LANGKAWI CURSE

Beautiful Langkawi was under a curse until 1987. Since then the 99 island archipeligo has gone through a massive tourist boom & become a well known international destination. While trying to steer clear of touristy type & hype islands,  l have discovered now that l had been cheating myself of a surprisingly unique experience.  Perched in the NW of Malaysia, near the border of Thailand,  l   I had purposely skirted past it many times. But sometimes the beaten path is well beaten for good reason. And so it is with Langkawi.

Legend has it that in the late 1700's,  a beautiful woman named Mahsuri was falsely accused by her jealous mother-in-law, of adultery. She was sentenced to death by the chief & tied to a tree & stabbed with her family kris (dagger). Her wounds bled white blood, the sign of her innocence. With her last breath she cursed the island for 7 generations.  Decades of failed crops followed, as well as attacks & take-overs from Thailand. Then 25 yrs ago, 7 generations later strangely enough, the sultan proclaimed Langkawi as a duty-free island & it's now become a prosperous & well known holiday playground with all the toys such as jet-skis, banana boats & para-flying.

I stayed at Cenang  Beach, the most popular & touristy, lined with beach bars, seafood restaurants, happy hours & cheap cocktails at sunset ($2.50). Plentiful array of choices in accommodation ranging from 5star to bare-arse back-packing. The problem with staying at the budget end is envying all the resort hotels with pool-side service. The street is full of duty-free stores tempting with all the name brands as well as the mandatory chocolates & alcohol. Bottle of duty-free vodka, 1litre, $12!

But Langkawi is also blessed with an amazing amount of natural beauty & was classed as a geo-park by UNESCO. lt really does have it all, lush jungle, waterfalls & mangrove estuaries, wildlife & marine parks. We went on a 3 island hop & it was surprisingly better than anticipated. Each island experience was uniquely different & well-worthy of a visit. Went to the Pregnant Maiden Lake, a huge, deep freshwater lake that feels eerily bottomless. Apparently it has magical powers that increases fertility. lf fertilization is not on the itinerary, maybe it should be avoided. Cheeky monkeys can be aggressive if they suspect bags carrying food.  Massive sea-eagles, mascot & symbol of the islands, swoop the bay hauling fish with their talon claws. There's always something happening but in a lovely kick-back way. Langkawi is a lovely surprise all round. Yeah it is touristy but for good reason.

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