A moment before tropical storm

Urban patterns

Destination: Langkawi

Poolside view from the Tanjung Rhu Resort

It has been a while of my previous beach holiday. I think last time was in the beginning of 1990's on the shores of Mediterranean. So it was time for a reprise, but this time by the Andaman sea.

Past weekend I spent in Langkawi, an island lying on the west coast of the Malaysian peninsula north of Kuala Lumpur. It's an island of contradiction. Local people seem to live in very humble accommodation while visitors spend their time in luxurious resorts. And there are lots of resorts to choose from.

Premium chalet's on water at Berjaya Langkawi Beach & Spa Resort

View from the breakfast restaurant

I chose Berjaya Langkawi Beach & Spa Resort which was recommended in TripAdvisor as a top value hotel. The Berjaya resort consist of different types of chalet's. I stayed in a spacious premium chalet with a sea view. The resort has many restaurants, a big pool area and a nice white sand beach. I think Berjaya resort is a good choice if you want to have a decent priced weekend getaway in Langkawi. It is not a 5 star resort, but it is good value for money.

The best thing Langkawi has to offer is its nature. The landscape is mountainous with rainforest covering most of the mountains. There are waterfalls and and mangrove forest and a lot of wildlife. Langkawi cable car offers a good view of the island. The cable car also offers a nice cool break from the tropical heat.

Langkawi is only 1h 15min flight away from Singapore and it is easy to reach with several airlines. I took SilkAir, but Malaysian Airlines, Tiger Airways and AirAsia operate directly to Langkawi as well.

Twist in My Sobriety

Quite unexpectedly a song from the old archives of my mind popped up. It was Tanita Tikaram's Twist in My Sobriety. Of course I had to find the video from Youtube.

Twist in My Sobriety was a huge hit in Europe in the 80's. I liked the song back then and I still do. It has not lost its magic as years have gone by. Maybe the dark sound of the song appeals to my Finnish soul.

I have not heard much about Tanita since the 80's. I googled to see what had happened to her. She is turning 40 next month and is still in making music. Tanita has a website and even a blog. She also makes podcasts. I was a bit surprised to learn that her mother is Malaysian and father Indo-Fijian. By that she has a sort of a contact to my Singaporean life :)

Petronas Twin Towers, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petronas_Twin_Towers

National Mosque, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

National Mosque in KL is a the main mosque of Malaysia. It was completed in 1965. The building is very 1960's style and has beautiful oriental wall patterns.