Langkawi, Malaysia

After arriving in Singapore from my holiday in Boracay, I didn't have much time (4 days to be exact) before I was packing for another quick holiday away. This time Langkawi, Malaysia was on the boarding ticket. My friends Anna, Val and I had planned to meet at the airport an hour before out flight was to depart from Changi. I, of course, got out of work late and barely made it to the airport in time. I had to tell the taxi driver several times that I was in a hurry and he needed to step on it. I don't think he realized I meant the gas pedal. What else I there to step on down there?! Arrive I did, just in time to grab a quick coffee and snap a photo with the girls before boarding our flight.

After arriving in Langkawi and meeting up with the rest of the crew, we piled in to a hired van (luggage in tow) and were off to the hotel. As soon as we arrived we let the guys deal with check-in and headed to get a drink. 

We finished our drinks and rushed to throw our suitcases in our respective rooms before heading for a night walk along the beach. We found a beach bar that seemed cool and plopped down and began to decipher what was on the agenda for the night. After we finished a bottle or three (notice the o.j. says JOY which is clearly indicative of how were we feeling) 

we were all thinking that we should go to a local bar and have a nightcap. Nothing fancy since we had a big day planned the next day and no one wanted to go big the first night. What transpired next was completely unexpected...

Val's glass had a leak so she improvised.

Night-time cartwheels. Why not?

On a mission. Not really sure where to yet...

Making our way to the main road, we flagged down a few taxis. Our taxi was in the lead and we told the driver we wanted to go somewhere that played good music. He exclaimed "SUN BAR!" Or, at least we thought he said, "Sun Bar". Turns out the bar he was referring to was called "Sunba". We immediately called the rest of the crew and told them where to go. As we arrived, the parking lot was completely empty. I swear, if we weren't in a topical setting I would have expected a tumbleweed to blow past me. None-the-less we got out of the taxi and walked up to the big wooden double doors. 

As we opened the doors, I saw sheer mayhem unfolding. This bar was packed and was playing great music. We quickly took over a table and started ordering. The rest of the night included drinking, dancing, making new friends, more drinking, falling (at least 7 people did), playing pool, and (you guessed it) drinking. 

  

Morgan was the best mixologist!

Salsa dancing with Morgan!

Somewhere in the night we all managed to leave the trap that is Sunba, and made it back to the hotel. Saturday was going to be a big day. We had chartered a yacht and were planning on having a long day of sailing, sun, and swimming. Arriving at the Yacht Club we were greeted by our skipper and crew for the day. Our skipper informed us that we were going to be sailing to a secluded lagoon and that it was a small hike once we go there. No one seemed to mind.

Frolicking in the sun takes it out of you and hunger starts to strike! We immediately went for local food after docking and ate so much! Most of us headed back to the hotel to take showers and get ready to go out for the night. We ended up at the same beach bar that we found the first night and had a good recap of the day's events. The next morning Val, Anna, and I went for breakfast before anyone else was up for the day. Let me tell you, The Breakfast Cafe was total SH*T! The service was horrible and the food was even worse. Anna ordered a cheese omelet and got this...

I ordered a simple iced coffee and when I went to stir it my straw broke. I know I work out and all, but come on!

That settled it. We were heading to the beach! Making our way towards the waves we ran in to a few of our friends and met up with the rest of the late risers for bottles of prosecco and mimosas on the beach. 

The only thing that would make the holiday complete was a massage at the day spa. So we went!

A relaxing few hours at the spa was just the way to end an action-packed holiday! All in all, Langkawi was a blast! 

Boracay, Philippines

Sing Hallelujah! My work visa FINALLY got approved, which to me means two important things: 1. I can legally stay and work in Singapore, and 2. I can now begin to start making travel plans for fun holidays! Obviously the second one is the one that I am really excited about.

I was invited to go on a trip to Boracay, Philippines for four days and three nights and wasted no time booking my travel. All I knew about Boracay was that it has beautiful beaches and sunsets and was a six hour flight from Singapore. Since there are no direct flights from Sing to Boracay, I took the redeye out of Sing which landed me in Boracay around 8am in the morning. The airport was teeny tiny and gave me a clear picture that this was going to be a real island holiday.

Once we deplaned, the hotel that we were booked at had an agent to escort us to a shuttle to the shore front. We then had to get on their private boat and take a 10 minute boat ride to the hotel. Boracay is divided in to three parts: Station 1, Station 2, and Station 3. Station 1 is the most expensive area of the island, Station 2 is moderately priced, and Station 3 is very inexpensive. Discovery Shores was the hotel we stayed at was in Station 1. The hotel is nice and looks pretty lit up at night.

As soon as we checked in, a hotel staff member arrived to give foot massages and book anything else we might need. What better way to get in to the holiday state of mind than a 2 hour body massage? Done. It was booked and the massage therapists were awesome. After unpacking, we went and grabbed a bite to eat at one of the hotel restaurants. 

