Hot Springs in Malaysia

Welcome to Langkawi, the island of beautiful beaches, untamed forests, cheap shopping and fascinating legends. This island is known as the Jewel Of Kedath and rightly so! Even though it is popular with tourists, it has retained its pristine environment and peaceful surroundings. Just outside the main areas lies the idyllic rural Malaysia with rice paddies, wooden houses framed by palm trees and rustic sights that you won't find anywhere else. Langkawi may be a hotspot tourist destination, but it still is one of the most beautiful islands in southeast Asia.

Destination 5 – Langkawi Island (Apr 26-Apr 30)Our ferry to Langkawi reached around 12 noon and while on the way we could see all these beautiful small sized islands popping out from the vast Andaman Sea. The rains made the scene even more catching for the eye.A quick search on Wiki will tell that Langkawi is an archipelago of 104 islands located in the Andaman Sea around 30km from the coast of northwestern Malaysia. Langkawi Island is the largest and the most populated island of all. Geography aside, Langkawi is pretty much similar to our Goa. The duty-free cheap liquor, the chilled out people, the nightlife on the beaches, the midnight markets, and the scenic roads in the daytime, all were signs of a relaxed bunch of folks who are on a perpetual state of ‘high’.The arrival in Langkawi via ferry is on the main Eagle Point Jetty. The moment you come out of the ferry, all the bike and car rental people start approaching you. We inquired both about bike and car rental prices. Bike rental costs RM 30 for 24 hours, and automatic transmission (AT) hatchback car was available at RM 60 for 24 hours. Having had a dearth of AT cars in India, it was a great opportunity for me to try out one and there was no way I was going to miss it! And I realized it was a great decision.As in Penang, even in Langkawi nobody asked for international driving license and I got the car on rent on my Indian driving license only. Although I’m not sure if it was absolutely legal, I had no reason to question the judgment of the service provider as I am a tourist.Before moving further let me state why getting the car was a great decision (as opposed to a bike) and I would suggest you do the same in Langkawi (but not in Penang). Langkawi is a big island. The places are relatively far from each other. The main Cenang beach is almost 10km from the Skywalk which is equally far from the black sand beach and so on. And there is no public transport. Only official cabs are available which are quite expensive. Uber and Grab are there but only sparingly. And riding a bike on such long distances could be really uncomfortable. Plus the car rental is not very high. Point being, rented car is best!Okay, now let’s zoom in to the island of Langkawi.Places to stay:a. Hotel Geopark Inn, Kuah: Broadly speaking, there are two major attraction areas in Langkawi – Kuah and Cenang. While Kuah has more of a city-like experience, Cenang offers a beach-like feel. It is in fact for this reason Cenang Beach is the most famous one and this is where most people land up in. And in this region there are hundreds of cheap and expensive dorms, rooms, chalets, and hotels available. But, this is not where we went to. We made our first destination in the town of Kuah. This particular hotel is a 3 star property, is good and comfortable, not a luxury by any means but totally worth the rental of RM 100 per room per night. We did not particularly stay in Cenang since we didn’t have the time. If you choose to live in Cenang, do let me know how was the experience!b. Tanjung Rhu Resort: The last two days of our journey were reserved for this amazingly beautiful five-star resort on the Tanjung Rhu beach. The resort only has suite rooms, has two different swimming pools, a private beach to boast of, an amazing view of the adjoining islands from the beach, and a lot more. When the tide is low, which happened for both evenings we were there, people walk down from the beach to the island in front for fishing or for fun. And before the sunset they simply walk back! I have never seen such pristine beach with an amazingly picturesque island view. If you have the money, definitely go and spend a few nights there. You will be amazed by the beauty of it, will relax and spend your days in the spa, the pool, the Jacuzzi, the café, or simply enjoying the view of the beach and the islands, while your nights will be spent having dinners in the restaurants, playing pool or just relaxing in your suite. Luckily we found a great deal online and booked two nights for Rs 11,000 for the beautiful suite (we booked this in advance before going). One last bit, while you’re there, do try the Malaysian massage. It is relaxing to the core.Things to do:a. The Skywalk: By far the key highlight of Langkawi is the Skywalk. It is a gondola ride, an engineering marvel built at the heart of the Geopark which takes you all the way up the mountain from where you can see lots of Langkawi islands, along with beauties of it. The moment the gondola took off and left the land, the entire atmosphere became insanely silent. It was as if all the sounds of the surroundings have somehow been vacuumed away into oblivion. The forest was utterly peaceful with marginal voices of the dwellers of the jungle. It was only humans who were disturbing the peace of the place with their conversations which once stopped one hears and enters in the realm of serenity. The first half of the gondola ride is this 42 degrees curved slope towards the hill top. The second half which was really breathtaking was the subsequent horizontal gondola ride toward the adjoining mountain. And from there we go to the Skybridge. It is a long cantilever bridge supported by just one pillar at the center and adjoining cables connected to the edges. It is thrilling to walk, look down, and even to run on the bridge. If you want to see the bridge, watch the final scene of SRK’s Don with Boman Irani and Arjun Rampal. The shoot of the climax of the film happened on the Skywalk and the Skybridge.b. The Skywalk – other attractions: Included in the ticket of the Skywalk are other attractions such as Skydome, T-Rex adventure, 7D etc. DO NOT miss Skydome at any cost. The way the dome is designed gives you a real-time feeling of sitting in a roller coaster which no 7-D or any other substitute can provide. While sitting on the seat, without any 3-D glasses or anything, just looking at the screen in front, I knew I was not on a roller coaster but my body and my mind totally failed the knowing and reacted as if I was actually going through the experience of sitting on one. It is definitely a must visit when going to Skywalk. Total ticket combo price was around RM 75 per person. Another piece of trivia: Avoid the Time Tunnel, it’s just stupid. There is neither Time nor a Tunnel. Unless you have kids between 3-5 years of age, it’s a total waste of time and money. The cost of the Time Tunnel itself was RM 27 per person which is really high for the stupid experience they provide. Everything else at the Skywalk is totally worth a visit.c. Oriental Village: Next to Skywalk in the same compound is the Oriental Village from where you can do shopping of souvenirs, clothes et al.d. Underwater World, Langkawi: Underwater world is an aquamarine park located on the Cenang Beach road. It is a zoo for sea animals and has tons of varieties of fish ranging from seals, to penguins, to sea birds, to stingrays, to nemos, to sharks, to strangely looking octopuses, to the first phytoplankton. The ticket is around RM 50 per person and the place is definitely worth the money. Another highlight of the park is the fish feeding time. There are specific times of the day when the divers enter the water to feed the fish. These are the times to visit the park as you will be amazed with the way the fish are fed and the experience it provides as an observer.e. Cenang Beach: Since we did not stay on the Cenang beach, for us the beach was more of a visit during the night. We sat on one of the shacks where the owners have put bean bags on the sand for guests to sit on, had lit candles for adding romance in the air, and there was a fire show going on with amateur fire players doing their craft for the audience. One piece of trivia, after visiting almost the entire Malaysia before entering Langkawi, we found the food to be most expensive in Langkawi, especially in the Cenang beach area. Liquor is cheap as it’s a duty-free island but food is on the pricy side. We had to search for places where we could get some good south-Indian vegetarian food which doesn’t dent our pockets too much.f. The Black Sand Beach: The black sand beach is a flat beach with sand which is black in color. But the highlight of the beach is the view of the islands in the sea which can be seen while sitting on the beach. I was awe-inspired to see islands popping out in front of me while I was walking on the beach. It’s a one of a kind experience.g. The Kilim Geoforest Ride: From the Tanjung Rhu beach, we hired a private boat who took us to the mangrove forest areas of the Kilim Geoforest. In the ride we came across Eagles, fish farms, mangroves, yachts, the backwaters, and most importantly the serene beauty of the Kilim Geofrest Park. Looking at that place gave me a feeling that till the time we have all this greenery preserved on such remote places of the plant, global warming and climate change are not the treats we should worry too much about. The ride cost RM 180 per person, which is on pricier side but definitely one you should consider.After spending four days at Langkawi, we finally marched back home by taking a cab from the Tanjung Rhu resort to the Langkawi Airport. From Langkawi Airport we had our first flight to KL Airport and then after a few hours wait our flight back home to New Delhi T3.Which brings me to the conclusion of this rather long description of our two weeks stay at the beautiful country of Malaysia! But then, there are so many places to see and to go to and so many memories to create that even 15 days is too little a time to actually visit the entire of Malaysia. Nonetheless, being a predominantly Muslim country, although you will find a lot of women wearing the traditional Muslim Hijab, at the same time you will also find a lot of them working at fuel pumps, at ticket counters, at the airports and bus stations, at shops, at the metro, at beaches and in the countryside, engaging themselves into means of livelihood even at odd hours of the day. The environment is open and safe for both sexes to work and coexist and to add value to the country’s development and to their own emancipation.All in all, if you are planning a trip with your family or your partner, Malaysia is definitely the place to be!You’ll love it, my promise!

