The eagle is the symbol of Langkawi and in tribute to this majestic bird there is a statue at the edge of the water in Kuah. At the time we visited, it was being repainted so we couldn't get a front view and the scaffolding was a bit in the way, but the statue is majestic even so.
From the jetty we could get a good view of our lodgings.
It looks most impressive from here. It was a fine place to stay but service was a wee bit off. We had plenty of room, though and even a balcony.
The area around the jetty has several bridges and islands, a marketplace, a mall and a park. We toured the basics but had another idea in mind for filling the afternoon.
As we headed off to our next destination, we stopped for a moment to visit with some friends by the roadside.
Our next destination was the beach at Tanjung Rhu. The drive took us through the hills and past several interesting sights. We arrived at Tanjung Rhu and discovered one of the most beautiful beaches anywhere.
As you can see, beautiful as it is there were not too many people on the beach because of the midday heat. However, the water beckoned and we found the perfect solution - a Mangrove Boat Tour. We went to a small kiosk and found that we could get a private two hour tour for RM$180 which works out to about US$30 each. We booked our tour and were told to head to the water's edge in about 10 minutes.
There was no dock that we could see and in a few minutes our boat appeared and came to pick us up.
Our boatman was a very happy fellow who was a great guide and pleasant companion for the afternoon. We started out heading up the river near Tanjung Rhu.
Our first point of interest was a bend in the river where Langkawi's symbol, the eagle, feeds. We spent several minutes watching these amazing creatures swoop and feed and soar. It was breathtaking.
We continued on through the mangroves and rock formations until we came upon a lazy monitor lizard basking in the sun.
Farther upstream we found a family of monkeys interacting with another boat. Luckily our boatman kept us just out of the reach of these little guys, since they are incredibly cute but still wild animals and not to be played with.
This last photo is my favorite of the monkeys. The facial expressions are priceless. I wish I knew what they were thinking.
After leaving our playmates behind, we continued up river and through a passageway to the Crocodile Cave. Our boatman quickly pointed out that there were no crocodiles, only the shape of one at low tide.
We then passed a mooring spot for visiting ships. Most were sailboats and the ports of registry were world wide. There were ships from Hong Kong, Sydney, Perth and Canberra in Australia, Germany, Thailand (a short sail) and even several from the U.S.
Our next site was an actual stop where we left the boat to tour the Bat Cave. At first I was excited to see the Bat Suit, the Batmobile and Batcycle, but soon discovered this was a creepier kind of cave.
Just when we thought we were in the clear we discovered that the way out was underwater with high tide and so it was once more into the Bat Cave.
Back on the boat we left the Kilim Geopark and headed out into the Adaman Sea.
Next up was a totally unscheduled event. About once or twice a month the dolphins will come play with the tour boats. We were incredibly lucky to be on the water on one of those days. There is nothing quite like watching the dolphins jump and play. They are very tricky to photograph but we did manage to get a few.
Our next stop was another cave which has a story behind it. There was a prince and princes who were in love but forbidden to marry. They were aided by a goddess who hid them in the cave. At the far end of the cave there is on the wall the shadow of two faces purported to be the prince and princess. They are not painted on but a part of the rock formation itself.
Our last stop on the tour was back into the river and a visit to a fish farm and restaurant. It is all on stilts in the middle of the river and the restaurant area also includes several pens for display of some of the more interesting local sea life.
Our favorite creature on display was a quite large and very friendly sting ray. He loved to be petted and once you got to know him he liked it best if you fed him a snack.
He really wasn't eating me. His mouth is on the underside and he kind of vacuums up the fish you are holding. It was fun. We also saw a tank with barracuda and a baby leopard shark.
Our fish farm host also showed us how a horseshoe crab can be used to get a hand massage or even a scalp massage.
We finally sat down to eat, but not before we chose our lunch - and I am not talking from the menu!
These two creatures soon reappeared as curried garoupa and grilled mantis prawn.
We left our floating luncheon and headed back to shore. Our two hour tour lasted three hours and twenty minutes and our guide just kept smiling. Of course we tipped him well (tipping is not usual here) for the extra hour and thanked him for letting us spend so much time being amazed at the sights.
And there was one more creature waiting on the beach to wish us on our way.
We decided to head back to Kuah Town and unwind with a nice view and a libation.
It was time to head back to change and hit the reggae bar before heading to the airport for Ken's arrival. What a fantastic day in paradise!
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