F is for...

Fable - Of fables and legends... there is plenty of that to amuse you. After all, the island has been "marketed" as "Island of Legends," so they must be some good reasons for it. Go to summary of legends.

Factory - The good news is that the only factory left on this island and it is tucked away in the northernmost part where it can do the least damage. Although it provides other employment opportunities for the locals in Teluk Ewa but, the bad news is that it produces cement.
There was once a marble factory but it closed down -- sometime in late 2000 -- due to "bad management." As the company was state-owned, it does make you wonder if civil servants are actually capable of being good managers!

Ferry - There are a few ferry operators that provide ferry services to and from Langkawi. Basically there are 4 scheduled routes and 3 of which connect the island to peninsular Malaysia via Kuala Perlis, Kuala Kedah and Penang -- for the uninitiated, Penang is an island that is "connected" to the mainland by way of the longest bridge in South-East-Asia! The 4th is to Satun, Thailand and, interestingly enough, this is the shortest route!
On the whole, the ferries are in decent condition and the ride quite pleasant. Although -- depending on your luck -- there have been a few occasions when the "piped" music seemed to have gone haywire, and all you get to hear is just one Hindustani song repeated for the whole journey. As the journey to Kuala Kedah could take up to 90 minutes, this is bound to cause some unnecessary "aggro" especially to those who are impartial to this genre of music! Maybe some people do not know that, "there are times when silence is golden." And, this IS that time! Goes to show that, what is common sense to some, might actually be rocket science to some others.

Fishing - Being one of the main traditional occupations of the islanders, naturally, there are bound to be some good spots for anglers to while away their time productively. Either you know where the "f-spots" are, or, you don't! If you are the latter, all you have to do is... ask!
Contrary to popular belief - albeit grossly misinformed -- it is not always that by virtue of going out to sea, with a fishing rod in hand, ensures a catch. After all, they would argue, with millions of fish out there, it shouldn't be all that difficult to catch one, now is there? Well, Mr Wiseguy, have you ever considered that the ocean is quite large too?
Besides, if you were a fish, would you bite the first bait that comes along? Well, it all depends if you are that hungry or not, don't it? What I am trying to get at is that there is this "science" of fishing but, then again, it could the "art" of angling! Whatever... but, fishing is NOT as easy as you might think it is!
At any rate, NOT everyday is suitable for fishing. It all depends on the currents,don't it? If the undercurrents are too strong, then your line will not sink deep enough but too weak, then the line will sink in too deep. Logic, eh! Also, the moon plays an important role. So, if you are familiar with the lunar calendar, then you'll be alright at fishing!

Flag - Time to get a wee bit patriotic and show off our national flag... and, just in case that you might have forgotten, it's M-a-l-a-y-s-i-a! Please, stand up and show some respect!
Wonder if there is a flag for Langkawi?

Forest - A better place to look for it is in a jungle.

Frog - Sorry..., but the legend about the frog and the princess did NOT originate from here!
Anyhow, between the months of July & October, or whenever it rains more often than usual, you'll find a lot of frogs. This amphibian has the same problem as the buffalo and the cat... yes, bad road-crossing-manners! But, there is little love lost as there are, literally, hundreds of them hopping madly across roads that run through paddy fields or other low-lying areas. However, these amphibians have another problem... they love to sing! Or, more precisely... croak!
That would explain the strange noises you have been hearing on those dark, wet nights!

Fruit - Exotic fruits galore! Yes, there are plenty of fruits to choose from, but most of them are seasonal. And, you'd know it is the start of the durian -- the king of all fruits -- season when hoteliers start putting up this unfamiliar sign in their lobbies. The sign is similar to a "No Parking," except that, instead of the letter "P," there is this lime-green and spikey fruit! You are NOT allowed to bring this fruit onto the premises NOR into your room, and with good reasons, too! Do you know that if you were to stow the fruit in the fridge for a couple of hours, everything in it would taste and smell of durian? Even your bottled mineral water! So, the depositing of durians in the hotel's mini-bars is an act of sabotage and not a misdemeanour!

G is for...

Gallery - There are a couple galleries worthy of mention. The first being "Galeria Perdana" which must be quite unique because there isn't anything like it elsewhere. It houses and displays all the gifts and souvenirs that Dr.Mahathir has collected/received during his tenure as Prime Minister. And, as he is still going on strong, the number of exhibits should increase as the years roll by. Wouldn't it be interesting for you to know what your leaders "gave" our Dr.M when he visited your country?
Another, is an art gallery that calls itself the "Ibrahim Hussein Museum and Cultural Foundation." Though not much is known about this, other than the fact that it was responsible for a grand "Arts and Culture Festival 2000" but, it should house the paintings of its namesake, who happens to be a Malaysian artist/painter.

