Life, and a ten-minute walk, took us initially to a souvenir handicraft place called De'Zone. An online article dedicated an extensive write-up to this shop, relating an intriguing story about a pair of brothers bringing home artefacts from the four corners of the world, each one hiding a story of discovery they would be willing to share with you. The reality was a little more prosaic and neither the brothers nor the fascinating back-story to the unique 'objets' were apparent. In fact many of the pieces looked distinctly like any of the array of gewgaws found at all other souvenir resellers. Hand-made, perhaps, but certainly not one-of-a-kind antiquities sourced from distant lands.
On the opposite side of the road, coaches disgorged tourists into 'Chocoffee', which promised tastings of chocolate and coffee. I had low expectations and it failed to meet even these. Both products were of poor quality. The coffee was little more than instant powder full of sugar and flavourings. The chocolate was little better, being mostly vegetable fat and whey powder, with a similar array of flavour enhancers.
Our visit to these retailers, clearly set up to sell to tourists on one-day island tours, made me feel uncharitable. I want to see people with passion in their craft. Even if the result is not to my taste, I can appreciate the effort that has gone into it and the joy it has brought the creator.
I decided to enjoy what Langkawi does best: nature. After a self-guided session of yoga in the garden, I ensconced myself in my favourite position in the hammock. Brahminy kites circled high overhead, while closer to the tree-line, racket-tailed drongos hopped from branch to branch. It wasn't long before some macaques crept up to the edge of the garden and peered in. The puppies, if they were even aware, were uninterested.
Our host spontaneously proposed a trip to the summit of Gunung Raya - the highest peak on Pulau Langkawi - for sunset.
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| Kuah town |
It took quite a while to drive the winding path up to the highest point at 800m above sea level, which gave us a good view over the whole island. Our host told us he cycled, once, to the top in two hours. For those who like a challenge, there are even steps all the way up one side of the mountain. There is a hotel at the peak, but few people stay there as it takes such a long time to ascend and descend the mountain each day.
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| Pulau Dayang |
The view from the top was magnificent, looking out over nearby islands Pulau Tuba and Pulau Dayang to the south and Ko Tarutao (in Thailand) to the north. We sipped a beer that our host had thoughtfully packed into a cooler while the sun set.
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| Sunset from Gunung Raya |
Having recently met an old school friend, our host suggested we eat at her small pop-up Italian restaurant that serves bars on Pantai Tengah. Although Chinese, she has spent several years in Italy and hand-makes fresh pasta. The tagliatelle was rich and flavoursome.
The atmosphere on Tengah beach is laid back and live music at nearby Wood's Bar by three guys on guitar and one on a djembe drum fitted in perfectly. They played covers of classics, which included an oddly jaunty rendition of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here.
Our host was eager to show us Samba bar, where the atmosphere was a little livelier, but apparently we left shortly after midnight before it really heated up.
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