Langkawi

We flew AirAsia from  Penang to Langkawi, mainly because we had heard bad stories about the boat trip. We rented a car, in order to get around the island.

Langkawi is an island group 30km off the west coast of Malaysia, near Thailand. It has native villages but is mainly known for luxury resorts and duty free shopping. As an example of how affordable Malaysia is for those with AUD, we booked the 5 star Berjaya Resort for AUD125 per night including breakfast for two, and in the event we got a water view room upgrade also. This pic shows our rainforest chalet (we occupied the top right hand quarter of it).

The following pic shows the more expensive "over the water" chalets.

The resort covers a substantial area, and guests are moved around in shuttle buses.

The hot humid weather makes the pool popular. It is set in landscaped surroundings and has a bar swimmers can swim up to. See pic of Don at the pool.

Of  the many water actitivies, we did kayaking – see pic of Gail showing off water skills.

Guests can have a free 10 minute shoulder massage, presumably to develop interest in the paid 60 minute one. See pic of Don getting the free 10 minute version (naturally).

The food and drinks at the resort were very good quality and value, so we indulged more than usual. See pic of Gail with Strawberry Daiquiri and satays, and Don with Singapore Sling.

Near the Berjaya Resort is a shopping area called the Oriental Village - see pic of Gail there.

The Oriental Village is also the terminus for the cable car line up Mount Mac Chinchang – see pic below of cable cars.

At the top of the line is a spectacular curved suspension bridge, 125 metres long, suspended above the jungle from a single 82 metre pylon – two pics below.

There are good views over the islands from the platforms at the top of the line. See below.

We spent a day driving around the main island of Langkawi. We visited the Batik Art Village where the batik process was explained and Gail was pursued until she bought a tablecloth. See pic of batik wall pictures.

We also visited Mahsuri’s Tomb, a local historical attraction. Mahsuri, according to legend, was a young woman unjustly executed for adultery. The tomb (see pic below) is modest, and the whole saga is an example of the locals inflating an attraction for tourist consumption.

The site also has reconstructions of traditional Malay houses, with detailed wood carvings – see pic below.

The island is still very rural – see pic of paddy fields. The locals run many fruit and vege stalls along the roadsides.

One of the prominent landmarks in the main town of Kuah is a huge statue of an eagle – see pic below. The eagle is the symbol of Langkawi (which means “brown eagle”).

We saw examples of the local Langkawi wildlife. We were lucky to find a cooperative monkey watching us for long enough to photograph – see below. The Berjaya Resort warned us about the thieving habits of the local monkeys. The way the staff described the problem, you would imagine the monkeys would steal your underpants while you were getting dressed. But in fact we only saw monkeys in the high trees. We suspect this is another example of a local phenomenon hyped up to impress the tourists and add drama. Plus if a berserk monkey does steal a Japanese woman's Prada bag, the resort can say "well, we warned you, silly city slicker. You came here to experience wild nature in the raw, and you have succeeded. Don't sue us."

 The water buffalo are so sluggish, they are easy to photograph – see below.

Next stop Kuala Lumpur.