Firmware Time

This entry was originally written in September 2016

The drone had been dormant for almost a month. A new firmware had arrived and since I planned to take the drone up Fraser's Hill, I might as well get things up to date, in fear of not able to fly at the venue.

I decided to use the MacBook to download the software and connect the drone directly after. Alternatively, I could use the DJI Go software on my iPad for the update but the update through the computer was more straightforward and made more sense.

Checking In

The drive up was more arduous than I remembered. Maybe because of the new MPV. The Starex was bigger than our old Estima, with a higher centre of gravity. That made turning around the winding route bumpier, ending up with Irfan vomiting as soon as we reached the Smokehouse.

It then started raining heavily while we were enjoying our scones. But the rain did not last long. After half an hour, the clouds had cleared out allowing me to take the drone out at a nearby car park. A few passes by the Smokehouse and I was done. It was pretty windy and I was worried that it might damage my drone.

Idlan unpacking his stuffA welcoming sightWe had the same room as we did last December, what they called the honeymoon suite on the first floor. Unfortunately, the ground floor suite was not available for my parents-in-law. They stayed at the room right opposite ours. So, basically, we got the whole front facade of the Smokehouse to us.

Time to sit downPlenty of cars outsideTime to explore the placeThe wifi and internet remained a problem, and the connection I got was sporadic. But during the times which I got the connection - mainly via Maxis - they could be really fast .... almost LTE speed. But they were not consistent. The boys would be grumpy ....

The Beach

Allegedly, Tanjung Rhu Resort owned the longest beach front in Langkawi. From end to end, it was 2.7 km, snaking around a small horn where the sea and freshwater meets.

The beach was shallow enough for small boats to reach the shores while the beach was safe enough with only gentle waves as the whole beach twisted around like a lagoon with a couple of islands in the middle. There were thread of jellyfish from time to time, but the beach was well observed and they have a special flag for that.

The sand were tended daily by the staffs and the beach front regularly cleaned. It was too hot for me to go into the sea however, plus the sunset pool next to the hotel was just too damn nice.

Another attraction was the seafront restaurant, and should you be more adventurous, you could book for a barbecue for two right on the beach tended by your personal chef for a romantic meal. We couldn't try that as the boys had to tag along! Party poopers!

I walked along the beach on the final morning, went past the spa, a small art shed straight towards a public beach - also owned by the hotel. You don't have to be a guest of the hotel to enjoy the pristine beach. There were also some shops and restaurants at the end there, with some space for car park.

Definitely worth a visit even if you do not stay at the resort as you can just park or dine at the restaurant to enjoy the sunset.

The Sunset

The sunset was to die for. And on both afternoons, the weather was clear and the tide was low. This allowed us to walk along the sand beach to middle of the sea while the sun was low on the horizon.

Irfan soaking up the sunset

As an avid photographer, the golden light it produced was simply mesmerising. Definitely worth the trouble of taking the ferry here to Langkawi ....

The Many Paths

One thing I noticed about Tanjung Rhu Resort was the many paths they had between the buildings. Most of them would be snaking along the beach. But those were really hot especially at noon.

During the night, the paths were well lit up, which was just as well as otherwise we would be struggling to find our way around. The problem was the renovation work right in between the main hotel rooms and the main restaurants.