Sailing between tropical islands

We were originally supposed to travel from Penang to Langkawi by propeller plane, but avoiding flights in small aircraft meant we switched to a ferry. This suited me; I have always thought of flying as the type of travel you have to do, for example to get from one home to another or to and from school, and ferries as holiday travel. The queuing, the clanging and the waiting to set off, all of it means ‘holiday’ to me. This comes from trips to France and Belgium when I was younger and a lot of travel around the Western Isles of Scotland.

The ferry was small and cheerful. We were allocated seats and there was little to do other than look out of the window, people-watch, or read. I indulged in some of each of those activities. I reflected on the contrast we had experienced so far during the holiday. Much of our travelling, and certainly our arrivals, had a touch of luxury. We had been transported in limos with bottles of water and newspapers thoughtfully provided; our bags had been whisked away and everything made smooth and comfortable for us. Now, however, we were in do-it-yourself mode. We had wheeled our cases on to the boat and stowed them in the luggage compartment. We had to make sure we got on the right ferry and got off at the right place. At the other end we would find our own taxi. All of this, for me, is part of the excitement of travel and I was more than happy to rub shoulders with the several backpackers in shorts who shared our craft.

I loved this feeling of contrast. I like to ‘live life to its edges,’ experiencing as much of the world and what it has to offer as I can. Often, I will decide, ‘that’s not for me,’ when I have tried something once, but I do like to try. There are a few things, including bungee jumping and parachuting, that I would not even try once, but mostly I like to have a go. So it makes me happy, it makes me feel like a citizen of the world, that I can encompass, within the same holiday, both unbounded luxury and basic earthiness. I can enjoy and appreciate comfort, ease and being looked after, but if circumstances require me to look after myself, to engage with the running of things, I can do that too, with gusto.

I like to think that this sense of ease with both ends of the comfort scale, and all the space in between, comes partly from my Asian growing up. As a young girl, I learned early that you can’t take things for granted. You can’t say, ‘this is how things always are,’ because in other countries, and at other times, things can be very different. I learned to be open to a situation and what it would require of me, and act accordingly. I think I have stayed like that a bit. I tend to get bored if things are always the same. I love going to exotic places to eat, for example, but I also love camping. It’s nice to be looked after, but it can also be very refreshing to do everything for yourself (for example with camping that can mean literally everything!).

Arriving at Langkawi was a lovely experience. It really is a tropical island and, because I had never been there before, I peered out of the window curiously, hungry to learn what it was like. We did find a taxi easily, but almost had a false start as the car seemed to be breaking down after five minutes. The driver persisted and the engine seemed to settle down, so we and our luggage stayed put for the short journey. The next couple of days would be a voyage of discovery for me and a taste of unexpected familiarity.