J and I finally got our act together to plan a short trip to Langkawi. End July marked the end of Ramadan and we had two days off for Hari Raya (or Eid al-Fitr)
Langkawi is a beautiful island in the Andaman Sea. It is very close to mainland Malaysia and is easy to get to. We caught an Air Asia flight from Kuala Lumpur and were in Langkawi in under an hour! This was my first flight on Air Asia. It is a budget airline so I wasn't expecting anything fancy. The seats were cramped and I don't think a journey which lasts for more than an hour would be comfortable. A word to the uninitiated- Air Asia charges for everything. If you don't do online check in and go to the counter to get your boarding pass, they'll charge you. If you change your seats, they will charge you. And you will need to change your seats if you want to sit with your companions. The sly people at Air Asia have ensured that their online booking system assigns non-successive seats.
Coming from Delhi, I found the beaches beautiful. The water was quite clear, the forests were beautiful and everything was green and so open. Such a change from Kuala Lumpur! We decided to not hire a car or a bike and took advantage of organised tours. You'll find tour agencies by the dime to the dozen. They cover a set of 3-4 attractions over duration of 3-4 hours and they will pick and drop you to your hotel. We took a boat tour of the mangrove forest- went to a cave, visited a fish farm where we saw sting rays and creepy looking eels, spotted hundreds of brightly coloured eagles and a family of monkeys. It was hot and humid; my hair was a complete mess and our fellow companions in the boat ride were quite amused by the state of my hair! We cruised down a lovely, winding river and had a simple lunch at a floating restaurant. The next day, we opted for the much talked about island hopping tour. Unlike the previous tour, this felt more commercialized. There were scores of other boats and many people on each of the islands. However, I really enjoyed the gorgeous views while going from island to another.Though there were many people, the islands themselves are mostly undeveloped. At most, there will be walkways or stairs and a small snack bar (In India, people would throw plastic bottles and wrappers and make a mess of things) The coast of Langkawi is studded with many small islands and we got to see craggy cliffs and densely forested islands. We were shown a range of islands in the distance which are a part of Thailand. I know that the two countries are neighbours but somehow it was incredible to actually see a part of another country. We also took the cable car ride to the topmost point of the island. The views were spectacular but we had to wait for an hour for our turn. Lesson learnt- avoid public holidays!
We stayed in Pantai Tengah which is on the south-west part of the island. This part of the island is known for its many spas. Pantai Cenang is 20 minute walk, and it is here where you'll find lots of eating places serving local seafood, Italian, Mexican, Indian and even Iranian food! If you find yourself in Pantai Cenang, you have to go to the Little Mexican Restaurant, especially in the evenings. The food is delicious, portions are hearty and it has cheerful and energetic vibe. Highly recommended!
Langkawi is also known for duty free shopping. Malaysians stock up on chocolates and alcohol while visiting Langkawi. You'll also find good quality kitchenware here. We bought some Hershey's and Ferrero Rocher chocolates. I was tempted to buy a bag of Lindt chocolates but J stopped me. Damn, I was in chocolate haven!
On hearing that I went to Langkawi, my colleagues were not impressed. There are other places in Malaysia where the beaches are more beautiful and the water clearer. I can't even imagine how utterly gorgeous these places would be. Can't wait to visit Sabah and Tioman Island (I'll be armed with better sunscreens. I've got a wretched case of sunburn and the skin on my legs has started to peel. Ugh)
Some pictures from our trip. These were taken from Galaxy S4/iPhone 5 so the quality is not top notch.
Private beach of the hotel where we stayed at (the sand was so soft)
Fish farm
Panoramic view from the cable car ride
And a selfie of J and me while we were on the mangrove forest tour (and for the record, my hair is relatively well behaved in this picture!)
