#CoffeeWithTripoto
It was the April of 2015. My husband and I were planning to catch a quick summer break, somewhere not too far off and some place that’s inexpensive. Naturally, we ended up looking for holiday destinations in South-east Asia and chanced upon this little jewel situated in Malaysia!
Situated around 30 kilometres off the north-western coast of the mainland of Malaysia, Langkawi is a tropical island having the perfect mix of lush green forest-covered hills and pristine white sandy beaches. The island also houses mangrove forests, caves and beautiful waterfalls.
For the adventure-seekers, there are multiple options available such as kayaking through the mangrove forests, jungle treks and the usual beach thrills such as parasailing or surfing. However for the more laid-back travellers, Langkawi offers picturesque surroundings where you can simply laze around, have a few drinks, read a book by the sandy beaches or gorge on the gastronomical delights of the many cafes and restaurants on the island.
The best and probably the most popular way of getting around the island are on scooters/motorbikes, although you can rent cars too. These are widely available for hire and we rented our scooter from the owner of the Airbnb where we were staying. Driving is quite safe in Langkawi as people follow traffic rules diligently.
On our first day, we started off around noon, to one of the most popular attractions, Oriental Village. The quaint village is a hub of more than 50 odd restaurants, cafes, souvenir and retail stores, situated at the foothills of Mt. Machincang. The drive to the village was delightful. Although it had rained a little earlier, the weather was quite pleasant and driving through the meandering roads lined with lush greenery, with the breeze caressing our faces, was nothing short of amazing!
Oriental Village is the place where you board the Langkawi Cable car, also known as SkyCab, which takes you all the way up to the mountains, from where you can enjoy panoramic views of the island. You can also access the famous Langkawi SkyBridge from the top most deck of the Cable Car. The SkyBridge is one of the longest suspension bridges in the world, hanging at around 100 meters from the top of Mt. Machincang. Do plan on reaching early as entry to the SkyBridge closes at 5 pm and there are usually long queues at the Cable car ticketing counter. The walk to the SkyBridge is definitely not for the faint-hearted as you need to climb down precarious steps right on the edge of the mountains with only a handle bar between you and the abyss below. It gets pretty tiring too, given the humidity on the island. However once you reach the bridge, you’ll know in your heart that it was all worth it.
On our way back from the Oriental Village, we visited the Cenang Beach. The sand here is powdery and the beach has options for all kinds of water-sports. There are a number of charming cafes along this beach and the roads leading to it.
By evening, the ambience transforms into a fairy-tale like setting, when the cafes light up with tiny stringed lights and upbeat music starts to play. This is a great time for a lazy stroll along these streets and for grabbing a quick bite before retiring for the night. People in the island retire quite early and by 9 pm, you will find most of the streets deserted and most shops closed.
The next day we visited the Tanjung Rhu beach. This one easily makes it to the top 10 beaches of the world and its beauty cannot be described in words. A vast endless expanse of white, powder-fine sands overlooking clear blue waters and lined at the far end with forest-covered mountains. Once here, you are bound to lose all track of time and can keep on gazing into the ocean for hours if you’re a lazy romantic person like me.
Another famous landmark of Langkawi is the Eagle Square or Dataran Lang, situated in the most busy and commercial part of the island, Kuah. The drive from Tanjung Rhu to Kuah is a really long one but extremely enjoyable. Kuah also has great shopping options.
If you have more time on your hands, some of the other notable attractions that you might want to visit are the Telaga Tujuh waterfalls and the Langkawi Wildlife Park (if you are accompanied by children).
As for us, we got exactly what we wanted from this vacation – the romanticism of getting lost in time in a quaint little island, the serenity of the clear blue waters, treating our taste buds to some great sea food, long drives through beautiful meandering roads and the fun of getting caught in the occasional drizzle made our visit totally worth it!
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