Langkawi - Part 2

Destination: Kedawang..

We got off the Langkawi jetty at about 04:45pm.
It's another 10-minutes haul from the vessel to the exit of the terminal.
There, we set-up our bikes, much to the amazement of the people watching and rolled out towards Kuah town.
The distance from town to the terminal is about 4km.
While we were at it, we saw an elderly caucasian couple on their bikes. Seems that they were riding small bikes with 16" wheels.
I punched in the destination on my GPS earlier and the journey is roughly about 20km away.

Leaving the terminal

On the island

Road Warrior, ready to roll

Cycling out of Kuah

It feels like anything but on an island.. 

Kuah is overdeveloped and filthy.
And it's also the last place I would like to stay unless the rooms around the island are full.
So, we had little choice but to head back to this town before leaving for the mainland at the end of our ride.
Gradually, the terrain became hilly enroute to Padang Matsirat where the Langkawi International Airport is located.
We could have chosen the more glamorous way of air travel, but a road trip is absolutely fine with us.
From Kuah, we had to turn off towards Kedawang and this also leads to Pantai Cenang, a popular beach resort area on the island.
Spare the highway scene from Kuah, the kampung road at Jalan Chandekura was quite scenic.
We could see some really nice kampung houses along the way.
Michelle rang up her friend and was told to head towards the Petronas gas station at Kedawang.

Meeting an islander along the way... 

Rolling with the scenic route

Downhill roll

A busy road

The traffic in Langkawi, even on a weekday is extremely busy.
Tour buses ferrying loads of tourists from the mainland and the airport dominates the road.
Even the lorry drivers are mad.
They speed down the road and drive like bats out of hell.
Having said that, its no different from the cycling scene on the mainland.
I've seen a row of banged-up cars on a yard beside the road, a sign of alcoholism and its adverse effect on drivers.
This is also a reminder on keeping alert on this island.
Even in broad daylight, you can be a fatal statistic.
Our destination was Teratak Damai homestay.
This is owned by Michelle's friend Marina and her husband Reuben.
They've been running the place for more than two years and its expanding.
I didn't mind the cosy little homestay at all as it is far away from the busy road.

Arrival at the homestay

Our base for two nights

Sup tulang

A simple dinner

Cheap beers and a simple dinner.. 

We didn't travel all the way to Langkawi to have Western and Middle-Eastern food in Pantai Cenang, which is about 3km away from Kedawang.
So, Michelle and I had decided to search for some makan nearby.
Since Kedawang is not a touristy area, the food here is pretty decent.
We found a roadside stall serving nasi lemak bungkus.
I ordered Sup Tulang (beef bone soup) and Kailan Goreng ikan masin (kale fried with salted fish). Our meal came up to RM15. That's pretty standard even for a meal on the mainland.
That kind of wraps up our day.
But, before that, it was a trip to a nearby wholesale mart and we found some really cheap beers.
Sapporo beer from Japan sells at RM3.50 a can. That's a far cry from drinking in Kuala Lumpur as it costs four times as much.
Michelle and I feasted on this at our wooden kampung house before we called it a night.
I was really beat from driving and there's just enough time to catch a good rest before the round-island ride the following day.