~{nilheadimage~=132601~}
The ~{nilpost~=71~;text~=first time we came to Langkawi~;target~=langkawi1~}, we went the whole hog, staying in a resort, with a bungalow right by the beach, tramping all over the Pantai Kok area, and hiring a car to do some sights further afield. Much as we enjoyed it, a slight melancholy hung over the trip: an amalgam of the ~{link~= https://naturallylangkawi.my/about-langkawi/myth-and-legends/#1455805895388-a3822428-ba27 ~;text~=troubling legends of Langkawi~;target~=langkawilegends~}; ~{nilpost~=73~;text~=Tan Twan Eng's very powerful book, The Gift of Rain~;target~=giftofrain~}, which I was reading at the time; and our sadness that this particular sojourn in Southeast Asia (six months based in Singapore) was ~{nilpost~=83~;text~=coming to an end~;target~=singingcabbie~}.

Our ~{nilpost~=267~;text~=second visit~;target~=secondvisit~} was a day trip, largely undertaken with the aim of briefly escaping the confines of Kuala Perlis (one of the many places we hung out while waiting for our Indonesian visa). We did what many do: arrived at Kuah, walked a bit, ate a bit, shopped a bit, and went home.

This third time, Langkawi is a stepping stone on our way back to Malaysia, just to make a change from the ~{nilpost~=723~;text~=Padang Besar~;target~=padangbesar~} routine.

The morning ferry from Satun to Kuah leaves at 9 am (or as soon thereafter as the tide allows). It's a nice journey, and it took just an hour.

~{nilimage~=132597~;dir~=H~;alt~=satunharbour~;caption~=Tammalang pier in the early morning~}
~{nilimage~=132598~;dir~=H~;alt~=blueview~;caption~=En route to Langkawi~}
~{nilimage~=132599~;dir~=H~;alt~=enroute~}
A transit role doesn't give Langkawi much of a chance to shine. For one thing, there was lots of routine stuff to accomplish. For another, we based ourselves out in the wop-wops. (But the Motel Perintis, 4.8 km from the ferry terminal, is costing us just MYR 85 for two nights... It's basic, but it's nice and clean, and everything works. There's even that rare and wonderful thing, a ceiling fan. Honestly, I've had much worse for much more money...)

~{nilimage~=132600~;dir~=H~;alt~=mosque~;caption~=Our local mosque~}
Despite the very temporary nature of our Langkawi visit (and the heat, which locals have said is quite unprecedented), there have been a number of highlights:

-- Watching the sun go down at Charlie's Bar and Grill at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club. You can order a salad and a 12-ringgit glass of chardonnay (no taxes in Langkawi, you see...), sit back, and pretend you own a superyacht.

~{nilimage~=132603~;dir~=V~;alt~=wine~}
~{nilimage~=132605~;dir~=H~;alt~=sunset1~}
~{nilimage~=132606~;dir~=H~;alt~=sunset2~}
-- Walking home amid the bright lights.

~{nilimage~=132607~;dir~=V~;alt~=chogm~;caption~=Oh no, where's New Zealand?~}
-- Walking Pantai Tengah and Pantai Cenang (much less crowded than I'd feared, but still offering plenty of scope for people-watching, not to mention bird-watching and weather-watching).

~{nilimage~=132614~;dir~=H~;alt~=beach1~}
~{nilimage~=132608~;dir~=H~;alt~=beach2~}
~{nilimage~=132615~;dir~=H~;alt~=heron~}
~{nilimage~=132618~;dir~=H~;alt~=beach3~}
-- Enjoying real hot chocolate, fresh croissants, and coffee at La Chocolatine.

~{nilimage~=132609~;dir~=H~;alt~=croissants~}
-- Hanging out at the Coffee Lounge in the Bahagia Hotel, where for just MYR 10 you get two cups of coffee and very nice cookies (you see how well I'm fitting into "retirement", my eye for a bargain sharpening every day...)

Tomorrow, we take the ferry to Georgetown.