Land of eagles

Sky Bridge on Mt. Machinchang (Mat Cincang)

With this installment we are currently making everything BIGGER. This is not a result of our aging eyes. Or is it? 

Aptly named, Langkawi has lots of sea eagles. You mostly see them soaring overhead and sometimes swooping down to scoop up a fish from the water. Tourists can even go to an eagle-feeding.

Telaga Bay from the top of Mt. Machinchang. A bit hazy but still cool.

After parking the boat in Telaga Bay, we took in our own eagle-eye view of this part of Langkawi (we actually got to see eagles from way above). The steepest cable car in the world offers an interesting ride up and spectacular views. The boys were fascinated by the operation of the cars. It was a bit disconcerting when the system stopped on the way down and our side of the cars floated up and down a good distance (I'm not sure how much but it seemed like 50 feet)--definitely not the typical way cable cars move.

There was a lot of discussion about hoping the cables didn't break and that we didn't die. We made it up and and down safely (and the system was actually made in New Zealand). But when none of the special glasses for the '4-D' SkyRex tram ride worked because the batteries hadn't been replaced, resulting in the whole show being blurry for everyone, I hoped that the lack of maintenance didn't extend to the cable car operation. Also included in the ticket price was the 3D Art museum, which was cleverly done.
 

3D Art Langkawi

After walking the two miles to the cable car (we are still in training for Everest Base Camp), the boys did the best they could to talk us out of continuing on to the Telaga Tujuh (Seven Wells) waterfalls ("But we already saw it from the cable car!"). Although it was only a kilometer more, there are 638 steps to the pools at the top of the falls. Conrad complained of dizziness and Mark literally crawled up the last 100 steps. Always sympathetic, Matt and I waited for them at the top. Once they made it, they had a blast. Even in the midst of the dry season, the water slides and pools offer a refreshing reward.

The trickle at the bottom of the falls.

Perry has been laboring through the water on our latest (and mercifully short) journeys. We have been averaging about 3.5 knots (eking out a bit more when the wind lets our head sail fly), which probably means our propellers are sporting some barnacles. The water has not been welcoming (muddy and scuzzy) but we are working up the will to jump in. Here at Telaga Datai, the water is clear but I just saw one of those huge jellies floating by. So we'll see--3.5 knots isn't that bad, is it?