wild places | wild happenings | wild news
make a difference for our wild places

home | links | search the site
  all articles latest | past | articles by topics | search wildnews
wild news on wildsingapore
  Straits Times 29 May 07
At peace with nature
Think Langkawi and images of a beach resort come to mind.
But its natural habitats and wildlife are what set it apart from places like Phuket
By Teo Cheng Wee

MOVE over, Phuket and Bali. There's a new Langkawi in town.

If the Langkawi Development Authority (Lada) gets its way, the north-western Malaysian island will become the first Unescogeopark in South-east Asia - a move that it hopes will push tourist numbers to new highs and move it out of the shadows of its more illustrious regional competitors.

For the uninitiated, a geopark, according to Unesco, is a territory encompassing one or more sites of scientific importance, not only for geological reasons, but also for their archaeological or cultural values.

It is a bill which fits Langkawi. According to Lada, the 99 islands that make up the Langkawi archipelago include geological formations and fossils that are hundreds of millions of years old.

Last May, the rebranding exercise started when the Kedah government - the state that Langkawi falls under - declared the place a geopark.

Then in October, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi endorsed an application to Unesco to make Langkawi part of the global network of national geoparks. A three-member Unesco team visited two months ago to assess if the archipelago has what it takes.

The concept of a geopark, which was introduced 10 years ago, serves three goals: to conserve a healthy environment, to educate people in the earth sciences and to foster local, sustainable economic development.

Currently, there are 48 geoparks from 15 countries registered with Unesco. Langkawi will know if its bid is successful next month.

Even if it fails, Lada says it will continue to push the island's natural allure as its selling point. The key is to differentiate itself from its regional competitors: Phuket's party scene, Bali's unique cultural heritage and the crystal-clear waters in Tioman and Redang on Malaysia's east coast.

Popular eco-friendly tours include mangrove kayaking, snorkelling with juvenile black-tip sharks off the south-east island of Pulau Payar and jungle trekking in the forests of Gunung Raya, the island's highest peak.

Over the next six months, new attractions like cultural visits to traditional fishing villages in the southern islands and boat trips to newly opened limestone caves will be rolled out. One cave, on the southern island of Pulau Tuba, has stones that have been shaped into marbles by natural flowing water over millions of years.

Lada hopes these attractions will allow Langkawi to compete better with places like Phuket and Bali for the tourist dollar.

'To be honest, we were a little jealous of their success,' admits Lada's tourism manager Megat Shahrul.

Visitor numbers hit new highs last year when 2.1 million tourists descended on its shores. Part of those numbers were spillovers from troubled spots. 'The bombings in Bali and unrest in Thailand's south had driven some tourists towards relatively safe Langkawi,' he points out.

But the attitudes of tourists are changing as well, he notes. Tired of crowded destinations, they want peaceful nature, which is something Langkawi can provide.

Investors have been following suit. Last month, businessmen from the United Arab Emirates acquired a large plot of land on the island to build a marina and luxury homes that cost between RM2 million (S$900,000) and RM5 million.

The glitzy Four Seasons Resort is also a recent addition to Langkawi's northern shores, having just opened two years ago. Sprawled over 19ha, the island's premier resort is located on a pristine 1.5km stretch of the Tanjung Rhu beach, about 20km from Langkawi's main town Kuah.

'We see Langkawi as a hidden gem, close to metropolitan areas like Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok, but not as commercialised as Phuket or Bali,' says the resort's general manager Greg Pirkle.

Despite rooms costing between US$495 (S$755) and US$5,000 per night, its occupancy rate is often above 75 per cent. The resort was full two weeks ago when it served as the venue for bilateral talks between Malaysia and Singapore.

The location was mooted when Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong requested a venue away from the hustle and bustle of Kuala Lumpur.

Wild about wildlife

THE push towards eco-tourism gets the thumbs-up from local residents like naturalist Aidi Abdullah, a Kuala Lumpur native who has spent 11 years guiding nature tours in Langkawi.

He feels that the island had been challenging its rivals on the wrong front - beaches - for too many years.

Langkawi's plankton-rich water supplied by its mangroves supports a rich biodiversity of marine life, but makes it somewhat murky.

Instead, Langkawi's natural habitat - the island is 51 per cent primary rainforest - is what sets it apart from other island destinations, he tells us before we embark on a trip to the mangroves and mountains.

'If someone tells you to visit Langkawi for its crystal-clear waters, he's lying to you.

However, just minutes away from the sea, you see vast areas of lush greenery, which the other destinations don't have,' says the 49-year-old. It's not just about the flora. As we cruise in a six-seater motorised boat along the quiet mangroves, I catch a glimpse of the fascinating wildlife.

Mudskippers and colourful crabs jostle for space on the muddy banks of the mangrove. Monkeys hide among the dense tree branches but troop out towards our boat and display their saddest faces so we might be tempted to feed them some snacks (which you should never do, by the way). And the native brahminy kite eagles - a symbol of the island - swoop into the waters for the scraps of chicken skin we leave for them.

'I don't remember going on these nature tours on my last visit,' I tell Mr Aidi, referring to a tour I did with my family 15 years ago.

