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get
away
Get on a boat and go island-hopping or travel themangrovewaters
for a serene look into Langkawi.
Through Langkawi Waters
T
here
is more to Langkawi than duty
free shopping and fresh seafood.
Many who visit this beautiful island
don’t know that the best of Langkawi
can only be seen bouncing on a boat,
serving through its waters. Langkawi
is made of numerous islands, 99
when the waters are high and 104 during the low tide.
Start off your morning right with a little island-
hopping session. Private tours can be arranged.
However, going with a group of random tourists
makes the trip a lot more eventful. The boat leaves
from Cenang Beach at 9am, but worry not, because
there is a continuous pool of boats ever ready to take
you on a journey.
A long boat ferries a group of eight individuals,
each donning a puffy orange life vest. The first stop
was the Dayang BuntingMarble. Right before stopping
at the island, the boat driver sails past a collection
of trees mimicking the silhouette of a pregnant lady
lying on her back. Once at the island, visitors are
required to take a breezy 20-minute hike up to the
magnificent lake perched between large mountains.
Legend speaks of Dayang, a lady who fell in love
with a man named Mat Teja. During the course of
their romance, Dayang became pregnant and chose
to give birth by the lake, unfortunately, her child died
seven days after being born. Dayang later buried her
child at the lake, and the lake now stands symbolic
for all parents who suffer this awful occurrence. Some
people believe that a dip in the lake can give infertile
women a chance at bearing children.
The lake itself is stunning with the sun framing
each subtle crease of the water. There is a small
counter which rents out little pedal boats and kayaks
to tourists. The boat usually stops by for an hour and
that’s just enough time to breathe in the beauty of
this island.
A short boat ride away is where you’ll find a
convocation of majestic eagles soaring high above the
Langkawi skies. The boatmen stop in a small enclave
and throw in a bucket of chicken skin and in mere
minutes the eagles appear. In Langkawi, only two
types of eagles are legal, the White Bellied Sea Eagles
and the Brown Eagles also known as the Brahminy
Kites. When you reach the calm waters surrounding
a dense forest, the boatmen shut down their engines
and visitors sit in awe of these birds swooping in to
W o r d s :
L y l a D . M u r u g a y a h
P h o t o :
B e n S t i d o l p h