Blogs from Pulau Langkawi, Kedah & Perlis, Malaysia, Asia - page 2

Yeah... Dad's here for a visit... I went down to Kuala Lumpur to meet him and as he was feeling good we booked and caught the next flight up to Langkawi. On our way to the flight we literally bumped into Drew and Kat at the airport, who I hadn't seen for years. The last time Dad was here I was staying on Drew's boat in Phuket and the boys were happy to see each other. We're all on the same flight, staying in the Royal Hotel for the night and had a great start! Next day I took Dad up to have a look at Aria, he managed to get onboard ok and he decided he could manage to stay onboard which was great. Unfortunately I have new crew onboard, all German's, but that's life! ... read more

Working on Aria has been an incredible experience. I have learned so much not only about the whole design of yachts and reasoning behind things, but the whole shipyard and refit experience is one I will never forget, for many good and bad reasons. So at the moment, we've been out of the shipyard for 8 months and finally the work and jobs are finished, we're now onto general maintenance and upkeep. The sea trials have been completed, everything is in working order and looking fabulous. The work we achieved has more than complimented the boat she is now modern, simplified, with many new features and designs both inside and out. From flush teak decks, new seating areas and a new swim platform outside to a basically new engine room, electrical systems, plumbing, water maker, fridges ... read more

LP warned that my next stop might ultimately take longer than I'd planned, and they were right. The book recounted the experiences of backpackers who'd originally planned to stay at Langkawi for a few days, which eventually morphed into weeks, and even longer for some. I was no exception. Having originally set aside three days for this sojourn, I couldn't resist extending just one extra day in this island paradise, and this being my last stop in the country, thus postponing my inevitable departure from the land of roti canai. Even bigger than Penang itself, Langkawi is actually a collection of a total of 99 islands, belonging to Malaysia's northern-most state of Kedah, bordering the deep Islamic southern Thailand provinces. You would think that 99 idyllic verdant islets set in crystal blue waters would in no ... read more

Ein Großteil der Andamanenküste von Penang und Langkawi an der Westküste Malaysias bis zum thailändischen Urlauberparadies Phuket und Dutzende von Inseln dazwischen lässt sich mit dem Boot bereisen, ohne jemals das Festland betreten zu müssen. Lokal kann man dann von einer größeren Insel aus ebenfalls auf kleinere Inseln hüpfen. Mein Ziel war zunächst Pulau Langkawi, eine bekannte Urlaubsinsel im Nordosten Malaysias. Die Anreise erfolgte mit dem Speedboat von Penang aus und dauerte nur knapp zweieinhalb Stunden. Ein Taxi brachte mich und eine Mitreisende an den Hauptstrand Pantai Cenang. Unterkünfte direkt am Strand sind sehr teuer, aber in einem beliebten Backpackergästehaus 2 Minuten vom Strand entfernt fanden wir Schlafsaalbetten für weniger als 4 Euro. Langkawi ist mit fast 500 km² nur wenig kleiner als Phuket und ungefähr doppelt so groß wie Ko Samui. Die gesamte Insel ist ... read more

Keskiviikkona 20.5.2009 (Nettiyhteydet eivät toimineet,joten en saanut tekstiä eilen julkaistua): Langkawi, tuo hiekkarantojen ja verovapaiden ostosten luvattu saari. Jos haluaisin ryhtyä elämäntapajuopoksi, tekisin sen ehdottomasti Langkawilla. Miksikö? No, saaren verovapaiden hintojen ja muutenkin edullisen hintatason ansiosta alkoholituotteet ovat täällä naurettavan halpoja. Ruokailun yhteydessä nauttimamme Tiger-olut tuopponen maksoi ravintolassa 0,6€ ja paikallinen duty-free ostoskeidaskin myi ilolientä puoli-ilmaiseksi. Harmi, kun ei täältä asti oikein jaksa ruveta raahaamaan viskipulloja kotiin asti. Eikä tullikaan sitä vissiin kovin hyvällä silmällä katsele. Eikä täällä paikanpäälläkään oikeastaan kannata kauheasti ruveta juopottelemaan, kun tuo kuumuus voi tehdä tuhojaan ja kuivattaa pienen ihmisen. Yksi tuoppi lounaalla silloin tällöin kuitenkin näillä hinnoilla maistuu :) ... read more