Para-gliding... SkyBridge... Cruising... Scuba Diving... LANGKAWI ISLANDS!!!

Want to have a paradise for yourself? Car to drive around and feel the cool breeze... Cable Car to hawk-eye on the whole area for 100 of km's... Cruise ship to hop on 10's of Islands in matter of few minutes... Para-gliding to feel like a bird and enjoy the top-view and go along with the airplanes right next to you... Scuba-diving to enjoy with the sea-creatures... all of these plus lot other perks all at one place!! 

Langkawi Islands is your GO-TO place!!!

How did the name come into being…

Malay -- English

Lang -- Eagle 

Kawi -- Island

Yes, you will definitely find a lot of eagles swooping around everywhere…

Especially when you take the cruise and go a bit away from the human habitat ;)

How to reach…

Langkawi is a short 50-min flight from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

You can also reach Langkawi by Ferry if you are okay to put up with the crowd. Ferries operate four routes to Langkawi from Kuala Kedah, Kuala Perlis, Penang and Satun in Thailand.

 

Where to stay…

I must say there are well-known places to stay mainly in the Cenang Beach area. The Casa del Mar, Four Seasons Resort, The Danna, The Andaman, The Datai, Vivanta by Taj are few of the Luxury Hotels to choose from. Mali-Mali Beach Resort, Alia Residence and few others are among the Budget ones.

What to munch on during the stay…

You will find a lot of eateries as you travel around in the area…

Few places to try are the Hole in the Wall, Indian Palace, Restoran 1 Malaysia, SkyCup Bistro, The Cliff, The Night Market etc...

Difficulty in deciding what to eat or what the item in the menu is…

I have already sorted this out for you in one of my previous post… 

How to travel around…

Once you land in the small airport of Langkawi, you will find a lot of Car-On-Hire agencies available in various counters for you to book and choose from a wide range of price range and car models

Make use of all your bargaining skills and throw-in a few newly learnt Malay phrases in yourconversation and you will be good-to-go Zooommm…

Are you lost all by yourself in the seemingly small island of Langkawi… Well, maybe I missed telling you at the beginning that you should grab one of those Maps of Langkawi in the airport the minute you land J

The map gives you a clear picture of all the well-known places to travel and will also give the route-map distance from the airport to most of the places

Talk Malay in Malaysia and get things done your way..!:)

Be a Roman in Rome goes the age-old saying.... 

Talk Malay in Malaysia and get things done your way...! :P (P.S. If you know what I mean....)

Learn a few quick phrases and greetings to impress the locals and enjoy a discount while shopping or get accurate shortcut directions to a landmark... Language always removes all the barriers and brings people together... :)

The one thing which you will definitely come across when you land in Malaysia is

Selamat Datang Ke Malaysia - Welcome to Malaysia!!!

Greetings: 

How do you do?  - Apa khabar?

Fine/good -  Baik

Good Morning- Selamat Pagi

Good afternoon -Selamat tengah hari

Good evening - Selamat petang

Good night -Selamat malam

Good bye- Selamat tinggal

Bon voyage  - Selamat jalan

See you again - Jumpa lagi

Yes- Ya 

No - Tidak

Thank you - Terima kasih 

You’re welcome - Sama-sama

On the road...

Entrance - Masuk

Exit - Keluar

Please - Sila

Excuse me- tumpang lalu

I come from - Saya datang dari..

Can you speak Bahasa Malaysia - Boleh cakap bahasa Melayu

Where are you going- pergi ke mana 

I am going to ..Saya pergi ke....

What time does the bus leave -pukul berapa bas bertolak 

(bus- bas ; plane- kapal terbang ; boat - sampan ; ship- perahu; train - kereta api)

Turn right -belok kanan : turn left - belok kiri ; go straight - jalan terus

Junction - simpang

Please stop here- Sila berhenti di sini....

Shopping Requirements :p

How much - Berapa harga

That's too expensive - Mahal sangat 

Can you reduce the price - Boleh kurang?

Too big  Besar sangat

Too small  Kecil sangat

Any other color?  Ada warna lain?

I would like to change money -Saya hendak tukar duit/wang

Could I make an enquiry - Tumpang tanya (useful if you feel lost)

Nature calls: 

Where is the toilet - Di mana tandas...?

