Langkawi is an archipelago, and part of Malaysia, nestled snugly toward the south end of the Andaman Sea. At high tide, it's composed of 99 islands, 104 when the tide is lower. In a nutshell, it's gorgeous, accessible, friendly, and an amazing escape. I had only a very short weekend there, needing to make my way back to Singapore for a conference, but even with those two days, I've never been more relaxed in my life.
After a quick flight from Singapore to the Langkawi International Airport, I found a taxi to take me to my hotel, The Andaman, which despite being just on the other side of a relatively small island, took 45 minutes to get to as a result of having to drive around a massive freaking mountain. Still, scenic.
Arriving at the hotel, it was quite literally in the middle of the jungle - dense forest all around it, and a private beach on the other side. A large drum announced my arrival and I was whisked away to the reception desk, where I was informed they had upgraded my room, but that said room wouldn't be ready for a few hours. Never one to complain, I left my stuff with the bellhop, changed into my swimsuit, and wandered out toward the beach to kill some time.
Yeah, it was fairly nice. And never really more
than 10 people on it at any given time.
The waters of the Andaman were warm, and small
islands dotted the horizon. It was so clear you could
see Thailand in the distance.
The pool area on the way to the beach.
One can only float in warm tropical waters for so long before getting bored, so I walked up the beach to the recreation shack, where there were a variety of activities available, such as windsurfing, kayaking, and sailing. Kayaking sounded pretty good at the moment, so armed (perhaps foolishly) with my camera, I set off into the sea. Good news is no harm befell my camera.
The water was calm and made for great paddling.
There was a small, jungle-y island a ways out that
I wanted to explore, and with the sun on my
shoulders and pasty skin getting enough vitamin
D for an entire week, I set out.
Landing on an open sandy area of the island, I
pulled the kayak up onto shore behind me so
that it wouldn't inadvertently be washed back
out to sea, resulting in me treading water with
my camera held above my head back to shore.
I'd made the mistake of leaving my sandals back on the shore (one less thing to risk having sink into oblivion), which makes exploring slightly difficult. I strode optimistically into the verdant growth around me, only to step on a sharp stick, a trail of ants, and become tangled in a viciously-sharp vine of some sort within 30 seconds, leaving me dangling there like some poorly-operated marionette. Completely unrelated to that calamity, I decided my time would be better spent wandering along the beach. I'm sure there wasn't anything interesting in there anyway.
Looking back toward the hotel. I like this picture
because the clouds are just about the same shape
as the mountains in front of them.
Portrait orientation, and a little closer now.
Wandering along the beach, I noticed some flowery-looking things washing in and out with the waves. Looking a little closer, I'm fairly certain they were some sort of critter. This resulted in me cavorting across the shoreline to avoid them, since for all I knew, they could have been some sort of poisonous jellyfish.
Sure, it looks pretty, but that's right before its
tendrils lash out and it attaches itself to your
face and makes a tasty snack of your eyeballs
and most of your nose.
Convinced that this little island was actually out to kill me, I returned to my kayak, thankfully found it still where I had left it, and continued on around the island.
But not before it took one last parting shot by trying to smack me with a fish leaping out of the water. The gauntlet has been thrown, island.
If only you could have seen the vast amounts of wildlife that permeated every aspect and every locale in Langkawi - I only got pictures of about half the stuff I saw, but things I wasn't able to capture included sea eagles, sea kites, Malay pigs, bright purple bees, and numerous other bugs. It was a nature lover's dream. So naturally, I was thrilled and had an expression of awe and delight plastered on my face most of the time.
A few clouds began to roll in, but they were short-lived, and made for some striking scenery around the islands.
On the unsheltered side of the island - I managed
to get only a few pictures before realizing that the
current was pushing me sideways and toward
these rocks.
Critter photograph #2 - this little fella had
parachuted in and was stranded on the rocks.
Pretty sure that's what happened, anyway.
A colorful fishing boat floating in the sea. I wasn't
certain if there was anyone on board, but wasn't
about to go find out. That's exactly what the pirates
want you to do.
The crimson glow of my skin told me it
was about time to start heading back toward
the hotel to see if my room was ready.
A lonely little tree on the edge of the sea.
Nearing the beach, I realized the fatal flaw in my plan. The tide had since come in, and large waves were now pummeling the shoreline. I couldn't get out and wade in because it was too deep and I had my camera. My only option was to ride the kayak into the sand like Slim Pickens in Dr. Strangelove. Pointing toward the shore, I made my move. As expected, I timed it just as a massive wave threw me forward. Sadly being unable to capture the look on my face, I hurtled forward, before stopping abruptly, the nose of the kayak buried in the sand. Hopping out, I grabbed the tow rope and scampered up on shore. Carson: 1, elements: 0. Ok, elements: 1 if you count the fact that the island nearly ate me alive.
