LIMA2013 | hello again, langkawi

 19.03.13

      So, finally, LIMA'13 has crawled its way into my life after having me long for it for so long. Ever since the application for volunteers was available for download on the website, I've been looking forward to this like a crazy fangirl waiting for One Direction at their hotel lobby. That was proof how volunteering for LIMA'11 left such an unperturbed yet impactful impression on me. Moreover, I needed a getaway. One that takes me out of JB for a couple of weeks, just to satiate my wanderlust, even for the slightest. And, Langkawi was just the perfect getaway. Better still, I was flying there a day right after STPM results came out. Talking about living life to its fullest! hahaha

      So, this time round. HW LIMA decided they needed a few of us ex-LIMA volunteers to go up a couple of days earlier than the rest to settle some prep stuff and so, the 8 of us were flown, I repeat, flown to Langkawi on the 20th. Nay and I were clear that we didn't want to go through that 6-hour-long and dreary bus ride to KL, so about two weeks before the trip up, we booked Air Asia promo tickets to fly to KL on the 19th. No doubt we couldn't stop talking about what to bring and what can't we bring up onto the aircraft, since it was Nay's first time on a plane! With bags packed with the help of my trusty to-pack list (pic above), travel itinerary and flight tickets printed out and with feel good vibes, Naomi and I got to Senai Airport on the 19th via her friendly uncle to catch our afternoon flight. 

      Upon arrival at the airport, I felt as if we were backpackers, traveling the world. Not gonna lie, I LOVE THAT FEELING! I think I have a secret growing affection towards airports, domestic and international. Departure halls, ticketing counters, the luggage conveyor belts, teary-eyed people waving goodbye, travelers with their overwhelming backpacks, globetrotting families with their matching roller luggage, aircraft personnel walking around with that certain air that they carry with them, the feeling of flying somewhere out of your comfort zone or that feeling of flying back home (though not so much.lol). This time, I was the traveler traveling for work, voluntary work for that matter and I felt good. 

 Travel Tip #1: 

Do not underestimate your baggage weight. It might bite you from the back.

You know when they say, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Well, who knew our first lemon encounter would be at the airport, before we even got to travel a mile! hahaha When we were checking in our luggage, we realised we really underestimated the weight of our trunk. Initially, I thought 15kg would be enough for both our baggages, so we bought 15kg worth of baggage weight for us to share. I was silenced by the weighing machine at the counter when the total weight came out at 32kg. My luggage itself weighed about 11kg! We didn't think much of it and decided to buy more baggage weight, there and then. We were silenced again when the stewardess behind the counter said we had to pay RM75.00 for extra 15kg of weight, when we could've bought it when we booked the tickets at RM25.00! A huge chunk of my heart pretty much dropped into an immeasurable abyss. On a positive note, at least we know what to do now and that our baggage will forever be over 10kg per person. unless you're willing to risk it and burn a hole in your pocket after, that would have been a bad lemon.

 Travel Tip #2: 
Go pee before catching a flight even if you don't feel like it at the moment

So, we were waiting for time to pass and I got thirsty, even after finishing that very over-priced cup of cappuccino. It was one of those annoying moments when you realise that you're paying an unreasonably pricey amount of money for a small cup of coffee, just to involuntarily dehydrate yourself. I felt cheated, by the coffee shop and by my subconscious mind. So, I drank up a whole bottle of water before boarding. Such a smartass, I was. I didn't feel like peeing when it was time to board. But once the plane took off, my bladder siren went off. So, I guess you could imagine how I was feeling all through the flight. I think the siren blew up. hahaha Thank God, there were toilets at the baggage pick-up area!

      We boarded the plane and being on a plane for her first time ever, Naomi was more than stoked! That was why I booked a window seat, specially for her! So, when we were walking up to our seats, turns out that some middle-aged dude was sitting at the window seat. Initially, I was damn pissed 'cause HELLO? I BOUGHT THIS SEAT, MISTER! but since people were rushing around getting to their seats and if I were to ask him to shift seats, it would have jammed up the whole walkway, we decided to let it pass and let the man have the seat. Now that I'm writing about it, I'm kind of beating myself up about it. I should have kindly told that uncle to switch back to our original seats! sigh oh well We enjoyed the flight nevertheless. At least he wasn't stinky or anything :/ 

      We touched down rather early than estimated, but since the queue in the toilet was crazy long, we were among the last few to actually come out of the arrival hall. My second aunt picked us up and we stayed over at her place for the night before OFFICIALLY embarking on our second LIMA experience. 

threeblackwidows // kuala lumpur international airport

20.03.13

      5.15am and we were up! First day of LIMA adventure and we were not planning on missing our 0830 hours flight at all. Slabbed some cake into our mouths and off we went to KLIA via cab. The taxi driver were already waiting for us outside the house at 5.45am, though we scheduled departing at 6am. Very few taxi drivers nowadays are like him, punctual. Well, then again, I don't take cabs a lot. So, maybe there are, just not encountered. 

