Where Mangroves Breathe!
The tour to the mangrove forests in Langkawi started at 3 in the afternoon. With no clue about how that place would be, we reached there after a long drive and a lot of other Indians with us, majority of which were couples. But that awkwardness did not matter once we entered into the depths of the forest.
a forest without much animals!
The mangrove forests provide 70% oxygen to the world and they grow in mud in very few places across the world. There are 116 types of mangroves discovered and 70 of them can be found in Langkawi. The roots of the mangroves are in water most of the time, but we were lucky enough to visit the place during the low tides, which is when we could see the roots of the trees clearly! A vast stretch of land with so many shades of green around you and all the roots of every tree visible to you! It was all so creepy yet exciting.
We first went to the bat caves, crawling under stones to reach there! All of those who are Batman fans can actually imagine that scene when batman as a child was around those bats and was afraid. This was kind of the same feeling. The bat cave is 2 million years old made majorly of limestone. There were some 1000 bats above us making noises or sleeping, mainly creeping me out. The interesting part about these caves is the limestone, which was millions of year old; this limestone grows 1 mm every month!
After the bat caves we enjoyed the ride and saw the fish farming, eagle feeding and what not. The eagle feeding was an interesting thing to behold. There were so many eagles, fighting for a single piece of meat we threw in the water.
We then saw a shoe island and the end of Malaysia, the region where Thailand starts. There was a different kind of freshness that you experience between mangroves, the air so pure and inviting! This was a ride to be remembered for a life time.
the shoe island
The mangrove drive was not it. One of the best places to see was yet left. When I was reading about langkawi before the trip, I came across a museum which had some 3D art museum which was supposed to be the second largest of the world. I, being a person who loves understanding art work, wanted to see this. We allotted an hour for this, but obviously, it took more time than anticipated.
We entered an imaginatory world! A world full of paintings drawn on walls and floors making you feel as a part of that place. The illusions created confuse you know the technique of how it was made. We were instructed to look from our cameras to understand the 3D effect. Our eyes can see 3 dimensional, but our phones and camera’s have a 2D screen, thus the effect was seen when you watch it from them.
Every art was different and beautiful. We posed so much and in so many different styles. I could have resided there forever if I was given a chance, it was all so magical! The human mind, heart, hands and vision all used to make our imagination a reality. I understood the power of all those human attributes that day.
Langkawi was surely a dream, a place, unique with its own experience, art, forests, sea and its vibes. The night life of that place was just as happening as the sea over there. It is a mix of nature, luxury, adventure, peace, culture and beauty.
Keep travelling.
Manasvi shah. 🙂
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