We’ve embedded ourselves in the Langkawi life for a while. It’s nice to have a change from being on the move or working. The boat is in the marina at Rebak Island, and we come and go from there out to the beautiful anchorages in the Unesco Heritage islands off the coast of Langkawi.

It’s nice to feel like we’re part of a community, with all sorts of people doing all sorts of things. There are the “fly-in-fly-out” workers who live on their boats in the marina and then head to Africa, Hong Kong, Japan, or Australia for several months at a time, to do mining jobs, oil and gas, rotational skipper jobs or IT work. Some folks are set up with Starlink and work from their boats as they travel the world. There are retired people who just enjoy liveaboard life, and there is a family who are circumnavigating with their four children, while Dad runs a business from the boat. There are all ages and stages, and like any community, there’s the gossip, the scandal, and the different levels of experience and ability.

It’s inexpensive to live here. The marina costs are half of what it would cost in NZ, and we have the use of the pool and gym. Groceries are also inexpensive, with a good variety of seasonal fresh fruit and vege. If you want European food, such as cheese (which I can’t  live without), yoghurt, bread, and non-halal products, these can be found at specialist grocery stores and they’re still less expensive than at home.

Eating out is also inexpensive and can be a really fun experience. Often, street restaurants have plastic chairs and tablecloths and dodgy looking kitchens, but the food is great. A Malay dish such as curry mee will cost around 20 ringits ($7.50 NZ), and it’s delicious. If you were wanting a beer with your meal, you would need to go to one of the more touristy restaurants or bars that serve European food because Malaysia is a Muslim country  and they don’t drink alcohol. You wouldn’t find a pork chop either!

Langkawi is a very safe place to live or to be a tourist. I’m sure it’s because the majority of the population don’t drink alcohol. There doesn’t seem to be the ugly underbelly of fights, violence, and aggression that comes with the booze. The only drunks you see are tourists and the odd drunken bum yachtie. Drink driving is unheard of here amongst the Muslim population, although I’m sure there’s still an element of it within the ex-pat community. Ironically, this is a duty free Island. You can buy a bottle of Bombay Sapphire gin for $22😁.

Every day, I’m surprised by  the wildlife. During the last week, I’ve seen monitor lizards, hornbill birds, squirrels, otters, frogs, ghekos, native bees, and hundreds of long-tailed macaque monkeys. The highlight was seeing pink dolphins in the anchorage at Singa Besar. I’m amazed that those precious little mammals survive, with the number of fishing boats and the staggering amount of garbage in the water.

Such is life in Langkawi. We’ll be heading north to Thailand next month when the north-east monsoon arrives. In the meantime, I’m enjoying the food, the music the company and the wildlife.