Aghhh, Langkawi—what a beautiful place. Before arriving, we were told the beers and chocolates were sooo cheap here. Confused, we started asking why, and to our surprise, we found out Langkawi was, in fact, a duty-free island. This was shaping up to be one of our favourite places so far, and we hadn’t even stepped foot on the island, yet.

After landing and dropping our bags at our accommodation, we instantly headed out. The weather was perfect, and we didn’t want to waste any time exploring. First stop: Panorama Langkawi.

Here, we took the longest free-span mono cable car, stretching 1700m and reaching an elevation of 650m above sea level. Located at the oldest part of Southeast Asia—the first to emerge from the ancient sea and estuary—it was quite impressive. Up here, we were able (though we had to pay—nothing is free around here) to walk along the longest free-span and curved bridge in the world, measuring 125m in length. Offering 360-degree views of the surrounding islands, it was truly amazing to see the vast landscape, dating back 560 million years. The sway of the bridge in the wind, however, wasn’t quite as amazing. Shortly after, we made our way back to the ground, grabbed lunch at 7/11 (2-minute noodles, chicken flavour, of course), and headed back to check-in to Bed Attitude Hostel Cenang, where we’d be staying for the next 3 nights. We settled into our private room in no time—thank goodness this room had a working aircon, unlike the last one.

Once settled, we hit the town! A short stroll down the road saw us on Chenang Beach just in time for sunset, which had to be the best sunset we’ve seen on our travels, so far. Words or photos can’t do it justice. We noticed the sand felt similar to a ‘normal’ beach back home—it felt nice between the toes, if you know what I mean. We spontaneously decided to go paragliding! In no time, we were on the boat and in the air. As the nerves subsided, we were able to take in the breathtaking beauty of Langkawi at sunset. The tranquility of the pink and orange sky was glorious as we effortlessly floated high above the water without a care in the world. Afterward, we enjoyed a fire show put on by the locals, which runs every night until 2:00am! As the night grew older, we decided it was time for dinner, then home, after breaking the budget for the day. A sensational night—one that will be remembered for many years.

Day Two

After a cold night’s sleep, I woke early and headed out for a run. It was nice to get out and see the town in the morning, but at 29 degrees, it was tough. Not to mention, nothing was open at 8:30am, which was very strange for us Aussies. Afterwards, we headed to Langkawi’s Underwater World. It’s always interesting to learn about the different species that live among us, especially in a different climate like Malaysia.

Later on, it was beach time! We found a nice spot under a tree and set up camp for a couple of hours. As Cass read her Kindle, I headed for the water—but not without my crocs on, because that sand was some of the hottest I’ve ever felt. The water wasn’t as refreshing as I’d hoped, but it was still a nice escape from the blistering heat. I headed back to relax and play my infamous game of Clash of Clans (my go-to game this trip—Cass thinks I’m addicted). Thirty minutes had passed and it was time for another swim, this time I managed to convince Cass to join me in the water—it’s always nice to have some company. After our swim, we dried off and headed back to the hostel for some beverages ($1.80 AUD for a beer) and some admin.

As we left the hostel that evening, we thought we should take advantage of the duty-free alcohol, so we headed to the bottle-o. We picked up a couple of bottles of Soju and beers each, all for only $9.50 AUD, and made it just in time for sunset. We found a nice spot on the sand and enjoyed our drinks, reminiscing about our travels so far. It was the perfect way to end a Wednesday night.

Day Three

We woke up a bit groggy this morning after last night’s antics. Nonetheless, we were determined to stay true to our word and headed out for a run, even though it was bloody boiling.

We cleaned up, had some breakfast (Weet-Bix), and were picked up for an island-hopping tour. Organised chaos soon saw us out on the water, headed to our first stop: Tasik Dayang, more commonly known as The Lake of the Pregnant Maiden (because it looks like a pregnant lady lying on her back). Here, we were stung with an expensive entrance fee, nearly more than the cost of the entire tour. Nevertheless, this freshwater lake, surrounded by mountains, greenery, and, of course, monkeys, was beautiful. However, we did feel a sense of déjà vu, having seen something similar in the Philippines—and arguably, better. I think that’s the “problem” with sightseeing: we naturally compare things to what we’ve already witnessed, which can sometimes diminish the experience. Regardless, it was nice to relax and take a dip.

The second stop on the itinerary was eagle feeding. This was very cool! Watching two types of eagles soaring about, catching food—albeit for only about 5 minutes—was amazing. It would’ve been nice to stick around longer, as it felt a little rushed.

The third and final stop was Pulau Beras Basah. Now, don’t get me wrong, this was nice, but just a standard beach (with rocks underfoot). Not much to see here. In summary, the trip probably wasn’t worth it, but at least I got to swim, so can’t complain there.

Following the trip, we relaxed in the hostel until sunset and repeated the previous nights’ routine. You can’t go wrong sitting on the beach with a few drinks, enjoying each other’s company—something I’m sure we’ll miss when we have to eventually head home.

Departure

We woke early, checked out, and booked a grab to the airport. We were sad to be leaving Malaysia but excited for Thailand—though, of course, not without a few issues! We seem to love them…

We quickly cleared customs after dropping our bags and found a table just outside a café. We sat here for a while, cautiously listening to all announcements as our boarding time neared. Something was wrong. Our plane had been at the gate for a while, but an announcement came through saying the departure would be delayed due to a maintenance issue. Here we go again. By this point, we were worried we’d miss our connecting flight, originally scheduled with a 2-hour layover. To cut a long story short, we ended up sitting at the airport for about 10 hours. We finally departed at 8:00pm, missed our layover, booked another night’s accommodation near the airport in KL, and rescheduled a new flight to Thailand the next morning. All in a day’s work. We later found out the original plane’s landing gear had issues, and they scheduled a rescue plane, which caused the delay. This, in turn, forced us to reshuffle our plans and miss the Phi Phi Islands in Thailand—until next time.

All in all, we absolutely loved Langkawi—probably my favourite place in Malaysia. There’s so much more to explore, and best believe we’ll be back one day. But for now, bon voyage!