I have been in Langkawi for a week, or nearly so, and have moved in a loop round the SW corner. I came for a few nights, but the guesthouse is friendly and sociable, the beach is beautiful and despite the solitude of the guesthouse (possibly soon to be changed, as construction goes on around us), the main road is just 300m away, with shops, bars and restaurants.
Perhaps because more or less everything in this area is tourist-oriented, there are even pavements on an 8k or more loop, so running here has been relatively straightforward, too.

There are plenty of people out paragliding over the sea; some on short trips for 29RM, others on longer, dearer, ones. I loafed along this beach. Once the tide is out, you can walk past these rocks, but even with the tide in, you can walk over them.


To the right of the view above is the (cheaper) paragliding base.



Crabs scuttle around on the beach, disappearing into holes if you worry them enough. They move quickly, and can change direction at impressive speed.


Then today, a remarkable moment. I was up early for a run, but otherwise hadn’t left the guesthouse, despite hunger creeping in. Eventually I left and walked along the strip, choosing to go right to head towards town. Any of those decisions could have been different, and had they been, I would not have bumped into Ali, with whom I worked at Birkbeck for 11 years. When he first waved, I just nonchalantly waved back, knowing I recognised him, but thinking only that this was someone staying at The Crowded House, or that we’d had a chat on the beach. But no; he is only here for a few days, visiting from Penang. Remarkable.
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