I’m grateful I’ve had this chance to stay in Malaysia and enjoy this beautiful place I’ve been living. I miss my family so much, the first thing I usually want to do is hop on a plane and head home for as long as possible. After spending 30 hours on flights to and from America twice a year for the past few years, I decided it was time to stay home, rest, and explore Malaysia.
We just got back from a quick 3 day trip to Langkawi, a Malaysian island just south of Thailand. It’s a popular tourist destination, and is a UNESCO World Heritage site with a lot of protected rainforest. One of the best things about this short trip was how easy it was to get to our destination. We flew out of Subang airport (Firefly goes to Langkawi), which is much closer than the large international airport, and without having to clear customs and immigration, we left the house at 8:20, and were on the beach by 12:30.
We stayed on Rebak Island, a tiny island off Langkawi with only a resort and a marina. It was very quiet, had everything we needed, and was perfect for a short holiday. There is a ferry (Langasuka) that goes between the island and a dock about 10 minutes drive from the airport.
I was impressed with the hotel. It was very clean, and very well maintained. The rooms were large with impressive, giant bathrooms with spa baths. The restaurant had a good menu with Western and Asian selections. And most importantly, the staff was very friendly and helpful.
We took the ferry to the bigger island one day, and went for a waterfall hike. (7 Wells Waterfall)
And also tried to do the Sky Bridge (it’s been closed for a year for repairs- which is typical in Malaysia!). Instead, we took the cable car to a peak where there was a stunning view of the island.
In the evenings, Alex and I could be found down at the beach bar, having a mojito and enjoying the cool breeze off the ocean.
The mojitos were so good. Very minty, and very fizzy. The secret? They kept their rum in the cooler, so the drink didn’t get watered down as soon as the alcohol was poured into the glass.
My version has fresh watermelon juice, for a fun tropical twist. It’s not as fizzy, but it’s sweet without the need for any processed sugar. Feel free to add a bit if you like your cocktails sweeter.
Also feel free to sub tequila. You’d have yourself a mint watermelon margarita instead of a mojito, but who’s keeping track? I’ve been on a bit of a tequila kick this summer. Maybe longer than just this summer. Tequila is def my favorite liquor, and it’s very difficult to beat a scratch margarita.
I always order my drinks without sugar. Bartenders look at me a bit crazy, and offer me warnings that my drink isn’t going to taste good. It might take some enticing- but I assure them I’m going to like it better that way, and they will usually oblige. Margaritas and mojitos can be a bit sour without the sugar (not a problem in my book), but a touch of sweet fresh fruit juice takes the bite out of it nicely, without adding any of the processed stuff.
Cheers! ♥
Contents
Langkawi Watermelon Mojito
Ingredients
- 2 limes
- 1/4 cup fresh mint
- 1 can soda water
- 1 cup watermelon juice (about 4 cups of watermelon cubes)
- 2 ounces rum or tequila (optional - chilled in the freezer for the best results!)
- raw sugar (optional)
Instructions
- Cut the limes into wedges, and squeeze the juice of 1 lime into each glass.
- Leaving the lime wedges in the glass, add 2 tablespoons of fresh mint and a few ice cubes. Use a muddler to crush the ice, lime, and mint. The more it's muddled, the more minty it will be!
- Add ½ cup watermelon juice, optional 1 ounce of liquor, and lots of ice, to each glass.
- Top off with soda water. Cheers!
that drink sounds so refreshing!!! perfect for a hot summer day 🙂
Yes! I drank both of those (virgin! I was working!) yesterday after the photo shoot 🙂
Roll on watermelon season so that I can try these at home:)
I’m in Malaysia, where it’s always watermelon season 🙂 One of the BEST things about living in the tropics is the fruit!
Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful! You are living life right my dear! And those watermelon mojitos sound divine. Now I want to go find 2 trees, a hammock, a good book and a pitcher of these.
Yes, life can be pretty great living over here. The hammock sounds like a pretty great idea!