Langkawi

There are about 100 islands in the Langkawi group, depending upon your definition of an island. Some could just as easily be identified as large rocks covered with trees and bushes.
From where we are anchored it is a 10 minute row in our dinghy to a small ferry terminal with a handy dinghy dock. From here it is a 15 minute walk into town for laundry, internet, banks, small shops and restaurants. Going the other direction we walk along the beach and then on pathways winding through a large park. Not far from the opposite end of the park is a good sized grocery store and a nice cool air-conditioned shopping mall. On the waterfront near the main ferry terminal is an enormous eagle sculpture and adjacent plaza. The eagle is illuminated at night and could easily guide a cruising boat into the harbor.

Friends Clive and Jean drive a rental car from Telaga Harbor where their boat is tied up, to Kuah town to pick us up for an island tour. As we drive out of town into a more rural setting we see monkeys alongside the road. Water buffalo seem to roam freely and don't take much notice of oncoming cars. There is a lot of undeveloped land on the island, some farmed and some covered by jungle.

At the Galeria Perdana, we saw exhibited hundreds of gifts which were given to the former Malaysian Prime Minister Dr Mahathir over a period of 30 years. This unusual collection from countries all over the world includes ordinary as well as rare objects ranging from native handcrafts to carriages and a Mercedes.

On Wednesday and Saturday nights we sometimes go to the Night Market where local people erect stalls along a street and sell clothing, watches, jewelry, toys, fresh fruit and vegetables. The food stalls are the most fun and we walk along sampling satay chicken, arab bread with a little bag of curry sauce for dipping, thin folded pancakes with some kind of nut paste and myriad unrecognizable food items. As we were leaving one evening we passed a display of electronic pianos. A familiar tune reached our ears but seemed somewhat out of place here in Malaysia. It was "Red River Valley."

Penang to Langkawi

Before leaving Penang we spent some time with a couple from England who were travelling on one year round-the-world airplane tickets. They had spent two months in India then stopped in Sri Lanka and Thailand before coming to Malaysia. While we were in New Zealand two years ago we met other travellers, also British, who were doing this. Most are in their early 30's and either quit their jobs or manage to take a year off.

We left Penang at dawn, weaving our way through the fishermen's nets. After awhile we began to notice more boat movement than usual. What is this? Swell? Sure enough, because we are near the northwest end of the Malacca Strait we now have swell from the Indian Ocean. We have been so spoiled this past year, sailing in protected waters. Going north along the east coast of Australia inside the Great Barrier Reef, then sailing through the islands of Indonesia to Malaysia, we rarely had any ocean swell.

After a bit too much wind and choppy seas from a nearby thunderstorm (just to remind us what sailing is really like) we arrived at the beautiful island of Langkawi and anchored in Bass Harbor near the town of Kuah. Numerous ferries come and go from Kuah to the mainland and other islands. Langkawi is at the northwest corner of Malaysia.

And so, we have reached the end of the notorious Malacca Strait. We really had no problem with the shipping traffic once we left the Singapore area. We mostly stayed out of the shipping lanes. We had to be alert around the numerous fishing craft but never tangled with one of their nets. We have been warned about the dreaded Sumatras, fierce sudden winds that roll across the strait from the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It has been our good fortune not to encounter one of these yet.

Scariest of all was the threat of pirates, but apparently in recent years pirates have decided that cruising yachts are small potatoes. These days they go after merchant ships that carry more valuable cargo. So we missed out on the excitement of Moonshadow being boarded and ransacked and our journey up the Malacca Strait ended up being rather uneventful.

Penang by Motorbike

For less than $6 U.S. we rented a motorbike for 24 hours. The price included helmets and insurance (although it is unclear exactly what the coverage was.) I was just slightly terrified as we set off into the Georgetown morning traffic at the start of our circuit of the island. It should have been a 70 km trip but we took a few detours.

