Langkawi-Malaysia-Day 1

During our stay in Singapore we were spoilt with choices of many beautiful islands to which we could head when for a short vacation.  So last year  when we were planning a vacation, after enough pondering & discussions we finally decided to go to  Langkawi, a small island off the coast of Malaysia. It is actually an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia.
It is one of the few tourist places of Malaysia which is not very crowded and is suited for those who prefer to lay back and relax when on vacation.The flight from Singapore to Langkawi was a short  flight.We were staying at the Taj- Rebak Island Resort -a unique and an exclusive haven located on the secluded and privately-owned 389-acre Rebak Island.

Rebak Island Resort with its private beach

It has its own private beach, beautiful gardens and a swimming pool overlooking the beach.

Resort swimming pool facing the beach

As this resort is located on an island, there is a ferry service operated by the resort to take you to and fro the main island of Langkawi.

The resort has a first-class marina with opaque green water and the ferry is operated from here.There is a fixed schedule of the ferry so you need to plan your trips to the main island accordingly.

All set for the boat ride to the main island I was looking forward to our first day in Langkawi.We rented a car and did some sightseeing at the town center on the main island. Our first stop was a cable car ride.The cable car takes you to the top of Mount Mat Cincang, Langkawi’s second highest peak. 

 

The cable car ride to the top is through dense rain-forests with views of cascading waterfalls on the mountain.

Once you reach the top there is a Sky Bridge from where you can enjoy some breathtaking  view of the surroundings.

 

View of the sky bridge from the cable car as you approach the top

 

 Some breathtaking views of the mountain, valleys and surrounding blue ocean.

Next we went to waterfall where there is a small pond at the bottom of the fall and  you can stand below the waterfall and enjoy the cool water and also take a dip in the pond.Nothing more needed i n the heat than a refreshing dip in the water.

 

After a long tiring day we finally headed back to the resort to enjoy some relaxation by the pool and a sumptuous  meal and retire for the day.

'Malvan'A Jewel in the Konkan!!!

For all those not familiar with Indian subcontinent, let me introduce you to the Konkan region.It is a rugged section of the western coastline of India starting from Raigad district in Maharashtra state, passes through the of Goa and extends upto Mangalore a small town in Karnataka state.The Sahyadri mountain ranges (also known as the Western ghats) form the eastern boundary of the Konkan region and the vast Arabian Sea marks the western boundary.Nestled in this beautiful region in the state of Maharashtra is a small fishing town "Malvan" ( located in the Sindhudurg district -the southernmost district of Maharashtra State). Being a coastal town Malvan is all about pristine beaches,swaying coconut tress,plenty of seafood and dense tropical vegetation.The below pictures is of one such beach of Malvan.

By Road Malvan is 514km from Mumbai and 74 km from Goa, which has the nearest airport for connecting flights to Mumbai and other major cities in India.My most earliest  memories of Malvan are of  my school vacations, which every year I spent in Malvan. I always dreaded the journey from Mumbai to Malvan as then there were no trains to Malvan and the only way we could go to Malvan was by the state run buses through the winding roads of the Western Ghats and to make matters worse my motion sickness.But once the railways started it has been nothing but pleasant memories.

3 years back when I went to India for a vacation I visited Malvan with my husband and my family.We flew to Goa from Mumbai and from there we drove to Malvan .On the way we got to see some beautiful scenery.This picture was taken near the Nerurpark bridge- This bridge is on a river with lush greenery and swaying coconut trees on both the banks of the river.

This is not a designated tourist spot, we just stopped the car on the side of road walked to the bridge and took this snap.On the way we stopped at a small village" Kalsa"  which is just on the outskirts of Malvan to visit our ancestral house.The house is a good 1km walk from the main road and the route is nothing more than a gravel-mud road that takes you through dense vegetation. For me it was more like a hike on a nature trail.

Though none of us were geared for this small hike better to be prepared with at least walking shoes.After spending some time here it was straight to Malvan town for lunch.As it is a coastal town seafood is the main cuisine and the cuisine is known as 'Malvani cuisine' and it is fast gaining popularity in cities in India.Malvani cuisine can be quite spicy and coconut is used as a base for most  curries.We had a Thali which was mix of seafood dishes and malvani chicken masala with pooris ( a type of Indian bread) & rice. For those not used to spicy food stick to Poori, Rice, Dhal and fried fish.

Once lunch was done we went straight to our house in Malvan and just relaxed at home and by the beach.Nothing beats lazing around at home and reading a nice book .Did I mention all this being done lazing on a 'Hammock'?

Next day  after getting up in the morning we went for a nice morning walk  on the beach.The beach is just 100mts away from our house and as we went early in the morning we were lucky to see lots of fishing trollers and boats just coming back after a night out fishing.

Fish, Fish & more Fish

There was so much fish, we were tempted  to buy some from them, but since we were not cooking we had to let go of the opportunity.So with a heavy heart of not being able to buy fresh fish, we returned home and went sightseeing.First we visited the town center which has a nice promenade and pier at the waterfront . You can see the Sindhudurg fortress which occupies an islet in the Arabian Sea from here. The fort was built by the great Maratha warrior King Shivaji Maharaj in the year 1664.It is surrounded by sea on 3 sides and the fort is approachable from the Malvan pier by a boat.

From there we went to see some other beaches like Tarkarli, Deobaug and just roamed around the streets where there were some lovely old houses.

This is my uncles house, which is a reminder of our rich old heritage

 

Before the start of the mango season we were lucky to see lot of raw mangoes on the trees.

Swaying coconut tress in abundance wherever we went.Each spot was better than the before had a hard time selecting snaps to use in this blog.

This view is from the Dhamapur Lake, there is a temple on the banks of this lake and the steps from the temple come down to the lake.

 

One more unexplored beach, this place has so many virgin beaches and good photography spots and with not many tourists visiting you can take your own time exploring and photographing.

"My Clicks"

Sharing a few of my favorite shots.All these shots were taken by me, just like that on the spur of the moment.Did some work on the shots using picnik.Comments and suggestions welcome.

 This one was take by a roadside bush at Lorne Beach.Took a close up shot of the flowers.

From Empire State Building ,this shot of New York downtown has been take millions of time by so many people,I also gave it a shot.

The indoor effect of the colors is just amazing@Union Station,Washington DC 

Washington National Cathedral

 This snap of Washington National Cathedral was taken from the tour bus.

You cannot find a more calmer place to sit back and relax.This picture was taken  at Queenscliffe beach -Australia.This is the secluded end of the beach and it has some great rock formations.

 I had taken this picture inside a church in Goa few years back.At that time I did not think much of it.But a few days back when going through those pictures, this one just caught my attention.The effect of the bright light coming through the entrance of the church is so symbolic.