LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA – MARCH 8TH

This was the fourth day in a row of ports with another one the next day in Thailand and, after having such an incredible day yesterday in Kuala Lumpur, we had no real incentive to visit another port in Malaysia.   Excursions from Princess offered tours to mangrove forests, cable car travels, kayak adventures, rainforest nature walks and visits to the rice museum and Budaya craft and cultural complex, none of which interested us.

Langkawi is located just 18 miles off Malaysia’s northwestern coast and is actually a cluster of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea just south of Malaysia’s border with Thailand, but at low tide, there are as many as 104.  It has a population of approximately 65,000 people.  It has a tropical climate with year-round temperatures that reach 93 F during the day and cools down to a balmy 73 F in the evening.  Bahasa Malaysia is the official language, but English is widely spoken.  Being part of Malaysia, the Malaysian Ringgit (MYR) is the local currency.  Langkawi means “strong eagle” and legend has it that the island was the final resting place of Garuda, a large mythical bird-like creature that appears in both Hindu and Buddhist mythology. 

I think a lot of passengers took the free shuttle from the ship to a shopping area which also includes Underwater World.  From there, a taxi could be hailed to Kuah, a larger city, for more shopping.  

  

We took a walk on the pier alongside of which men were fishing off the cliffs and visited the nearby Resort World Hotel which had some lovely grounds, a swimming pool and catered to local travelers rather than overseas visitors from Europe.  They offered a lot of water activities and we saw people in SUVs ready to be taken somewhere for a day’s outing.  

Again, we have not much to say as we stayed close to the ship.    

MICHAEL’S OBSERVATIONS:  Having no real interest in any of the tours, it was nice to have a relaxing day and a gentle stroll to the Resort World Hotel.  Walking through the lobby, it was clear that this hotel catered to Indian families that come for two- or three-days’ vacation.  Just outside the hotel are a number of small watercrafts that can be rented for excursions, either fishing or snorkeling.  The hotel had a small gift shop where I was able to pick up a nice pair of wave runners, for very little money, that I’ll be using as slippers.  This hotel has the open-air style that reminds me of the hotels in Jamaica.  Because of its location, the patrons can enjoy the occasional cool air breeze off the water.  It was nice to be able to take the day off and stroll around.