Langkawi, Malaysia

The name 'Langkawi' is derived from the Malay for 'eagle' and 'reddish brown'.

Although we have been to Malaysia before, it was Borneo and not the area around mainland Malaysia. Kuah, on the island of Langkawi,  is not a big city by Malaysian standards but it has a McDonald's and a movie theater (which had 2 movies in English and 3 in Mandarin or Cantonese), as well as a seemingly unlimited supply of duty-free shops.

 

We have filled up with water, washed the boat, taken in a movie (one of the English-language options--$2 US a ticket!), taken advantage of the cheaper restaurants here, and waited. We made the mistake of letting our ATM card expire, so we had to wait a little over a week for a new one to be shipped over from the US. We ordered a few items from the US and waited for them to clear customs in Kuala Lumpur and then Penang and then waited for them to be delivered. In the meantime, our credit card was used fraudulently, so we are waiting for my parents to send us the new one. Then our generator brush assembly melted, causing the generator to stop producing power, so we are waiting for a new one of those as well.

Giants fighting (or zombie hands) at the Legends Park

 

Lion Dance at the Chinese New Year celebration- you don't
notice at first, but these 2 guys are jumping between poles
5-7 feet off the ground, with a landing pad the size of a
small dinner plate.

While we wait for the remainder of our parcels, we have decided to get a change of scenery (and get away from the endless stream of tour boats speeding through the anchorage) at some other anchorages around Langkawi. Our first stop is Teluk Dayang Bunting, one of the 3 Geoforest Parks around the island.

Teluk Dayang Bunting

Lake of Pregnant Maiden