Pulau Langkawi 26km long 03.02.10

nothing like a beachside sunset

toucans frolick in a tree on the main tourist street/ cheeky monkeys on a local island

one of the stunning surrounding islands/ the most scenic beach rubbish we've found

Langkawi is the final island resort before Thailand. From here to cross into Thailand by boat is the safest border crossing (on the Eastern seaboard there is ongoing unrest due to continued Muslim attacks). Pace of life is noticeably slower as soon as you arrive on small islands. We take a cab out to Pantai Cenang on the opposite side of the island and arrive at our lodge ready to relax and hit the beach. There's a long strip of tourist oriented restaurants and tour companies and most people here seem to be on their two week short break. There are some old time hippy travellers here too who enjoy the laid back Malaysian way of life. We're going to be island hopping for the next week or two as we make our way up through the Andaman Sea so I'm sure we'll become accustomed to this type of existence! The only downside to all this sun, sea and sand is the anonymity of being 'just another whitey'. You miss the traditional ways of life and the culture on te mainland. But we'll be going back to the mainland, possibly for Chinese New Year on the 12th, so we can enjoy this little holiday experience with all the other tourists. We take an island hopping boat tour to see three offshore islands and the giant sea eagles which are only to be found here and another few places round the world.