Langkawi, Langkawi, what a beautiful gem of an island. The Malaysians seem to think so as well, and have dubbed the place, the Jewel of Kedah. 

Why Langkawi?

I had heard of Langkawi six years ago when it was time to go on a visa run from Thailand. A friend had heard that Langkawi was a cool option – a fun island with lots of things to do right there on the border of Thailand and Malaysia. We never went back then, but the name has always stayed tucked away in the back of my mind. I was sure that now, after six years, the place would be quite touristy, and boy was I happily mistaken. 

Malaysia in general was not the most touristy place in the world, not with next-door Thailand being the first-time backpackers’ destination of choice. Malaysia was an afterthought, and the tourists who did end up there were all well-seasoned travelers for the most part. And yet travel there was easy with English being an official language and the locals being so friendly. They hadn’t yet grown weary of the invasion of Western tourists like their Thai neighbors. 

Cenang Did Not Provide a Good First Impression

The main tourist spot in Langkawi was a little town called Cenang, and I found it to be a rather despicable place, although a necessary central location for a first time visit. The main beach along Cenang was made up of the finest, squeaky white powder that Mother Nature has to offer, and yet it had been turned into the world’s largest ashtray. You couldn’t walk a step without seeing cigarette butts. Humans are despicable creatures. 

The water was constantly buzzing like an angry swarm of bees from the sheer number of jet skis and other powered water sports zooming around. There’s nothing wrong with these activities; Fletch and I had a blast playing around on jet skis this past summer, but it’s a different sort of vibe, and one I wasn’t used to having imposed on my tropical beaches where I much prefer the sound of the waves lapping the shore. Plus there’s a difference between the community feel of everyone bringing their own water toys to the lake, and the tourist feel of beach vendors constantly jumping in your face to try and sell you their tours as they drop their cigarette butts in the sand.  

The road running adjacent to the beach was lined with duty free shops, rows of the same cheap souvenir shops you find all over Southeast Asia, tour offices all offering the exact same island hopping excursions and mangrove tours, and of course, overpriced restaurants selling underwhelming Western food. 

My first impression of Langkawi was not a great one. Transitioning from George Town, a quaint city so bursting with history and culture, to this tourist beach begging for money to be blown on souvenirs, water sports, and duty free liquor every step of the way, left me with a slight case of culture shock, but I soon found myself pleasantly surprised. 

Renting a Scooter

Langkawi proved to be large and spread out, with well-maintained roads that were completely empty. It was simply begging to be explored via scooter. 

All the rental agencies on the main road offered a consistent 35 ringgit per day, and I was able to talk them all down to 30 ringgit per day for booking multiple days. So given their consistency, I went with the guy in front of the hostel. That way I could park the bike with him in the evening. Experience has taught me that they appreciated it when they can keep an eye on their merchandise. 

The process was much less of a headache than it was in Thailand, six years ago. I don’t know if things are still the same, but back then, they would try to keep your passport as a deposit, and fine you for every little scratch that came back on the bike, even if you weren’t the one who put it there. 

This guy never asked for a passport, only my driver’s license (which he returned after inspection). He actually just wanted to see that I could drive. He also wanted to make sure I got a properly fitting helmet, so when none of his rentals fit my “man-sized head” (his words) he generously offered me his own. I felt guilty taking it, but he insisted, and just requested that I take good care of it, which I promised to do. 

I asked if I could take a video of the scratches on the bike. I don’t think the idea of ripping me off for the scratches had occurred to him, because he suddenly felt the need to explain to me exactly why the bike was scratched in the first place. He took the time to point them out, and explained that it was a Yamaha, and guys always liked the Yamahas because they were fast, and so ended up scratching them. I assured him that I had no intention of going fast. 

Exploring Langkawi by Scooter

Exploring Langkawi’s jungle-covered hills by scooter proved to be the best experience on the island, more so than any of the tourist activities. There are moments in life where you just pause and go, “Is this real life?” For me, riding a scooter on an empty road through beautiful scenery in the tropics is one of those moments. It’s the little things, not the famous Instagram spots, or the bucket list activities, but the simple moments, the moments that make you appreciate right here and now. Not the moments that make you wonder how many likes you’ll get on social media. 

I’ve noticed that about blogging. The best moments are the ones that aren’t much to blog about. Sure I can write about how the air was cool and refreshing up at the higher elevation, how the scents from the forests were an intoxicating aroma of nature’s finest tropical fauna, how the road would occasionally be marked with yellow stripes, which caused the bike to bounce up and down in a comical fashion, how monkeys stared expectantly from the side of the road as I rode by, wondering if any food would be thrown their way… But that’s not really much of a story. 

Langkawi’s Beaches

In addition to busy Cenang Beach, Langkawi was home to two famous beaches that most of the articles online will tell you to check out. Pasir Tengkorak Beach was lovely, but proved to be very crowded with locals. The number of people already there did not inspire any amount of time to be spent. 

But north, all the way at the tip of a little peninsula, sat Tanjung Rhu Beach. Ahh this was paradise. A lone beach bar played chill reggae tunes. A handful of beachgoers basked in the sun. But mostly all that was there were beautiful expanses of empty, white sand beach. How could this much beach be so empty? I was astounded. Several rock islands jutted out of the water. What serenity. The only downside was the water was a rather muddy color. I wondered at how Langkawi’s water could be so opaque, with Thailand’s legendary clear, blue water only an hour-and-a-half boat ride away. Strange. That place would have been perfection, that empty stretch of tropical paradise, were it not for the murky water. 

What Happened to Langkawi’s Water?

I later learned from a local that the water used to be clear like Thailand’s, but had been destroyed from all the runoff from coastal development. He was especially infuriated over the construction of the bridges to Penang, saying that the drilling into the seabed had ruined Malaysia’s waters. Such a pity. I had toyed with the idea of checking out the diving in Langkawi, but even the dive schools disclosed on their websites that the conditions were nothing special, with an average of 2-4 meters of visibility. The consensus from everyone I spoke to seemed to be that the diving in Langkawi was definitely worth skipping.

Langkawi’s Night Markets

Another reason to have a scooter on Langkawi was for the night markets. Langkawi had a rotating night market system, with the market being hosted in a different location on the island every night of the week. It was very local, and not just a show set up for tourists (like the small street stalls set up in Cenang that all offered the same overpriced, burgers and plastic-wrapped fruits). And the food! You could stuff yourself silly for 10 ringgit ($2.50 US). Although be warned, the majority of it was either fried or pure sugar.

I’m not usually big on a lot of sugar, but some of the desserts were so unique that I had to try them, figuring I might never get another chance to. The absolute best one I tried was called apam balik. Are you ready for this? It was basically a piping hot pancake, stuffed with sweet corn and peanut butter. I know, I know, weird combo, but most non-Americans also think that peanut butter and jelly is a weird combination. And this was so much better than any peanut butter and jelly sandwich I have ever had. It is at the top of my list of foods to learn how to make when I have a kitchen again. It should be quite simple, as pancakes, corn, and peanut butter are all very common things in the US. 

Langkawi Redeemed

At the end of that first full day exploring Langkawi by scooter, I knew I had found a special place. Sure, Cenang wasn’t my cup of tea, but the rest of the island had the chill, quiet island vibes that I had been ready to search all over Southeast Asia for. I smiled as I  rode back to the hostel, and rounded a corner to see a brilliant red fireball slowly sinking behind a lush green mountain. Ah, there was that moment again, that “this is living” moment. If only Fletch could be here for this, it would be perfection. Riding off into the sunset is about as epic as it gets, but it’s just not quite the same alone…