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G is for...
Gallery - There are a couple galleries worthy of mention.
The first is "Galeria Perdana" which must be quite unique because there isn't anything like it anywhere in the world.
It houses and displays all the gifts and souvenirs presented to Tun Dr. Mahathir, our former Prime Minister, on his numerous state visits to almost all the countries in the world, spanning the 22-year-long tenure as Prime Minister.
Wouldn't it be interesting for you to know what your leader "gave" our Dr.M when he visited your country?
The second, is an art gallery that calls itself the Ibrahim Hussein Museum and Cultural Foundation. The building is next to Pantai Pasir Tengkorak and it houses the paintings of its namesake, who happens to be a very prominent Malaysian artist/painter.
Gamat - What is that?
You'd be forgiven 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!
It is, however, shaped like a cucumber but this coral-dwelling, flexible "echinoderm" has tentacles surrounding the mouth and is dark, greyish-brown.
The locals would swear by it when it comes to cures, not curses, 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 these items are always at the top of the what-to-get-while-in-Langkawi shopping lists for local tourists. Maybe, there is some truth in it.
Nevertheless, the relevant authorities would do well to invest 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 love garlic then you'd be fond of the local chow. Most dishes, it would seem, use this ubiquitous pungent bulbous spice.
If you're down with the common flu, try this old Chinese remedy:
one glass of luke-warm water.
peel 5 cloves of garlic.
eat the garlic, chew and swallow.
drink water to help remove spicy taste of garlic.
then, it's off to bed with you!
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 regard to weather conditions, isn't this common knowledge? But then again, 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 as it haltingly trudges along the Pantai Cenang/Tengah area... and equally baffling is its absence on most Fridays. But, this is only because there are a couple of Fridays in the year when the then 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 just "one honest man!"
As for the rest of us, we just have to live with the fact that they are just civil servants and, they do NOT entertain constructive criticisms from "nameless" individuals.
Good, bad or indifferent, but, that's 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. 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!
Now comes the bad part... it is not toilet-trained! 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? Albeit, the chance of it happening is about 1,000,000 to 1.
Hah!... gotcha.
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 -- with offer the usual golfing facilities -- where you can attempt to show off your elastic back!
Incidentally, you might want to know where this is located.
Government - The country is a constitutional monarchy (like, Great Britain) and the present government is nice -- sometimes, too nice! While some people might want to choose to believe otherwise, but (I, personally, think) the former Prime Minister is a genius! Well... it's either that or all those around him are just laymen -- and that's only because I do NOT speak Greek! (At this juncture, 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 they take action, and, somebody should remind the ministers concerned that they should WRITE something on those white papers and, if possible, to avoid using invisible ink!
Do you know why the former Prime Minister was pushing for a paperless government?
It's because he finally caught on to the old trick that civil servants only write memos because they appear to be busy when they are writing and the memos, once written, become proof that they have been kept busy!
Understandably, he decided to call it quits, last year, because even after 22 years of trying, he still can't get them to work!
Guide - Officially, all Malaysian tourist guides are licensed! But, the question is... does this ensure a stream of capable and well-informed guides?
There are numerous Langkawi guide-books that have been 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 gymnasiums for you to work all that sweat out. But, the question is, why sweat it out in an air-conditioned "box" when you have all this nice sunny weather?... and, of course, the fresh air!
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