langkawi magazine

To Do SECTION

Kuah Town - Langkawi's Center

Kuah is the main town and visitors head here to do the bulk of their shopping, despite it being rather small. Located on the south-eastern part of the island, Kuah was once a fishing village but has now caught up with time and commerce is ever present. At the centre of town, visitors can find banks, duty-free shops, small emporiums, spanking new luxury hotels as well as large shopping malls. In fact, the banks here are probably the only places on Langkawi to change your currency (ringgit being the Malay currency).

Although this is a seaside community, Kuah has no beach as such, however still features a number of interesting places to visit.

One of Kuah's newest attractions is the Dataran Lang - for helang - or Eagle Square, where a huge sculpture of an eagle sits and presides over the island after which it is named. Situated just beside the ferry terminal, it is probably the first sight that greets visitors as they alight from boats or ferries.

Next to Dataran Lang is the Lagenda Langkawi Dalam Taman, which means Legends of Langkawi at the Park. It is a twenty hectare theme park located on the waterfront along the road from the jetty leading to Kuah town. This park is built on reclaimed land and it boasts of beautifully landscaped gardens and interestingly sculptured personalities inspired by local legends and history. A novel way, indeed, of learning about the colourful characters who have made Langkawi come alive, especially to the thousands of school-going children. Here are also some man-made ponds and a lagoon to complete this scenic spot.

Another place not to miss is the al-Hana Mosque. Visitors are almost always impressed by the architecture, the golden dome as well as minarets and arches, which speak of Moorish influence and tower high above the swaying palm trees. In the evenings, visitors can experience the full glory of the mosque as the silence is broken by the call to all Muslims to perform their prayers.

Visitors who are interested in pretty baubles may want to visit the Langkawii Crystal, which is actually Malaysia's only glass blowing factory, located several kilometres north of Kuah. Alternatively, those with an interest in marble may consider dropping by the Kedah Marble Quarry, which is open to the public.

Fancy a game of golf? The Langkawi Golf Club is just the place to relax, have a drink and to score that elusive hole in one. Heading west past the new hospital, the course lies at the outskirts of Kuah, about five kilometres away. Open to visitors, the fees for tee-off are RM60 on Mondays to Fridays and RM80 on weekends.

From Kuah, visitors usually head for the west coast because that's where the main beaches are to be found. There's only one main trunk road that leads from Kuah and back there again, encircling the island.

Langkawi International Book Village - Roughly at the centre of the island, there is a rainforest park at Lubok Sembilang. Here, amidst the cool, lush greenery, visitors will come across six quaint and interesting wooden buildings. Built in the style of a traditional Malay kampung (village), they are home to a collection of books and magazines. This reserve was set up in the style of the book villages started in England where books are sold rather cheaply, for about 1-2 pounds (RM5.54- RM11.08). The Langkawi International Book Village - the 18th such village in the world -is a major attraction amongst book enthusiasts and collectors due to the rare and antiquarian books for sale there. Second hand books range from subjects like Malaysia, Islam, Al-Quran, Arabic Literature, sports, travel, gender studies to Europe and East Asia. There is also a sizeable collection of magazines

Mahsuri is the legend whose name is synonymous with Langkawi, and no visit to Langkawi is complete without a visit to her tomb. It is open to the public at RM2 per entry and visitors can pay their respects everyday, at 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Mahsuri's tomb is located at Kampung Mawat. To get there, look out for a sign post guiding visitors to Kampung Mawa, along the way to the airport and the western beaches.

Located several kilometres west of Kuah, visitors will find a single white marble tomb in a shady and serene garden. This is Mahsuri's resting place while nearby sits a traditional Malay house where visitors are allowed to enter for a closer look at its interior design

Padang Masirat (Field of Burnt Rice) - After Makam Mahsuri, visitors going west will find their next stop before the beaches will be Padang Masirat . Padang Masirat is actually the name of padi fields which were set afire by villagers when they were attacked by the Siamese. Occuring soon after Mahsuri's death, this was the first indication that Mahsuri's curse was coming to pass. What's intriguing is that visitors can still find burnt rice grains on the ground two hundred years after the incident occurred.

For information & booking visit www.langkawi-insider.com

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