Kisap River

While we are docked at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club (not quite as sumptuous as it sounds) we meet Jeff and Kathy who are also from Portland. They built their steel sloop Mirage and lived aboard before leaving Oregon in 1994 to go cruising.

After enjoying the convenience of dockside living for 4 days we head out again for the east side of Langkawi to explore the Kisap River. A couple of miles up this winding river we find a beautiful spot to anchor near a high cliff. We see no other yachts in the 5 days we are here-but then the Kisap is not noted in any of the cruising guides. We do see plenty of fishing boats however as they come and go every morning and evening. Even some quite large, maybe 60 ft, wooden cargo and fishing boats come by and dock at a wharf up river. There are sometimes as many as 20 people aboard who wave and call to us.

Every day we see a 3 ft monitor lizard swimming along, patrolling the shore. We see an occasional monkey and one day watch a large male macaque swim across a side channel of the Kisap. A few minutes later a small young monkey attempts to follow but turns around and swims back apparently deciding it is not a wise thing to do.

While out dinghy exploring we come upon two signs with arrows pointing to a particular channel through the mangroves. Rowing along this channel we come to a fishing village with many small boats tied along the river bank. We walk along small winding roads, passing small houses and gardens where, as usual, people seem surprised to see us. A common denominator in most of the less developed countries we have visited is that people seem puzzled by our desire to just wander about to see what's there. We are often asked "How did you get here"? Or, "Where are you going"?

Another day while rowing up a different side channel we came upon a stairway which led from the water up to the Barn Thai Restaurant, nestled in amongst the mangroves. It is also reachable by road and a rather long raised wooden walkway. Below the restaurant the resident monitor lizard was munching on a chicken carcass thrown down to him by the cook.

We go to the hole-in-the-wall anchorage on Moonshadow for a change of scenery. While having lunch with friends at the Fish Farm and Restaurant we strike up a conversation with 3 young women at the next table. The one who speaks some English tells us they are sisters on holiday from Kuwait. When asked if they are travelling alone she says "Oh yes, we are free"!