January 22 - Langkawi, Malaysia

Langkawi, a cluster of 99 islands separated from mainland Malaysia by the Strait of Malacca. It was the first stop in Malaysia. It was kind of a round about tour up and down the coast of Malaysia… first stop Langkawi, then all the way down to Malacca (also spelled Melaka), then back up to Penang, and finally back down to Kuala Lumpur.  Getting my frequent nautical miles!!

So what can I say about Langkawi..they are kind of the Avis of stops in Malaysia… they try harder!  They have pretty much only tourism.. and were really devastated by the COVID… 

The local govt has built a craft center… highlighting local work…I couldn’t find anything to buy… I know shocker

Then we went to the tomb of Makam Mahsuri… a woman wrongfully accused of adultery and then put to death!! And then she cursed the island for 7 generations!  She was pissed:). Her tomb is a museum.

It was interesting, all the museums we had visited - had English translations. Not the Malaysian.

So it was a bit tough figuring out what was going on;)

There were also traditional homes, you know I love the architecture!  They homes are raised up on stilts with  to facilitate convective cooling with steep pitched roofs.

And the final part of the tour was eagle square…. Aptly named for the big ass eagle in a square!!  It is the city’s mascot

Back on the ship I got dressed up and went out to dinner with my German friends Conny and Josef… at Jacques… my favorite restaurant