Tiga Langkawi Turns One

This is a long overdue post (almost a month to be exact!)  and my apologies to Jeff and Nas for not doing this sooner!

If you ever make your way on the windy road to The Datai, you will pass by the Temurun Waterfalls. If you're in luck, you'll glimpse a rather over-sized, glowing number 3 across the road from the falls.

Congratulations, you have found Tiga Langkawi - a lunchtime treat for those journeying far off the touristy Cenang beach strip. Started by Jeff and Nas, Tiga Langkawi offers yummy fare that is in limited supply - on

ce they run out for the day, that's it! And I am told they run out pretty quickly, thanks to Nas' magic in the kitchen.

The hensem Nas! (We didn't have Jeff's pic!)

We first met Jeff and Nas on an evening out in Langkawi and were immediately intrigued by their description of the restaurant wedged between a waterfall and the ocean. The next afternoon, we ventured out in search of them and we weren't disappointed.

Although the restaurant was closed for renovations at the time, we spent a lovely evening hanging out with the guys and their lovely dogs, watching the evening grow darker as

the waves lapped at our feet on a deserted pebble beach.

In early October, Tiga Langkawi celebrated its first birthday and we were invited! Woo hoo! The food was amazing and the company even better. We met Langkawi residents and those like us who would someday like to call the island home, including Dawn who is a regular on our Facebook fan page.

Aida fashions some Oakleys out of her dinner spoons

More and more, we realise that Langkawi is actually a haven for transplants from everywhere, especially KL. Nas for example, shuttles between the island and KL where he has another business. Other folks we've met just decided to do what we aspire - pack up and leave the city hustle for the island life. I guess that makes us not so unusual after all :-)

So the next time you're on the island and in search of a tasty lunch, try going off the beaten path a little, and discover the magic of Tiga Langkawi. The food's great and the company's even better :-) Unfortunately, my camera didn't end up capturing very nice photos. So if you'd like to see more, just look up Tiga Langkawi on Facebook :-)

Aida, Eric and I attempt a Charlie's Angels pose :-)

Of Beyonce, a Kerbau and some other updates

My apologies for being so delinquent with the blog posts of late. Combination of work and sheer laziness on some days. That and the added distraction of Beyonce, our English Bulldog who joined our household a couple of months back.

Work on La Pari-Pari has been chugging along, albeit at a slightly slower pace due to the recent Ramadhan and Hari Raya festivities. Thankfully things have picked back up. Sometimes I look back and I can't believe we've reached the point we're at already. Seems like only yesterday we were still hunting for a suitable piece of land.

Yet there are days when things can't seem to happen fast enough :-)

In early October, we finally began the process of submitting our plans to the town planning authority for approval. We thought it would take a while, as things have a way of doing, before they would even get to our case. Surprisingly, they've already come back with some initial feedback which may require us to make some changes. In a way, it's good news. It means someone's looking at our file! (I know, ain't it sad that in Malaysia the benchmark is whether someone even knows you exist in their mountain of paperwork....)

The other big development is that we are exploring a change in construction strategy. From the start, our resort was meant to be a brick-and-mortar deal. But there has always been a lingering concern as to whether we could get the quality of finish and durability we wanted with our limited budget. Plus, the skill level of local labour has always been questionable, judging from the quality of many buildings on Langkawi.

Of course, if we had a trillion dollars, it wouldn't be a problem! :-)

But of late, we've been exploring a new possibility. Ijam, through Mr Chan (of Bu House fame) is now looking at constructing La Pari-Pari out of timber and cement boards, in much the same way houses in the West are built. I guess for those of you who are familiar with Langkawi, it would be akin to how the Burau Bay cabanas were built. Although with today's materials, the results should be a lot better.

The main appeal to us where this method is concerned is the reusability of the materials. If for some reason, we decided to tear down the structures one day, the wooden beams are recyclable. Which is a lot more than can be said with brick and mortar. Plus, this way there would be little need for a concrete foundation, which translates into structures that sit lighter within their environments.

So all's well that ends well, I hope. There are some of you who have asked why we have not pursued the route of using wood completely, a la Malay kampung houses. The answer is - it's too expensive ;-) Plus, we do feel that kampung-style resorts are so over-done, especially in Langkawi. The island doesn't need yet another one, n'est-ce pas?

In other news (and this is just to give you a feel for the little vagaries we deal with in our quest): After our walkthrough of the site once it was pegged, a kerbau has since traipsed in and made compost of our wooden pegs and strings LOL! Ah well. I guess he had a few ideas of his own how La Pari-Pari should look :-)

Next: our recent trip to celebrate Tiga Langkawi's birthday.

Meanwhile, here's a snippet of our Beyonce, whose concert will NOT be cancelled :-) Click here.