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Surviving the Tsunami

The world is still coming to terms with the devastation and loss of life caused by the Asian tsunami. But tourism bosses in many of the affected countries believe that bringing tourists back to south Asia is one way of rebuilding shattered economies.

While Malaysia lies close to the epicentre of the earthquake which caused the tidal wave, it was spared the worst effects because its outlying islands broke the force of the waves before they reached the coast.

Now the country's director of tourism has called on travellers to return to Malaysia, which remains a safe destination for tourists, with attractions and flights operating as normal.

The Malaysian Association of Hotel Owners and the Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents also announced that it's a case of 'back to business'.

Having spent a blissful holiday on the Malaysian islands of Penang and Langkawi last year, and seeing that the economy there relies largely on tourism, I know the welcome for tourists from Northern Ireland will be especially warm in these coming months.

There aren't many places in the world more different to our own rainy, cold northern European habitat, than the lush and steamy equatorial group of islands which make up Malaysia.

As a tourist destination, Penang has just about every ingredient required by even the most discerning holiday-maker. The city of Georgetown boasts many attractions, including museums, fabulous traditional restaurants and the fine colonial architecture of the buildings constructed while the island was under British rule during the 19th century. From Georgetown, Batu Ferringi beach, the island's tourism belt, is a short trip to the north, and it's here you'll find most of the hotels (the physical impact of the tsunami on hotels here was minimal and all are now operating as normal).

But on the principal that you can't have too much of a good thing, we opted to spend the second half of our trip in Langkawi. Just an hour away from Penang by plane, the island of Langkawi lies closer to the coast of Thailand than Malaysia.

Langkawi also escaped the worst ravages of the tsunami, with little damage to hotels and resorts. Those in the know say it's like Bali was 30 years ago, a tropical paradise almost unspoilt by the usual trappings of the tourist industry.

Many of the non-native inhabitants are Australian and European backpackers who visited and decided to stay and have since opened their own vegetarian cafes, restaurants and other businesses.

To experience the real Langkawi, stay at the Bon Ton - set in the middle of reclaimed land near the airport, a number of traditional Malaysian dwellings have been carefully restored and fitted out with some modern facilities.

The restaurant is well known throughout the island for its excellent Asian fusion menu and wine tasting evenings.

The hotel's Australian owner, Narelle, proved to be the perfect guide to the area, taking us around and showing us the local paddy fields, rubber plantations and the area where scenes for the 1999 film, Anna And The King, were shot.

Langkawi is a lot less developed than Penang and with none of the former's colonial trappings - the island was a rural Malay outpost until quite recently when the tourist trade started to take off.

During our taxi ride to the small main town of Kuah, we saw water buffalos grazing, giant monitor lizards ambling about at the side of the road and villagers going about their daily business of tending to chickens and preparing food alfresco.

Shopping opportunities are limited, but as the island enjoys duty-free status, it's worth stocking up before returning home.

One day, we took a boat trip which stopped at some of the surrounding islands, most notably Pulau Dayang Bunting with its resident monkeys and huge inland freshwater lake, complete with over-friendly catfish, who are quite happy to nibble gently at your fingers and toes. We stayed in a couple of hotels on Langkawi, one of which was the luxurious Andaman, which is situated amongst ancient tropical rainforest beside the ocean. While sipping a cocktail in the bar, you can watch the exotic birds, monkeys and flying foxes gliding from tree to tree.

With the aim of seeing as much of the island as possible, we also stayed on the north coast of the island, at the Tanjung Rhu hotel. This isn't quite so close to nature, but boasts an excellent spa, restaurants and pools, with the coast of Thailand visible across the bay on a clear day. Despite its status as a relative newcomer to catering for tourists, must-see attractions in Langkawi include a trip on the awe-inspiring cable car, which provides an opportunity to see the whole island while dangling 700 metres up in mid-air - best avoided on a windy day, as we discovered!

There's also a crocodile farm and an aquarium, but the whole point of Langkawi is really to do as little as possible, apart from eating, drinking and soaking up its balmy beauty.

Ireland 29/01/2005