       Met up with early bird Vern, whom we met last LIMA, checked in our baggage, got our tickets and waited for Gup to arrive at Old Town with a cuppa. It was great to catch up with Vern again after one and a half years. Before heading to the departure hall, this time I remembered and emphasized on the fact that we needed to pee first before boarding. hahaha Met the rest of the 4 earlybirds at the security checkpoint and off we boarded the aircraft. It was a bright and wonderful day!

     

        I think all 8 of us were pretty psyched and stoked about flying to Langkawi and with our flight tickets being covered for was just the cherry on top! I can really get used to this. Felt like a real photojournalist, flying to foreign grounds under assignment :) hahaha Flying with Malaysian Airlines is a whole new experience, as compared to flying on a budget airline like Air Asia. Comfort was the most obvious difference, in my opinion.  Anyways, Nay got her window seat and her secret wish of not having to sit beside Amir came true! hahaha Last LIMA, she was kind of creeped out by Amir. But looks like one year and a half really makes a lot of difference. He became one of our closest friends this time round. 

the view outside my window // he really wanted his pram

      I got a window seat as well which I was happy about but sometimes, life just likes throwing in more lemons when you're enjoying your lemonade. The two seats beside me were occupied with a young Korean mother who was profusely trying to calm her crying toddler down :'( He didn't seem to take any interest in the packet of milk the steward gave him, in hopes of him to shut up. Nor the pack of salted peanuts, for that matter. By the time he calmed down and smiled a little, he had pretty much covered the floor, under the seat and on both seats. He was a frustrated restless little Korean monkey. And you know what calmed him down? A freaking paper crane that a passerby lady just happened to have in her purse. 

      

touchdown at langkawi grounds // plane relections

      Funny thing was nobody had told us what to expect or what was the plan right after we arrive. And so, we ran through the arrival hall, expecting nothing but maybe, a few cars with the official LIMA stickers for us to drive around. But of course, that was just a very delusional thought. haha We anticipated that maybe some peculiar man would be holding up a sign that says LIMA Volunteers, waiting for our arrival at the gates and VOILA! As we looked around, there stood a Malay man in a powdery-dark-blue windbreaker with an A4 sized paper that wrote HW LIMA TEMP STAFF. I was like, yup, that's damn legit alright! 

      He then led us to a white van and drove us to Sandy Beach Resort where we were gonna stay for the next few days. Sweet sweet nostalgia started to sink in as the van swerved around the tarmac, passing the beach, all towards the happening stretch of familiar stalls along the street which we were to call, home. Home 2.0, this time round. The van we were in quickly became our dear little mode of transportation to and fro our workplace for the next couple of grueling days and I think we all can agree on that van being pretty much ours! yay

the early birds // nay, gup, amir, haqim, basyir aka bash, amirul, me and vern who was taking these pictures

nostalgia sets in // around the tarmac

      We got dropped off at the entrance of a very familiar Sandy Beach Resort, in hopes of getting the same rooms or better, with the view of the sea and all. But since we arrived early, rooms weren't ready yet. So, we had a pretty steamy wait at the open-air lounge area. Mind you, we were almost dehydrated and sweaty. After a trip to Azhar's Trading to get some necessities a.k.a any form of liquid to re-hydrate our dried up body cells and a short-lived stroll on the beach, finally we had rooms to check into. Unfortunately, it wasn't our previous room we were staying in as it was in LIMA'11, instead we were on the other side of Cenang Street, with the 'pristine' view of well, dusty streets. Just perfect, I thought. Nevertheless, there was more space to walk around and the toilet was bigger than the previous one. And no girl can complain about a bigger toilet, can she?

      Since we didn't know what time we were supposed to report for work that day, we went out for brunch at this sweet little cafe along Cenang Beach that we previously checked out online at home called Red Tomato. We skimmed through its menu and were affirmative that it was a must-try! Food was great, ambiance gave a little of an earthy vibe (which I love), all which I'll review it in a later food post. So, make sure you look out for it! 

      It all does seem like we were on holiday, doesn't it? Well, I can tell you that it was definitely not all fun and exploration. At around 3pm, a straw Fedora donning Mr Haswan and Mr Fairul in-a-manly-tank-top-with-surf-pants, came to pick us all up in a van. It was the perfect vibe for a Ripcurl advertorial, minus indie music playing in the background. It was great to see them both again though he warned us, upon our first step into the van that the 'best' was yet to come!

I had a feeling it was.