questions for me so far within Malaysia. I should restate - he was the first officer to ask me questions. Something special about Borneo my friends
My accommodations added more spice to the situation. I discovered earlier in the day that I had rented a studio suite in a condo complex. What made this rental special was all the instructions were done in video clips that required considerable studying to sort out how to get the keys - involved going up and down two different access ramps. This complexity in my life certainly got my attention in a negative way. My good friend Sajee came to the rescue in an unexpected way. She shared the following with me through a text:
'Master - when will I know I am making progress?
You will know when, what once made you mad, now makes you laugh.'
Thank you Sajee! I making progress, the path is sometimes less direct than I would like!
I was blessed in multiple ways Tuesday evening:
- My Grab driver was concerned for me so he hung around to ensure I was in the right place and the security.
- The security staff escorted me to where the lockbox was located to access the key. I had to make a call to the owner as her instructions were for a different unit number. All got sorted.
- An additional security staff member made sure I was accessing the proper building (Block A) as I had to make another call to the owner with more questions. Thank goodness for WhatsApp!
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| Foot bridge to cross Sarawak River |
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| Legislative building |
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| Fort Margherita |
City of Cats
Kuching, formerly known as Sarawak in the 19th century, translates to 'cats'. Nobody seems to know why the city is called Kuching and what the connection the city has to to cats.
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Apparently this set of cats is Kuching's
iconic image
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| Entrance to Chinatown |
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| Cat sneaking up on me... |
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| All hail the cats |
Orchid Park
I love flowers. The prize for crossing the Sarawak River was visiting Orchid Park. I learned the peak flowering period is late August and September. I now know when I need to return to experience this park in its full beauty. I did manage to find a few flowers to share.
Bakeries Galore
Sweets are omnipresent in Malaysia. The two bakeries in these photos are found in Chinatown, about 20 minutes walk from my accommodation.
I discovered this street side restaurant on Wednesday am in trying to hunt down breakfast. When I asked Mr. Liu if he served breakfast; he advised me that all I ever needed for breakfast was noodles. And noodles I had for two consecutive breakfasts!
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I tried the first two items on this menu for my
two breakfasts |
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When I asked to take a photo of Mr. Liu
the staff suggested taking this photo |
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