NOR Azieta was in tears as she drove up the northbound lane of the North-South Expressway, her life packed in her car, leaving Kuala Lumpur, where she had lived for 36 years of her life.
She was moving to Langkawi together with her husband - for good.
Travelling in two cars at 3am, many questions flooded her mind, such as how she was going to make friends and adapt to a new environment that was so different from her bustling hometown.
Seven years later, she sits down with The Vibes, telling how her move to Langkawi turned out to be for the better.
She now co-owns Bam-Boo-Ba, a rustic, super-chill and friendly bar that serves amazing pizza and drinks along Pantai Tengah and runs Bamboo Cottage at Pantai Chenang with her Swiss husband.
“We moved here because of my husband. He was working in a construction company in KL and was always busy.
“In fact, he didn’t even have time for his family or himself. One day, he just said to me ‘We need to go somewhere.’ But where is that somewhere?
“He was very serious and though I was opposed to it, as KL was where I was born and bred, I also considered his health and the stressful environment he was in.
“So, we narrowed down the ‘somewhere’ to four places: Thailand, Sabah, Bali or Langkawi. We knew we wanted somewhere near the beach and we decided on Langkawi because it was more affordable.
“We came here for a short weekend and was introduced to a land that was for sale. The next thing we know, we bought it and relocated here with our then - six-year-old and two-year-old children.
“There was definitely a culture shock when we first came here. In KL, we are already out and about around 8am but life only starts at 11am here.”
She said that they have settled quite well here and that it was miraculous that she had made many friends, ranging from expats and those who have relocated here from other states.
Her children also settled well and are currently attending a Chinese vernacular school.
New arrivals
As for newcomers Ahmad Adlei and Lela Ghaffar, it was never part of the plan to start a nasi lemak stall here.
Ahmad had always dreamed of being a pilot.
After attending aviation college, he was involved in an accident that injured his spine, so instead of flying, he worked at AirAsia’s flight operations department.
It was a series of broken dreams that led the couple to a path of uncertainty before Ahmad’s mother decided to intervene, giving the couple a boost of hope.
“My mom asked me who was going to continue our third-generation legacy involving our cooking methods. And though my mom has been teaching my wife how to cook for years now, opening a food store was never something we discussed. But I decided to just do it.
“We visit Langkawi quite often, almost every year without fail. We had money to operate a business and hence we came here to do a survey first.
“At first, we wanted to start our business at Tuba Island but because it remained undeveloped for quite some time, we shifted our focus to Langkawi instead.
“Tuba is an island off the main island of Langkawi and consisted more of fishermen villages.
“As for Langkawi, it was already bustling with tourists. We had two things to do, survey the nasi lemak in the area and look for a place to start our business.
“We were too focused on having our store at Pantai Chenang, where the crowd was, but the rental was too expensive.
“We moved to here in November 2017, stayed in a homestay for two months, looking (at) our savings slowly deplete before we started this Nasi Lemak Ultra in March 2018.
“We realised that many of the nasi lemak in Langkawi is unlike the ones we have in KL, and hence I thought it was a good idea to bring our version of nasi lemak here.
“We never looked back since.”
Located at Kedawang, it draws crowds during dinnertime, with patrons lining up to get their nasi lemak cravings satisfied.
The boss in the kitchen is Lela, who serves up saliva-inducing dishes such as slow-cooked beef rendang, ayam goreng rempah and their most requested dish, beef lungs.
Ahmad cooks the nasi lemak and entertains customers with his funny jokes at the storefront.
Compared to KL, they really enjoy the pace of life on the island as it is more peaceful, not as hectic and are surrounded by many nice and unstressed people.
Old-timers
One of the faithful customers of Nasi Lemak Ultra is a 69-year-old drone hobbyist who has made Langkawi his home after retiring from his job in Kuala Lumpur.
Once a senior administrative officer in Bank Negara and also a private secretary to the late Tun Ismail Mohamed Ali, Kamal now flies his drone, capturing breathtaking views of Langkawi’s heritage and scenery.
“What brought me to Langkawi was a new job, offered to me by Dato Alex of Tropical Charters. So I moved here, took 8 months to set up a system to ensure all the financial documents were all properly put together.
“Two years later I left, but I found myself here again three months later. After seven years working for Tropical Charters, I came out to pursue my hobby, that was droning.
“I always say, we love Langkawi more than the locals. Why? Because we don’t take it for granted.”
Kamal now earns his keep through engagements with corporate companies that wish to have their holiday videos recorded and Langkawi tourism when they need aerial shots for advertisement purposes.
“When people talk about Langkawi, they only talk about Pantai Chenang or the Sky Cab, but there are so many wonders of Langkawi that they have not seen, it is stunning.
“And there are so many legends tied to the many islands surrounding it,” he said, adding that his personal corporate social responsibility is to let people see and value what is in Langkawi.
Tropical Charters owner, Dato Alexander Isaac has been visiting Langkawi since his youth, but when he was invited for the launch of the Langkawi Development Authority and later on to be involved with Le Tour De Langkawi in the mid 90s he became enraptured with the place and often joked that he was spellbound by Mahsuri’s curse.
“I started coming every month for work and leisure. I wanted to do something to do with the sea, and I loved boats, so in 2009 I bought my first boat and soon, I turned my hobby into a business, and it has grown from then on.
“The tourism business is a very hands-on business, and I enjoy being in Langkawi. I’ve had enough of the rat race in KL.
“I can be at an appointment within 10 to 15 minutes and in KL, I’ll need two hours, fighting the traffic. Maybe it is age, I am definitely more relaxed on the island,” the 59-year-old said.
“The community is also close-knit like a family, when there are problems, we try to help each other.
“Of course, in families, there are also quarrels and fights, but we always look to bring each other up as well.
“The people in Langkawi make you feel very welcomed, but now I think I am considered a Langkawian, according to the real Langkawians.” – The Vibes, January 17, 2021
