By Lynley Capon
Travel Writer



LANGKAWI, Malaysia -- Most people ask the same question: “Where is Langkawi?”

It’s a group of islands rising off Malaysia’s west coast just south of Thailand’s border. Travelers hear a lot about the Thai islands, but less about Langkawi. The name, meaning “Eagle Rock”, reflects the presence of magnificent sea eagles soaring above the sea and around the mountainous islands.

For this holiday destination, the words “idyllic” and “tiny” (just 480 square kilometres) apply. Travelers easily get around within a few days.

Entry is by one of two ports – a ferry terminal at Kuah, the main township to the east, or the international airport to the west. Visitors soon realize the place is geared to welcome them.

In Kuah, the jetty area has a shopping centre with a Starbucks, KFC restaurant and other western eating places. A marina shelters million-dollar yachts. The town is clean and well developed with hotels and malls. Some mosques and women in headscarves remind that this is a Moslem place.

Kuah’s hotels are good, but expensive. Visitors on tight budgets should go west to Pantai Cenang or Pantai Tengah, beaches near the airport and with cheaper rooms beside sand that faces the sinking sun. Cafes, bars and eating places are strung along the main road.

With my husband Peter, I spent three wonderful weeks at Zackry’s Guest House (zackryguesthouse.langkawinetworks.com) about 500 metres from Pantai Tengah. Guests there must be ready to accept two friendly dogs, the bulky brothers, Bandit and Kacang. Elsewhere, we saw few dogs. Traditionally, Moslems didn’t keep them. The strays I noticed behaved very timidly.

On rented bicycles, we explored the south side from Pantai Tengah to Kuah, about 25 km. We struggled along the hilly coast road and returned by a less undulating inland route.

Life for the locals looks simple. Many houses appear distressingly inadequate. Some, old and dilapidated, are wooden. More modern dwellings, still not elaborate, consist of island-made bricks and concrete. Bright paint on some homes fails to hide the low standards of living.

Despite poverty, the people smile and are friendly. Many work in the tourist trade, plying taxis and ferries, staffing hotels and restaurants, selling souvenirs and renting bikes or cars. Others catch fish. On the northern coast, we saw a brick factory and huge cement works. The presence of rice paddies and water buffalo mean that farming is important. We also spotted a few rubber plantations and many small service enterprises.

To our amusement, we often saw the word “enterprise” in business names. Evidently, these islanders are very enterprising people.

Apart from some private beaches accessible only through hotels or resorts, Pantai Cenang and Pantai Tengah are the most popular beaches and the best for swimming. Daily, we walked past the Holiday Villa to Pantai Tengah and swam. Each of the two white, sandy beaches stretches for about four kilometres. The sea is warm, and the surf never high. Jet-skis and kayaks can be rented. Often, we watched people parapunting.

One afternoon, Zack, our host, took us fishing. After three hours, we returned with many small fish that the maid cooked into a feast for all the guests. When on the boat, we were awed by the soaring sea eagles swooping down to grasp food in their talons.

Pit, our hostess, guided us to a night market, where the wares included island foods, fresh fruit and vegetables. The wide variety impressed us.

Hiring a motorbike, we explored more distant spots. When caught in a downpour, we sheltered at the airport and enjoyed coffee and cake at Starbucks.

After setting off again, we punctured a tire, but found a repair shop after pushing the motorbike just 100 metres. Motorbikes dominate the traffic, so garages are plentiful.

Then we went to a beautiful waterfall that’s fed by a rainforest stream. We climbed a steep walkway to above the falls and saw seven pools, called the Seven Wells.

A bush walk, like those in New Zealand, took us higher on the mountain. We looked across to a cable car bound for a high peak on the main island. Riding this, we marveled at it as an engineering feat. Views from the top made the trip rewarding.

From the cable-car terminal, there’s a walk down to a suspension bridge, another mind-boggling structure, hanging across a valley. That’s not for anyone prone to vertigo.

On the way from Pantai Tengah to the cable car, we passed Telaga Harbor with its hotel, marina and decorative lighthouse. Just beyond is Pantai Kok, a beautiful beach for swimming. This area has fewer people. Instead, we saw a lot of monkeys very curious about humans.

Over a hill from Pantai Tengah awaits Awana Porto Malai with its jetty and boats to other islands. On the Island of the Pregnant Maiden, named for its mountains shaped like a pregnant woman lying on her back, a fresh-water lake offers good swimming. The resident monkeys love to hobnob with visitors. Given a chance, they’ll steal food from human hands.

About once a fortnight, a cruise ship anchors at Awana Porto Malai. When The Gemini, a Star Cruise ship, is moored at its berth, it dwarfs the local hotel. Here, at the main island’s most southwestern point, the sunsets usually look spectacular.

For a taste of Malaysia’s mainland, there’s a one-hour ferry ride from Kuah to Kuala Kedah. From the jetty there, a bus rolls into a bustling city, Kedah, Alor Setar, home to about 30,000 people. Its communications tower provides fine views of the outlying areas.

We toured Langkawi in its quiet season. Despite the rainy nights, most days were fine. Seeing the businesses with few customers worried us, but the cooler, dry season brings more visitors.

Regardless of the calendar, anyone wanting a tropical-island holiday with all the comforts won’t go wrong with Langkawi – once they find it on a map.


Far from ornate, a typical wooden
house still gives needed shelter.


Explorations often begin by boarding ferries.


Peter enjoys a beach walk.

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