Langkawi

Langkawi was never meant to feature so prominently on our list of must see places. Our original plan for Thailand was to hop progressively down the country to the south, enjoy fabulous food, weather and scenery, take a huge leap, well a decent size bunny bound at least across the sea to the beautiful island of Ko Lipe, finish off what was meant to be an awesome trip to Thailand on a special island described as a mini Maldives, and from there take a short bunny hop across the sea to the island of Langkawi with our bunny butts refreshed and exhilarated to buy some time in Malaysia prior to heading off to our next bucket list destination. This next place only allows us a 30 days visa, so a few days on Langkawi, a Malaysian island conveniently situated very close to Ko Lipe would tick that box very nicely. As per my previous blog describing our less than fulfilling trip to Thailand, our travelling bunny batteries felt more than just a little deflated as we landed into Langkawi from Ao Nang, rather than the planned Maldives like island of Ko Lipe.

Langkawi Island. This is the bit where I type and type and type about how beautiful this island is, all the wonderful sights, the places to visit, the things to do and see, and how excited we were to be here after being disappointed and disillusioned by Thailand. Alas, with bunny batteries at an all time low, may I be forgiven for not feeling overwhelmed with excitement?

Langkawi was quiet. Very, very, very quiet. The resort in which I had chosen for us to stay, close to the airport for convenience, was like a town running on out of season left overs. There was very little there to see or do, at least not without spending copious amounts of money on long winded tours to the far side of the island. Chocolate supermarkets? plenty of those. Cafes? very few. Nice looking restaurants? does Subway or Mcdonalds count? TS shops, meh, there were a few but only the usual tat. Now don`t get me wrong, if we had transport and a degree of motivation, I suppose we could have gone and explored this very green and lush island, but we had neither. We know that little B took herself off to a couple of places, but even she didn`t come back gushing with excitement. Out of season?, Yes. Out of bunny battery power? Possibly. A little tired of same grumpy weather different location? More than likely. Even the most beautiful island, with its pristine clean beaches, fresh air and palm trees failed to rouse these two tired bunnies. It served to remind us which parts of travel we love, and what doesn`t float our boat. Not just us either, in the apartment next to us was a young English couple, staying for 5 days, and even they asked me, what is there to do here? It was as though there was a certain apathy about the place. The motel host was the oddest man. He grinned at us regularly as he walked by our apartment, but it was a mouth movement, the smile was fake, the gesture was false, his eyes never showed any emotion. Almost mechanical. The housekeeper left us fruit on the table, we asked for a knife and got the same mechanical smile. A knife never arrived. The trips were very expensive. Jet boats on the beach would have cost more than our 4 night stay for an hours fun. Langkawi hides its secrets well. Be brave, go with body batteries fully charged, hire the scooter, rent the car, you will not be disappointed. We enjoyed Langkawi because it got us away from Thailand, with its inflated prices, constant stink of weed, and the endless stream of silly people constantly taking photos.

Would we return? Quite possibly, I think Langkawi is a genuine jewel in the ocean. An oyster protecting its pearl. We perused the shell, without finding the time or energy to peruse the inner depths.

Until we meet again.