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Published: February 1st 2008
Malaysia PART 1: "Malaysia Truly Asia!!" (Kuala Lumpur) Malaysia PART 2: Malaysia Truly Jungle! (Taman Negara) Malaysia PART 3: Malaysia: Georgetown Adventures (Georgetown) Malaysia PART 4: Malaysia's Island Paradise (Langkawi) The last stop of our Malaysian adventure was the beautiful northern island of Langkawi. Arriving by ferry around noon on the 30th, we were more than ready to hit the beaches of Pantai Cenang. Pantai Cenang is not known for having the best beaches on Langkawi, but it is the more populated beach on the island, and that was exactly what we were looking for for New Year's Eve.
After checking into our hotel, "Nadia's Inn Comfort" (later nicknamed "Nadia's Discomfort"), we decided to head straight to the beach, and that is basically where we remained for the next three days. Actually, with the exception of our kayaking adventure, New Year's Eve, and our boating night with the beach boys, our daily activities consisted of sleeping, swimming, eating, and more sleeping on the beach. It was exactly what we needed!!
Our kayaking adventure was on the morning of the 31st when Omar (nicknamed 'Jack Daniels') lent Jenna
View of Monkey Island from the Beach
This is the island which Jenna and I actually kayaked to. Considering we didn't know how to steer, it was quite an accomplishment.and I a kayak so that we could paddle our way to Monkey Island, about a kilometer away. At first we were really stoked that he was cool enough to lend us this kayak free of charge (regularly $20/hour), but as we worked our butts off to kayak across a somewhat strong current to Monkey Island, we realized that the beach boys probably do this to every pair of foreign girls who show up in their bikinis. As we paddled in circles trying to figure out how to steer, we couldn't help but laugh at the fact that Omar and his friends were probably standing on the beach watching us in amusement. If this was something they did regularly for morning entertainment, then we definitely gave them a good show!! Ah well, any feelings of frustration were quickly forgotten once we arrived on the beautiful uninhabited beach of Monkey Island. After taking a gazillion pictures and having a quick rest on the beach, we hopped back into our kayak for round two of our morning exercise. Luckily, our way back was much easier because we not only had the current in our favor, but we had worked out a better
system for steering. ...We might have even impressed the beach boys!
That night, New Year's Eve, we began our festivities with drinks and hors d'horves (a.k.a. crackers) in the hotel room. Our entertainment of choice was a very interesting game of
Truth or Dare. (Immature, I know!) After numerous good laughs, a near-death situation, and a few injuries, we decided to call it quits and head to the beach party. (
Lesson of the evening: You should NEVER, EVER change anything on hotel ceilings!) For the remainder of the night we partied, ate sand, did "photo shoots", and operated a chicken stand on the beach (long story). Each of our activities has quite a memory behind it, and I am confident in saying that I will never forget my New Year's on Langkawi! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
It was on our last night, January 1st, that Jenna, Brian, and I joined Omar and "Captain" (the beach boys) for a fun boating excursion. Our original plan was to start off the evening squid fishing (Brian's dream), but luckily for Jenna and I, the super-bright-light to attract the squid was broken. (Thank goodness!!) Instead, we anchored the boat and made our way
to Buffalo Island, a small uninhabited island a few kilometers from Langkawi. Once on shore, we collected some firewood and built a fair-sized campfire, where we spent the rest of the night chatting and listening to Brian and Omar play the guitar. It was the perfect ending to our relaxing stay on beautiful Langkawi!
Final thoughts on my Malaysian adventure: I went to Malaysia without any real expectations. I knew we would shop and party in Kuala Lumpur, I was excited to trek through the world's oldest jungle, and I couldn't wait to hit the beach to get even a slight tan; but what I had not considered beforehand were things such as the kindness and generosity of the people, or the depth and richness of the culture. Visiting Malaysia I learned just how multi-cultural the country is, and how kind everyone is there. Everywhere we went we met Malay people who
genuinely wanted us to enjoy their country. I have had multiple experiences in other East Asian countries where the citizens also wanted us to enjoy their country, but this always came at a price. In no way am I saying that fun activities are always free in
Malaysia, but, more so than other countries, people went out of their way to help us, and show us things that could be of interest. What one Malay man said to me on the beach pretty much sums up my impression: "I want you to enjoy my country, because I want you to remember that it is beautiful." In my impression, Malaysia is amazing - not only its beautiful scenery and interesting history, but also its people. Great trip!!
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Mom
non-member comment
Perfect pictures to see on a cold and nasty winter storm day in Canada ! Re: your pirate - maybe you should suggest people DO NOT ask him where he came from LOL !