I got my sandals back and went to check on my room.
This guy was chilling in the lobby playing
some sort of bells / chimes. The whole vibe
of the place was just very, very relaxing.
They even had a koi pond (two, actually), which, if
The Office has taught me anything, are very expensive.
Sign on the balcony door of my room. While this
may serve as a cautionary notice to some people, it
just makes me giddy with excitement at the prospect
of a monkey making its way into my room at any
moment like some sort of furry, flightless Peter Pan.
Shortly after settling into my room, I booked a massage for the afternoon. The spa facilities were amazing - individual spa huts nestled high among the trees facing out to sea. I was caught off-guard when the masseuse asked if I would prefer the music or the natural sounds, and opted for the natural sounds, which in hindsight, was the best decision ever. Crashing waves, chirping birds, the white-noise drone of cicadas. With my eyes closed, I could have been as far away from civilization as you could get. And the woman massaging me could have been an over-amorous gorilla. I stopped that fantasy right away and focused on enjoying the rest of my massage.
While originally intending to go to Langkawi on my own, I was delighted to find that a few friends from work - Genevieve, Jackson, Ryan, James - were also going to be there that weekend. Knowing well enough not to miss an opportunity for fun with good people, we had made plans to meet up later that evening at a beach bar called Babylon on Cenang beach. I headed over a little early (it was on the opposite side of the island) to have a look around first and catch the sunset.
After a bit of driving up and down the
main street looking for what was a terribly
hard to find place, my cab driver and I finally
found it.
Having arrived early as planned, I wandered around the main drag.
*snicker* Heh heh.
I also popped into the aquarium just as it was
closing, with barely enough time to snap this
picture of a MASSIVE arapaima. It was a good
2m long and had a head like a crocodile.
Having seen most of what I wanted to see, I made my way back to the beach.
The beach was gorgeous, and pleasantly full of
people. There were about 6 or 7 spots along the
beach where you could go parasailing. They
would harness you up on a the beach, the boats
would take you around, bring you back, and switch
to the next person. It was a model of efficiency
that would have made Henry Ford proud.
The sun had started to go down at this point.
I had no idea just how spectacular of a sunset
I was in for.
The next rider takes off. I was not-so-
secretly hoping for an America's Funniest
Home Videos moment of someone tripping
and being dragged along on their face across
the sand. Schadenfreude.
The sun dips lower as the rides continue, stopping
just briefly enough to change the harness.
Into the blue - this reminds me of that Simpsons
episode where Homer's rope breaks and he goes
floating off into the sky. Still, pretty.
From blue, the sky begins to burst into orange,
as people start to pack up their toys and go home.
The beach becomes a bit more lonely as
people leave.
Their loss - they're missing one hell of
a sunset.
And a rainbow. I half-expected a unicorn to
come galloping down the beach after all this.
No words. Should have sent a poet.
For all I know, this could have been the
end of the world. But you know what?
Best apocalypse ever.
Someone forgot this person was up there
and just headed off. They floated down
eventually.
The fishing boats started to come in, bringing
along with them delicious fishes for the eating.
I've seen some amazeballs sunsets in my day,
but I'm fairly certain this one took the cake.
Mmm...cake.
The painted surf board at the entrance to Babylon.
The peace sign accurately conveys the chill nature
of the beach bar.
A final glimpse of the sun before it dips below
the horizon.
Hours later, the forgotten parasailor floats back
down to the beach to a crowd of onlookers.
The others would be arriving soon, so I headed back toward the road to meet them.
Naturally, there was a goat. Frankly, I would
have been surprised had there not been a goat.
I was momentarily distracted by bright lights
and shiny things down the beach. Wandering down
there, I found what looked like a good restaurant
for later and made note of it.
Eventually, everyone showed up, and we all sat down around a crooked wooden table and toasted with some Tiger. The weather was perfect, it had cooled down without the sun bearing down on us, but was still quite warm out - perfect for sitting out on a beach. We sat and talked, and Genevieve regaled us with the story of nearly losing her toe to a motorbike fiasco.
Gen, my muse for playing with my camera in
low-light settings.
The Tigers began to pile up on the table.
Gen and James - apparently someone had traveled
back to 1955 and prevented their respective parents
from getting together. Great Scott.
