No! No! No! My friend M shrieked in terror as not-too-slowly, we were elevated, hundreds of feet into nothing but air. Strapped tightly on a parasail with a don’t-worry-be-happy smiley splashed on its bright yellow surface, he was more concerned about the lack of solid ground, or in this case, watery surface, beneath him rather than the breathtaking landscapes opening up right before his very eyes.

LANGKAWI’S TANJUNG RHU BEACH

It was our first full day in Langkawi, and after a quick breakfast at Hotel Bahagia, we were scooted away by van to Pantai Tanjung Rhu, a creamy beach located at the northern end of the peninsula. Would it be that we were here to swim, but no, what we came here for was parasailing; however, unwilling we were (or me), lol.

ONE OF THE ISLAND KARSTS ALONG THE BAY

A quick briefing took place at the Naam Sports office, which was just right across the beach, where we were welcomed by none other than a Filipina staff! We immediately felt right at home as she explained to us exactly what would happen in the next hour.

And the first beach of the trip, Tanjung Rhu! #BeachHopAsia2016 #NaamAdventure

A photo posted by Christian L. Sangoyo (@lakadpilipinas) on Apr 13, 2016 at 4:53pm PDT

4X4 ATV’S FROM NAAM ADVENTURE

Trying to brush off my trepidation (it was my first time to parasail to be fair, haha), we headed over to the beach. And while waiting for the speedboat, which would hurl us hundreds of feet into the air in a few minutes, to finish with its first batch of parasailers, we checked out Tanjung Rhu’s stretch of cream-colored sand and azure waters. After almost a week on the road, this was actually our first beach for the trip. So much for dubbing this summer jaunt as Beach Hop Asia 2016, eh?

FLOATING CAUSEWAY, NOT SO EASY TO TRAVERSE WHEN THE SEA’S REALLY WAVY

Soon enough, the boat revved back near the shore and off we went, balancing our way across the wobbly floating plastic causeway and into the sleek 32-foot Osprey. We were with a bunch of travelers and as we sped off into the bay near the Straits of Melaka, we opted to be the last one to parasail. It’s not that we’re scaredy-cats, well a bit, but we wanted to take some photos first before doing it ourselves. Lame excuses, I know.

FLYING SOLO OR WITH FRIENDS?

STRAPPING UP FOR THE RIDE

After a few rounds with our co-parasailers, it was finally our turn to fly. We strapped on our safety gear and what-nots. While waiting, I reviewed the photos I took of the other guests, it looked easy enough and they looked like they’re having fun, shrieks and all.

AND WE’RE OFF!

Guests can parasail solo (MYR265.00), as couples (MYR430.00) or as a trio (MYR645.00), depending on your combined weight. Thank goodness we passed the weight limit for a trio. So off we went to the back deck of the boat, the staff hooked our straps to the chute and yelled ready! We’re not yet really ready, but here we go, it was our turn to ride the wind.

AMAZING VIEW FROM WAY UP

A MOMENT OF SILENCE FOR A RARE SELFIE MOMENT

The boat revved up and quickly, we ascended into the air, light as feathers! It was exhilarating to see our boat getting smaller and smaller as we got higher. Then the panoramic view started to overwhelm our senses, from the never-ending luminescent greens of the water dotted by island karsts—I guess that’s the Langkawi Kilim Geoforest Park—to the jagged mountains on the horizon. Oh man, it was simply spectacular.

TANJUNG RHU FROM THE AIR

I found it to be a much more personal experience than say, riding an airplane and looking out the window. There’s something about flying slowly through the air without anything around you but, err, air.

LANGKAWI’S JAGGED MOUNTAIN KARSTS AT THE HORIZON

C was enthralled with the whole thing, while M was still trying to get to grips with being so high up. Me, it was almost a religious experience. I knew that time flies when you’re having fun, but our flight seemed much longer than the standard ten minutes. Done with my first time parasailing, my fear has left me. And I wanted to do it all over again.

~ TRIP MADE POSSIBLE WITH THE ASSISTANCE AND EFFORTS FROM NAAM SPORTS

Naam Sports Parasailing Sensation
Address: Tanjung Rhu Beach, Langkawi, Kedah
Contact Number: (604) 963-9200
Email: sales@naam.bz
Parasailing Fee: From MYR265.00 (details above)
GPS Coordinates Map: 6.440083, 99.803475

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