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The Return of The Motormouth (with Higher Integrity!)

March 31, 2009 | 1,231 views

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Wondering where in the world Motormouth’s been these past few days? Sorry guys, I was literally ‘trapped’ in Langkawi Island, for a good (tormenting?) 5 days. Normal reaction to a 5 days break from work, plus spending that period on one of the most popular island destination in Malaysia, could only lead to EUPHORIA.

A plane with propellers …. now, that’s a new one.

Rather ashamed to admit, this was my virginal visit to the island. Yup, disgraceful I know, being a born-here-bred-here Malaysian and all. But the same held true when I left my initial footprints on Teluk Batik beach about a week or so ago. =)

Guess I’m covering new grounds …. domestically.

Of banana, chocolate and vanilla …. Kenny’s best offerings.

Why I sounded bitter, although granted with a once-in-a-lifetime chance to visit Langkawi FOC, with not even a single cent spent throughout the days?

Answer : Because it’s a camp. Not the happy family outing type of camping with picnics and such, but a military camp-style training, or boot camp; compulsory for all government officers.

Lunch at Langkawi Airport – Kenny Roger’s Roaster, trusted name? Blah. (RM16.90++ for a quarter chicken with 3 side dishes+one muffin of choice)

Flying from Penang to Langkawi opened my eyes to a whole new list of discoveries. First of all, Firefly planes STILL use propellers, and can only seat up to about 80 passengers for the short trip commuting between the aforementioned islands. But right on time, and the 35 minutes journey was smooth, relaxing, with even more leg space than Air Asia’s cabins. An additional bonus of complimentary drink made the trip all the more pleasant. And in some ways, even the cabin staff are friendlier.

Touching down after a short ride, the baggage-claiming process was over in a jiffy, as the small number of passengers = fewer luggages on the belt. Left with ample amount of time to grab a bite, we headed over to Kenny Roger’s Roaster for lunch, as the legion of eateries in the airport was nothing impressive. However, the chicken was cold, the sauce a tad diluted, and some of the side dishes were less than satisfactory. Hmm, about RM2-3 more expensive than the ones elsewhere.

But no matter how bad the meal was, that …. was our LAST lunch, before succumbing to rules, regulations and fixed meals and tight schedule. Ready yet?

Typical dorm beds – 9 to a room, with fans

As expected, a camp being a camp, one can’t expect much from the accomodation and facilities, right? Comfort seemed to creep out of our minds initially, as we anticipated for the worst before blessed (hehe) with an unexpectedly clean dormitory, and a double decker bed EACH. Meaning a person can choose to sleep at the lower or upper bed, and uses the other one at his own discretion. And the camp is situated near to the hills and forest, rendering the air cooler than usual, sometimes chilly in the middle of the night.

The communal bathroom + toilet – Fortunately, our much-dreaded expectation of bathing in the open was thwarted. There are separate cubicles with doors and showers.

Notice the HUGE tied-up bags? They contained blankets, mattresses, and pillow cases. Reminded one of prisoners’ lives eh? Plus the dining hall for all the participants

We were provided with a plastic bag filled with a mattress, a blanket, and a pillow case each. You have to do everything on your own here, from making your beds, to washing your own utensils after eating. Funny training independence at this age?

To protect the innocence, the face was slightly distorted …..

The whole ordeal was tiring, yet interesting, and even a little bit fun. I never expected the words “camp” and “fun” to run parallel together, but throughout the 5 days we spent at the camp, the values learned, friendships bonded, and experiences nurtured was priceless. Being so used to the comfort life I’ve been leading for so long, this course shook my stand on a whole lot of issues, from all aspects ; Political, Economical, and Social.

But lest you’re getting the impression of reading the WRONG blog, no worries. Rest assured I’m still the same old Motormouth, emphasis still on food and travel. And of course, my prioritized speciality since day one; Ranting and Rambling …..

Question : What could possible cause those blisters on my fingers?

A : The Body Through the Spiderwebs Challenge – All members (big/small, fat/slim) MUST pass through the middle ring, supported by other group members on both sides.

B : The Walk on The Wire – Inch your way to the other end, hoping and praying you do not lose balance and fall to the threatening rocks below

C : The Commando Crawl Under The Barb Wires – Self-explanatory. Refrain from looking up or inching up your butt, lest you feel like restructuring either part of your anatomy

D : The Tower of Doom – An ultimate act of bravado, scaling new heights, and abseiling to new lows …. You can never imagine the gratefulness once stepping your feet firmly on the grounds again !!!