'There were no nature tours then,' comes his reply. 'You probably came on a package tour, were dumped on the beach for one night and were taken to shops where the guides could get a commission,' he adds, guessing right on all counts.

Still, there are things to be learnt in the process of going green.

For instance, our boat rocks violently every time a longtail speedboat zooms past us in the mangroves. The high speeds save time for the boatmen - so they can ferry more tourists - but erode the banks of the mangrove, leading to the trees' possible collapse.

Mr Aidi also points to the jarring 'Hollywood-style' sign put up recently that says 'Kilim Geoforest Park' in big white letters on an ancient rock formation. 'I don't know what they were thinking,' he says, shaking his head.

With the mangrove tour over, we leave the boat behind and drive inland towards the most majestic geological feature on the island - the Matchinchang mountain range which, at 550 million years old, is estimated to be the oldest in Malaysia and hence the birthplace of the peninsula.

Marine fossils have been discovered on the mountain, suggesting that it was once situated on the ocean bed before movements in the earth's crust pushed it up.

The 15-minute cable-car ride, which stretches for 2km above rainforest canopy, offers great views of cliffs, peaks and waterfalls. And the reward at the 700m peak? A breathtaking 360-degree view of Langkawi's peaks and coastline, as well as the surrounding islands.

The sun is setting when I descend from the mountain and Mr Aidi wants to show me 'the real Langkawi', by which he is referring to the night market in Kuah. The bazaar, which stretches for about 500m on a closed-off road, is authentic and has remained the same as it was 30 years ago, he assures me.

'Langkawi may be attracting a lot of attention recently, but it has stayed true to its character,' he observes.

Just like it was back then, many local residents live in quaint, single-storey wooden houses. The roads are all just two-lane wide and only four traffic lights exist in a place where there are still more trees than cars.

As for the night market, it is certainly no tourist trap. More locals than foreigners are browsing the bulb-lit pushcart stalls, which don't sell souvenirs. Instead, there are clothes, fruits and cooked food, including rare traditional favourites like putu buluh - a rice pastry cooked in bamboo and eaten with coconut shavings. I happily snag some tasty fried chicken pieces which go for RM1 each and five mangoes for less than RM5.

The reason the local residents have managed to remain untainted by tourism, Mr Aidi speculates as we tuck into our bowls of laksa by the roadside, is that they were left out of the plans when the island first started attracting visitors. Instead, others were brought in from the mainland to run businesses.

With Lada's commitment to bring sustained economic development to the locals through tourism, however, the face of Kuah may look different five to 10 years down the road. As it is, the first Starbucks has arrived, opening at the Kuah jetty last year.

'But I hope the heart of Langkawi stays this way,' says Mr Aidi.

chengwee@sph.com.sg

5 things to do...

1 Visit The Loaf Find out what the fuss is all about at this Japanese-style bakery and restaurant, which is owned by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad. Located in Telaga Harbour - which he had imagined would be Malaysia's answer to the luxury yacht-lined piers of Monte Carlo - it attracts customers both for its famous owner as well as its food. We recommend the Ice Latte (RM12 or S$5.40). Made with frozen cubes of espresso doused with warm milk, it packs a pretty mean dose of caffeine.

2 Take the Langkawi cable car Spanning 2km, the ride to the top of Mount Matchinchang is breathtaking and offers great views of the island. It costs RM25 per person and the best time to do it is in the evenings, when the setting sun casts dramatic shadows over the peaks.

3 Choose the right hotel Langkawi has a range of gorgeous hotels. If you like some quiet time along a pristine stretch of beach, the Four Seasons (right) is your place. But nature lovers may prefer the lush forest surroundings of the award-winning Datai. And if you love boutique, stay at the Bon Ton, which has eight tastefully refurbished traditional Malay houses set among grassy fields. If you are more of a party animal, you may want to stay near Pantai Cenang or Pantai Tengah, where Langkawi's stretch of pubs and clubs is situated. The Casa del Mar on Pantai Cenang is a popular place.

4 Buy gamat Langkawi is famous for gamat, a balm or oil made from sea cucumber. It is said to be good for muscular aches and pains and is available at many shops in town. A small bottle should cost you around RM3.

5 Tour the mangroves Langkawi's mangroves are home to an amazing and diverse range of animals. They are also a nursery for young fish and crabs, which hide among the roots to stay away from predators. To view this up-close, you can hire a boat from the jetty, with prices starting from RM150 for a two- to three-hour tour in a six-seater.

2 don'ts

1 Don't time your visit wrongly Unless you're the kind of person who enjoys spending time in your own beach villa, avoid visiting Langkawi during the rainy season, which can wash out any plans you have. June to August brings the heaviest and most regular showers.

2 Don't forget to check the night market's location There's no better way to sample local nightlife than to visit Langkawi's night market, which sells delicious cooked food, fresh vegetables and clothes. But the market moves every night, so check with your hotel beforehand. The most convenient location is in the main town of Kuah, where the market operates on Wednesdays and Saturdays.
links
Related articles on Southern Islands development plans
about the site | email ria
  News articles are reproduced for non-profit educational purposes.
 

website©ria tan 2003 www.wildsingapore.com