29th December 2008

We arrived in Langkawi via a proper high speed ferry, well it wasn't exactly P&O but was pretty good by Thai standards. Even getting on and off was easy!!
With high expectations of the paradise island we made our way in a 4 wheeled taxi to our guest house called 'Gecko'. After a some what abrupt check in with the English owner, we were shown to our bungalow. Well, it was a bungalow in the loosest terms, it more resembled a garden shed with a mattress inside! First impressions were that it would be OK for the 3 nights we had booked with them, so excitedly we headed off to the beach, factor 20'd up as it was a scorcher. Arriving on the beach, silence fell upon our lips as it was not exactly the paradise we had imagined or seen many times in many glossy magazines. Never the less it was a clean beach and fairly picturesque so we went for a nice refreshing swim. After our swim we headed back to the 'Ghetto' oops I mean 'Gecko' we realised our first impressions were a grave misjudgement. This was compounded by a number of factors, such as, the 2 pet monkeys that were kept chained to a tree outside our shed, the bar outside our shed pumping music until 2am, the mattress that resembled a concrete block and finally, the shower, which in all honesty we have seen more effective gardens hoses. So we guess it was quite at home in our shed!! So no surprises, after a sleepless night we swiftly checked out and found ourselves a comparatively luxurious room with concrete walls, a TV and a hot shower - BLISS!
We stayed here for 2 nights and filled our days with seeing the local sights, an aquarium and more importantly a duty free shop. Before we knew it we were having an eye test and buying some new designer specs. Well it was duty free!! Oh & not forgetting our daily swims accompanied by the local baby jellyfish - OUCH!! Where is a holiday rep when you need one!
After 2 days at the Sweet Inn we moved to our 3rd and final hotel. We had already booked this guest house and had met the 2 English owners. They seemed to be very friendly and welcoming - no surprise at their prices!
So moving our backpacks again, we arrived at 'The Palms' and we were shown to our room by Dave. The room was great with clean linen, fridge, air con and a hot power shower. All the comforts you need. We had not been there long until we realised that a) the rooms were not very soundproofed (you could chat from the veranda to the bathroom) and b) that 'Big Brother' ( or should that be 'Big Dave') was watching our every move. We had been there for no longer than 3 hours and we had already been told off for leaving a light on and moving a sun lounger from its original position. All of a sudden it felt like a holiday camp rather than a travellers guest house.
New years eve came and we splashed out on a really nice meal - we found an English owned restaurant serving homemade burgers & chips and believe us when we say, every mouthful was savoured! We think we had got totally "riced out"! As midnight approached, we headed to 'Reggae Bar' on the beach to see the new year in. It was a great atmosphere with loud music, beer and one hell of a fireworks show, even though they were a bit too close for comfort. Not sure health and safety has reached Asia yet!! One hotel resort on the beach were releasing lit lanterns into the night sky, coupled with the fireworks it made for a truly original way to see in the new year.

On our last day in Langkawi we decided to put on our adventurous heads on and hire a car for the day. Well... we say a car, but it seemed more like a 4-seater lawn mower, maybe it should have been stored next to the hose pipe in the "Ghetto" - "Gecko"!

We headed to the cable car which goes up to the highest mountain peak on the island, but alas it was closed to the strong winds. As we stared up to the tiny cable cars swaying in the wind we realized that we were pretty thankful it was shut. So we headed off to the waterfall. After walking a flight of 200 steps in 90% humidity we were overwhelmed at the small trickle we found, we think it might be best seen in the rainy season!! Next up was the source of the waterfall called "The Seven Wells". After another 50 steps Clare decided that sitting on a bench was a better option, but good old Adam took the camera and soldiered on, not realizing that there was another 400 steps to the top. After twice thinking he was having a heart attack he made it to the top; Clare thought that the photos were very nice, but he wasn't half sweaty. That afternoon we drove around the island and visited a few other beaches which were pretty and a bit quieter than ours.

Langkawi was worth the visit, but not quite the picture postcard we had imagined. Eating was interesting, we tasted some local dishes which were nice, but we did find it somewhat difficult and lacking in choice. More importantly the beer was much more expensive than Thailand!

So we packed up our backpacks again and headed to the port for our 3 hour ferry bound for Georgetown, Penang.