Our first stop was the Snake Temple and as advertised, draped over large framed pictures and other objects inside this unusual Buddhist temple, were green tree snakes and pit vipers. They didn't move, reputedly being under the influence of the burning incense. We declined offers of photos taken with the snakes.

After leaving the Snake Temple we spent a great deal of time trying to find a dot on our inadequate map identified as "Horse and Orchid Farm." After our third try at getting directions from locals who didn't speak much English we found ourselves up on a hill at the beautiful Equatorial Hotel. It's not necessary to pay to stay at these places. It can be fun just going in to take a look around--for free. The valet directed us back down the hill, where we came upon the "Orchid and Reptile Farm." We really didn't want to see more snakes.

Giving up on the horse and orchid combination we headed off down a winding side road that ended at a small fishing village. We had stopped in the shade when a local fisherman rode up on his motorbike. He spoke English quite well and told us about the effects of the tsunami on the island and on the fishing fleet. His village was in a well protected area and suffered no damage. He asked if we had seen any pirates coming up the strait from Singapore.

After stopping for nasi goreng (fried rice) in another small village we had a great ride though the hilly western side of Penang. There was very little traffic, just jungle and occasional rubber plantations and tropical fruit orchards.

Near the northwest corner of the island we pulled off at a sign that read Forest Recreation Park. Here we found a museum, covered picnic areas and a series of natural pools. Groups of young people, perhaps just out of school for the day, were swimming, eating and generally having a good time. The park had large maps showing an extensive network of trails including one to a botanical garden and a long steep trail to the top of Penang Hill.

Passing by the numerous beach resorts and souvenir shops along the north side of the island, we stopped for a cold drink and discovered "ais kacang." Similar to snow cones, they are made with shaved ice but with coconut milk and a choice of a variety of fruits and syrups--mango, strawberry, papaya, guava--and in the bottom we found a few corn kernels and pale green curly things (embryonic peas, beans?) which were also sweet. These hot tropical countries do wonderful things with fresh fruit.

The Temple of the Reclining Buddha with its definite Thai influence was our last stop. The Buddha is about 100 ft long and guarded by four large colorful dragons standing just outside. Directly across the street was a more beautiful and older (1805) Burmese Buddhist temple, the first built in Penang. Thirty foot lions stood outside the main building. In the garden was a large globe where we took photos of each other standing next to Malaysia.

Penang

The island of Penang has a population of more than one million, which means that Georgetown is a busy bustling place. The city marina is in an excellent location for catching the free shuttle bus or walking into town. The disigner of the marina however, neglected to build in adequate surge protection so you have to take care in how you tie up your boat. The big ferry dock is just next door and there are ships and tugs out in the channel. On the other hand, the marina buildings and showers are very nice and the staff is friendly and helpful.

The weather has been very hot and by 5pm it is often 90 degrees inside Moonshadow and we do not have air conditioning. So we eat dinner out when we can, often spending less than when fixing our own. We easily find sidewalk food stands or small restaurants with Chinese, Indian or Malay food for a couple of U.S. dollars. If we go to a real restaurant, perhaps air conditioned, we might pay as much as $10 total.

Late one afternoon we took a city bus to the base of Penang Hill. Here we got tickets for the funicular railway (cable car) that carries passengers to the top of the hill, about 820 meters or 2400 feet. Standing at the bottom, the tracks appear to go straight up. The car is divided into compartments and the floor and seats remain horizontal as you climb the hill. I sat facing uphill coming and going. Didn't really want to look down!

At the top there are a couple of hotels and restaurants, some private homes, a mosque, a Hindu temple, an aviary and a police station. More developed than we had expected. And of course there is a beautiful view of the city lights after dark. We walked into the small older hotel to check out their restaurant. It was too brightly lit inside to enjoy the view but there were tables outside under a nice arbor covered with vines. We asked about sitting there and were told it was not a good idea because of the vipers in the arbor! We decided not to stay for dinner.