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Langkawi |
Overview Langkawi is the collective name for a group of 104 tropical
islands located 20 miles (30km) off the northwestern tip of the
peninsula. Pulau Langkawi is the largest and most developed island
that draws holiday visitors to its duty-free shores. Much of the
island's prolific development has been focused in the town of Kuah,
also the embarkation point for visitors travelling by ferry.
Many visitors on holiday in Pulau Langkawi leave the shops behind
in favour of the mountainous interiors, limestone outcrops,
waterfalls, hot springs or pristine beaches. The best of these
beaches, Pantai Kok, lies reclusively on the island's western side,
a short distance from the spectacular Telaga Tujuh Falls.
Pulau Langkawi's mystique would be incomplete without a legend. The
story relates that a Malay princess was wrongfully accused of
adultery and sentenced to death; her dying words laid a curse on
the island. Her tomb and the associated Padang Masirat ('the field
of burnt rice') can be found a few miles west of Kuah. Langkawi can
be reached by boat or air.