Into Malaysia - Pulau Langkari

There are over a hundred islands in the Langkari group but only one with any real development on it, i.e. ferry fundamentals. It is a popular destination for Malaysians to holiday and for travellers extending their Thai visas. Being a Malaysian tourist mecca it was accordingly expensive and had loads of thrilling attractions such as bird, butterfly & flower parks, but I can't say any of these were going to flick my switch. Instead, I opted for another island hopping tour and was back on a boat within 2 hours of arriving. The first thing I noticed about Malaysia (& I know it sounds ridiculous considering the close proximity to Thailand) was that the sky seems absolutely enormous here. It must be something to do with the cloud formations but the sky has an extremely overwealming presense to it. My sanity is thankful that other people I've met have said the same thing.

The majority of the islands we visited were nothing more than a small white sand beach and nothing to do but sunbathe for the alotted time. The organisers did however save the best for last - Langkari is famous for the eagles that roam the skies and one of our stops was to a secluded bay where the eagles fed from the ocean. The sight of a dozen eagles flying overhead, swooping in for the kill, and soaring towards the skies again was worth the boat ticket alone.

The 3rd and final island we visited is famous for there being a fresh water lake in the middle of it that is only seperated from the ocean by a narrow strecth of land no more than a few metres wide. The lake supposedly has fertility improving properties and many hopeful women come to dip in the waters every year. Legend has it, that it is also the home for a giant white crocodile which one would assume would only suffice to offer anything but fertility increasing properties. At the edge of the lake where the path takes you, there are a few seperated areas for breeding catfish which were more than happy to provide a foot massage to anyone who dipped their feet into the water.

Following the lesson learned on Ko Lanta, I hired a motorbike once again and set out to see the island at my pace. Unlike the roads of Vietnam & Thailand, & especially not like the dirt & rock tracks of Ko Lanta, the roads here were smooth as silk. This made the day a lot more enjoyable and allowed me to entertain notions of being Valentino Rossi as I leaned my bike around the winding mountain roads. Ok, so the bike only went about 60km/hr and I was leaning less than a football referee on a bad call, but it was still fun. I checked out the two best beaches on the island, did some more sun soaking, took the bike back, & made it to the port in time for my ferry to the mainland. Another island visit was over but no tears would be shed this time.