The Berjaya Hotel is a 5-star bungalow style
resort. The bungalows are spread far apart in a jungle-like
style and there were monkeys all over the place, hanging on tree
branches. The resort was so big that we had to take transfers
in small, 12-seat open cars to commute to different places
within the compound. When one of the drivers caused my son to
fall out of the ride, no one from the management or the staff
came to help him up! They only gave us the unwelcome stares.
Two days before we left, I asked to see if I could upgrade my room
to one with an ocean view. The manager on duty did not want to
show me the room. He told me to come back an hour later when
they would be less busy. I came back two hours later and saw the
room, but they were so rude, I promptly told the manager they
had lost the sale.
Another incident occurred on the day before
we left. I had asked the check-out desk to give me an advance
copy of our bill. Looking it over, I found several false
charges, and when I complained, they removed them without
apologies. Instead, an air of resentment and disrespectful was
my reward.
On our second day, we took out a snorkeling trip
to Payar Island with East Marine. After assembling at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club, we arrived at the Marine Park for a day of
swimming, snorkeling, sunbathing and feeding the fish and
small-sized sharks. Be warned! The fish there bite if you don't
keep feeding them with soft bread. A light lunch was provided
and later we went out to dinner at a nearby shopping mall. The
mall was almost deserted, and we all assumed it was due to this
being the low-tourist season on the island. Most customers ate
at the hotel’s restaurants, which we found to be three time more
expensive for the same quality of taste.
On our third day, we took out an Island Hopping
trip with our tour organizers. We boarded a small boat directly
on the beach, where we were taken to a hidden lake of fresh
water to bathe. While we were climbing the stairs to access the
lake, there were signs of warning to beware of monkeys. We were
also advised not to carry plastic bags as the monkeys would
attack and snap the bags away.
On our way back to the boat, one
of the monkeys snapped away a tower from a little girl in our
group. Her father was chasing him; he turned back and angrily
growled at the father. The monkey did not back off until someone
came and shot at him with a lance spear. The father got the
tower back for his little girl, but it was an aggressive battle.
As we continued on our way I stared at a young monkey who was
hanging nearby. Suddenly, he ran over and grabbed my ankle!
Later I was told not to look at the monkeys in their eyes
because it meant I was challenging them. Hmmm…it was a bit late
to know that!
Langkawi page 3...
