Langkawi

I don't even know what to say about it, it was so incredible. We were planning on spending a few days there and heading all over Malaysia, but ended up spending the entirety of the vacation being spoiled on the islands. Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands, and only four of them are inhabited. My favorite thing about the place were the coconut palms. They were everywhere! Food was fantastic and the menus varied considerably-- we even had Mexican one day! Both the locals and the tourists were quick to become friends with you.

One highlight was our first full day, we chartered a gorgeous teak sailing yacht to take us to explore private beaches and wild jungle. Check it out at www.damaiindah.com. It was one of the most fun things I have ever done in my life. Captain Eva, along with Jeff the first mate from California and the bartender Erika (it was open bar) and her husband who is an amazing chef (he made everything on board-- he made filet steak and grilled onion tapas; platters of fresh fruit; locally caught Spanish mackerel; prawns, marinated in honey, mustard, garlic and olive oil; paprika and lemon pepper marinated spring chicken; chicken curry; noodles-- all that for the few of us!) were a memorable crew, and we had a ball with the others on the baot-- a couple from London and an American mom and her two girls living as expats in Singapore. We anchored at a white sand deserted beach, and Tripp and I sea-kayaked and found a lagoon and went swimming. We sailed all day, through a tropical "tropical Norwegian fjord” surrounded by steep limestone cliffs. We dropped anchor again at a bay, and Eva took Tripp and I on the dinghy to a recently discovered cave. We sailed back to the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club as the Andaman sunset was working its magic and stayed on the boat another hour and a half lingering with our new friends.

Hmmmm... let's see, other things I don't want to forget so I will write them in my journal-turned-blog...
- Batik art lesson (you know the fabric Muslims wear?) and painted my own masterpiece (using this term loosely)
- Rode the Langkawi Cable Car and walked the Sky Bridge
- ate most meals al fresco in beach side cafes swinging in hammocks or by tiki torches
- found a cheap doner kebab place serving Syrian food and met a new Palestinian friend, Tiger
- took a break from the sun for a foot massage and cucumber facial & Tripp had back massage
- Red Tomato Garden Cafe was this amazing garden bistro I want to recreate at home-- organic, healthy, delicious breakfasts in this secluded jungle style porch
- motor scooters to explore the rain forests in Kedah and stopped for fruit juice squeezed in front of me
- took an hour's boat ride to Pyar Marine Park with Coral Island to spend an afternoon snorkeling with sharks in the reefs
- jungle trekking up to a staggering view from a cliff with nothing but shimmering sea all around
- our new friend Sam we met on the beach is a Malaysian that made me a grasshopper out of palm leaves and brought me a growth of aloe vera plant when I burned
- water taxi to Tuba to explore the local island and slower way of life... mode of transport for all citizens is motor scooter
- I am sure there are more but there is a lice outbreak at school and it's time for my kids to read Cleo's Color Book. Tripp's pictures are up on his Picasa if you're interested in seeing our photos from the Chinese New Year trip.