Langkawi REvisited – A Tale of 3 Musketeers

April 14, 2009 | 4,623 views
Once upon a time, there lived a young, innocent, and naive Ipoh boy who has never stepped on the soils of Langkawi; a mystical island to the north of Peninsula Malaysia, filled with myths, legends and many more stories untold. Seven generations cursed, the island (now branded as Geopark) has now achieved considerable fame, and fortune.

Then, opportunity knocked on this poor boy’s door. He was offered a fully-paid ‘trip‘ of sorts, for a full 5 days in Langkawi, the island destination he was hoping so much to visit, deep down in his heart. Though the journey was smooth (thanks to the sparkly & propelling Firefly), the stay wasn’t so. Trapped in a dungeon with looming threats, from toads-infested loo to 40-suicidal-feet of towering doom, and rations polluted (poisoned) with giant flies’ eggs.
But he survived. Stronger than ever, in every sense of the word, he vowed to return to Langkawi someday, brandishing a heroic spear and shield, demolishing the unGodly structures in the dark, hellacious dungeon, and ideally, kicking back with heroes of the same league, with a booze at hand, and a bar of sweet liquer choc smeared in the other, watching the sunset from the beach. And if can lah, fully sponsored as well.
The Castle
Lady luck’s must be enjoying her intoxication of booze in Langkawi during this period. For all he knew, he never thought good chances come twice in life, much like lightning does not strike twice at the same spot. But after a week of withdrawal syndrome, the pigeon perched, carrying the letter duly written; Another 3 days in Langkawi for the poor boy, possibly a redemption for the blisters and the sores he endured throughout the 5 days tenure? Or a chance for retribution?
A minor form of pampering. Far from 5 stars, but hovering above the clouds.
In this era of turmoil, whereby the people are spending lesser and lesser, keeping their golds to themselves in this hard time (and beyond), luxury seems to be ridiculed. But this poor boy was fortunate enough to be offered accomodation in a ‘Castle‘, of all places. With amenities superior to the basics, and 3 rooms to be shared among 2 souls. Excuse me? Ah-ha! So, luxury does come cheap in this almost forlorn town.
# Kondo Istana @ Kuah, very near to police station, with a backlane shortcut to Kuah town #
A common room and a kitchen with cooking facilities. But where’s the maiden?

Char Siew Rice @ RM4.50

The township of Kuah is famed, almost legendary for the tax-free goods. Especially the loots devoid from the dastardly ‘Sin Taxes’. A cigar and a pint never sounded so lucrative.

A plate of Econony Rice @ RM6

But wait, alcohol, chocolates and cigarettes may come cheap, but this poor boy was astounded, almost shocked out of his farmer boots (pants, and all) at the sky-high prices of the most peasant of supplies; Street Food.
Dry Pan Mee @ RM3.50
Far from gastronomic delights, the food was still devoured with much relish, no thanks to the long hours of being famished, in the bullock cart (van), as well as onboard the amazing flying insect (Firefly).
Location : A corner coffee shop, painted violet, with many stalls all around. Opposite Coco Valley in Kuah town. Hard to miss, as there are only TWO prominent Chinese restaurant throughout town.
Langkawi Saga – Where the Heroes gathered, raided, and looted the place clean. Almost.

The treasures we came away with. Plus the mosaic of Ritter Sports posted previously HERE

Steamed Garoupa Thai Style (RM24), Guiness Stout Chicken (RM8), The Greens (RM7) and Claypot Beancurd (RM8)
A period of relaxation ensued, where swords were sharpened, shields tampered, and hagard bodies scrubbed clean. (A bathroom EACH).
Dinner for the night? A seafood meal at GLK Seafood Restaurant @ 176 and 177, Jalan Persiaran Mutiara Kelana Mas, 07000 Langkawi, Kedah. At the row of several seafood restaurants along the road, lining up against each other, at each other’s throat mostly.

The Golden Elixir

The meal was above average, fuelling the gut, the mind, the body and soul. And keeping the wallet intact, patching that hole after the gold bars were willingly donated to the township, when bartering for the goods earlier. Poor boy was ecstatic, though UNwillingly sucked in some ashes, no thanks to the charcoal-fuelled steamed fish placed in front of his face. But no complaints, for a meal of such stature deserves some sacrificing …. and the RM2/aluminium can of Golden Elixir redeemed itself, nicely.

The neighbouring villain of Wonderland might have pulled most of the barbarians and nobles, but GLK serves food at almost 3/4 of the price. (Wonderland review to come later)
Where plentiful of rice was burnt aeons ago ….
Adventurous endeavours picked up steam the very next day. To the field where the mighty has fallen, where rations have been set on fire, leaving mere remnants of history til this very day. For a short lesson on history, click HERE.
A handful of mythical blackened & charred rice remains ….
Tapak Kawasan Beras Terbakar (Field of Burnt Rice) @ Padang Matsirat, Langkawi.

Wan Thai Restaurant – A HALAL choice, for fiery food to unblock that stuffy nose ….