In the back - di belakang ; over there- di sana ; over here- di sini

Time and Numbers:

What time is it?  Jam berapa?

One thirty or half past one- pukul satu setengah

Quarter past one - pukul satu suku

Quarter to one - Suku sebelum pukul satu

1 -Satu

2- Dua

3- Tiga

4- Empat

5- Lima

6- Enam

7- Tujuh

8- Lapan

9 - Sembilan

10 -Sepuluh

11 - Sebelas

12- Dua belas

13- Tiga belas

20 - Dua puluh

21- Dua puluh satu

100- Seratus

101- Seratus satu

105- Seratus lima

1000- Seribu

minute  minit

hour  jam

day  hari

week  minggu

Monday  Isnin

Tuesday  Selasa

Wednesday  Rabu

Thursday  Khamis

Friday  Jumaat

Saturday  Sabtu

Sunday  Ahad 

Other Useful Words:

what?  apa?

who?  siapa?

where (place)  di mana?

where (direction)  ke mana?

when?  bila?

how?  bagaimana?

why?  mengapa?

which?  yang mana?

sleep  tidur

bathe  mandi

come  datang

Airport -lapangan terbang

post office - pejabat pos

shop - kedai

Island - pulau

money- duit, wang

Food and Drink:

Eat  makan

Drink  minum

Bread  roti

Beef  daging lembu

Chicken  Ayam (pronounced “ah- yarm”)

Fish  Ikan (pronounced “ee-karn”)

Vegetables  Sayur

Fried noodles  mee goreng

Fried rice  nasi goreng

Salt  garam

Spicy  pedas

Delicious  sedap 

A cup of coffee  kopi satu

A cup of tea  teh satu

Water  air (pronounced “i-yeah”)

Less sweet  kurang manis

Without sugar  tanpa gula

Without milk  tanpa susu

Without ice  tanpa ais (pronounced “ice”)

Not enough  tak cukup

Not hot/cold enough  tak cukup panas/sejuk

Few last tips... Malays use the word "lah" at the end ... especially when you are bargaining... as in "cannot-lah".. if you are talking to a person of similar age you can also call them "Abang/Bang" (pronounced Bung) and an older woman can be called "Kakak/Kak"

Last but not the least.... if above words sounded too much to handle.. Do not worry! Most products have English labels and shops display food signs in English :)

Have a great trip!!! 

Adventurous & Spiritual Outing - Batu Caves, Selangor, Malaysia

Limestone Caves - Hindu Temple - Rock Climbing - Skyline View of City!!

After an ordeal of climbing 250+ steps, you will get to witness the magnificent insides of 400 Million years old Limestone caves. 
Listed as one among the most amazing Hindu temples in the world, Batu Caves is situated about 13km from the city of Kuala Lumpur, in Gombak district, Selangor, Malaysia. It is famous for the world’s tallest statue (approx. 140ft) of Hindu Lord Murugan.

The temple complex consists of three main caves known as the Valluvar Kottam, Art Gallery Caves and the Ramayana Cave and a few smaller ones. The biggest, referred to as Cathedral or Temple Cave, has a very high ceiling and features ornate Hindu shrines. Paintings and stories of Lord Rama can be seen in the Ramayana Cave. 

A massive 50ft tall idol of Lord Hanuman is situated at the entrance to the cave. The Dark Cave is seen below the Temple Cave. Cave formations and various species of fauna are flourished in this cave. Trips are arranged through Malaysian Nature Society. Monkeys, bats and pigeons frolic around.

The temple is the focal point of an annual Hindu festival, Thaipusam in Malaysia.

Batu Caves is also referred to as the 10th Caves or Hill for Lord Muruga (Subramanya) and takes its name from the Batu River which flows past the hill.

The stunning skyline of the city center view is breathtaking from the top of the 272-step staircase.

 
If you are an adventure enthusiast, then give rock climbing a definite-try! 

Accessibility:Batu Caves is accessible by KTM Komuter, Monorail, Bus, Car or Taxi.

It is a must-visit on your next trip to Malaysia!!

Travel Young! Travel Fit!