TENNYSON'S Ulysses says: "I cannot rest from travel: I will drink / Life to the lees." Many inveterate travellers share this brave impatience; the sense that the world is full of adventure and excitement begging for exploration. But it's been anything but a joyous thought in the last couple of years.
The incessant rain all morning seemed like a harbinger of sorts. Pulling my coat tighter across my body, I'm not at all comforted by the fact that the weather isn't cooperating at all. My first trip after years (yes, years) of being holed up at home should be celebrated but I'm cold, anxious and certainly not feeling very celebratory at the moment. But deep down, I'm thankful that the lure of the islands, with the promise of sun, turquoise seas and blue skies, was finally enough to get me out of the house.
It's time, I remind myself sternly as I watch the rain from the comfort of my Grab car. I've forgotten how to travel, how to take a vacation and worse still, I'm not sure if I'm making the right decision after all.
Is it too soon to throw caution to the wind? I used to think of myself as a pretty good traveller. I'm a lifestyle journalist; excelling at leisure was sort of my thing. But this trip? Well, I flounder a little.
Between trying to book my flights to actually allowing myself some time off to relax, I can't help but feel anxious. Is it safe to finally leave the comfort zone of my home to go somewhere completely different?
Can I tell my ever-ticking mind to actually relax? Is the promise of an island holiday with all its trappings of luxury and relaxation enough to have me finally let go? Why am I not looking forward to this?
You may be feeling this too if you're planning a trip. No matter how mellow a traveller you are or how lucky you may feel (as I do) to take a holiday at all, vacationing this year — with Covid restrictions being lifted all around the world — is likely to be intense. And many of us vacationers aren't likely to be in the most adaptable frame of mind.
Even for those who've avoided serious illness, anxiety or depression, the pandemic has been emotionally taxing. I doubt I was the only one to daydream about that one fabulous trip I'd take when I could or to build up some unrealistic expectation of it.
The first glimpse of Langkawi islands allows me to exhale in relief. Wrapped in candyfloss clouds, the mythical islands where giants once fought to the death and where a wronged maiden's curse landed the islands with seven generations of bad luck, float mirage-like above cobalt waters. Like the rains I left behind, I can't help but tuck my trepidations away. Perhaps this is the dream trip I'd always dreamt of taking when everything "got back to normal". A dream trip with the promise of rejuvenation and holistic-styled treatments on the cards.
At first glance, this mission seems like a breeze: a search for "wellness" — that seemingly unimpeachable state that has become as common a come-on in travel circles as "eco-friendly." There are wellness retreats, wellness diets, wellness beauty treatments, wellness classes, wellness resorts, wellness hotels, wellness weekends and, of course, wellness experts.
Ambong Pool Villas isn't your typical wellness sanctuary by any means. But there's the promised spa treatment and sound-healing therapy lined up. There are also personal cooking lessons and an appointment with a nutritionist planned.
But what exactly do I hope to get out of this brief getaway? I think I will find out. And so, saddled with a sore Achilles' tendon, an ever-present threat of heartburn, and all manner of life stressors, I embark on a cross-country search for respite and perhaps, a kickstart to a healthier outlook.
"It's not very far, ma'am," the driver assures me later as he rolls away my one piece of luggage a few steps ahead of me. Just 25 minutes, he assures me again as I sink back into the car seat. "It" being a luxury villa tucked up on a hill with a breathtaking 360-degree view of the seas and my very own private pool.
Even with the dread that trailed my tentative steps outside the safety of my home, travel is a liberation. And I'm just about prepared to experience the joys of travel in a place so close to nature. With the sun blazing overhead, I'm celebrating the fact that I'm no longer chained to my home with a leg-iron!
As the car slowly turns a corner and up a steep hill, my driver tells me as an aside: "Be sure to catch the sunset at the restaurant, ma'am. It's the perfect place!" Ah yes, sunsets at the Ambong Pool Villas are the thing to watch for. I can almost forgive the man for calling me "ma'am".
IDYLLIC HAVEN
The check-in doesn't take long, and soon I'm having a refreshing drink at the Rimba restaurant overlooking lush verdant forests and the glimmer of the turquoise seas just up ahead while my villa is being prepared for my arrival.
The vista is beautiful as promised. "Excuse me, ma'am, are you ready for your head and shoulder massage?" asks a strapping young man with a towel hanging from his arm, suddenly appearing by my side.
Within minutes, I'm kneaded and massaged to a point of being almost comatose with relief. The knots are pummelled to submission and I'm slowly finding myself reacquainted with foreign terms like "relaxation" and 'tranquillity". Obviously, my big-city scabs are slowly being sloughed off little by little.
Though the resort doesn't drape itself in wellness terminology, this seems like a pretty good place to explore the roots of what wellness may be — with breathtaking views, mind-boggling luxury and pampering added to the mix.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" another voice breaks through my thoughts.
A slight-built older gentleman has been standing by the side for a few minutes without being noticed while I bask in the afterglow of that mini-massage, taking in the sights from my seat by the window. He tells me he never gets tired of the view. "I'll be taking care of you throughout your stay," he promises me, smiling. "I'm Shahidan," he introduces himself with a slight bow.
