Malaysia 2007. Pulau Langkawi

Malaysia 2007. Pulau Langkawi

Pulau Langkawi in the north west of peninsula, the nearest island to Thai border town of Satun, is the perfect place to relex. We took a bus from Kuala Lumpur at 24.00 hours(one hour late departure) and went to Kuala Perlis, the port town which is the departure point for ferries to Langkawi. The buses in Malaysia are new and comfortable and we travelled in a double-decker bus. The journey time from KL to Perlis was seven hours and immediately on arrival at Perlis, we took a ferry to Kuah, the major town and arrival point for ferries. There was a lot of hustle and bustle on the jetty, Langkawi is a duty free port and Malaysians love to come here. On the day we arrived in Kuah, there was an important festivel in progress and hotels were full and charging higher rates. But we had no intention of staying in the town as we wished to go to the beach.

So on arrival, we went in the restaurant on the jetty to have breakfast and found that they had full indian food there. Mr. Jamal the soft spoken manager came over to our table and after exchanging preliminary courtesies and taking our orders, came back and asked if it was our first time in Langkawi, which was yes, and offered to find us accomodation. He gave us his visiting card and I saw that apart from working in the restaurant, he was also working for tourist information and travel agency. So we had rice, chicken curry, pancakes and coffee at very reasonable price at 7.30 in the morning and Mr. Jamal phoned the travel office, which was nearby and outside the jetty, and in came Linda, a very helpful young woman, who took us back to her office.

The sun was shinning, bright sunlight bathed the whole town, heat prickling the body with a sensation of adventure, the sparkling blue sea, boats arriving and leaving, and a huge statue of an eagle with its enourmous wings looking out to the sea. All was fantastic. The town of Kuah, as we found out on our last day there, is a commercial centre, with concrete buildings, western fast food chains and shopping centres, which cater for malaysians and other tourists visiting Langkawi.



We explained to Linda our wish to go to Pantai Cenang or Pantai Tengah, she phoned some hotels but all seemed full. At the end we settled on Pantai Cenang and she booked us in Malibest Beach Resort, with wooden cottages right on the beach. The tariff was MR80.00 per night and the cottages were spacious, with attached shower/toilet, with daily room service. We stayed there three days.

If I had to choose a place to live for the rest of my days, my first preference will be Canary Islands(Spain) where I have lived for over twenty years and where I had the best time of my adult life. I love the sea, the food and the people there. The next will be Langkawi. The place has an enchantment, dense jungle, white blond beaches, unclattered life without motorized traffic, good albeit pricy food. But a place in paradise does not come cheap any more. We put on our siwmsuits and strolled down to the beach, a few meters from the cottage, and saw the wide expanse of the clear horizon, a mirror calm sea, not a ripple stirred the waves. Glorious heat which engulfed your entire self, swathing body and mind in a peaceful calm. I went in the water and lay down on my back and the gentle water took inside. I was floating and nearly went to sleep, so peaceful and calm was the water. The picture on top right show the intricate pattern etched on the sand by crabs.

In the evening we went out for a stroll. All shops and restaurants are mostly on one side of the road. We were hungry and after inspecting some places to eat, entered Palm View, a chinese restaurant with spacious dinning area. The owner, a gentleman from Tamil Nadu (India) came over and greeted us like old friends and recommended fish and sea food, which was fresh. My wife had shrimps in sweet & sour sauce, baby squid in ginger sauce and mixed vegetables. I had, as recommended by the owner, steamed red snapper, cooked in a delicious sauce, which I enjoyed very much. The bill ,together with two glasses of fresh pineapple juice and one beer, came to MR.76.00 .



After staying in Langkawi and with fond memory of its enchantment, we came to Kuah, stayed overnight and next morning took a ferry to Satun, the Thai border town.
Posted by Island Hopper at 06:31
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