Langkawi: A land of legends and a pocket of peace

Veeramalla Anjaiah, The Jakarta Post, Langkawi, Malaysia

Whenever tourists hear the words "tropical paradise", they immediately think of Indonesia's Bali or Thailand's Phuket.

Now they can add Malaysia's Langkawi to their list of travel destinations.

Langkawi -- once a safe haven for pirates but now a paradise for holidaymakers -- had been under a curse for a very long time.

According to legend, the prettiest local maiden, Mahsuri, was unjustly accused of adultery by her in-laws and executed. Before her execution, Mahsuri cursed the island to be unprosperous for seven generations. After suffering hardship and obscurity for that same length of time, whether it is fact or fiction, Langkawi has been prospering as one of Malaysia's most popular tourist destinations since 1987, when it was made a duty-free port.

Although a relative newcomer on the global tourist map, Langkawi is not only a tropical paradise with sun-kissed, white sandy beaches, jungle-covered mountains, caves and lush vegetation filled with exotic flora and fauna, but it is also a place of history, romantic legends and titillating adventures.

Its centuries-old rainforests and lime coastline are home to hundreds of tree and plant species. Wild dwellers of the rainforests include hornbills, various types of monkeys, giant red flying squirrels and other nocturnal animals.

For those who love adventure, a boat cruise is the answer. The cruise, known locally as the sunset cruise, brings visitors to Kilim Nature Park, which features a beautiful mix of well- protected green mangrove forests, isolated white sandy beaches, thrilling caves and blue lagoons.

Flocks of brown eagles are sure to greet visitors who usually feed them with fish or chicken provided by the cruise owner. Other exotic animals in the park include tree crabs, iguanas and macaques.

Located on the waters of the Straits of Malacca, off the northwestern shore of Peninsular Malaysia, interestingly, Langkawi comprises a group of 99 emerald islets. But this number, at low tide, may reach 104, meaning that five islets always disappear into the sea with the high tide.

Langkawi, the largest among the group of islets, measures 478.5 square kilometers and has about 65,000 people. Its busiest towns are Kuah and Padang Matsirat.

For those spending their vacation at The Andaman, Datai Bay beach resort, they could start enjoying their holiday by taking a walk along the 1.5 km stretch of white sandy beach and going for a swim in the pristine blue waters of the Andaman Sea as well as taking in a beautiful sunrise.

But the two main beaches -- Pantai Cenang and Pantai Kok -- are on the west coast of Langkawi. Pantai Cenang is the busiest as it is where most of the island's hotels and restaurants are located. Most of the luxurious resorts, including The Andaman, are situated along the northern coast.

The famous Hollywood movie Anna and the King was shot on Pantai Kok. The moviemakers, 20th Century Fox, built the wooden Summer Palace Langkawi in 1999 for the film, which depicts the experiences of a British woman teaching English to the many children of a Thai king.

To attract tourists, Langkawi's landmark Eagle Square, near Kuah jetty, is beautifully landscaped with scenic ponds, bridges and covered terraces. A giant eagle statue is positioned to welcome visitors arriving on the island by sea. According to folklore, Langkawi was named after a magnificent reddish brown eagle. In Malay, Lang means eagle and kawi means brown stone.

The Langkawi Development Authority (LADA) -- an agency responsible for the promotion of tourism on the island and conservation of its environment -- has played a major role in making the resort what it is today.

Pulau Payar Marine Park is an example of LADA's commitment to conserve maritime life and vegetation. LADA apparently also took every measure it could to make Langkawi a pocket of peace and serenity as well as a haven for shoppers.

One can hardly find any beggars, street hawkers, bars or sex workers in the streets or on its beaches.

"Our island is exclusively for peace and tranquility. People come here for a retreat, not for night life," said Rajah, the tour manager of Widuri Tour & Travel agency.

Because of Langkawi's duty-free status, hundreds of shoppers, both domestic and foreign, flock to the local shops and markets every day. A wide variety of goods at hard-to-beat prices are offered. Visitors can buy as many things as they want except for liquor and cigarettes, as they are allowed to take only one bottle of liquor and one carton of cigarettes out of Langkawi.

Langkawi had about 700,000 foreign tourists -- out of Malaysia's total of 12.8 million in 2001 -- mostly from Singapore. Others came from China, Japan, Britain, Australia, Thailand and Indonesia. About 1.3 million Malaysians also visited Langkawi in the same year.

"We are also getting wealthy Russian tourists and their numbers are increasing rapidly," said Bala, a journalist turned tourist guide.

In spite of the boom in tourism, a large chunk of the Langkawi population, who are mostly fishermen or farmers, still retain their traditional way of life.

"They found it very difficult to swallow the presence of tourists and their foreign cultures," said Bala, explaining that Western tourists sometimes did not realize that their lifestyles could contradict local morals. "For example, some Western women like to sunbathe without their bikini tops."

This sight is obviously a culture shock for locals.