Unwanted guests

Here's a new one for us urbanites buying land in Langkawi.

We received a report from the land surveyor over the weekend and discovered that our neighbour has actually eaten up a sizable portion of our property!

When we first saw the land, we were aware that the next door neighbour had taken the liberty to fence up a portion of our land as part of his garden. No matter, at the most perhaps it was a few feet.

But judging from the sketch done by the surveyor, it's a lot more than that!

This is a long-standing issue in places like Langkawi, where land often times has been handed down through the generations and split up between siblings and relatives. Sometimes, a person builds on a piece of land without the proper survey markings done, resulting in said person actually trespassing on other people's land.

From the looks of it, our neighbour will not only have to move his fence back, but also demolish part of his house.

The good news is, the person who built the structure is apparently a squatter. And the real owner of the adjoining property (whose land the house is mostly built on) is also trying to evict him.

I can't imagine having to do that in KL - it would be tantamount to asking someone to leave my garden!

Oh well. Lessons learned.

Bollywood Veggies!

A friend of mine pointed me to this site today. I didn't even know they had space for farms in Singapore!

Bollywood Veggies is such a charming idea I am amazed there aren't more like it here in Malaysia where we really do have the space, and you don't have to be a millionaire to get 10 acres of land.

They use organic fertilizers and I believe also have an "eco-toilet".

I was talking to my sister a few weeks back about possible businesses she could look into if she were to move to Langkawi. The idea of a farm, IMHO, is still not a bad one. If purpose built well enough, it can double as a tourist attraction and a source for food supply - reducing the carbon footprint of foodstuff that now typically travels from the mainland.

Building To Last

Last night, for Earth Hour, we turned off all the lights and fans in my parents' house.  Dinner was by candlelight - a feast prepared by the loving hands of Mom and her enthusiasm for a new grilled, butterflied leg of lamb.

The nephews and nieces played in the semi-darkness, the TV off for a change.  Noise was from ambient chatter and the sound of children laughing as they raced toy trains on a double track.

From the start, our intention with our little resort in Langkawi was to create something sustainable.  Something that would leave the lightest possible imprint, or at least endeavour to do so, on Langkawi island.

La Pari-Pari, named after the Malay word for "fairy", will, when it opens, be a magical place.  Built from the ground up with heart, and a goal to incorporate as many ecological conservationist measures as we can.

Already, in our discussions with the architect and between the two of us, ideas have surfaced.

Solar lighting for the outdoors at night, to save electricity.

Rain water catchment pipes, to help irrigate the landscape.

An organically-fertilised outdoors, with edible plants and hopefully fruit that will adron our breakfast table.

A linen reusage policy, perhaps with rewards to incentivise our guests to join in and help us in our efforts to save water.

And if we can, a small contribution from our profits each year to a local cause nominated by our staff and chosen by our guests.

In looking for ways to green La Pari-Pari, we've uncovered some information.  Yet some others still remain unsolved.  How do we find a commercially viable solution for cleaning materials?  Often, ecological cleaning solutions are expensive, mostly imported.  And how do we ensure guests turn off their air-conditioners when they leave their rooms?

More importantly, how do we create a space that makes sense to the community and environment in which it sits?  Building a building is easy.  But building one that makes commercial sense and acts as a catalyst for something greater, something longer lasting, takes time, thought and deliberation.

But, as I've always said, if we don't do it, who will?

Money, Money, Money

Money is such a complex thing, especially when you're trying to figure out how to get more than you have.

Last night, over dinner, we were talking to a couple of friends about our Langkawi project and the conversation turned inevitably to the question of money.  Anim, Pari-Pari's Ms. Moneypenny has, over the last few months become quite the expert, having spent hours braving traffic jams and patiently waiting for bank officers to come back from their tea breaks and prayer breaks, medical leave and goodness knows what else can cause absence from their posts.  

And what we have discovered, in our naivete, is this:  if you need money, chances are, there is a way to get it.

Malaysians are a funny lot.  Many of us are disgruntled citizens, always moaning about the wastage of our taxpayers' money, the bloat of Government coffers and those of the corrupt.  Yet, many of us have actually done little to try and get hold of some of that funding ourselves, including Anim and me.

Until now.

We've decided that since our tax dollars are already going to unscrupulous hands, we might as well get our hands on some - so we can use it the right way.

This is, as I was telling my Mom this afternoon, how we fight back at the system.  

On one of her recent visits, Anim met with a Government officer who generously dispensed advice on how we could apply for matching grants to help us get up and running.  And he said, "You know, 89 per cent of those applying for these grants are Chinese.  The Malays, they're just too lazy!"

Apparently, even the exercise of obtaining three quotes from one's supplier is considered too much of a hassle for some of our Melayupreneurs to bother!