The food in the camp wasn’t anything ground-breaking, but managed to satiate hunger pangs at the right moment (SIX meals a day). Amenities aren’t too shabby, save some scary insects, reptiles, and monsters popping up every now and then, at the most inconvenient moment. Fancy having an orange-coloured frog jumping onto your shoulder while you’re doing your ‘business‘? Or a 10-inches long lizard on the cabinet in your room, acting nonchalantly-innocent?

On to a more serious note, we survived with ease, though without the usual luxuries we all have grown accustomed with, namely hot showers, air-conditioners, and people serving you during mealtime, as well as cleaning up after your mess.

The vibrant yet sleepy town of Kuah

On the last day of our camp, we proceeded to Kuah town for some customary shopping for duty free goods, namely alcohol and chocolates (smokers can get their supply at rockbottom prices as well!), before embarking back to Penang.

Finally some decent grubs! Clockwise from top left : Plum Chicken, Choy Tam, Oyster Omelette and Fried Squid (a meal for 4 at RM52) @ Weng Fung Seafood Restaurant, Kuah, Langkawi – a few shops away from Haji Ismail Group Duty-Free Shopping

Goodbye Langkawi …. til we meet again!

No beaches, no resorts, no cable cars, no swamps. How ironic for a newcomer to Langkawi yet missing out on all the fun. But rest assured future opportunities will come knocking soon enough. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.

The complimentary sip …. a soothing solution to dry throats; thousands of feet in the air

Chocolates and Alcohol – What were we thinking????!!! =P

(P/S : All pictures are credited to KCA, thanks a lot!)

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28 Responses to “The Return of The Motormouth (with Higher Integrity!)”

1. Min says:

   March 31, 2009 at 9:15 pm

   Sounds like a great experience for you all, better than mine last time. The last picture ho, hehe, who bought the most chocolate? So tempting la…

   [Reply]
2. Precious Pea says:

   March 31, 2009 at 9:38 pm

   Ouch!!! Those blisters must be hurting terribly. At least, you will remember Langkawi in a different way.

   [Reply]
3. Bangsar-bAbE says:

   March 31, 2009 at 9:50 pm

   o_0 I don’t think I can tahan such toilet!

   At least got something soothing to look at – chocs and booze! =P

   [Reply]
4. ck lam says:

   March 31, 2009 at 10:33 pm

   That’s a great outdoor experience. Nice of you sharing the pic of the place.

   [Reply]
5. "Joe" who is constantly craving says:

   March 31, 2009 at 10:37 pm

   u mean u guys were only drinking on the last day!!! OMG, i think like kids, we would sneak out n getting outself drunk every nite on rm2 beers!

   [Reply]
6. JENCOOKS says:

   March 31, 2009 at 10:53 pm

   You had a long swimming pool in the toilet? top class. I can why many of u are chosen for this in camp…tyre waistline? Sorry for being mean but that looks like you did enjoy yourself for five days saved the blisters that I thot the blister was your finger nails cut short. Gosh

   [Reply]
7. Life for Beginners says:

   March 31, 2009 at 11:16 pm

   I thought the camp you meant was a metaphor, e.g. a food camp…. didn’t realise it was a real camp! Yikes!

   [Reply]
8. allie says:

   April 1, 2009 at 12:17 am

   You bought that much chocolates? Can give me some Bounty ar? I like it.. hehe..

   [Reply]
9. iamthewitch says:

   April 1, 2009 at 9:11 am

   Nice experience Motormouth! Did you gain weight after having 6 meals a day for 5 days?

   [Reply]
10. 550ml jar of faith says:

    April 1, 2009 at 10:44 am

    Hahaha I was scrolling down your post, thinking, hmm mediocre mediocre, no change to my blase perception of Langkawi, and then I hit the final booze & choccie picture, BINGO! There is a silver lining over every deterioriating island destination after all!

    [Reply]
11. Selba says:

    April 1, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Wow… what a great experience!

    Euwww… that blister hand must be so ouchy….

    [Reply]
12. CUMI & CIKI says:

    April 1, 2009 at 11:51 am

    lol.. we were just there.. funny we didn’t bump in2 ya:D

    hmmm.. ur blisters .. caused by friction… i am thinking rope? absailing? fire-foxing?

    [Reply]
13. Nic (KHKL) says:

    April 1, 2009 at 12:50 pm

    haha, at first, i thought u went for national service.. ;D

    omg, banyak nyer souvenirs!!! is that the best part of the trip? ;D

    [Reply]
14. J2Kfm says:

    April 1, 2009 at 3:27 pm

    Min : you can make a wild guess who bought the most, or you can ask your colleague. haha …

    Precious Pea : strangely, I was having fun poking at them, letting the serous fluid squirting out. sadistic, no?

