Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah: Fun in the SUN

One of the recommended places to explore here in Malaysia is in Langkawi.  

Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah (Malay: Langkawi Permata Kedah) is an archipelago of 104 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thai border.  Langkawi is a duty-free island. (Wikipedia)

I got very excited about going to Langkawi because of the fact that it was Duty Free!!! Let me tell you about it later on.

We were lucky to get promo seats going to Langkawi, we only spent RM45 for our return tickets! Yey!

Before our trip to Langkawi, we already sourced for our Hotel and we were lucky to get one of the best hotels in Langkawi from the Matta Fair.  We got Hotel Bahagia ~ highly recommended from my side, my reasons:

1. Not far from the city

2. Very quiet environment

3. Accommodating hotel staff

4. Can help you arrange for your packages

5. Have nearby shops and restaurants

6. Free breakfast

Together with our accommodation we also rented their van.

The 4D and 3N in Bahagia Hotel with Van (on our own), we only paid RM220 per person which was very reasonably cheap!

When we arrived at the airport, we were fetched by the van.

Then since Louise and Reo will be arriving an hour later, we just rested a bit and drove back to the airport.  My husband was the one who drove the van.

Then first thing in the morning, after having our breakfast, we arranged for an island hopping package.  Island hopping was RM300 per boat (RM37 per pax) and it was a 5 - 6 hours island hopping, if we wanted to stay in an area a bit longer then we just need to inform our bangkero.

Our first stop in the Island Hopping was at the Pulau Singa Besar for the "Eagle Feeding".

It is named after a legend of the giant who possessed a lion as a pet thus it means "Island of the Big Lion". It is located between two small islands which are Pulau Bras Basah and PulauDayang Bunting. About 17km from Kuah it is a 35-45 minutes ride by boat from Kuah Jetty.  

(http://www.langkawipoint.com/langkawi-islands/pulau-singa-besar)

At first, I cannot imagine how are we going to feed the eagles, but when we stopped at the Eagle Bay and saw the eagles grabbing food from the sea then I realized ~ We stopped at the middle of the Bay and our bangkero threw something into the sea.  We asked and it was chicken.. then slowly, one by one the eagle came passing by getting the food!

I was amazed by how precised they were in getting the food. It was really an experience to have!  Not all the time we can sea an eagle grabbing food!

Our next stop was at the "Beras Basah Island".

One of the most known islands of Langkawi Pulau Beras Basah (The Island of Wet Rice) is located at the west end of Langkawi. 

Pulau Beras Basah is famous for its beautiful white sandy beaches with crystal clear blue waters.

(http://www.langkawipoint.com/langkawi-islands/pulau-beras-basah)

No doubt about it because it was really a good and refreshing view to look at.

You have an option to swim the beach or just stroll along the shore, whichever suits you is okie! We stayed in this place for close to an hour.

Our next destination was at the "Dayang Bunting Marble Geoforest Park" then we went to the "Tasik Dayang Bunting", the biggest natural lake also known as The Lake of the Pregnant Maiden. This fresh water lake was formed when a huge underground limestone cave collapsed.  

(http://www.langkawipoint.com/langkawi-geoparks/dayang-bunting-marble-geoforest-park)

 From this view, it seems that you are looking at a pregnant woman lying down which was pretty interesting.

According to legend, if any barren woman drinks the water from the lake or bathe in it, she will be rewarded and blessed with a child. It states that some fairy princess lost her child right after birth and chose to bury her child in this lake and the child turned into a white crocodile. After which she blessed the lake with fertility.

(http://www.langkawipoint.com/langkawi-geoparks/dayang-bunting-marble-geoforest-park)

If this is true then greatness! We all bathe in the warm water!
Btw it was 30 feet (or more) deep and thus we needed the life vest :)

After this awesomeness dip, we were dropped off to our hotel.

We then decided to take lunch first, sleep and rest for an hour and then hit the road again.  This time with the van.

After our quick rest, we then looked at our map and hit the road going to "Black Sand Beach".  We were all excited to see this one and it was quite fascinating.

Legends has it that there was a war between the Underwater Kingdom and Land Kingdom.  The Land Kingdom was outnumbered by the Underwater Kingdom but the Land Kingdom has an old wise man with them and told them to put a lot of fire woods along the shore and burn them.. 

When the armies of the Underwater Kingdom saw the flames, they thought that thousands of armies from the Land Kingdom were waiting for them.  With this the armies of the Underwater Kingdom never attacked and the Lang Kingdom won the war.  

The flames from the fire wood then left the black sand there.

On the other hand, this is the scientific explanation:

The result of the mineral contents in the sand such as iron oxide made the sand black. It is not overall covered with black sand but in shades of white and black sand. During the wet season it is blackeras the mineral deposits persistently wash up on the shore. 

Anyhow, after visiting the "Black Sand Beach" we went ahead to another beach which was the "Pantai Cenang Beach".

This is the most visited beach in Langkawi because of its night life.  The purpose of our journey there was to find a good restaurant to eat but when we went closer to the shore, we saw something interesting.

It's not a bird, it's not a plane and it's not even superman.  It's Parasailing!

Para-sailing also known as parascending, or "parakiting" is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle (usually a boat) while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that reminds one of a parachute, known as a parasail wing. The manned kite's moving anchor may be a car, truck, or boat. 

The harness attaches the pilot to the parasail, which is connected to the boat, or land vehicle, by the tow rope. The vehicle then drives off, carrying the parascender (or wing) and person into the air. The activity is primarily a fun ride, not to be confused with the sport of paragliding. (wikipedia)

 

The moment I saw this man flying, I immediately told my husband that I wanted to do it and without any hesitation he said "yes".  

When we got nearer to the shore, we got very excited and straight away booked for our para-sailing activity.  It was only RM50 for a 10 minute ride and for me it was enough.

I was the first one to try it, to show my sister (Louise) that everything will be alright and fun.  Everybody finished and she was still undecided whether to try it or not. I told her that it was a once in a lifetime experience and she might not have the opportunity to do it again, better do with a relative at least she would feel more secure.

At the back of my mind "Lord please take care of this one for me and give a safe and fun fly for my sister!".

After much of discussions, Louise' then tried it. :D

(Ma, Pa, wag nyo akong pagalitan ha! :D)

We then concluded the night with a yum yum seafood dinner!

Watch out for more kwelas in the next blog.
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Xoxo