It was about this time we all agreed we could use something to eat. It didn't take much persuading other than my mention of lobster thermidor on the menu to have us all heading straight for the restaurant I had spotted earlier. We took a meandering path down the darkened beach, following the soft glow of the lights in the distance. Settling into our table, we sipped on rum and cokes and perused the menu. I can be certain, but I get the sense we ordered one of everything. Most of us also opted for the lobster - at $33 / pop, it was a deal that couldn't be missed.
Essentially cheese and cream flavored with a bit
of lobster. So, so good.
To the best of my recollection, we also had pâté, crab cocktail, shrimp cocktail, artichoke hearts, garlic bread, and...just the thought of it is making me full again. Needless to say, we were all pleasantly stuffed by the end of it.
Gen is in her happy place.
After a lazy, satisfying dinner, we wandered back down the beach toward Babylon, where a bonfire was now blazing and a reggae band was setting up.
The atmosphere couldn't have been any more
perfect. A bit of dancing, and a lot more talking
and mingling with some other visitors.
Eventually, I had to call it a night - I wanted to go on a rainforest walk the following morning, and looking at the clock, that was a lot closer than I realized. I said my fond farewells and headed back to the hotel. Sometime between when I had left it and my return, it had...evolved. The entire hotel was now crawling with critters.
Geckos had the most overwhelming presence, and
the walls were covered nearly floor to ceiling with
them.
I also came across a praying mantis. WHERE
AM I.
And this big nasty spider, about 5 inches across.
And this beetle, about the size of a walnut.
This was all starting to feel eerily like that room
in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
Short Round, don't touch anything.
This guy still has me baffled. I think it's
some sort of moth, but I couldn't find anything
about it in any books or online. WHAT ARE
Having seen enough bugs to ensure I would be imagining things crawling on me for the rest of the night, I finally arrived back to my room, swinging a burning torch back and forth to keep the geckos at bay, and shut the door.
I awoke the next morning to find myself blessedly bug-free. Grabbing a quick breakfast downstairs (mmm...Belgian waffles...), I met the rainforest guide upstairs and the small group headed out across the property.
He had an extensive amount of knowledge about the local flora (of which we saw plenty) and fauna (of which we saw notably less, unless you count the colony of ants that decided to swarm my feet as I was standing still). Regardless, it was an enjoyable walk.
Turns out these are figs. Who knew?
Well, I suppose our guide did.
The forest contained some massive trees.
Which were home to these little guys. The first
one I saw was gliding through the air - they're
actually flying lizards. If that's not terrifying,
I don't know what is.
The walk also provided some great views down to
the beach, which is apparently one of the top 10 in
the world. I'd believe that.
The weather was nothing short of perfect for
almost the entire time.
A lone fishing boat out on the water. At the
hotel, you could meet the boats on the beach at
around 4:30 in the afternoon and pick out the
fish from their daily catch that you'd like to have
grilled for dinner.
A lone Andaman Drongo sits in a tree in
the distance.
A flying lizard in non-flying mode.
*Cue Jurassic Park music.*
Just as we were heading back, we spotted a
colugo, or flying lemur hanging out on a tree.
He barely moved the entire time, until I became
half-convinced he was just a stuffed lemur. He did
shift his placement on the tree at one point though.
Still wanting to see more wildlife, I decided to wander off into the jungle on my own. It wasn't the jungle, per se, more a utilities access path out away from the hotel. Still, this is where I managed to catch a glimpse of some Malay pigs, as well as some other critters.
Surrounded by a mysterious rustling / crashing
sound in the trees, I eventually managed to catch
a glimpse of the culprit: a family of macaques.
And what jungle adventure would be complete
without another creepy spider. Blech.
And one final shot of the colugo for good measure.
With a bit of time left to kill, I decided to avail myself to the spa services one last time and get a facial, which I have never had done before, but by which my friend Molly swears.
Cold lemon and ginger tea and a cold towel.
I don't remember much of it, other than her smearing stuff on my face, then a burning sensation, then I think I fell asleep for the rest of it. When I came to, I had the face of an infant, so, I guess it worked.
While waiting in the spa reception before leaving, I heard a cacophony of rustling in the trees outside. I'd been told there were two types of monkeys in Langkawi, and I had already seen one. Now I was about to meet the other.
A troop of langurs were perched in the trees
just outside the window of the spa villa.
There was even a baby one who hadn't quite gotten
the art of branch hopping down yet.
They didn't seem to care that I was there
nearly as much as I was excited they were there.
The only thought going through this one's head
right now is 'I wonder if this guy left his balcony
door open...'
A final parting shot of the view from the spa
villa.
It's crazy to think all of this fit into two short days - I could have easily spent a week there. Langkawi, you've very quickly risen through the ranks as one of my favorite places, and I hope to see you again soon.