How la, to do business like that???

This reminds me of an incident that happened about a week and a half ago.  At 7:45 am on a mid-week morning, 15 minutes before my alarm was set to go off, I got an SMS.

"Ms Karina, this is Pakcik Mokhtar, the man who showed you the piece of land you bought.  Congratulations on your purchase, but I also know you're actually a land broker your self and have since sold the land to someone else."

Five minutes later, another SMS came from him: "You should give me some commission, since I was the one who originally showed you that plot."

It amazes me how people seem to think money is something that should be given in return for zero effort.  I've always had to work for every cent, so I don't understand this mentality.  Even if I was a land broker in this instance, I hardly owed the man anything, since the land already belonged to me.

In the end, we contacted our lawyer who advised us to just sit tight.  But not before I had got out the wrong side of bed a little too early for my liking and spewed out curses for the next three hours.

It's a wonder Athena, our live-in Boxer hasn't tried running away from her Evil Mommy yet.

Off The Beaten Path

Contrary to popular belief, there is a lot to do in Langkawi.  You just have to be a bit adventurous.

Unlike its more commercialised neighbours - Bali, Phukat, Koh Samui - Langkawi is almost like a half-kept secret that people only talk about quietly or escape to when they don't want a high-fidelity vacation.  Even during peak season, you can still find a decent spot of sand on Chenang.  The streets never get as crowded as Patong or Kuta.  The tour touts are not aggressive nor do they hound you in numbers.  While there are no masseurs or manicurists at your beck and call on the beach, there also is an absence of other vendors.  OK, once in a while you get one or two strolling by, pareos spread out for sale.  But nowhere near the swarm you are confronted with on the main beaches of Thailand and Indonesia.

Neither is Langkawi small.  I believe it's actually bigger than Singapore!

The best thing to do when there is to rent some form of transport - motorised or not - and take some time to explore the island, even if it means driving along its coast.  From the airport and Chenang you can take the windy, scenic road that passes the Naval base and leads to Kuah town.  On a clear day, the bay almost looks like San Francisco - dotted with white sails and embraced by the hills of smaller islands.

On the other side, there is Tanjung Rhu and the upscale end of the island, where hotels like the Datai and Four Seasons lay claim to the sand.

But the point is to just enjoy the journey.  Notice how the terrain changes as you go from one part of the island to another.  Laugh at the monkeys you will inevitably encounter.  And when you tire of going round, go inwards, towards the rubber plantations and paddy fields, along the windy little kampung paths.  That's where the locals really live.  That, to me, is the heart of the island, the part that I hope never gets overtaken by modernity and keeps the island anchored at a leisurely pace.

If you really must know....

This is WHY.

Since telling friends and family about Pari-Pari, we've often encountered these questions.

Here, once and for all, are our answers.

Why Langkawi?

Because it's an island.  Because it's not as touristy as Phuket or Bali, plus it's Malaysian and we're Malaysian.  And it's not as rustic as our other resort islands.

And more importantly, Karina can live there.  There's Starbucks when I need it and a Body Shop for my girly fixes.  You don't get that on Tioman.

But are you sure?

YES!  YES YES YES!

In fact, we can't think of a reason NOT to go.  What's there not to love?  24-seven access to sun, sea and surf, no traffic jams, lovely paddy fields for evening bike rides right at our door step, and all without having to forego the comfort of broadband!

But aren't you two going to miss Kuala Lumpur?

OK, we admit, we're not exactly kampung girls.  But neither are we uber-urban types who NEED to go clubbing every weekend or visit a mall.

Infact, I don't like malls.  My favourite mall is the one a stone's throw away from my house, and it ain't exactly Pavilion.

We know we will miss our friends and family.  But we figure that Langkawi is a nice enough place for them to consider visiting once in a while.  Plus, KL really is only a 45-minute flight away.

You know running a resort is hard work....

Yes we know.  We are fully aware that we will have to make beds, mop floors, bartend, play receptionist, bellboy, housekeeping, etc despite our plans to hire staff.  There will be days when we will want to throw up our hands in despair.  

But there will also be days - and we hope these far outnumber the mad ones - where we will be able to sit quietly on our back porch and listen to the island settle down for the evening.  The changeover from day to nocturnal animals and insects.  The turn of sky from bright blue to gold and then black. Without having to deal with smog and the constant buzz of traffic.

But it will be HARD work!

Personally speaking, I think it's worth it.  After all, we get to be our own bosses.  We get to build something from scratch and know that when, not if, it succeeds, it will all be entirely our own doing.

Plus, it means we will hopefully never, never have to sit in long meetings with 25 people discussing something that doesn't really matter in the larger scheme of life anymore.

So there you have it :-)  Now, you know!