I bid Langkawi a fond farewell



The sun dropping into the Andaman Sea was our signal
that is was time to leave Langkawi this evening.



DATELINE LANGKAWI, MALAYSIA – Seems we just arrived in this Asian paradise and already it’s time to return to Singapore where we’ll prepare for our long journey home Thursday.

While packing our bags earlier today, we were interrupted by a knock on our Four Seasons villa door.

Standing on the other side of the glass was Aidi Abdullah, the charming Four Seasons naturalist who introduced us to the wonders of Langkawi’s delicate eco-system on a tour he lead just a few days ago.

Aidi, knowing that our Silk Air flight wouldn’t be leaving Langkawi until later (8:45 p.m.) decided he would offer to show us some of the local villages where we sampled lots of great Malay food.

What a wonderful gesture – especially considering it was Aidi’s day off.

“I could not let you leave without showing you the same hospitality that your country showed me when I lived in Edmonton,” said Aidi, who worked in the Alberta capital a few years ago before returning to his homeland.

“Canadians were the only people who ever accepted me for who I am, not what I am,” said the proud Muslim.

You have no idea how my heart swells with pride when I hear those words spoken about our country by people of other lands who have sampled our hospitality and generosity.

The sun dipping behind one of the 99 treasured islands that make up Langkawi and dropping into the Andaman Sea this evening indicated it was time to head to the airport.

We leave here with many wonderful memories – our stay at the fabulous Four Seasons Langkawi Resort was a true delight; our tour of the mangroves where we were eyeballed by strange creatures was life changing for me; and our tour of the local towns where we met creative islanders making amazing crafts – but the hospitality shown us by the mostly Muslim population is what we’ll remember most about Langkawi.