So for my first trip since arriving in Singapore in the beginning of August, I opted to fly solo and venture to Langkawi, an island off of the west coast of Malaysia.  For those who happen to care, Langkawi is an archipelago comprised of 99 islands, many of which consist of light jungle and tall limestone cliffs.  The islands are actually slowly disappearing over time, as the constantly crashing ocean waves are gradually eroding the limestone islands until eventually, one by one, the islands sink into the abyss.  Since time is off the essence (at least geologically speaking), I figured there was no better time than the present to get my first taste of the picturesque SE Asian islands that I have only seen in books/TV/magazines/movies to date.

Boarding the ferry!

Inside the ferry. Random eastern European lady laying down the law on some hopeless passenger.

As I was not aware that flights flew directly from Singapore to Langkawi *facepalm* I flew to Penang, Malaysia (post to come) and made the fateful decision to take the ferry out to Langkawi.  After reading the news recently about ferries full of tourists crashing all over SE Asia, I was a bit hesitant, but as any young adult would, I thought “That could never happen to me, right?”  It turns out, the ferry was actually an awesome choice, even though what I thought was an hour ride was actually three hours *facepalm x2*.  The weirdest part of the ferry ride was that the boat had a TV screen in front of the 10 rows of seats down in the hull, which played dated, American movies.  It certainly wasn’t the first time I wondered to myself, “How did I end up here?”  After enjoying the cinematic masterpieces of John Carter and Lone Ranger, I found myself docked in Langkawi.

View from lunch cafe. Pantai Cenang, Langkawi

For the day, I first explored Pantai Cenang (Cenang Beach), the most popular beach in Langkawi where my hotel was located.  As I wandered towards the beach, I walked along the main strip of shops and stalls just off the sand, which felt like any rugged beach-town you would find in the USA, except with much more nasi lemak.  Finally, I walked out to the beach a gazed upon my first image of Pantai Cenang: clear (super warm) blue water, a series of tiny limestone islands off the coast, gorgeous white sand, and more people asking me to rent jet skis than I’ve seen before (Quick, ask the big white guy!).

Pregnant Maiden Lake: potency on 110%

Funny enough, I had booked an all day Jet Ski tour already, so I ignored the numerous sales pitches and price quotes, and arrived at the my jet ski tour place of choice.  My group consisted of the guide, mysself, a Canadien, Singaporean, and one Muslim couple from Malaysia (the woman kept her Hijab on for the entire tour – a real example of religious dedication!).  Long story short, the tour was incredible.  Our guide led us to 8 different islands, the most memorable of which was Dayang Bunting (Pregnant Maiden) Island, the second largest within the Langkawi archipelago.  After relaxing on the beach a bit, our group took a short trek through the jungle to Pregnant Maiden Lake, the largest fresh water lake in Malaysia.  Without going into the entire story, legend has it that the lake provides fertility upon “barren women”, as well as a bit extra “potency” for men.  Whether that’s true or not, I don’t know.  However, I can say that the lake was gorgeous: super serene, warm water, and even wild monkeys walking & jumping everywhere.  It was my first time witnessing wild monkeys (don’t get them in New Jersey…), so I was thoroughly amused.

Monkeys!

After the tour, I ate my way around the Cenang Beach town, trying a variety of SE Asian staples like Nasi Goreng, as well as a few different seafood dishes!  All fantastic.  After enjoying the sunset, I managed to find my way back to the hotel, and it did not take along for me pass out early!  I had another early ferry ride back to Penang in the morning, which I will post soon!

I will miss this piece of paradise!