Langkawi Island - The Legendary Island
Langkawi’s name is believed to have originated from the abundance of eagles on the island and the geological wonder of its landscape. By putting together ‘helang’ (eagle in Malay) and ‘kawi’ (marble in Sanskrit), you get the moniker ‘helang-kawi’ which was eventually toned down to Langkawi. This island is unique in the sense that it has so many legendsand myths associated with it. Langkawi Island is therefore also called Pulau Lagenda or Legendary Island.
The Langkawi archipelago is made up of a cluster of 99 islands, sprinkled just off the shores of the Northern Kedah State in Peninsular Malaysia. During low tide, the number of islands expands to 104. It's understandable that only a few islands are inhabited. Many of the islands are little more than rocky outcrops separated by narrow canals where only sampans(little boats) can travel through. Langkawi island (478.5 sq.km) is the largest of them all and is not much smaller than Singapore (646 sq.km) but has a much smaller island population of only 62,000.
Pulau Langkawi's landscape is painted with marbled mountains, vast paddy fields and rural villages, miles and miles of white sandy beaches, secret caves, and pockets of virgin rainforests dating back millions of years .
Pulau Langkawi's landscape is painted with marbled mountains, vast paddy fields and rural villages, miles and miles of white sandy beaches, secret caves, and pockets of virgin rainforests dating back millions of years .
Langkawi's Legends and Hotspots
Centuries ago skilled storytellers on the mainland made a living from spinning wondrous, spectacular tales of folklore, history, myths and legends of celestial beings, demons, warriors and wars, giants, beautiful maidens and gallant heroes. Langkawi was inaccessible to local folks in those days. The Langkawi islands were infested with pirates living and feasting on boats and travellers who chose to sail in their waters. Not many locals ventured to the islands and soon stories abound of these mysterious islands. The myths are still woven strongly into the lifestyle of the local people.
Duty Free Island
Duty Free Island
The island has taken over Penang Island's duty free status providing shoppers with some pretty good deals on local and foreign products. Many visit Langkawi for its duty-free shopping : for local visitors; products worth purchasing are alcohol and cigarettes; for many foreign guests, electrical goods, handicraft and certain branded goods especially leathergoods and casual attire are well worth a look around. Oriental Village...a stone's throw from the Burau Bay Resort at Pantai Kok, is also where the cable car station is located. One word of advise on duty free though... if you wish to cash in on duty free alcohol and spirits, it's best to purchase this prior to departure at shops in town or at the beaches and places like Oriental Village . The airport duty free shops may price the same items higher. So, you can enjoy your shopping right in Langkawi Island.
The landscape, the hot-spot, the sandy white beaches......it is awesome!!!!!!
