Lankawi is smaller than Penang and seems more relaxed and a slower pace. This was to be our home for the next week. Staying at the Meritus Pelangi Beach Resort & Spa a five star luxury resort isn’t normally what we do when travelling but since this would be our last trip as a family we decided to splash out.
Where’s Langkawi? Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia.
For a small island there is a lot to do here. Deciding that the quickest way around wound be to hire a car from the airport and drive around the Island to get a feel for the place.
Probably the most iconic landmark here is the Langkawi Cable Car, with it’s claim as the longest single span cable in the world and rising to a height of 705m it’s not for the faint hearted of those who have a fear of heights.
The day we decided to take the ride the clouds rolled in and once reaching the first station we were a little reluctant to go to the next point. All we could see was the cars disappearing into the thick cloud with no idea what was beyond. After a quick pitstop to the bathroom it was decided to press on as we had already come this far, there would just be feelings of guilt and shame if we didn’t complete the journey.
Climbing back into the car we headed into the mist with no idea how far the next junction was. Elena is a person who despite the fact that she likes to be in control, felt nervous and it showed, but as the mist gave way to the the nest and final stop she settled into the fact that she had made it to the top. In self denial she stepped out and not letting herself think about the journey back down the cliff.
One thing that puzzled me here was the small hamburger Kiosk, the guy had no concept of fast food. You line up and place your order then he cooks it for you. I mean from beginning to end. I got an idea, why not cook several orders at once? With only one type of burger I’m sure the guy behind me is gonna order the same, all he had to do was ask how many!
With burgers in hand and traces of the mist now lifting we noticed that the crowds were also thinning out, most had left because of the weather and now we were here and able to see the true majesty of the whole place as the mist lifted and the landscape spread out before us. This is one truly magnificent place and one not to be missed should you decide to travel to Langkawi.
While you’re up here in the sky check out the Sky Bridge, we didn’t get the chance because of maintenance work being carried out. The views are apparently spectacular and it’s a shame that we missed the opportunity.
Staying so close to town gave us an advantage of being able to search out different food and still feel like we were exploring the place. One thing I don’t like about resorts is the exorbitant prices that are put on meals just because they have a captive market and suspect that you will not leave and try somewhere else. We discovered this on our trip to Fiji.
Running parallel to the beach and on the doorstep we spent each evening working our way through the little shops and cafes that stretched for a mile along the beach. Food here is cheap and you get real value for money. Speaking of money there is a ATM right next to the Aquarium, a building that dominates the far end of the street from the resort.
As we had hired a car we were able to get us out and about and discovered a small harbour centre. Telaga Harbour Complex is a short drive back toward town from the Cable Car and is well worth stooping by for dinner. We wandered around the Centre and spied a Russian Restaurant USSR – This place is fantastic and we can highly recommend it if you want a taste of Russia without going there.
We had heard that the wild life park off shore was worth taking the boat to check out, so with the treat of a little light rain we headed off to Pulau Payar (Payar Island) Marine Park
Being a wildlife reserve the fish and reef sharks are protected and over time the sharks born here have got used to sharing their home with us. Each day at 1pm the highlight of the day is feeding the sharks on the shoreline, yes you and the shark, no nets or cages. Wow! this has to be a to do while here!
The time goes by too quickly and soon it was time to head back to Brisbane and back to the so called “real life”.
It’s strange but I feel that I’ve learnt more in Malaysia in the last couple of weeks than a whole year on my “Day Job”. If only I could swap it all around.
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