The Adventures of Bruce and Ian

Langkawi’s many islands are ringed with countless stretches of beach. Some have white sand, some have golden. Some are hotspots for watersports, some are secluded getaways. Some are located along the most luxurious resorts imaginable, others appeal to backpackers on a budget. We couldn’t hope to experience anything resembling a representative sample of the full scope of Langkawi’s beach life in a single afternoon, so we made the decision to check out two very different beaches: the popular Pantai Cenang strip, and the serene Pantai Kok.

Pantai Cenang is lined with dozens of restaurants, with most offering seafood freshly caught from Langkawi’s waters. Shops offer everything from trinkets and souvenirs, to sandals and swimsuits (for those who forgot their own at home). Most of the resorts sit right on the shore, allowing vacationers to walk straight from their rooms right onto the white sand. We noticed plenty of families at Pantai Cenang, with children splashing in the blue waters while parents relaxed under palm trees. Stalls sold drinks and rented out equipment for the more adventurous – we saw plenty of people jet skiing and a few trying their hands at parasailing – with mixed results.

The sun was starting to go down and so we headed for Pantai Kok on the northwest coast of Langkawi. There was barely anyone about, just a few couples slowly walking along the sand as the water gently lapped against it. We’d planned on eating the market food back at the resort, but the scene at Pantai Kok, with its calm waters and wide open sky, was too tranquil and relaxing to pass up. We decided to have a picnic on the beach and watch the sun set.

We had a feast of bihun (fried noodles with veggies), char kway teow (noodles, chili puti and bean sprouts), nasi kandar (curried chicken on rice), murtabak (meat, curry and cabbage rolled in a light pastry) and putu mayang (rice flour pressed into fine threads and eaten with shredded coconut and brown sugar) and soft tofu with gula mulaka (the palm sugar syrup we’d slowly been growing accustomed to) for dessert. Ian liked the savory flavour of the murtabak the best, while I, being a sucker for anything with coconut, was particularly taken with the puta mayang.

Watching the sky turn a magnificent shade of pink as the sun fell beneath the waters at our feet was breathtaking: we’d arrived at the beach just in time to be treated to a magnificent display of Malaysia’s natural beauty, prompting us to wax rhapsodical about our trip thus far:

…Uh, which way is the beach? Considering the relatively small size of Lankawi, you wouldn’t think that getting lost on the way to something as big as the beach was possible. But for the heroes of the Malaysia.com team, nothing is impossible. After a few wrong turns, we were well off the beaten path and found ourselves cruising through a tiny village. When we pulled over to get our bearings, we found ourselves at the edge of an enticing looking neighbourhood market that was just getting underway.

Dozens of stalls were set up offering all manner of food, and locals were busy picking out their favourite dishes. Ian caught the aroma of some satay sticks cooking nearby, and was out of the car and heading towards them before anyone could stop him. We decided to make the most of our unintentional detour and grab some grub.

Here’s a neat way of preparing kueh, a simple flour cake:

We chowed down on a bunch of mid-day snacks: Ian got his daily quotient of satay and I had a cooling drink of limeade to fight off the tropical heat. We also grabbed loads of food to eat for dinner back at the resort. All told, a meal and a half for three people totaled out to about 14rm – under $5 Canadian. Not too shabby.

At the edge of the market I noticed one of the many t-shirt stalls I’d seen at markets during our trip. A couple of the designs caught my eye, so I began browsing through the racks. Suddenly, one of the shirts practically leaped into my arms. Could my eyes be deceiving me? No, it was indeed a shirt proudly displaying the logo of Venom, one of the most foundational and influential extreme metal bands ever (not everyone’s cup of tea, I realise). Finding such an odd bit of pop culture ephemera in the midst of a rural market in the middle of South East Asia was downright surreal. I paid 10rm for the shirt, not even bothering to haggle. Seriously, folks, you can’t put a price this sort of thing.

We didn’t catch any glimpses of the native eagles for which Langkawi is named during our time on the island, but we did see plenty of roosters and chickens milling about at the market, including one Ian excitedly claimed was missing its head (turns out it was just ducking down).

After some quick reorientation with the map, we figured out which wrong turns had led us to satay, limeade, headless chickens and metal shirts, retraced our path, and headed for Langkawi’s sunny beaches.

We caught a quick morning flight from KL to Langkawi, an archipelago of sandy tropical islands off the north-west coast of the Malaysian peninsula. We were instantly greeted with a blast of gorgeous sunshine as soon as we disembarked the ... [Continue reading this entry]

Next, we visited Kuala Lumpur’s two most famous architectural landmarks: the spire of the KL Tower and the sparkling Twin Petronas Towers. We’d heard that the view of the city from the KL Tower was unparalleled, and decided to ride ... [Continue reading this entry]

Our next stop was the Batu Caves, a series of tunnels and chambers set into limestone cliffs just outside of Kuala Lumpur.  The caves are one of Malaysia's most famous attractions, and are a holy site for the country's Hindu ... [Continue reading this entry]

After breakfast, we walked a short distance to Jalan Petaling, Kuala Lumpur’s open-air Chinatown market. Attracting a mix of locals and tourists, the market offers a full range of Chinese cuisine, handicrafts and clothing, in addition to peculiarly low-priced DVDs ... [Continue reading this entry]

You'd be suprised that even after a night of feasting, we still woke up rarin' to have a go at some good ol' Malaysian breakfast foods. Sarah picked us up at our hotel and we soon found ourselves walking on a ... [Continue reading this entry]

We’d just finished a hearty dinner on Jalan Alor when I was confronted with one of Malaysia’s most dangerous inhabitants: the durian. Some quick history: durians aren’t just one of the most popular foods found in ... [Continue reading this entry]

After getting settled in our hotel, we met up with our friend Sarah, who'd graciously agreed to act as our guide during our stay in Kuala Lumpur.  In addition to driving us through the city's crowded streets (it took us ... [Continue reading this entry]

And with that we were off! Our Malaysian mission: see as many of the country’s beaches and jungles, experience as much of its culture, and cram ... [Continue reading this entry]