Tanjung Batu Kulat

We were picked up from our lodge and went by speed boat again to Sandakar to connect with our flight to Kota Kanabuli . An overnight here at the same hotel we used before ( fortunately the Chinese New Year had passed, so it was much less frenetic) and then we were off to Langkawi island via KL. Langkawi is a group of islands off the west coast of Malaysia.

We arrived in Langkawi minus one suitcase which happily rejoined us six hours later. We have five nights here staying at a nice hotel right on the beach. A very beautiful and relaxing location.

We have spent most of our time here sitting by the pool admiring the view from the infinity pool overlooking the beach and ocean. It’s been a steady 30+ degrees and the pool is almost the same temperature - very pleasant in the morning, but more like bath water by the afternoon. We were able to ‘enjoy’ the excitement of Kinsale’s heavy snowfall vicariously via updates from Patrick and Paula who had left Calgary specifically to avoid the snow!

We did make one expedition to go bird watching one morning. Our main focus was to spot a Giant Hornbill, but it was not to be. This hornbill is 1.4 metres long! We did see a Crested Serpent Eagle and two varieties of Kingfisher. It was a very pleasant morning spent with a very knowledgeable guide.

After a very lazy and relaxing few days it was time to tackle the journey home. Amazingly our suitcases arrived on the same plane as we did after changing planes three times in the journey. The return trip was very smooth and we were soon back in Kinsale just in time to see the last of the snow gently melting away.

Overall we enjoyed our trip and saw many interesting sights. It was however a lot of travelling and in future we will be finding a base somewhere for an extended period then travel from there to visit nearby locations of interest.

We will spend the next while recovering and reflecting on all the interesting places and sights that we have experienced.Read more