Travel: Langkawi, Part 3

Well, I'm off driving around the island. My first stop was for a bite of local food, so I pulled over at Laksa Power, a truck that was parked just off the airport road. It had been recommended by the bartender at my hotel, and it was excellent. I was the only non-local there. If you don't know what Laksa is, I will provide an ode in a separate post. After this early evening snack, I was off exploring. I drove all around the island, doing recon for the next days adventures, and generally acclimating myself. I managed to find the night market, which is held in a different location every night, and joined hundreds of locals in a food and merchandise bazaar. I ignored the books, crafts, and clothes and (you guessed it) headed straight for the food. I can't remember everything I sampled, but it was all delicious. Mostly chicken, with some beef (no pork - Malaysia is heavily Muslim), all washed down with exotic fruit juices. I was in culinary heaven. It was time to head home, however, especially since I had already tempted fate by nearly running out of petrol in my drive around the island (that would have been a good one).

The next morning I decided to indulge myself with a massage. I chose a hot oil (they call it "third eye") massage at an Indian place called Ayurvedic. Basically, they pour a stream of hot oil on your forehead for nearly an hour, which is supposed to relieve all kinds of stress. I am not a massage expert, so I don't know what to expect out of any massage. After reading the brochures for this place (it was even in my Lonely Planet guidebook), I was pretty sure I was going to achieve total consciousness and a heightened sense of awareness. Well, I didn't. It was not a bad experience, but now I know to lower my expectations.


I then headed out for a drive. I wound my way up the 13 kilometers of twisty road to the top of Gunung Raya, the tallest point on the island. The view would have been incredible, only it was completely fogged in. About halfway down the mountain, you could get a glimpse of what the view from the summit would have been like, and it was fantastic. The highlight was the family of monkeys who really didn't want to give up the road and just stared as I gently rode by.

Not satisfied with one mountain, I headed across the island to hike the waterfalls of Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) and ride the Langkawi Cable Car. As I pulled into the parking lot (car park) at Seven Wells and turned off the car, I was startled to see a little black hand grab the passenger side mirror. Another hand appeared, and then the owner of the hands, a long-tail monkey, used them to hoist herself onto the hood (bonnet) of the car and stare at me. They are all over the place! But, I had to get up to the falls and back down to the cable car before it closed, so I was off. Little did I know that you could cut the 800-metre steep hike in half by driving up to the top car park. Well, consider it my workout for the day. Up I went, into the rainforest, until I came to the falls, which cascade nearly 100 metres down the hillside through a series of seven (tujuh) wells (telaga). At the top, you can actually slide from the first couple of wells to the next, through the falls, before it becomes too rocky. My timeline (and better judgment) did not allow for this, however. I was off to Oriental Village (a restaurant and shopping area that includes a museum of props and costumes from Anna and the King, which was partially filmed in Langkawi) to catch the cable car.

The Langkawi Cable Car provides a two-kilometre, L-shaped journey to the top of Mount Machincang, from the base near sea level to a height of more than 700 metres. The first leg to the middle station on a ridge of the mountain is supported by only two towers, and the distance between the second tower and the station is a full kilometre. This while suspended more than 200 feet above the mountainside, rising at a 42 degree angle during the final part of the ascent. At the middle station, the cable bends about 90 degrees to the left to take you across a chasm for the final 60 metre rise to the summit. When I bought my ticket, I was warned that it was overcast at the top, so views would be limited. I said, "Okay, I'm going." I had the entire 6-person car to myself. This ride is not for the faint of heart - you really are way, way up there, and I started thinking, "What if this thing breaks down?" Curtains. The views were breathtaking, however (I have included a picture of Telaga Tujuh taken from the cable car; compare it to the picture of the falls taken from about 50 metres). But, just a few hundred metres higher at the middle station, it was already very foggy, and the wind had picked up. In fact, the last span to the top station was a bit dicey, and about 100 feet out, a gust hit my car and started whipping it side to side. Enough for me to have to grab on to the railing inside. It is slightly unsettling when you see the workers and tourists at the top station looking and pointing at you with eyes and mouths wide open. The wind got so bad that they stopped bringing people up. The way down was a pretty quiet ride, with three others joining me in the car. It was nice to reach the bottom.