Gamat - You'd be excused for NOT knowing what this is! The english generic name for it is "sea cucumber" but then again, you'd be excused for thinking that it is a kind of vegetable, although it is NOT and neither is it a fish! However, it is shaped like a cucumber but this coral-dwelling, flexible "echinoderm" has tentacles surrounding the mouth and is dark, greyish-brown.
Anyhow, the locals swear by it when it comes to cures for external and internal bleeding and along with some aphrodisiactic qualities to boot! Demand is high enough to sustain a sizeable industry for "gamat products" which include extracts, oils, balms, powders etc.
It has to be mentioned that this item is always at the top of the what-to-get-while-in-Langkawi shopping lists of local tourists. Maybe, there is some truth in it.
Nevertheless, the relevant authorities would do well to invest some time and money in conducting research and promoting locally manufactured products rather than this over-emphasis on the legends bit.

Garlic - Count Dracula's nightmare... but if you like garlic then you'd love the local chow. Most dishes, it would seem, use this ubiquitous pungent bulbous spice.

Garbage - There must be something "foul" with the garbage-collection in Langkawi, and its NOT just the smell. (It might help to know that there is a German word with the same pronounciation, but spelled "faul" and, it means "lazy")
Firstly, the task of collection is undertaken by the Langkawi Tourism City Municipal Council, or its Malay acronym of M.P.P.L.
Secondly, somebody should remind the authorities that Langkawi experiences a hot, humid climate which is ideal for "things to rot -- and, fast!"
As both the above are common knowledge, then, why is it that the MPPL personnel would only begin the "unenviable" process of gathering rubbish very much later in the morning? For example, it is only around 8:30 - 10:00 a.m. that you get a "sniff" of the dumpster-truck in the Pantai Cenang/Tengah area! Equally baffling is its absence on most Fridays. But, this is only because there are a couple of Fridays in the year when the Prime Minister chooses to visit the island! Else, it would have been all Fridays.
Admittedly, there are only 7 days in a week and workers do need some days off but, haven't the MPPL ever heard of "working shifts"?
Moreover, why must the dumpster-truck itself be dirtier and more foul-smelling than the garbage it is supposed to dispose of? Does the MPPL practise water rationing of some sort? It is no joke because if you happen to be enjoying breakfast and a dumpster-truck drives past leaving a trail of nauseating solution behind that lingers on for a good half-an-hour-or-so! Definitely "unappetizing!"
It would be great, if the Tourism Minister were to arrive incognito, and experience this for himself - rather than going on about "inventing" cultures and thinking up of different ways to spend millions of ringgit! There are occasions when all it needs is, "one good man!"
As for the rest of us, we just have to live with the fact that they are just civil servants and, that they do NOT entertain constructive criticisms from "nameless" individuals. Good, bad or indifferent, but, that is the plain and honest truth!

Gasoline - Try looking for Petrol, and you might have better luck.

Gecko - A tropical house-lizard -- at least that is what any decent dictionary will tell you. Anyhow, a better description would be... a smallish, nocturnal and amateurish chameleon that thinks it is "Spiderman" -- spends most of its waking hours looking at the world upside-down -- eats mosquitoes/insects all night long -- that's the good part -- and sheds its tail under duress -- in an attempt to confuse its prey! But, the bad part is that it is not toilet-trained! So, the next time you are having a drink, do look up once in a while to see if one is stuck somewhere up on the ceiling above you... wouldn't want ammonia in your drink, now would you? Although the chance of it happening is about 1,000,000 to 1. Hah!... got you.

Go-kart - F-1 wannabes have the chance to kick-start their dream by putting their driving skills to the test, at a go-kart racing circuit. For further info please go to it's website here!

Golf - If you have just acquired that vicious "Tiger Woods" swing, there are three decent golf courses -- that offer the usual golfing facilities -- where you can attempt to show off your elastic back! Incidentally, you might want to look here!

Government - The country is a constitutional monarchy (like, Great Britain) and the present government is nice -- sometimes, too nice! While some quarters might believe otherwise, but (I, personally think) the present Prime Minister is a genius and its either that or all those around him are just "laymen" -- and that's only because I do NOT speak Greek!
However, it is pertinent to be cognizant of the fact that the word "idiot" was originally a Greek word that meant a private citizen, or layman.
As an aside, do you know why most governments are so ineffective?
It is because they have to produce White Papers for each and every problem, before taking action. But, somebody should remind the ministers concerned that they should WRITE something on those white papers and, if possible, to avoid using invisible ink!

Guide - Officially, all Malaysian tourist guides are licensed! But, the question is if this practise ensures a stream of capable and well-informed guides? Also, there are numerous guide-books which are mostly written by "misguided" authors who themselves are tourists -- which, technically, makes them "misguided tourists!" wouldn't it? Ever heard of the biblical idiom, "the blind leading the blind?" Well, I'm partially blind!

Gym - Health-freaks and sweat-addicts needn't worry much as most hotels have their own gymnasiums for you to workout that sweat. But, the question is, why sweat it out in an air-conditioned "box" when you have all this nice sunny weather?