What’s with the expression “sun, sea and sand”?
I first heard it in my classroom when learning geography. The irony is, I was in a confined space while learning the expression that suggests basking in paradise; offering myriads relaxation in exotic islands! After 18 years of being in the city, one such island that gave me the experience of indulging in the sun, sea and sand was Pulau Langkawi.
For Malaysians, it’s an ideal place to have fun, party or retreat (almost like Goa but not!) and for the foreigners, well you can see them enjoying yet complaining about it being nothing like Bali or Goa.
That’s the point!
Langkawi is worth appreciated for its uniqueness (not forgetting it’s a duty-free island) and 99 archipelagos on the west coast of Malaysia.
My journey from the mainland, Kuala Lumpur, to the offshore island had me fizzing with anxiety, eagerness, anticipation and many more indescribable feelings.
Finally, after almost 1 hour of flying, I landed in the most tropical part of my country and immediately was welcomed by a swish of salty breeze from the sea and a dash of heat from the sun. They say the first impression is always the best, and true enough I had quickly fallen head over heels for the place.
The ride from the airport to my hotel was a transition in the ambience as I saw a busy exterior slowly changing to a tranquil interior. My eyes were blessed with picturesque paddy fields, hills clad in lush jungles, locals going about their routine, and of course the expansive turquoise sea with soft white sand!
Another catch of this island is, despite some noises from the vehicles, restaurants and people, nature rules here. The sounds of the crickets, cicadas, birds and leaves obscure any man-made noises. This is how it’ll be to have a privileged island life!
Let’s fast forward. I would like to talk about a specific beach I went to while I was there called “Skull Beach”.
Sounds notorious, but no! It’s filled with beautiful, soft and clean, white sand that embraces your feet. It’s like walking on a plush carpet. If you had given me a pillow and blanket, I would have slept there.
Never in my life, have I seen crystal clear waters in Malaysia but the sea was an array of blue colours. The water near the shoreline was in a kind of marine gamma, extending to light blue and finally settling into the deep ocean blue. To complement the seawater, the beach was secluded with shades of greens (trees and surrounding islands, I mean). My god, it was bursting with a palette of colours!
Who can resist such panorama, tranquillity and the call of waves?
It would be a sin if I didn’t get myself drenched in the sea, hence I did what anyone would have done! Cool water hugged my body, occasionally the sand became my bed and the sun was there to keep me warm.
What more do I want than this? It was utter bliss!
The nightlife in Langkawi is different from the buzzing daytime. Langkawi is a rural place so except for the beaches, most of the areas become silent, making it a good place to retire.
If you don’t like the silence, you can always go to the beach. I would recommend Cenang Beach, where you can see and experience the active nightlife. You can see amazing fire performances accompanied by local music, and some good food.
This is where you can also get your handcrafted souvenirs to bring back home as a memory from such a wonderful place. As for me, I had a long walk on the beach. The water had receded so the sand was soggy and cooling, which was therapeutic and relaxing.
This is just my one day experience in Langkawi island. There is so much more to it than what I have written here.
But I can say this, I definitely basked in the sun, sea and sand for the rest of the three days I was there. So what are you waiting for? Go visit Langkawi if you get the chance!
Written by Thamarey Chelvi Raja
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