    Bangsar-Babe : toilets ok lah … except the intrusion of wild animals sometimes. haha …

    ck lam : you're welcomed. that was indeed some experience.

    Joe : aiyo, it's a CAMP lah, with guards at the booth, and about 30 mins from town by taxi. with schedule from 7-11 (16 hours/day!), the 1st thing that sprung to mind was SLEEP!

    Jencooks : nah … tyre waistline or broomstick proportion, everyone must go. if not cannot naik pangkat leh … hehe …

    Life for Beginners : FOOD CAMP? hhaha .. how I wish.

    allie : yeah most ppl say Bounty's nice. but i dun like coconut in my choc lah, those were not mine.

    iamthewitch : gained weight? i think most lost weight instead. food's aint what you imagined. and the hectic schedule, plus physical activities, i guess balanced out the 6meals thingie.

    550ml jar of faith : yup! pity we didnt have time to go to beaches, watching sunsets and rolling around in the sand.

    Selba : initially yes. but then after that they're kinda cool, and at the same time, gross.

    Cumi & Ciki : where did you guys stay? but c'mon lah … my 5 days were spent in camp. isolated from civilization. least the booze+choc combo saved the day.

    Nic: National Service? jahahaha… you thought i'm THAT young meh?

    [Reply]
15. babe_kl says:

    April 1, 2009 at 3:40 pm

    sounds like fun worrr

    [Reply]
16. jason says:

    April 1, 2009 at 3:57 pm

    I think Teckiee likes all these stuff. I would have bring gloves along if I need to climb around.

    [Reply]
17. J2Kfm says:

    April 1, 2009 at 6:23 pm

    babe_kl : in some ways.

    jason : wei I WAS wearing leather gloves lah! still got abrasion that bad … wonder if gloveless, sure fingers also came off … hehe…

    [Reply]
18. New Kid on the Blog says:

    April 1, 2009 at 6:39 pm

    Team Building?

    [Reply]
19. foodbin says:

    April 1, 2009 at 9:57 pm

    open your eyes to a new world.

    [Reply]
20. KCA says:

    April 1, 2009 at 9:58 pm

    I’d say it was a SuPeRb experience for all of us… Ch33Rzz for our GreAtEsT achievement ya.. hehe..

    so, how’s ur ChoYa’s effect?? become ‘PreTtiEr’?? more ‘CharMiNg’?? or still the same?? =P

    [Reply]
21. J2Kfm says:

    April 1, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    NKOTB : erm, team building and everything else. nobody’s perfect yet, so we need to instil some other values in us. or so it seems …

    foodbin : yeah, a new world of Langkawi. hahahah ..where countless others have trudged, stepped, enjoyed and even got sick of.

    KCA : eh, no time to drink yet lah. maybe later. but i felt younger … though the physical test revealed otherwise. =P

    [Reply]
22. ling239 says:

    April 1, 2009 at 10:18 pm

    look interesting…some kind of team building ?

    [Reply]
23. J2Kfm says:

    April 2, 2009 at 8:17 am

    ling239 : team building and more. more to ‘perpaduan kaum’ … unity among the community.

    [Reply]
24. Precious Pea says:

    April 2, 2009 at 8:51 am

    LOL! I know what you mean…it’s fun poking the blister and see those liquid inside moving around..and finally to prick it open. I do that too!! *high 5*

    [Reply]
25. Anonymous says:

    May 28, 2009 at 12:35 am

    Those blisters are called Herpetic Whitlow. Very common. A strain of Herpes but not the same as Genital. However do not touch your genitals while you have it, it can spread.

    Try a 2 week cycle of Valtrex or Acyclovir.

    Good luck.

    Dr. Lau

    [Reply]
26. Ingrown Hair infection says:

    October 19, 2010 at 10:24 am

    The following was a fantastic

    [Reply]
27. LiLian says:

    October 19, 2010 at 11:03 am

    sounds like you have fun but medical staff having a military like camp? weird. blister – i like to poke at blisters too to make the liquid flow out. ok the last pic….can i have some of the chocs plsssssssss…(shrek puss in boots pleading look) 0_0

    [Reply]
28. Aman Rimba Private Estate @ Janda Baik, Pahang - An Idyllic Retreat from KL City | Motormouth From Ipoh - Malaysian Food & Travel Blog says:

    October 27, 2011 at 11:41 am

    [...] The brief moment when Chris of Pureglutton extended this invitation for a two days, one night retreat at Janda Baik, I was skeptical. Searching frantically for online information led me to a few reviews and websites on resorts utilized for team building projects. You know, the generic dorm-like environment that reminded me of one remotely memorable experience back in Langkawi two years ago. [...]