Highly-praised from all quarters, heroes, rumours, rumour-mongers (hah), and the locals alike, Wan Thai serves delectable Thai cuisine at reasonable price, amidst a spacious, heavily decorated interior, laden with Thai and Malay influences.

Nasi Goreng Belacan (RM7)

Nasi Patpet Ayam (RM5)

Nasi Goreng Seafood

Nasi Ayam Paprik (RM5)

Nasi Goreng Ayam (RM5)

A tough brawl in the early hours of the morning, lasting about an hour took its toll on the Heroes in this chapter. Bloodied, battered, and of course, hungry, they proceeded to stuff their faces with some of the better Thai-Malay food around town.

# Though hidden from the main road of Kuah town, turning left at the MayFirst outlet on your left will get you to a row of shops behind the ones lining the main road. Wan Thai is somewhere in the middle of the road #

A piping hot serving of thick, spicy and sour Tom Yum Goong

The sweet desserts, served with dessicated coconut, albeit with heavy taste of lye (alkaline) water

Heaving a sigh of relief, Poor Boy was thankful for the call of duty granted him another chance to explore the land he had never seen before. And with another 24 hours to go, he knew that life could only get …. BETTER.

(to be continued …)

# All characters, depictions, and destinations are NOT fictional. None tailored to mess with the reader’s mind. #

You MUST read also : PART 2 – LANGKAWI REVISITED – THE JOURNEY TO THE PEAK

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35 Responses to “Langkawi REvisited – A Tale of 3 Musketeers”

  1. KCA says:
    April 14, 2009 at 11:29 pm

    wei… hahahaha… i keep on laughing when reading this post la.. Am i reading the wrong post frm u?? =P

    wat young, innocent, naive, poor boy??? hahahaha… reli bo?? hehe… cant tahan la.. haha…

    anyway, good write-up ya, motormouth!!! :)

    [Reply]

  2. New Kid on the Blog says:
    April 15, 2009 at 7:51 am

    You’re funny la!!

    [Reply]

  3. Mr Z says:
    April 15, 2009 at 8:05 am

    please la… i think this motormouth havent taken medicine yet.
    innoncent boy…KONONNYA!!!!

    [Reply]

  4. iamthewitch says:
    April 15, 2009 at 8:53 am

    Oh I miss those green sweet desserts! Can’t find them in Penang…

    [Reply]

  5. Little Inbox says:
    April 15, 2009 at 9:02 am

    Little boy’s tale? Haha…

    [Reply]

  6. sc says:
    April 15, 2009 at 9:32 am

    been 5 years since i went back to langkawi.. still looks the same :). though my meals were all malay and siamese malay throughout my stay there then..

    [Reply]

  7. Julian Si says:
    April 15, 2009 at 10:14 am

    Nice wide-angle shot of the Firefly turbo-prop plane!

    ps – Eeep, that green dessert looks rather HORRIBLE!

    [Reply]

  8. mimid3vils says:
    April 15, 2009 at 11:16 am

    I’ve been to the burnt rice place on my last visit, very miserable amount of it only =.=”

    [Reply]

  9. J2Kfm says:
    April 15, 2009 at 11:25 am

    KCA : i had a twisted mind yday. what u mean? not innocent? not naive? =P

    NKOTB : thanks! :)

    Mr Z : sick ah u? haha.

    iamthewitch : erm, not so lah … rather funny tasting.

    Little Inbox : a tale depicting a life From Zero to Hero. LOL.

    sc : chinese seafood meal also rather popular. no pork served though.

    Julian Si : looked horrible? i thought they looked alright. but tasted otherwise.

    mimid3vils : yeah, either ppl stole them all for themselves, or they’re washed away by the rain.

    [Reply]

  10. email2me says:
    April 15, 2009 at 11:43 am

    I got the feeling that this J2KFM is showering himself with beers ….. hahahaha …. brush teeth with budweiser and gargle with chivas regal to replace listerine. XD

    [Reply]

  11. Nic (KHKL) says:
    April 15, 2009 at 1:21 pm

    OMG!!!! liddat you call “poor boy” ar??? haha!

    but thanks for the info on langkawi! good to know there are so much to eat there!

    [Reply]

  12. thule a.k.a leo says:
    April 15, 2009 at 1:44 pm

    ohmigod! I totally forgot my Langkawi experience… that was like 14 years ago when I went there for the very first (and last) time.
    If budget doesn’t permit for oversea travel next year, might consider coming here to relax and have some good food… might need your input taht time :)

    [Reply]

  13. kampungboycitygal says:
    April 15, 2009 at 2:02 pm

    haha kena bashed for self proclaimed as an innocent boy..lucky u man, u have like the best job in the world, no lar in Ipoh haha

    [Reply]

  14. foodbin says:
    April 15, 2009 at 2:24 pm

    good post.

    [Reply]

  15. J2Kfm says:
    April 15, 2009 at 2:48 pm

    email2me : gargle with Chivas? hahah .. far from it lah.

