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This jewel of an island is one of Langkawi's mystical isles, legendary for its spectacularly beautiful coral gardens. You can either dive or snorkel to swim among the fishes and explore the corals. If you don't wish to get wet, the special Underwater Observatory allows you to experience a close-up view of marine life. Open : 9.45am - 4.00pm Cruise fare : Adult RM220 ,Child RM160 (below 12 yrs)For information & booking visit http://langkawiwhisper.blogspot.com
GETTING CLOSE TO SHARKS IN LANGKAWI
What would you do if you came face-to-face with a shark? In Pulau Payar, Langkawi, all you might want to do is feed it.
It may sound farfetched but you can now get up close and personal with black tip baby sharks in the popular marine park off the coast of
Not only can people see them swimming in front of their legs, some even opt to feed the now docile fish, touch or even snorkel with them. "Visitors are allowed to feed the sharks but we advise them to let that be handled by tour guides for safety reasons," says tour guide afifuddin.
Typically the "shark caller" would start getting the baby sharks towards the beach by breaking little fishes and let some of the blood into the water. In a matter of minutes, tourists would see the first shark circling in the middle of the crowd followed by four, five or even 10 more depending on the day. Other meat-eating larger fishes would also follow suit in a matter of seconds.
Visitors are asked to either stand on the jetty platform to get an overview of the group of fish or they may stand in the water. "We always ask our guests to bury their toes in the sand if they want to stay in the water when the sharks arrive," says afifuddin. "The sharks won't go for human legs but our toes look like small fish to them so they might want to try them. "Some people take the opportunity to stroke and pat the baby sharks since they are so near and others would snorkel around them since the site of the shark feeding activity onTeluk Wangi Beachis already a popular snorkelling area. Black tip sharks and a host of other fish come to the waters around Pulau Payar to breed partly due to the artificial reefs formed from discarded tyres and boats. When the baby sharks grow bigger, they would typically depart into the deep sea for bigger prey and though some scuba divers have sworn they have seen sharks up to three metres in length around some popular diving sites.
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
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
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.
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
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