Where: MalaysiaWhat to do: Begin your journey in the beach haven of Langkawi by taking snorkelling or scuba diving lessons at the Pulau Payar Marine Park. Discover the much-loved Pantai Cenang, a popular beach amongst tourists. Trek to the highest mountain of Gunung Raya and get a panoramic view of the islands. Don't leave without digging into Malay-style curries and seafood preparations at the Siti Fatimah.

The accommodation with a private beach is always welcome and refreshing

The very popular Langkawi island! This exuberant hot-seat of Malaysian tourism would be the perfect place to wrap up my nature trailing Malaysian trip! Langkawi is part of an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, and has quite a few fascinating myths and legends associated with it - all revolving around the many clans that ruled the island in the days of yore. Declared a Global Geopark by UNESCO in 2007, Langkawi boasts of stunning natural beauty - pristine beaches, mangroves rich in flora and fauna, lush forests, limestones caves and a thriving underwater world! How exciting it would be to explore the mangrove forests here, or go on island hopping tour or go sky-walking across the 700m high Sky Bridge to take in the spectacular vista of the surrounding islands!

Forested hills, romantic white-sand beaches and crystal-clear waters greet visitors to tropical Palau Langkawi, the largest of the 99 islands in Langkawi archipelago. Known mysteriously as "Legendary Island" because of myths associated with its ancient geological formations, it drifts serenely alongside Malaysia in the azure Andaman Sea. Sample local cuisine at the night markets, hike to dramatic waterfalls or dive into an underwater marine park to take a guided glimpse at life beneath the sea.