A Relaxing Holiday in Langkawi

16 to 19 August 2014 

On 16 August 2014, I had to wake up earlier than my usual time to get ready to go to the airport. Our flight to Langkawi from the KLIA was at 9.30am. After checking in, we had our breakfast at the Food Garden at KLIA. I like this place because they serve a variety of food. The cream puff was delectable. The flight journey to Langkawi was less than one hour. From the airport we took a cab, which was an old Nissan Vanette, to the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by a hotel staff who served us a glass of cold fruit drink to beat the heat. Another hotel staff told us that we could only check in at 3.00pm. So, we decided to do some sightseeing and have lunch. A taxi ride from the hotel to the Underwater World Langkawi was only 5 minutes.

Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort at Langkawi

While my mum was buying tickets, I went to see the world’s largest freshwater fish - the Arapaima. It was so humongous that the tank has to be as big as possible. The Arapaima fish is native to the Amazon basin of South America and they can grow to the length of as much as 4.5 meter. Although the Underwater World is an aquarium, it also has a reptile section and a tropical rainforest section. At the reptile section, I saw a few reptiles including geckos. There were Flamingos, Mandarin ducks, Mute Swans and Marmoset at the tropical rainforest section. Then, we went to see Southern Fur Seals that were swimming gracefully and emerging from water for oxygen. Some visitors shouted so loudly that it nearly shattered the glass tank. 

African Penguins at Underwater World

Next was my favourite section, the penguins. We first saw the African penguins swimming around in an environment very similar to their natural habitat. They are also known as the Jackass Penguin and are found in Southern Africa. It was amusing to see these flight-less birds shook their heads and hit their chest like a gorilla. They preen themselves with special oil from their bodies.

After that, we proceeded to the Sub-Antarctic Section where I saw the Rockhopper penguins. Rockhopper penguins are one of the smallest species of penguin in the world. These penguins are called “Rockhopper” because they jump from rock to rock in their natural habitat. They feed on crustaceans, squids and small fish. I saw a Rockhopper penguin laying eggs and another penguin was guarding its nest of eggs. Some penguins were swimming while some were hopping around. We were lucky to see the workers feeding the penguins. We spent most of our time at the penguins sections.

Rockhopper Penguins at Underwater World

Yuan and King Penguin

At the freshwater section, I saw different types of freshwater fish from different parts of the world such as the Bala Shark, Garfish, Catfish and Stingray. I prefer the marine life section because the fishes are more colourful. I saw Sea Horse, Lion Fish, Puffer Fish, Sea Anemones, Hermit Crabs Giant Rays and Giant Grouper.  There was also a Koi Pond in the Underwater World where visitors are allowed to feed the Koi fish.

Lion Fish

Before leaving the aquarium, we spent some time at the souvenir shop which is connected to the Zon Duty Free shop. My mum bought me a penguin soft toy and a T-shirt with a penguin. I love penguins!

Pelangi Resort Malay-Styled Wooden Chalet

At the Resort Pond Side

After lunch, we returned to Pelangi Resort. Finally we checked into our room which was located on the first floor of a Malay-styled wooden chalet. The room was quite nice, with high ceiling and a fan. The resort has a relaxing atmosphere with a lot of trees and plants. There was a balcony where we could see the swimming pools. I could not wait any longer to dip in the pool.

Beach at Pelangi Resort

In the evening, we took a stroll on the beach. It was so relaxing and the view was magnificent. As the resort is located in Pantai Cenang, there are many restaurants nearby. The Cenang Mall is just a stone's throw from the resort.

The next day we hired a car to drive around Langkawi. Our first destination was the Oriental Village, at the foothill of Mount Machincang. When we were arrived, it started to drizzle. Then the rain became heavier. We took shelter at the Geopark Information Center, where we watched a video on geoparks of Langkawi. I wanted to experience the cable car but to my disappointment, it was not operating because of the rain. The rain continued for the entire morning. My mum promised that we will return to the Oriental Village for the cable car ride when we visit Langkawi again.

We just relaxed ourselves at the Pelangi Resort on the following day. The weather was uninviting. It rained a lot during our stay at the resort. Oh, I forgot to mention that a bat flew into our room on the second night. The hotel staff said that the bats are harmless to human and they help to eat mosquitoes in the room.

Written by
Koh Chee Yuan

An Unforgettable Trip to Petrosains

 August 2014

My cousin sisters, Huey Huey and Ying Ying came back to Malaysia in late July for their summer holidays. One day in August, my uncle decided to take them to Petrosains and asked me if I wanted to join them. I jumped on the opportunity. My mummy was quite worried because it was the first time for me to go out without her and my dad. My aunt and uncle assured her that I would be fine.

When we arrived at the Petrosains at KLCC, we went on a ride in a special kind of chair. First, we tried the hurricane ride. It was really fun but the escalation of the strong winds nearly suffocated us. After that, we went to play with the pendulum art. Next, we went into the ancient world. As we approached, I could see a dinosaur dancing a boogie. Then we learnt more facts about the ancient world. We watched the Astro Canyon Coaster that is about bubbles.

Next, we went to play on the Wind Tube, where we put pieces of paper on an invisible stream of wind. The tube propelled the paper. After that, we set to work with beans on a very complicated machine. Later, we tried the Stimulator at the oil platform. I felt like riding on a roller-coaster. Then, we went to the Escape Chute. Unfortunately, we could not try it because the person must be at least 140cm tall. We proceeded to a giant slide. I was reluctantly to try but my uncle coaxed me into sliding down the tube. As I walked up the steps I was trembling but the slide was not that scary after all. My cousin sister could not try because she is not tall enough.

After the slide, we tried playing a few musical instruments. Some instruments like the organ looks old. Later, we went to watch a show called Dinky Dinosaur where we learnt more about dinosaurs. Finally, we got on another chair and rode out of the Petrosains. I would love to visit Petrosains again with my mummy and dad because they have not been there before.

Written by:
Koh Chee Yuan

Please visit Petrosains website for more information, http://www.petrosains.com.my/