Langkawi Island, Malaysia

By Glen Bruels
This is part of a series called Seabourn Half-World cruise
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Langkawi (the official name is Langkawi, the jewel of Kedah) is an archipelago of about 100 islands located 20 miles off the coast of Malaysia and quite close to the border with Thailand.  Like the mainland, the population is primarily Malay and they practice Islam.  Let me start by saying that the islands are absolutely beautiful – crystal clear waters, beautiful beaches, mangrove groves, heavily forested mountains, etc.  It is probably a wonderful (and seemingly inexpensive) place to come for a week of relaxing and communing with the abundant natural setting.  As a one-day tourist destination, it is kind of limited.  Having said that, we took the cable car ride that was quite dramatic, giving you panoramic views of the island.  Unfortunately, the terminus for the cable car is in the middle of a tourist trap named Oriental Village.  We made our way quickly through that.

Interestingly, we arrived the day before an international military arms show/demonstration on the island.  At first we couldn’t figure out what all the ships, aircraft, etc. were doing there.  Later in the day, there were lots of demonstrations, flying around, blowing stuff up, etc.  We actually had to weave our way through a number of naval vessels (Russian, Singaporean, Malaysian, etc.) to “get out of Dodge.”  Pretty wild!

Off to Phuket!

A marina on the way to the cable car
A marina on the way to the cable car
♩♪♫♬...in the name of love! ♩♪♫♬
♩♪♫♬…in the name of love! ♩♪♫♬
The suspension bridge to Oriental Village
The suspension bridge to Oriental Village

Can never get too much fish theraphy.Can never get too much fish theraphy.

 

The village is lovely; it's just all tourist traps.

The village is lovely; it’s just all tourist traps.

The village is lovely; it's just all tourist traps.
The village is lovely; it’s just all tourist traps.
Waiting for our gondola
Waiting for our gondola
Heading up the mountain
Heading up the mountain
Glancing back to the village and the islands beyond.
Glancing back to the village and the islands beyond.
At the top of the mountain
At the top of the mountain
You can walk along the ridge to get different views.
You can walk along the ridge to get different views.
Deb finally found her portable fan. Blessed relief!
Deb finally found her portable fan. Blessed relief!

A nice view of the islands.A nice view of the islands.

 

The local rice museum. Unfortunately, there was no museum and the pathways were treacherous!

The local rice museum. Unfortunately, there was no museum and the pathways were treacherous!

The traditional way of harvesting the rice.
The traditional way of harvesting the rice.

 

We happened to show up the day before a weapons exposition.
We happened to show up the day before a weapons exposition.
That might be why the harbor was rotten with naval ships, aircraft, etc.
That might be why the harbor was rotten with naval ships, aircraft, etc.
We even buzzed a Russian ship on our way out of port!
We even buzzed a Russian ship on our way out of port!
Bye, bye Langkawi!
Bye, bye Langkawi!
This should have been first. Welcome to sunrise in the South Pacific!
This should have been first. Welcome to sunrise in the Andaman Sea!

 

This entry was posted in Cruising, Malaysia, Travel
Glen Bruels

I am a traveler and sometimes clay sculptor, following a long career working in consulting. My work allowed me to travel the world extensively and I was hooked. Today, I travel with my wife/best friend to explore new places, meet new people, and learn new things.

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