    Nic : yeah, plenty more to discover i’m sure. leave it to the next trip there.

    thule aka leo : fly there better. though a bit pricey. ferry it seems takes very long eh? some more rocking waves.

    kampungboycitygal : haha, yeahloh. ppl no eyes lah. bash a naive innocent one. =P
    BEST job? nah ……

    foodbin : thanks.

    [Reply]

  16. 550ml jar of faith says:
    April 15, 2009 at 3:51 pm

    You make Langkawi seem almost… palatable! I mean, there’s only so much local heroic tales I can stomach before I start wondering where’s lunch… I salute your nationalistic tenacity!

    [Reply]

  17. Mummy In Vain says:
    April 15, 2009 at 5:43 pm

    hmmm….not bad huh!

    [Reply]

  18. J2Kfm says:
    April 15, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    550ml jar of faith : tenacious leh? one of a kind. hehe… but of course, with History scoring borderline C/D, the Mahsuri story was all i rmbr.

    Mummy in Vain : yeah, far from bad. :)

    [Reply]

  19. SuwEi says:
    April 15, 2009 at 9:23 pm

    u r innocent? naive?ehem..haha! how bout the other two musketters?

    [Reply]

  20. thenomadGourmand says:
    April 16, 2009 at 1:03 am

    didt hav any good food in Langkawi..rmbr my laksa power?? heheh.
    But Langkawi is very heavily influenced with Thai cuisine..

    [Reply]

  21. Sugar Bean says:
    April 16, 2009 at 2:08 am

    Reminded me of my trip to Langkawi bout 2 years ago. It was so fun! The chocolates were half priced, tasted really good but melted easily coz it’s quite hot there!

    [Reply]

  22. J2Kfm says:
    April 16, 2009 at 8:26 am

    SuWei : wei, story not bout me also. hahaha .. i’m one of the other two.

    thenomadGourmand : yeah, lots Thai n Malay food. not to say that’s bad.

    SUgar Bean : it was thankfully cool there. so nothing melted.

    [Reply]

  23. Big Boys Oven says:
    April 16, 2009 at 8:27 am

    It is amazing right being in Langkawi, was there too this year but only able to see from far through the car windscreen. Was day on work trip and no play! :( Maybe some other time I guess :)!

    [Reply]

  24. backStreetGluttons says:
    April 16, 2009 at 8:38 am

    We can , of course make you less poor , by showing you the way to paradise , just down the road…the backbeach …but you must drink not eat…for once !
    ok ?

    [Reply]

  25. J2Kfm says:
    April 16, 2009 at 10:41 am

    BBO : work trip cannot play? hehe .. oh… ic.

    BSG : where? where?! :)

    [Reply]

  26. CUMI & CIKI says:
    April 16, 2009 at 11:23 am

    they are so generous with their charsiew in their charsiew rice! unbelievable 😀 .. the green of the dessert is so dark green.. worried it stains me intestine.. 😛

    [Reply]

  27. Bangsar-bAbE says:
    April 16, 2009 at 4:10 pm

    The Nasi Patpet looks really good…I always regret reading your posts when I’m hungry!! @_@

    [Reply]

  28. J2Kfm says:
    April 16, 2009 at 6:30 pm

    CUMI & CIKI : oh, cant escape from colouring lah … if not, they'll look lifeless.

    Bangsar-Babe : no regrets! hahaha … go crawl over to some Thai joint in KL anytime!

    [Reply]

  29. mycroft says:
    April 16, 2009 at 8:22 pm

    goin to langkawi soon nxt month..
    help, i need good and cheap food… so spoilt for choices in ipoh d’

    [Reply]

  30. Life for Beginners says:
    April 16, 2009 at 9:09 pm

    “All characters, depictions, and destinations are NOT fictional. None tailored to mess with the reader’s mind.”

    LOL. Farnie lah you.

    [Reply]

  31. J2Kfm says:
    April 16, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    mycroft : good and cheap ah? aiyo. this trip of mine was not for foodhunt nor holidays lah (though one may be misled by the pics and writings!). but the seafood restaurants lining the river/longkang are good choices.

    LFB : farnie? farty? heh heh … i cant wax lyrical (no, NOT her) bout stuff like the legendary K.Mah can, hence i resort to nonsense-s.

    [Reply]

  32. My Taste Heaven says:
    April 18, 2009 at 10:10 pm

    Should visit Langkawi again. My last visit was around 10 years back. Really change a lot after reading your blog!

    [Reply]

  33. J2Kfm says:
    April 19, 2009 at 8:13 pm

    My Taste Heaven : it was my 1st time, or technically, 2nd time to the island. but both visits within a week from each other, hence no significant development between each visit (duh).

    [Reply]

  34. Kah Fai says:
    September 2, 2009 at 11:46 am

    Hi,

    Could you send me the contact for Kondo Istana?

    I'll be in Langkawi this November and interested to stay there but i've no contact.

    Thanks.
    kah Fai

    [Reply]

  35. J2Kfm says:
    September 2, 2009 at 9:50 pm

    +60 4 966 1118

    I got this from the net. not sure if its the working line not, sorry. I threw away the receipt already. =P

    [Reply]

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