Steamy jungles of Malaysia

So where is Mrs Bok now?

I have the steamy Malaysian jungle behind me, the warm blue sea in front...and I'm in a blissful place.  Internet connectivity has been hard to come by, so whilst I'd normally post chronologically, I'll just share where I am now with you and fill you in on the rest in the next post.  I'm not sure how long this connection will last as a storm is coming, night is falling.

I’ve loved the visit back to see my family, but I've now left the main city (I'll do a post on that later) and have retreated to the northern most tip of Langkawi, nestled in the rainforest at the fringe of the beach.  I can see Thailand from where I sit on the sand.

View from place we are staying

Langkawi is blessed with fabulous stories of myths and legends, of ogres and gigantic birds, warriors and fairy princesses, battles and romance.  Then there are even horror stories of a mythical vampire creature that resides in a cave on the Dayang Bunting Island.  Barren women who bathe in the Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls can become fertile, because of a fairy that used to frequent it.  With a geological history dating back 500 million odd years, the islands contain unique rock formations that stir the imagination and baffle the mind. Numerous caves, with their stunning stalactites and stalagmites, taunt the adventurous and unravel their ancient secrets. 

My uncle was a fisherman here before he passed away and I can see why he didn't want to move to the mainland to join the family.

The rainforest in Malaysia is one of the oldest in the world, older than the rainforest in the Amazon.  However, the rainforest here in Langkawi was wiped out in parts by a huge meteorite that struck the island 10 million years ago so some rainforest is only 10 million years old.  The meteorite formed the bay, Datai Bay, where we are staying.

  

 

Warning on balcony doors to lock doors when not using the balcony to prevent monkeys coming in

 

Hello gecko!  See his/her little head poking up?  They are everywhere...

Can you guess what fruit family this fruit above belongs to?  The fig!!  There are over 200 types of fig on this island, each attracts a type of wasp.  When ripe, the fig releases pheromones that call the female wasps to it.  The female wasp burrows deep into the fruit breaking her wings in the process.  Once inside, she lays her eggs and dies.  You can imagine the lack of oxygen inside the fruit...the male eggs hatch first.  They eat the fruit, releasing air pockets as they go.  Once enough oxygen is released, the females hatch.  The males die.  The females fly out to begin the cycle over again.  So sad!!

 The fisherman comes ashore each day to sell his fish

We bought one (sea bass) and had it steamed!

Small monitor lizard compared to the ones we see at night... 

 

Tapping rubber trees

 Different type of monkey to the one at breakfast not sure what these are

I got a massage here!

Lemurs

 

 

 Dusky leaf monkeys are moving through the area, joining us for breakfast!

 

Sorry I couldn't take pics of the wild boar, hornbills, huge monitor lizards, flying lemurs, sea eagles and civet cats we've seen - my camera isn't good enough to take pics at a distance!  Hope you are all well.