Having survived, I had dinner and then went for dessert at the Bon Ton Resort. This resort is a collection of old Malay cabins that have been preserved and moved from all over the country to be rebuilt along the sea. The cabins were spectacular - such a great idea. The woman who runs it is an Aussie who also happens to love animals, and she has set up a foundation on the island to take care of stray cats and dogs (Muslims consider dogs unclean and won't touch them; being a dog in Malaysia is not such a good life). It started as a simple shelter, but her determination and fund-raising skills have turned it into a full bore, no-kill operation with two vets on staff. Each animal is neutered and lives with the other animals (dogs and cats separately) in sort of open-range quarters. The restaurant is outside, and you could see a few of the "house" cats and dogs wondering around. I think the dogs are quite useful in keeping the cobras at bay (yes, they have seen cobras in the yard). The atmosphere of the place was fantastic, and the desserts were the best I've had in a while. If you ever go to Langkawi, stay or dine (or both) at Bon Ton.



That's about it. I did spend most of Sunday on the island, exploring Eagle Square (with the huge eagle statue), Langkawi Legends Park (with sculptures that brought to life the mythical events of Langkawi's past), and Tanjung Rhu (the beautiful north side beach bordering on the Four Seasons resort with it's nearly private lagoon). And I did it all without wrecking the car or driving on the right (wrong) side of the road. All that was left was the flight back (you walk across the tarmac to board the plane) on Silk Airways, Singapore Air's low-cost airline, and to bring me back to the reality of the big city.

Travel: Langkawi, Part 2

So I return from the mangrove tour and decide I need to be mobile to see the island. As I mentioned, the main mode of transportation on the island is the scooter, 150cc and below. Well, that looks like fun, why don't I try? So, I go to a rental place, which is basically a convenience store with a bunch of scooters and small cars for rent ("for hire" as they say here) out front. The charge per day for a 150cc scooter is roughly $13, with a $30 deposit. Sounds good! So, I showed my drivers license, paid my $43 (RM 139 - Malaysia's currency is the ringgit), grabbed my helmet, and hopped on. Mind you, I have never ridden a scooter, but I know how to ride a bike. Well, I took off out of the parking lot, tried to turn, went straight across the street, and laid the scooter on its side, breaking the mirror, scratching the side and my right leg. I did not get 30 feet. Apparently, riding a scooter is not like riding a bike. The two attendants, 20-something Malaysian girls (one wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf) come running up to ask if I am okay and show me how to ride it. So, they take turns telling me what to do, driving it up and down the street to show me, trying to make sure I was going to be alright. Finally, I looked at one and said, "You know what, maybe I should just take a car." So, I turned in the scooter and got a car. Now, I had just signed an insurance contract with a RM 2500 deductible - gulp! They looked at the scooter, talked it over, and charged me 15 ringgit for the damage to the mirror. So, for about five bucks, I got a lesson in humility and three strawberries on my right leg.

Now, I have to get in my car. They rent Perodua Kancils there (see picture), which are about half the size of Mini Coopers. I haven't driven a car in more than 5 weeks, and now I am going to have to drive away from the girls, in front of whom I have just completely embarrassed myself, in this little car, all the while remembering to drive on the left hand side of the road. Yes, the car is right hand drive, and it will be my first experience on the opposite side. So, I am a wreck. The first five minutes were quite scary (at least I got out of sight of the rental store quickly enough). After those first minutes, however, it was a piece of cake. I did go to the wrong side of the car a couple of times when I had parked and was getting back in, but otherwise, no problem. There are some interesting things about it - some things are reversed, others are the same. The steering wheel is obviously on the right side, but the gearshift is still configured like in the US, as are the pedals (although in this car, they are quite small and spaced very closely; I had to drive barefoot to avoid mashing down on the clutch and brake at the same time). The turn indicator is on the right side, however, with the windshield wiper controls on the left side. Several times, I tried to signal a turn and ended up with the wipers on full blast.



After driving around the island for three days, it was apparent that everybody there but me can ride a scooter. There were old women in full traditional Muslim headscarf and long dress, there were teenage boys and girls, there were the young mothers and toddlers mentioned previously. There were fathers with two or three kids. But, there wasn't this idiot American with a banged up leg. So, one of the things I can put on my list is "learn how to drive a scooter."

Travel: Langkawi, Part 1

For my first planned trip (Bangkok was a last-minute decision), I wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and chose Langkawi, an island off the northwest coast of Malaysia, just next to Thailand. Actually a collection of 99 islands, Langkawi is part of Malaysia and a popular destination with Europeans and Australians. So, I prepared for three days of sitting and looking at the sea, just relaxing. I didn't really do much of that, but the island was a perfect get-away. I arrived on a Thursday night, a couple hours later than planned after my flight was canceled (mechanical problems). My hotel was on the southwest part of the island, on the beach. I had a little villa to myself, and I could hear the waves hitting the sand, since the beach was about 50 yards from my front door. The villa even featured an outdoor shower (totally private), a nice touch that emphasized my temporary escape from an urban environment.

