Continued from Langkawi Trip Part X : Pelangi Beach Resort
We wanted to visit Underwater World Langkawi but the pricey entrance fee, RM28 per person made us change our mind. Moreover, we have already visited the nicest marine showcase in Malaysia, Aquaria KLCC. So, we decided to visit other tourist attractions located along the way back to Kuah town.
Soon after Mahsuri’s premature death, the formidable Siamese army made an attack on the island. In desperation, the chief ordered the granary to be burnt down to prevent the storage of rice from falling into Siamese hands. The remnants of burnt rice can still be seen at this spot known as the Field of Burnt Rice especially after a heavy downfall that washes out the odd blackened grain or so. The curse is believed to have been the cause of the island’s lack of development which lasted until the birth in 1980 of Aishah Nawawi, a direct descendant of Mahsuri, after seven generations.
Field Of Burnt Rice is a tricky place to find, it is located within a small kampung opposite a high school in Padang Matsirat. There were a lot of stalls selling t-shirts, food, drinks and Langkawi’s famous product – Gamat. Gamat, which is made of sea cucumber and traditional herbs is a healing ointment that works well in curing external wounds. It is sold almost everywhere in Langkawi, and cheap too! I bought a bundle of 12 small bottles for RM8.
A small garden indicating the spot where the incident occured.
We didn’t see any burnt rice, except those in this bowl for display.. They look like normal black sand to me lol..
Also located within Field Of Burnt Rice was this nice traditional Malay house, took some photos with it before we left. Field Of Burnt Rice is not really worth visiting because there isn’t much to see around here.. but should be quite interesting for those into local markets.
A stretch of paddy field was spotted nearby. It was not as nice as those found near to the airport though.. FYI there is a place called “Laman Padi” that showcases the history, heritage and development of the nation’s rice growing industry.
We had planned to visit Mahsuri’s Tomb (Makam Mahsuri) but we took the wrong road and overshot the place haha. A lot of upgrading work was being carried on the roads leading to Kuah town as seen in the photo above. I hope the work finish soon because it was such an eyesore..
Buffalo crossings are very common in Langkawi. Many signboards are set up to warn road users in case of incidents like this :P
Black Sand Beach’s sand was indeed.. black. This place was a let down, nothing much to see other than the black sand. Not really recommended to visit but since we passed by this area, we figured that no harm taking a look..
I was wondering if the black sand had anything to do with the freaking huge cement factory nearby?
Situated near the Kuah jetty, the main attraction of the square is the magnificent statue of the reddish brown eagle majestically poised for flight. According to local folklore, Langkawi derived its name from- the eagle or “helang”. In old Malay, “kawi” denotes reddish brown – hence, Langkawi means reddish brown eagle!
What would a Langkawi trip be without visiting Eagle Square :P Both foreign and local tourists were thronging the place taking pictures with the giant eagle.. some of them even climbed up the bricks! So difficult to take a nice shot of the eagle without people’s head popping up lol.
Once again, we had to take an artistic photo, luckily we brought a tripod along :) We were worried that our camera might be missing once we turned back lol..
Within the park, there are also some fine examples of traditional Malaysian handicraft and cultural objects.
This park is only a 5 minutes walk from the Eagle Square. Carved on the rock is Langkawi island along with its attractions.
Saw this nice lamp and took a photo of it too :P
Entrance to the park is not free, so we didn’t go in (we didn’t have the time either) However I managed to take a photo of the park from outside by zooming in. The trees are so well grown, look like those in Taiping’s lake..
And this ends my series of posts about my Langkawi trip, I had a lot of fun and great memories. Langkawi is indeed one of Malaysia’s best-kept secret :)
Based on my personal experience, these are my verdict on the attractions in Langkawi:
- Very highly recommended – Cable Car Ride, Island Hopping, Eagle Square, Tanjung Rhu
- Recommended – Oriental Village, Air Hangat Village, Crocodile Farm, Bird Paradise
- Somewhat recommended – Legend On The Park, Field Of Burnt Rice, Black Sand Beach, Underwater World, Pantai Cenang
