Around the world for free

Be Square, then be there. Part 3

  Langkawi   

On arriving in Langkawi it was very humid and overcast, and the airport did look like it was capable of taken large aeroplanes. We only had hand luggage so there was no waiting around for us, we hailed a taxi and showed the driver our address and headed straight into town five minutes away. The town of Kuah wasn't very big and it looked more like a typical Australian suburb than an Asian paradise. The driver pulled up outside our hotel, "Azio" and pointed the way, we went up the spotless white ceramic stairs to the first floor and approached reception.

After taking our passport details the two receptionists smiled and told us our room was down the corridor on the right. Opening the door something hit us straight away, the room had no windows and the bathroom was three glass walls and a door, what you gained in privacy from having no windows, you lost with the bathroom, at least it had a curtain, oh the irony. We ditched our bags and went out immediately, what was the point of visiting paradise if you can't see it? We went for a stroll around the deserted town and down to the beach, where is everybody we thought, surely there must be shops open?

We managed to stop one of the many minibus taxis who told us all the shops were open in the Fair Shopping mall five minutes away, he dropped us off there and told us to ask for him if we needed to go anywhere but he seemed too much like a serial killer we never took him up on this. The mall wasn't very big but had everything we wanted wine and crisps and somewhere to grab a quick lunch.

We hailed a taxi to take us back the 2km or so and noticed in the square outside the hotel they were setting up a night market, very handy and no need to worry about the noise with no windows, every cloud. Before we went back to the hotel we noticed a few shops outside selling tours for trips around Langkawi, so without hesitation we went in and signed up for a tour of the island for the following day.

After a quick change it was back out to the ever expanding night market for a look around and a bite to eat. The market had so many food stalls it was almost impossible to choose, we finally settled on some chicken satay and grilled chicken with nasi lemak "fried rice" washed down with a couple of local beers all under cover listening to some local music blaring out in the background. Half an hour later full and not even a dent in the wallet we decided to walk off our big meal and see what else was for sale. Most of it was beads, bangles, pictures, scarves, etc. most things you find in night markets and also the usual tat. A couple of hours later we were ready for bed, we needed to be up early for our tour, which coincidentally was picking us up in the market square, result.

The next morning we were up at 6:30 am we only knew this from our alarm it could have been any time in that room, once dressed it was back into Kuah to find somewhere for breakfast. Five minutes away in town was a little café serving breakfasts, we just had scrambled eggs, toast and coffee and headed back to meet the minibus at 8:00 am.

The mini bus was full with four other couples of various nationalities, Philippines, Chinese, Thai and Malaysian after greeting everyone we were off to Galeria Perdana the Prime Ministers museum. This museum longest serving Prime Minister of Malaysia Dr. Mahathir bin Mohamad aka Dr M contains all the gifts, awards and souvenirs given to him during his term in office. The museum is quite big and has a wide range of artifacts, some rare paintings jewellery, a Formula-I car and even a bicycle made of wood. Its well worth a visit and you could spend a far bit of time in there if you weren't pressed for time like us.

Next it was back on the bus and on to our next destination Langkawi Wildlife Park, about twenty minutes away along the beautiful coast road, past deserted white sandy beaches with clear blue water until the view is interrupted by the cement factory. This comes a shock, but also a blur as we fly past it and continue on into paradise and the Wildlife Park.

Once inside the park there's an array of animals and birds from the island that keeps you constantly amazed, best of all you can feed most of the animals. I made friend with a little pygmy goat that came up to me and started nudging my leg, then it jumped on the bench and let me feed it and stroke it like a dog; it was a very funny little animal that you would love to have as a pet. The park has something for everyone and once again if we had the time we could have spent the whole morning there. Next up for us was one of Langkawi's major tourist attraction the Sky Bridge.

The Sky Bridge is truly magnificent, it's like a piece of modern art, you start by going up the very steep cable car that slowly unveils breath taking views of the harbour below. We were first in the cable car, then a Chinese couple jumped in and the man got his foot stuck in the door, I had to force the door open to get his foot free. As you climb further you start to see more and more of the island till you reach the first level, where you leave the cable car; then it's a 20 minute walk to the actual bridge. Once you reach the actual bridge you are above the canopy of the trees and have great views all round, it feels totally safe and well built, but then again I'm not afraid of heights. It seems everywhere you walk along the bridge you get great views, so be prepared to fill you memory card up on your camera.

It's a shame we had to come back down, but we had another destination to go to "The Underwater World Aquarium", but stopping first at the pretty Telaga Harbour Park for refreshments and photos. It only takes 30 Minutes to get to the Underwater World, but by this time everyone seems to be exhausted from the itinerary and the heat. Once inside the cool air conditioned building, you realise that it's not very big and fairly basic and you get round it pretty quickly, I suppose it's good if you have children, but I wouldn't bother going out of your way to visit.

Once back outside, the heat is like a furnace and everyone seems to be taking refuge in the shops and café nearby while we wait for the driver to come back. A long hour later, he returns saying he had mechanical problems, so everyone wearily climbs in and we start the journey of dropping people off at their hotels. One by one we stop at fabulous resorts overlooking the Andaman Sea, knowing the only view we have is of the wall. 30 minutes later we are back at our hotel, weary but in no mood to stay in any longer than we have to.

That evening we decide to go to Eagle Square and have something to eat, we noticed this place earlier when we picked up one of the couples and took a few pictures, and it's only five minutes away by taxi. When we got there at 8:00 pm it was totally deserted, except for a pest control van and us. We were about to leave when the owner called us over and said they were open, we still had reservations over the pest control, but the man assured us it wasn't for his restaurant, plus we were too tired to go anywhere else. It turned out to be a great meal, a veritable feast with lovely wine, a great conversation with the owner and no one else in the restaurant to annoy us. Once we finished our meal we had a walk round the Eagle Square and the surrounding resorts, then jumped a taxi back to Kuah and had our final walk around the town before we went back to the hotel for the final time.

It might have only been a short trip but a jam packed one at that, and we got to see most of the island on the tour; hopefully we will return one day for a long relaxing stay and see this wonderful island at our pace but for now Penang awaits our return.