It is fast approaching a month since we returned from our honeymoon in Langkawi and I am a long way behind on my creative outlets. My blog has hardly been touched, the wedding thank you cards haven’t made it beyond a thought, and I’m worried that the lid to my piano is frozen shut. And naturally my weeks and weekends are jam packed full of social obligations until June.

So I’m playing catch up on honeymoon blogging when I really should be getting some beauty sleep, getting out of bed tomorrow is not going to be easy. I was considering a notebook when we were in Singapore (just so I can blog during my daily commute) but the size and cost for the guts that I need is probably a year behind my wants. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t want to sound like someone desperate to tell everyone everything.

This ‘thing’ started out as my visual journal and that is how I still feel about this space. I’m happy to share the good parts with family and friends, particularly those friends that are living overseas. But at the end of the day this is my outlet when I don’t have time to play the piano for three hours straight, or set up my paints and create things that elephants could. Plus it is nice to look back and see what I was up to months ago.

OK, no more digressing; Langkawi Part 2.

On our way to our Langkawi resort; Casa del Mar, from Lanngkawi airport Mark and I were initially shocked by the amount of parents riding on motorbikes with their children squashed in between them with no protective headgear. We did see babies being held like they were sitting on a stationary chair on their mothers’ laps whilst they were driving scooters, but we were in so much shock that we failed to get photographic evidence of that. However, we soon came to realise that this was the norm.

One of the fist things we did after settling in to the resort was to get on bicycles and ride around the block-which certainly wasn’t your average block in size or variance of socioeconomic status. The Langkawi waterfront was pretty flash, but getting out on the street even one row back presented a different story.

I was the typical tourist taking photos o f everything from the moment we landed,
and no, that isn’t my typical cycling gear.

Cycling around was a great way to see how the locals live, and take in the scenery. With so many things to stop and stare at and take photos of the ride certainly wasn’t exercise-not to mention that the flat terrain hardly competes with the hills around the Northern Beaches that I’ve peddled up and will admit to screaming down (yes, I do mean screaming my lungs out).

A local lady on her way back home with some groceries was a perfect visual reminder of how differently we live.

Gently coasting along the streets of Langkawi, Mark and I turned a corner and spotted a local store. From a distance I was really excited and wanted to buy some fresh fruit, but as we got closer a whole different level of excitement was reached. This store was unlike anything I had ever seen before. There were cured fish hanging out to dry that stank like all hell, yet at the same time smelt good enough to take a bite out of them right then and there. That is if you wanted to fight the flies for them. I don’t think this store would pass health standards in Australia, but it was great to see local produce being sold by locals, to locals.

There were fresh fish on a concrete slab. You can’t see the ice because there isn’t any…and it was about 30 degrees Celsius that day.

Me getting excited about new fruits-I gave up on my not so safe helmet not long after this shot was taken.

You just don’t see workers like this at Woolworths-nor do you see such flexible grandparents in Australia.

There were water buffalo in paddocks only one street back from the waters edge.

Every night brought a gorgeous sunset to admire whilst laying on the sun lounges.

Most of our dinners were at Casa del Ma, and we would venture out for a well intended light lunch most days, but always caved in when the food got to the table. For one of our dinners we ventured out in to the night, up the road and ate the biggest prawns I have ever seen. They were scrumptious!

On the odd occasion that we ventured in to town to eat, dinner was bought by the kilo.

Hopefully I will get some more posts up this week about all the activities we did in Langkawi.

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