18 May 2010

I am absolutely sorry for being away from this blog more than 2 months. Sometimes I would rather post pictures or frustration of words via Facebook than posting here. I hope I am back for real this time.

As the title mentioned, I spent my Labour Day weekend at Koh Lipe (Lipe Island) in Thailand. Never heard of it?

Koh Lipe is a small island in the Southern part of the Thai Andaman Sea and it is very near to our Langkawi island.

Koh Lipe is vastly known among the foreigners (read: Caucasians) and the locals. Malaysians hardly knew about this deserted island and I, for one, had to find out about Koh Lipe from a friend who googled about it.

I know many of you will ask ‘How do you get there?’ or ‘Is there a direct flight to Koh Lipe?’ and so on.

The quickest way from Malaysia is through Langkawi Island, the cheapest via Pak Barra. During the low season, Koh Lipe can only be reached from Pak Barra.

From November until May there are several ferries a day from Langkawi to Koh Lipe. Click here to find out for the ferries time table. However, most ferry companies use a different port on Langkawi Island. I took the boat from Telaga Harbour Park which is about 10-15 min drive from Langkawi International Airport.

The boat ride to Koh Lipe takes less than 1 hour. When you arrive on Koh Lipe you will have to go through the immigration first. The captain of the boat will give you the instructions of what to do and where to wait.

There is no pier on Koh Lipe. Local Chao Ley (Sea Gypsies) will come with their longtail boats to pick you up from the ferry.

They will take you to any beach on the island for 50 Baht (not included in your ferry ticket!). Please do not wear sneakers when you are at this point. You wouldn’t want your shoes to be drenched in salt water upon reaching the shores.

Once you reached the shore, do not stare at the beach first.  Remember to pick up your passports from the immigration counter.

Koh Lipe is known as “Maldives of Thailand” and I strongly recommend you to visit this island before it is flocked by overcrowding tourists like the ones in Phuket.

There are 3 main beaches on Koh Lipe: Pattaya Beach, Sunset Beach and Sunrise Beach.

The most popular one will be Pattaya Beach.

There are dozens of resorts and places to stay all over the island, and because of Koh Lipe’s small size, it’s easy to stay anywhere and go to any beach in less than 15 minutes.

Sita Beach Resort is one of the best resorts available in Koh Lipe, providing the best facilities like swimming pool, water heater showers, complimentary wireless Internet and many more.

With the stunning spectacular view of the open sea, I believe you will hardly spend time in the room.

Like me, most of the time you will be staring at the aquamarine waters and the white sandy beach. But be careful; do not overcook your skin under the sun. Be sure to apply sunblock before you get out of your room.

You may also hop onto the longtail boat and the local gypsy will take you to nearby islands for Snorkelling. If you go on a group, it cost about 550Baht per person. But during the low season (May – September), there will be no group outings. Hence, you need to rent a private longtail boat for 2000Baht and you will be the boss of the boat.

The local gypsy will take you to known spots for snorkeling and enjoy the colorful life in the sea.

Before you leave this island, take a stroll across the island to Sunset Beach and fall in love with the sunset here.

Koh Lipe is no doubt the perfect choice for a relaxing getaway. All you need to do is to save up about RM1,400 for the entire cost of the trip.

Guess what? Unlike Phuket or Krabi, Koh Lipe is NOT that commercialized and you can enjoy the every bit of the island in awe.

10 March 2010

I saw this outside my condo’s corridor yesterday. What the heck is on the window?

Can’t see it?!?

Let me zoom nearer!!

Can you please tell me which ass**** dump that on my neighbour’s window?

You tell me what that is!!!

3 March 2010

I was reading pinkpau’s latest blog entry a minute ago, and it struck me with a similar situation I was in.  All I ever wanted was a good night’s sleep which I have failed to do so lately.

I vented out to Daddy God and threw all my tantrums and complaints at Him. Expressed myself to Him that all these matters are turning stale and they should be resolved immediately. No parties can benefit if we drag too long. I looked up to the heavens and shed buckets of tears. This is way too much, Father. Too much.

Some of my friends comforted me and reminded me about the passion that I once had. Hang in there, Grace. Hang in there.

I persevered.

Without realizing, I actually have sought the peace of God in my heart. How can I not remember the compassion of His love that has breathed life in me?

For once, I want a rebirth of hope. I want a reorganization of thoughts. I want a reconstruction of dreams. The moment I let go and let God, dreams can be rebuilt. Worst experiences of life can be extracted and used to create a new set of interpretation of life’s events.

You will also experience the breakthrough when you feel the power to wish the other well.

1 March 2010

I took this shot at my cousin’s beach wedding recently. Reminds me of something.

We should strive to face the heat of life in stride, much like these delicate flowers do.

They are not simply surviving under the radiating sun in scorching heat; they are thriving and beautiful!