We arrived in Langkawi last night after a relatively straightforward trip from Port Dickson. Our first night was off a little island called Selatan - I think my last note was sent from there saying it was a reasonable anchorage, but a bit deep. In the event we had an absolutely wretched night. The wind got up to the mid 3o's, the sea got rough and we had a 6 hour thunder and lightening storm. In view of the doubts about our holding, I spent virtually the whole night on anchor watch, and the anchor alarm was going off every few minutes.

The next night was in a beautifully sheltered anchorage off Pangkor Island - we slept like logs. The following night we reached Pinang and anchored off the town in the Junk anchorage - named after the craft that used to be there, but now; related more to what was in the water.

Yesterday we left Pinang at 0700 for the 70 mile leg to Langkawi. Mostly reasonable weather, but we had another scary encounter with a water-spout: this time much more hazardous than the one near Bawean in Indonesia; I guess it passed about a mile away, but there was a maelstrom of water at its base, and I dread to think what it might have done to us had we met.
But now we are in Langkawi - a different world from the rest of Malaysia. Much more like Thailand, not surprising as it's only 10 miles away. Tall limestone cliffs with lush vegetation, the sea a gorgeous greenish-blue, and at long last dawn to dusk sunshine.

The day-before-yesterday I became aware of a minor miracle - I woke up feeling well for the first time in a month: it was a bit like waking from a bad dream. Suddenly I have all my old energy back, probably driving Mie, Jofric and Inge to distraction. I've just felt below par since leaving hospital with loin pain and some dysuria, and I wonder whether I haven't had a low-grade pyelonephritis. Anyway I now feel terrific, and look forward to moving on to Thailand tomorrow.

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