Tues 24th - Sat 28th June (Week 40)

Tues 24th - Left our KL hotel at 8:30, bus back to KLIA2 which is just vast, and took us ages to figure out where to go, but it is lovely, modern and new. (Flight 39) Our 11th Air Asia flight and first one that has been delayed, but only by just over an hour. Took off at 1:20 and landed in Langkawi at 2:10. Got a taxi for the short distance to our rather basic accommodation in the most popular beach area on the island - Pantai Cenang. After our beautiful room in KL, we were pretty disappointed with our very run-down room for almost the same price, so we moved to one of their newer rooms for slightly cheaper, but incredibly small. Langkawi just seems to be really pricey for accommodation, and we really struggled to find anything near our budget online. Wandered down the main strip, checking out shops, restaurants and the duty-free shops. Langkawi is a duty-free island, so the alcohol and cigarettes etc are really cheap - hurrah ! Not overly impressed so far, just lots of tourist tat and slightly past its prime town, but perhaps its just because its low season and some places are closed and I'm sure the rest of the island is beautiful. Sat on the beach for a while watching a constant stream of para-sailers taking off and landing on the beach, with a few close calls !

Wed 25th - The room 2 doors down decided to have a party at 4am, with 10 people all bundled into a room, drinking, smoking and making a racket. Asked them to be quiet at 5am, but it carried on for another hour, so we weren't best pleased. Spent the day on the long, beautiful white beach with a small handful of other tourists scattered about. The beach is amazing, and so empty, but can imagine its pretty packed in high season. The sea was murky, so no good for snorkelling, and if anything, too warm so didn't cool us down from the hot sun at all. Watched a nice sunset with Tiger beer and nuts and were surprised how late it is here. In Indonesia it was dark by 6pm, but here sunset only really starts at 7:30pm !

Thurs 26th - Quite cloudy and muggy today, so decided to give the beach a miss, and hired a moped instead. Headed SE along the coastal path with lovely views of the pristine jungle on one side and over to the many islands on the other. Great new wide roads with little traffic except in the town areas. Drove to Kuah town which reminded me of Kota Kinabalu town, slightly old, run-down shops, but also big new shopping malls as well. Parked up and wandered around the shops and along the harbour to see the big Eagle statue, and some nice gardens. Really really hot and muggy and quickly zapped our energy. I can see why everyone seems to just lounge around on their phones all day, or taking a nap in the shade !

Fri 27th - Off and on cloud all morning, but a beautiful afternoon, so spent most of the day at the beach. It seems really strange that it is still so hot and beautiful, and the sun so high in the sky at 5pm. You really have to force yourself to come in !

Sat 28th - Final day in Langkawi and still slightly unsettled weather with a heavy downpour at 7am. Decided it wasn't really good enough to hire a moped again or head to the cable car, so lounged on the beach off and on all day. Still really hot, but made bearable by the wind, but that in turn really stirs up the sea and the waves. Hope its ok for our crossing to the mainland tomorrow !