Avet Vagari: Langkawi: Truly Paradise

On my first pleasure trip within Malaysia in a long, long time (correct me if I’m wrong, but I think the last time I went on vacation inside the country was Tioman way back in June, and even then I worked – a little.), I spent a weekend with a friend on Langkawi, a beautiful island in the north, practically Thailand. I’d heard mixed things about the island. Friends who live and teach up near the border are losing track of the times they’ve visited and absolutely love it, but a number of bloggers I consulted lamented that it was a huge let down. With Malaysia’s beloved East Coast beaches still recovering from flooding – and in any case too far away for a weekend trip – I decided to trust my friends and headed out last Friday. I spent the night on the mainland on the opposite side of the ferry crossing with a friend – whose hot shower and fluffy pillows did not disappoint – and the following morning took the noon ferry across, after a delicious breakfast of Chinese soup (they told me the seafood was cheap up there, but I did not expect a crab claw in my breakfast!). Langkawi is actually a series of islands – 99, my Lonely Planet book tells me – but the name generally refers to the biggest of the set, and the one to which we were headed. The ferry ride, therefore, zigzags through tiny island after tiny island – green, dense jungle rising out of the famously turquoise Andaman Sea – and each one had me pressing my nose against the glass, saying, “Is it this one? Is it that one?” We finally docked at Kuah, the main town and hot spot for duty free shopping (Hershey’s chocolate and alcohol minus the incredibly high tax imposed by Islamic Malaysia – although we purchased neither, our goal being the beach), and hopped in a cab across the surprisingly big island to Cenang, the most backpacker-friendly beach. The ride took us through several villages – I was surprised, as I had been expecting something much smaller – and lasted around 20 minutes, but it was a nice view. The interior of the island remains relatively green and undeveloped, given that Langkawi is one of Malaysia’s premier tourist destinations, with mountains and jungle surrounding the highway. When we reached Cenang we headed to a guesthouse our friend had recommended, only to be told that there was no space. I had never arrived in a place without a reservation before, but it seemed there was be no shortage of hostels and guesthouses, so, undaunted, we took off up the road, knocking at every door but finding nothing – every place was either miles out of our price range or fully booked (apparently the Tuesday school holiday extended to the weekend before, and all of Malaysian had showed up in Langkawi). Finally, the owner at a hostel told us that his sister-hostel had space, so we followed him a little deeper inland to a series of bungalows (not incredibly nice, not worth what we paid, but two beds and a private bathroom). Also following him was a traveler from Germany, who was waiting for her friend and was unwilling to commit to the price before consulting him. We invited her to come in and leave her bags, at least until he arrived. In the end, the two of them ended up being our next-door neighbors and we spent the weekend with them (they even consented to driving us around on two motorbikes to see a bit more of the island without having to pay for a cab). Once we had unloaded and gotten our last bits of work done (end-of-the-month reporting and what not), we headed to the beach, where we sought shade and stretched out, enjoying a peaceful afternoon in and out of the water (the water was wonderfully warm, though not as clear as on the east coast, and the outrageous number of jellyfish kept us from staying in very long). We stayed to watch the sunset, which even the naysaying bloggers conceded was worth the trip. Although the clouds were too low to watch the sun actually sink into the ocean, we had a great gold and pink sky, with beautiful reflections on the sea. Satisfied with our sunset viewing, we headed back to our bungalow, where we got dressed and headed out for the evening. Having heard delicious reports about the foreign food in Langkawi, and always excited for something other than rice or noodles, we headed to a Mexican restaurant (I tend toward the skeptical side when it comes to Mexican food outside of North America, but this one came highly recommended) for what turned out to be a delightful feast of guacamole nachos and snapper quesadillas. Ohhh to have cheese again! Having eaten our fill, we returned to the beach where we found a quiet but nice beach bar. We settled down in the sand and spent the evening relaxing and talking about travels – both of our neighbors are en route from Indonesia to Thailand, which happen to be my two destinations for March/April/May, so exchanging tips and plans with them got me very excited!

Although we got off to a sleepy and slow start the next day – I was ready to be out the door at 8 am, but I guess my travel style doesn’t mesh well with that of the typical Southeast Asia backpacker – we rented a couple of motorbikes for the afternoon (that process added at least another hour, between searching for them, waiting for them, returning one when it wouldn’t let us drive any faster than 20 kilometers per hour…), and drove along the west coast of the island to a spot within the jungle where there is a cable car that ferries travelers up the mountainside (according to the signs posted along the queue, it’s the steepest in the world) to where there is a lookout point, and a glass-bottom bridge that sweeps out over the jungle, allowing for unique views. Unfortunately the bridge was under construction while we were there, but the cable car (minus the random and dizzying imax video of a roller coaster on Mars that we were forced to endure) was worth the trip and the ticket. From the observation point, we could see several nearby islands (on a good day, apparently, you can see Thailand, but I didn’t know in what direction I should be looking, nor how I would distinguish between Thailand and Malaysia, even if I did spot it) and more gorgeous blue water. We returned to sea level and set out for the night market, where we shopped around for our favorite Malaysian snacks (nasi lemak, which I will miss a lot in three weeks) before heading back to the beach, for a repeat of the previous night.

My last day on the island, I planned to take the 6:00 pm ferry back to my friend’s place – I couldn’t turn down another turn in that shower – so I had more or less the entire day at the beach. For once I was happy not to have any real plans. I booked it to the ocean at 8:30, snagged an umbrella and a beach chair (okay, I had to pay for it) and spent the day in and out of the water. I spent a little while walking through the streets around the beach (once it got to be noon and I had to get out of the direct sun for a couple of hours) just seeing what was around. It was a wonderful, relaxing, day, and if it weren’t for my upcoming months of traveling, I wouldn’t have been ready to leave the beach.

I side with my friends on Langkawi – the beach is beautiful, with views of the nearest islands on two sides, but a clear view of the sea directly west for perfect sunset-watching. The water isn’t perfect (but the jellyfish did seem to be less manic in the morning than in the afternoon), but it is warm, and despite poor visibility that might be upsetting to divers and snorkelers, the color is truly spectacular. Although the beachside nightlife isn’t as crazy as, say, on the Thai islands (I’ll report back on that in a month), it’s exactly my scene. Very laid-back, with small outdoor bars with low tables and bamboo mats for non-sandy sand-sitting, and small groups of people hanging out. I definitely prefer that to wild and enormous all-night raves. To me, Langkawi is a perfect in-between of Malaysia and Thailand (although not having been to Thailand yet, that’s just based on hearsay and Lonely Planet). It’s not as strict as the rest of Malaysia (even other islands and retain a sense of the reserved culture that we encounter here), but less crazy than Southern Thailand.