Towards Open Water! Getting to Langkawi by Boat

Langkawi is a tropical paradise located on the Thai-Malaysia boarder. It's an island known for pristine coral reefs, flawless white beaches, and untouched jungle. It's also known for its crocodiles and for not being particularly developed. 

Sounds amazing, right? Well, while waiting for the political situation to cool off in Bangkok, I decided to try my luck on the Malaysian island paradise. From what I've heard from my more experienced beach-going peers, this is 'the beach' that all others in Malaysia are compared to.

Something I've noted about most travelers is that they tend to be individuals who are attracted to extremes. They're almost always traveling to seek something novel. That novelty can be a place, experience, or religion. But they've all got their 'thing' they're looking for and it's usually what they stick to. What I've learned about myself in Malaysia is that I'm not really into water. Throw me on a bumpy and landslide prone road high in the Himalaya and I'll take it like a champ. A jeep ride through icy tundra or a scorching dessert? These might shake up some nerves, but generally I'm still happy as a button. A fourty-eight hour train ride in third-class without AC in India's monsoon? I'll suffer but survive. Put me on a boat for fifteen minutes - even in calm water - and my knuckles are white.

With that said, I'm learning that getting around Malaysia often requires you to ride on 'ferries'. These ferries are generally large, high-speed motorboats. I booked the three and a half hour ferry to Landkawi from Georgetown (62rm/$19.50USD) unprepared for what was to come. 

As the boat slowly backed out of the dock, we got a quick safety talk not unlike those you see on airplanes. The major difference is that in this video the woman made a couple of conditionals very clear: if, for some reason, the ferry did capsize, and if in fact we were able to escape, then we should not panic. 

Now this sounds about right for a variety of reasons. If the boat sinks, try not to panic. Got it. But, as the talk continued, it she said something that I hadn't quite anticipated: "if you panic in the water, then you will become the victim of a shark." So, if in fact we do sink, and if some of us do make it out of this death-trap, then we will also have to avoid being eaten by giant man-eating fish, too.

After our safety briefing, the boat pointed out to the open sea. It was quiet. 

Then BOOM! The boat turned on with full force, not unlike a plane during take-off. Except instead of only rising into the air, the ferry was constantly in a state of flux. Noises echoed throughout the cabin as be bounced off each wave. Each time the boat fell, that roller-coaster feeling you get deep in your tummy appeared. Each time it rose, all you could do was anticipate the fall. I'll save you the details, but it was a vomit-inducing experience.

What've I learned from this? Well, for one thing my dreams of working on a shipping boat and seeing the world by sea are probably unrealistic. The other consequence is that I'm stuck on a tropical island paradise in the middle of nowhere. Or at least until I work up the nerve to take the ferry to Thailand - a six hour adventure. 

Luckily, the island does have a beautiful beach, duty-free alchohol, and plenty of gorgeous women.