2012年1月13日星期五
2012年1月2日星期一
Timely boost for Langkawi
Timely boost for Langkawi
Above: Langkawi Fair Shopping Mall, Langkawi's largest shopping centre.
No doubt Pantai Cenang in Langkawi has many food outlets that can delight most palates. But hidden in Padang Mat Sirat, very near the airport, is a curry house that the regulars pay homage to.
Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!
Located next door to a private clinic, the curry house goes by the name of Kalut. You won't find the name on any signboard, but everyone knows it. Or at least the regulars do.
I don't know how the outlet got its name, but it's been there for a long time. With all the development around Padang Mat Sirat right up to Pantai Cenang, Pantai Kok and Burau Bay, Kalut has survived the test of time.
Kalut has many meanings, one of which is crazy, or disorderly. I recall customers rushing for food at the stall in the early days, which could have prompted the name.
In fact, it survived very well. The house specialty is fish curry cooked to order. You can select the fish you want and it'll be served piping hot. Add freshly fried ikan kembong or tenggiri, and you have a finger-licking dinner.
Share a plate of ulam with really spicy sambal belacan and you have a dinner to remember. I know friends who time their arrival at the legendary island to coincide with Kalut's opening time -- around 6pm.
Such is the charm and hidden treasures of Langkawi. I spent a few days there last week, revisiting old haunts and talking to hawkers, restaurant operators, a doctor, teachers and tourism promoters. One common theme emerged from my chats with them: Langkawi needs a boost. And the prime minister's announcement of RM420 million (S$171.7 million) provided for in the 2012 Budget is just the tonic they've been waiting for.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the Langkawi tourism blueprint early last month when he also announced the appointment of a new general manager for the Langkawi Development Authority, Tan Sri Khalid Ramli.
The people of Langkawi were rather dismayed that their famous island was neglected for some years. The island gained fame for hosting the International Aerospace and Maritime exhibitions (first held in 1991) and the Langkawi International Dialogue, a discourse aimed at bridging the gap between Malaysia and the nations of Africa. But until Lima last month, Langkawi was quiet for some years.
Hamid, who runs a car rental business, said his trade was affected then. There were many tourists who were day-trippers. "We couldn't understand why Langkawi was neglected for several years," he said.
A doctor I met was rather cynical. He said Langkawi's future depended on who was pushing for it. He refused to discuss the matter in detail but seemed contented treating tourists for minor ailments.
Indeed, Langkawi must set its house in order. Walk to the Oriental Village where the entrance to the cable car is located and catch the crowd queuing. But the place is quiet and most of the retail outlets post the "closed" sign before 7pm.
Can you imagine a tourist spot closing its doors to potential customers? Some things are not right, I thought. When I asked Eby, an old reporter friend who's now a resident of Langkawi, the young man said there's much that needs doing before the island can be a world-class tourist destination.
Langkawi is not short of attractions. Mazni took my entourage on a guided tour of the wildlife park. We were pleasantly surprised. Mazni and her boss, Teoh, are very knowledgeable about the birds and other animals there.
Langkawi is developing its own character, the focal point by large being Pantai Cenang. The beachfront offers everything from budget accommodation, motorcycle rental, numerous restaurants offering local and international cuisine and the usual souvenirs and knick-knacks.
The operators along the beachfront are worried about the development said to be coming their way. Anuar, a seafood restaurant owner, said most of the small business people there don't mind development.
"But where will we be placed?" he asked.
The beach at Pantai Cenang is nothing to shout about. People go to Burau Bay or Pantai Kok and Tanjung Rhu if they feel like taking a dip in the sea. In the early days, Pantai Cenang even had its own beauty pageant (held on a makeshift stage with a zinc roof) during Lima.
Langkawi is no Bali or Hawaii or Mauritius. But it has its own charm and character that can soothe your nerves.
～News courtesy of New Straits Times～
Above: Langkawi Fair Shopping Mall, Langkawi's largest shopping centre.No doubt Pantai Cenang in Langkawi has many food outlets that can delight most palates. But hidden in Padang Mat Sirat, very near the airport, is a curry house that the regulars pay homage to.
Click here to find out more!Click here to find out more!
Located next door to a private clinic, the curry house goes by the name of Kalut. You won't find the name on any signboard, but everyone knows it. Or at least the regulars do.
I don't know how the outlet got its name, but it's been there for a long time. With all the development around Padang Mat Sirat right up to Pantai Cenang, Pantai Kok and Burau Bay, Kalut has survived the test of time.
Kalut has many meanings, one of which is crazy, or disorderly. I recall customers rushing for food at the stall in the early days, which could have prompted the name.
In fact, it survived very well. The house specialty is fish curry cooked to order. You can select the fish you want and it'll be served piping hot. Add freshly fried ikan kembong or tenggiri, and you have a finger-licking dinner.
Share a plate of ulam with really spicy sambal belacan and you have a dinner to remember. I know friends who time their arrival at the legendary island to coincide with Kalut's opening time -- around 6pm.
Such is the charm and hidden treasures of Langkawi. I spent a few days there last week, revisiting old haunts and talking to hawkers, restaurant operators, a doctor, teachers and tourism promoters. One common theme emerged from my chats with them: Langkawi needs a boost. And the prime minister's announcement of RM420 million (S$171.7 million) provided for in the 2012 Budget is just the tonic they've been waiting for.
Datuk Seri Najib Razak launched the Langkawi tourism blueprint early last month when he also announced the appointment of a new general manager for the Langkawi Development Authority, Tan Sri Khalid Ramli.
The people of Langkawi were rather dismayed that their famous island was neglected for some years. The island gained fame for hosting the International Aerospace and Maritime exhibitions (first held in 1991) and the Langkawi International Dialogue, a discourse aimed at bridging the gap between Malaysia and the nations of Africa. But until Lima last month, Langkawi was quiet for some years.
Hamid, who runs a car rental business, said his trade was affected then. There were many tourists who were day-trippers. "We couldn't understand why Langkawi was neglected for several years," he said.
A doctor I met was rather cynical. He said Langkawi's future depended on who was pushing for it. He refused to discuss the matter in detail but seemed contented treating tourists for minor ailments.
Indeed, Langkawi must set its house in order. Walk to the Oriental Village where the entrance to the cable car is located and catch the crowd queuing. But the place is quiet and most of the retail outlets post the "closed" sign before 7pm.
Can you imagine a tourist spot closing its doors to potential customers? Some things are not right, I thought. When I asked Eby, an old reporter friend who's now a resident of Langkawi, the young man said there's much that needs doing before the island can be a world-class tourist destination.
Langkawi is not short of attractions. Mazni took my entourage on a guided tour of the wildlife park. We were pleasantly surprised. Mazni and her boss, Teoh, are very knowledgeable about the birds and other animals there.
Langkawi is developing its own character, the focal point by large being Pantai Cenang. The beachfront offers everything from budget accommodation, motorcycle rental, numerous restaurants offering local and international cuisine and the usual souvenirs and knick-knacks.
The operators along the beachfront are worried about the development said to be coming their way. Anuar, a seafood restaurant owner, said most of the small business people there don't mind development.
"But where will we be placed?" he asked.
The beach at Pantai Cenang is nothing to shout about. People go to Burau Bay or Pantai Kok and Tanjung Rhu if they feel like taking a dip in the sea. In the early days, Pantai Cenang even had its own beauty pageant (held on a makeshift stage with a zinc roof) during Lima.
Langkawi is no Bali or Hawaii or Mauritius. But it has its own charm and character that can soothe your nerves.
～News courtesy of New Straits Times～
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