"A Picturesque View o ..." a Pulau Langkawi Travel Page by batgirl1001

This picture was taken in an exclusive yacht club off the Kuah jetty and it shows the last moments of sunsetsbefore the darkness swells. The beautiful dusky glow over the sailboats is oddly enough caused by the haze from the late forest fires in Indonesia which were brought over by the northeasterly winds. Langkawi has spectacular sunsets and one of the best ways is to catch it- while it disappears overs the waters at a lovely beach, a scenic sunset cruise on a ship or from the height of the viewing deck of Gunung Mat Chinchang will make it a memorable lasting impression on your trip.

We visited the idyllic island of Langkawi, Malaysia - Malaysia's premier island retreat and it was a blissful 6 days where the weather was picture perfect (except for the slight haze), not a hint of rain in sight and only aslight breeze to greet you on most of its hot and humid days.

Langkawi, the isle of legends so called for its supersitious and colourful myths is an island of the west coast of Malaysia above Penang and just below the borders of Thailand. The island strums to a slower rhythm than the rest of Malaysia, preferring instead to work at its own pace and be blissfully unconcerned with the troubles of the mainland.

Despite its duty-free status for the tourists and its tax-free haven for the rich, the island has a lot of laidback charm. Langkawi is not as raunchy as Phuket is nor as culturally-rich as Bali; it lacks the vibrant, noisy nightlife that these famed islands have - you won't find blasting disco music on the streets, scantily-clad tourists or locals for that matter, roaming around here and there enjoying a vibrant, brisky nightlight. Instead the only place brimming with tourist nightlife in Langkawi, Pantai Cenang is relatively tame, safe and though full of international cuisines, shopping and throngs of people walking the streets, it is as lackback and relaxed as the island itself.

According to the factbook, Langkawi has 99 isles but the locals believe there are about 103 or even more depending on the the whim of the tides. Nevertheless 99 has a magical ring to it and the island is built on myths and legends which is still believed by the island folk.

The Kedahans are friendlier and more interactive than many of their Malaysian counterparts from other states. Perhaps their lives are less stressful than their mainland counterparts, perhaps they feel blessed or perhaps the charms of the island are the charms of the people themselves. It seems like the island moves to a different rhythm and a different beat to the rest of Malaysia.