Throughout my solitary lunch (oh, that delicious squid ink Sambal spaghetti!) , Shahidan hovers conscientiously in the background, ready to fill my cup or remove my plate for dessert. Rimba offers both Western and local menus but the real attraction of the menu is its ability to marry both tastes seamlessly — the aromatic cuisine which draws on indigenous, Malay, Nyonya, Thai and Western influences that flavour dishes to varying degrees. All successful, of course, at least the ones I sample. Don't forget to try their Rimba Nasi Campur Istimewa, Udang Masak Lemak Pineapple and the Whole Fish Bakar with Air Assam!
"Our philosophy is deceptively simple," Shahidan says, adding: "We elevate age-old recipes and use the freshest ingredients sourced locally. By the way, do try the banana fritters with vanilla ice cream. It's really good!"
I'm alone but never left alone. Shahidan's presence is comforting, especially when I'm not quite ready to be by myself. Heaven knows, I've had enough of solitary confinement over the last few years.
As he refills my glass, Shahidan chats with me and points out the view, naming the islands and reminding me to catch the sunset later in the evening. Ah yes, the famed Langkawi sunset.
The view of the sea never quite leaves me, I realise later as I step into my one-bedroom villa. Whispering trees frame the view perfectly. Azure seas, the turquoise ripple of my pool and those beach chairs out on the green lawn are all welcome sights for the weary traveller. Ever dream of vacationing in a Mediterranean-style villa set on a bluff, perhaps, overlooking the Andaman seas? This may be the place to book it.
If you're a parent with the wherewithal to travel for the holidays with children, villas like this are as practical as much as they're wonderful for solo travellers like me. There's a bedroom, ample communal space, a kitchenette, private pool and a yard.
With just nine self-contained villas, each with its own view of the ocean and a 12m-long infinity pool, Ambong Pool Villas is constructed based on biophilic principles and sits on 1.6ha of tropical rainforest.
Of course, my ever-faithful shadow, Shahidan, is there at the villa, teaching me to brew a nice pot of hot tea with Ambong Pool Villas' very own locally sourced honey. "Anything you need, just call me!" he says before discreetly leaving me to enjoy the villa with its magnificent vista of blue seas and blue skies.
RESPITE IN PERILOUS TIMES
"Just relax," the calming voice of my therapist at the Amaala spa breaks through my trepidation. I'm lying face down on the massage table and am struggling to keep still. Truth be told, spas have always stressed me out.
It's not that I'm opposed to a revitalising massage now and then, or have something against piped-in relaxation music. It's the spa experience that rubs me wrong. There's all that nakedness in front of strangers, the silent pressure to attain tranquillity, and the nagging tension about trying hard to tuck in my extra bits and flab while the therapist pummels me down to submission.
Devotees of such treatments all have their favourite havens, but I just wanted a place where the hands would be warm, the relaxation unforced, and my dignity spared at every turn of the towel.
But Suzie Ahmad, my therapist and director of the Amaala Spa and Wellness, knows exactly what I need to relax. "If you're uncomfortable with the silence, we can always have a chat," she invites me as she gently works my stiff muscles.
I immediately relax once the golden rule of being completely silent is chucked away. But conversation soon dies down as she kneads and squeezes me with her warm hands into that rare state somewhere a few breaths shy of sleep. No question about it. I've somehow freed myself from fear even as Suzie is lifting and shifting my towel. Now the only anxiety is saying goodbye to all this royal treatment.
From getting my chakras fixed through sound-healing therapy to a session with nutritionist Hannah Prescott, and laughing my way through a personal cooking masterclass with Chef Amin, these are respites that continue to chip away at my hardened protective shell built up over the years.
"Walk more," I'm urged. "Eat more vegetables," I'm advised. These are things I already know. I don't need a getaway to glean knowledge I already know. Sure, who doesn't know about the health benefits of fresh vegetables and fruits? Or that nature has a way of healing you when you least expect it?
But it does give me the feeling that the question of getaways like these isn't merely a matter of fun or relaxation. Much as the boundaries of our bubbles drove many of us slightly mad during quarantine, so being locked in our own homes has been devastating for many of us.
For some, we found our wellness slipping through our fingers as we struggled to come to terms with isolation and sickness. Luxurious escapes out in nature seem like an ideal springboard to embrace life all over again.
This will be how we return to the pre-Covid realms of possibility. As the virus comes under control, we'll set forth with renewed vigour. The world is all before us. We may start with wandering steps cautiously and uncertainly. But think of it. A year ago, many of us feared to venture farther than the grocery store. Now we're given back a whole planet to explore, however gingerly.
As I make my way back to the airport after a mere three-day respite, I find myself turning back and seeing the solitary figure of Shahidan waving at me in the early hours of the morning. Just then, the skies open and the sound of the rain gently hitting the roof of my car tells me that it's a fitting ending to a brief escape in paradise.
For details on Ambong Pool Villas, go to: www.ambongpoolvillas.com.