I decided to spend my first day on a mangrove tour, a guided boat ride through the natural environs of the island. The tour left from the northeast corner of Langkawi, and they arrange transportation. I was expecting a bus or van but instead got a ride from an employee of the tour company in a beat up car, with a fellow tour passenger up from Australia. The driver apparently has never met a vehicle he couldn't tailgate, whether it be car, van, or scooter. But, the 40 minute drive allowed me to see much of the island, which was beautiful. Flat pastures divided lush green mountains that would disappear into low-hanging clouds of mist, reminiscent of something out of King Kong. I suspect Hawaii looks much like this. We passed ramshackle houses and shacks, and then we would drive by new homes that looked like they were out of any subdivision in America. All in a very tropical setting. The locals were out and about, the majority riding on motor scooters, which is a popular way to get around the island. This is a very laid back environment - often, you would see young women driving a scooter with a toddler just propped up on the handlebars, having the ride of its life. It was crazy! But, despite the tailgating of my driver (and the presence of cows in and alongside the road), it seemed like everyone got around safely.

My co-passenger and I met up with the rest of our group at the dock and boarded the boat, just as it started to drizzle. Our first stop was a fish farm. Here we fed stingrays and saw all kinds of marine life, from eels to horseshoe crabs to oysters to archer fish, which spit precise streams of water to knock insects out of the air. Our guide rolled a napkin into a point and held it between the planks of the deck, and the fish would hit it like a bulls eye. We did miss the barracuda, who would not come to the surface due to the rain. We then headed out to open sea, just as the rain stopped and the sun came out. It was amazingly calm, almost like glass. I’m talking waterskiing calm. We circled a couple of rocky islands and then experienced two really cool things - we fed coral fish and observed thousands of fruit bats. The coral fish is colored brilliant shades of yellow, blue, and green. We would throw crackers in the water, and they would swarm like piranhas. They really were beautiful, even in their frenzy. After we finished feeding them, we trolled a little further to the fruit bat habitat. These are very large bats, known as flying foxes because of their size and the shape of their faces. They were hanging by the thousands in trees on the hillsides of the island. (Quick aside: there were a couple of Germans on the boat, and it was cool to hear them speak of the fledermaus.) The bats apparently adhere to an age-determined hierarchy, with the younger, smaller bats relegated to the lower level trees. The higher up you went, the larger (and presumably older) the bats got. The really were pretty big, but they seemed harmless (and they are) at a distance.

On we went into the mangrove. Mangroves essentially are forests that grow in salt water. I, of course, thought they were mango trees, and I was looking forward to sampling a few of the tasty fruit. Good thing I kept that assumption to myself, because they are not mango trees. As we navigated into the mangrove, we passed by a mountain called "Gorilla Mountain" due to an uncanny (and apparently natural) resemblance to the face of gorilla. It looks man-made, it is so perfect. I have included a picture here - talk about reminding one of King Kong!

The boat threaded through the trees to an open area that was more like a river, where our guide started throwing chicken meat into the water. All of a sudden, several brahminy kites and a sea eagle (a cousin of the American bald eagle) swooped down for a meal. They would circle for a little bit, spy out a piece of chicken, and then plunge to grab it. The kites eat it immediately, dipping their heads to their claws as soon as they begin their ascent from the water. Our guide said that was because they are small for predatory birds, and they have to eat quickly to ensure other, larger birds don’t take their food from them.

We then headed to Gua Kelawar, the bat cave, where thousands of smaller bats make their homes. We had to walk about a hundred feet from the river, and you could hear their squeaking as you approached the entrance to the cave. It was pitch black in there, and our guide had the only flashlight. The cave is an old limestone cavern, complete with big stalactites and stalagmites. The bats clung to the roof of the cave, and they were mostly interested in sleeping or taking care of their young (several had babies clinging to them - pretty cute!). Some, however, flew out and buzzed us. The cave was quite impressive - I bet it's even better when the bats all fly out for their nightly hunt! This was our last stop on the tour, but it wasn’t the end of our interaction with the local wildlife. On our walk back to the boat, we encountered dozens of long tail monkeys who were quite interested in us. They entertained us for several minutes, even jumping on one of the German's outstretched arm to check out her sunglasses and earrings. They clearly were used to having humans around, and it wasn’t the only place on the island that I encountered “friendly” monkeys. More on that later.