6/12/10 - 6/15/10 (langkawi)

Langkawi

Langkawi was the final stop in Malaysia. It is an island similar in size to Penang but with a population that is much smaller at 80,000. Langkawi is a popular tourist destination with local Malaysian’s visiting from Kuala Lumpur. We prearranged our accommodations in Penang, quite unusual for us to be ahead of the game. We took a three hour ferry ride to this final island. Upon arrival we were instructed to bypass all the private taxi’s and head to the taxi stand next to the KFC. We were quickly escorted to a car and off to our home stay. The ride was 30 minutes through winding rural country side that ended on the island’s western beach. The home stay was similar to our Ubud experience in Bali as we ventured down a small local road lined with rice fields and stray chickens. The taxi dropped us off at Pondock Keladi. PK opened a few years back by D, a reporter from Kuala Lumpur who has many years abroad and his partner Mark. The home stay consisted of 6 rooms for guests, a kitchen, dining, and lounge area. It was very peaceful while D and Mark proved to be very accommodating. 

Annie and I quickly fell into our normal routine and rented a motor bike to get us around the island. The area we were staying was very Western oriented and the main street was lined with restaurants, tour companies, and souvenir stands. Our original plan was to stay two nights and then take the boat up to Thailand. Two days turned into four days as we were sucked into this island’s laid back, relaxed culture. We spent the next few days lounging around the Pondock Keladi interacting with our fellow guest mates. Steven and Berit, wrapping up their five week vacation from Belgium. Tasha and Carly, the 18-year old world travelers from England. Hector and his quirky personal trainer traveling back to Shanghai. Alex, the most easy going 18-year old British mate. Pippa, Australian born working in London who got assigned to work in China for four months. We enjoyed many laughs and a few meals with this unique group of characters. 

After a few days of lounging, Annie and I decided to get out and explore the island. Our first stop was the biggest attraction, the cable car. The cable car is located in the Oriental Village on the northwestern side of the island and offers spectacular panoramic views of the main and surrounding islands. Our next stop was Julan Tanjung Rhu, a beautiful beach that overlooks Thailand and some of the surrounding islands. It is said to have the best sunset in Langkawi and we were there to confirm it. I was able to shoot a nice time lapse video as the sun was setting. We were also able to briefly explore the local Four Seasons located on the beach for a quick restroom break and were enticed by the doorman offering a private villa, with pool and butler for $6000 a night. Maybe next time. 

Since we watched the sunset, our drive home would be in the dark and it was going to take roughly an hour. It is very different driving a motor bike in the evening and this was the longest night drive for us to date. Night driving is a bit stressful for me and this tends to be a time when the bugs come out. The drive proved to be uneventful but I did spent a good amount of time washing the bug remnants from my face upon arrival. 

On our final day we had booked an island hopping tour with a few people from our home stay. It turned out to live up to the rainy season reputation and poured buckets all morning. When it finally let up and the boats were dried out, we were off to explore three local islands. The first stop was a remote island with a fresh water lake in the middle. The rain had picked up upon arrival and Annie and I spent the majority of the time under the canopy watching the native monkeys steal all the tourist foods and retreat to the trees. We got some good laughs. The next stop was for the eagle feeding but the eagles didn’t like the rain and only a few were visible. The final destination was on a small remote island with white sand beaches for all the visitors to swim. The rain eased a bit and we all got a chance to cool down with a swim. We then headed back to the home stay to dry out and pack for our trip to Thailand.