I definitely needed to work my lunch off so a long stroll on the beach was in order. It was a really good way to see most of the beachfront in Station 1 and catch an amazing sunset!

I found a beach puppy to play with!

These island kids were adorable. 

Found this along the beach with a candle illuminating the sand. 

The next day was all about activities. Jet skiing was definitely a must and we rode out to the middle of the ocean to a floating hut to rent jet skis. I have to admit I was a bit nervous as the last time I was on one was in Hawaii and was thrown off while not wearing a life vest. This time I was extra careful and made sure that my life vest was on. None-the-less I still tipped over mid-ride. I'm beginning to see a pattern...

As if jet skiing isn't fun enough, there was an excursion where you can walk along the ocean floor. Yes, you read it correctly. Obviously that was next on the list. They have you get on a ladder that is attached to the side of a boat and lower yourself in to the ocean until just the top of your head is above the water. They then place this yellow helmet on your head that weighs 70 kilos (154 pounds) and immediately you start to sink the rest of the way (still holding on to the ladder for support) to the ocean floor. They warn you not to bend forward because if you do your helmet will fill with water. I had no intention of bending any which way because I did not want to drown! 

Let's describe this helmet as I'm sure you are wondering what it looks like. It is bright yellow and the top of it has a tube that attaches to an oxygen tank on the ship. Since there is limited oxygen in the air bubble inside the helmet, they want to make sure that you don't pass out from exhaling co2. The cord tube is really long so you can walk pretty far away from the boat and explore all the different marine life undersea. As soon as I saw the helmet I had flashbacks to the episode of Scooby-Doo where Scooby and the gang had to solve the mystery of the underwater sea monster. Much to my dismay I did not see any sea monsters but did see a lot off cool fish and other marine life. I ended up feeling nauseous and motioned to the guide I wanted to get back on the boat. It turns out the underwater currents were strong that day and I was getting motion sick under water. That's a first! 

My friend Anna that knew I was going to Boracay told me I had to go to her friend's restaurant for dinner at least one of the nights, so that was on the agenda for the evening. The restaurant was close to the hotel and was called Dos Mestizos. It's a tapas restaurant and I was excited for a good meal. We hopped in a rickshaw and were dropped off at the end of a tiny street. The driver said his 3-wheeled rickshaw couldn't go any further down the road and we would have to walk a short distance to the restaurant. A minute after getting out a deafening crack of thunder sounded and it began to downpour! I'm talking straight-out-of-the-movies downpour. My natural reaction was to begin running and find the first awning to duck under for cover. I was soaked by the time we got to a patio that had a little awning, and coincidentally it was the front of Dos Mestizos! We hurried in and sat down hoping to dry off. Everything on the menu looked great and I was beginning to forget about the huge storm that was still continuing on outside, and the fact that my hair and dress were sopping wet. 

The chef came over and introduced himself and gave us a tour of the restaurant. Chef Andre was amazing at explaining the menu and went through the wine list with me. Just after the bottle of wine arrived, the entire restaurant went dark! The storm knocked out the power in the whole place and the lights remained off for a while. The staff seemed unfazed and quickly brought over more candles and continued taking orders. 

The power came back on by the time our meal arrived, and truth be told I could have cared less if it had or not. The restaurant experience was great and I'd go back in a heartbeat. 

In the morning we decided a great way to see the rest of the island would be by renting ATVs and roaming around. So that is exactly what the day consisted of. We went to Pukka Beach first. The beach is known for all of the pukka shells that are near the shore, hence the appropriate name. I don't know anyone who still wears pukka shells but if you want to take a ride back to 1993 be my guest! 

After Pukka Beach we rode to a look out point where you can see the entire main island from all angles. It is a straight upwards hike and then you climb up to a rickety look out tower that is made of very questionable wood/bamboo. You can feel the whole tower sway which is not comforting to those afraid of heights! The views are 100% worth it though. 

After the hike/look out point we were off to a small animal habitat. There were tons of cool birds and best of all a full sized bat! I mustered up all the courage I had and held it from wing to wing! 

After the bat-tastic experience, it was time to ride around the rest of the island and get ready for my last night in Boracay. I booked a facial at the hotel spa and then got ready for another great sunset and a cocktail before dinner. 

Dinner was at a Moroccan restaurant right on the beach. When we walked up there was a performance going on by a local island group. They played some good island beats and played for the first 30 minutes of dinner. 

The food was really good and was served in hand painted pottery. Everything was so fresh and steamed just right. 

The tide started to come in and some of the tables had to be moved so they wouldn't wash away. By the end of dinner, the tide was under our table and I took my flip flops off so they wouldn't get wet. I have to admit, sitting at a dinner table beach side with a glass of wine and bare feet in the sand as the tide laps back and forth was a huge highlight. It was the perfect way to end an island holiday!