We arrived in Langkawi on the ferry from Kuala Perdis and endured the normal mad congestion outside the port trying to get a Grab before getting to our accomodation in Pantai Cenang.

Langkawi is famed for its duty free status so there are many duty free shops but mostly selling chocolate although alcohol is available too.

We stayed at a small family run place again as the one in Koh Phi Phi steered us down yesterday path. Another good choice here with Fuuku Villa.

The biggest tourist attraction on the island is the sky cab cable car, one of the steepest in the world. Now I do not enjoy heights, despite having done a huge bungy jump in New Zealand years ago (think alcohol from the night before played a part in numbing the senses) but I was prepared to go along and even, if feeling brave, walk across the bridge.

The cable car was OK, I even kept my eyes open, but the bridge looked like a nightmare. However, just as I was contemplating backing out the clouds engulfed the place  so you could hardly see anything. This was my chance, I quickly made my way across, well as fast as you can go with small steps and holding the rail, took a quick photo and turned to head back. Unfortunately, in just thst minute to cross the cloud had now disappeared and bright sunshine showed the staggering “beauty” of being so high up.

Nothing for it, I made my way back, with a look of fear on my face that suggested that if I hadn’t soiled myself I was just about to.

On a more positive note there were loads of really unusual looking monkeys hanging around at the base camp area who seemed oblivious to people taking their photo.

There is also a waterfall near here that is worth walking to.

Overall we got the impression Langkawi had not kept pace with the development of tourism in other areas. Taxi drivers were able to list several large hotel chains and car rental companies that had closed and not reopened, plus a reduction in the number of ferry crossings and everything seemed to stem from the time of Covid which we had not heard before. Other people had bemoaned the ongoing US Iran war as it had reduced flights and the number of tourists travelling from the Middle East.

It was in Langkawi that we realised Saturday is just a normal day here, not part of the weekend as that tends to take place on Sunday and Monday.

Once back on mainland, after a ferry to Kualah Kedah, we jumped on a very crowded train to Butterworth  (Sunday) and had a long chat with a young graphic design student we had met who guided us to the ferry over to Georgetown.

There is a nice vibe in Georgetown and it is famed for the street art there, even though much of it has only appeared in the last 20 years. It was great to see it had been left as painted, no protective or security coverings as would be the case if Banksy had produced any of it. People were walking round trying to find the paintings and take photos but were very respectful to the art.

Love Lane is a famous area for busy bars so we enjoyed a few drinks and chatted with an array of Australians we met.

Food is plentiful in Georgetown and particularly Durian, the famous smelly fruit, as there was a bumper harvest this year. We have not tried it yet but we are a big fan of mangosteen, although when you check into a hotel there is often a sign telling you that both durian and mangosteen are not allowed on site, on for the smell, the other for the ability to stain (skin has a dark red colour almost like beetroot).