To the clouds in Langkawi

It was with great reluctance that we left D'Baron Resort in Kuah as its a really nice hotel with spacious rooms and great seaviews. Breakfast was all 3 types of noodles in the Chinatown quarter of Kuah town in a coffeeshop,

and we set off at a leisurely 10am towards Cenang Beach, about 20km away.

The ride there was hard and hilly. It didnt help that the sun was getting hotter by the minute. I had to use the smaller chain ring on the tikit and that only just was sufficient to tackle some of the steeper hills. The saving grace were the beautiful coastal views skirting along the hillside. Malaysia is blessed with many small mom & pop's drink store and they are life savers on a hot day. Mike and I must have gulped 5-6 tall, cold lemon juices at our stop and it helped when each costs a mere US50 cents.

We checked into a pre-booked rustic, wooden chalet in Cenang Beach and though it has seen better days (very typical of overused hotels there), the cold aircon was a gift from heaven.

Although the ride was short, we felt a little sapped from the heat and the hills but a quick cold shower soon revived us. We treated ourselves to a Thai massage which really fixed those sore muscles. That got us ready for our next ride, this time 20km to the Langkawi Cable Car and we really rode very fast there. Mike seemed to have found his 2nd wind on the brand new Expedition and I was very impressed at his remarkable improved level of fitness.

Unlike the day before, the queue was only 20 mins instead of a crazy 2 hours. The views on top were absolutely spectacular and it was worth every pedal to get there.

One could see the many other islands of the Andaman Sea and no wonder this is sailing paradise for the many luxury sailboats docked at the harbour. The sunset was also impressive. There were times the clouds came upon us, and it rained right on top... This surely must be the highlight of Langkawi!

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Our ride back to Cenang was in the dark and it was so differently refreshing cutting through the night air. Upon reaching Cenang, the heavens of monsoon opened and we were very grateful we could take shelter at Orkid Ria, a fabulous seafood restaurant that we enjoyed.

Another special day indeed especially being in the clouds at Langkawi!