I’m back in KL and sick with the flu as I think I got a sun stroke the day before yesterday when we went to Eagle Square in Langkawi at 2 p.m. I was feverish and had body ache last night. I had to take lots of panadols and vitamin C. However during the day I took a very exciting tour to the Mangrove River. I went in a boat, 11 people all together: 2 Saudis and 8 Germans + myself. The tour was very scenic. You see small green islands close to the border of Thailand with beautiful rock formations all the way. We went to a cave that has hundreds of bats. We saw the mangrove trees that grow along the river. We fed too many eagles with chicken, monkeys and fish with bread slices. After a very good lunch at a floating restaurant, we went to a fish farm and were caught in the rain there. I saw real fish that I’ve never seen in my whole life and don’t even know what they are called. When the rain stopped we re-boarded the boat and continued our adventure. On both sides of the river, we saw new marine life, things like small fish (about 5 inches long) and orange crabs in the mud. On the trees, there were eagles, bats, and beautiful birds with a black head and orange back. It was breezy all the way. I took lots of video with my camcorder and pictures with my still camera in spite of the flu symptom that started the night before and were worse after I got back to the hotel around 4:30. However, I had to take the Saudi couple out to the Gardens, Eagle Square and mall as they do not know English at all and do not know what to do or where to go. They sat with me at the same table when we had lunch as they did not understand anything and they asked me to interpret for them. As this is their first trip to a foreign country, they’ve got a pre-planned package from Saudi, they are provided with hotel-airport transfers, and tours are pre-booked for them.

I felt sorry for them and proud of myself as I do everything myself and go exploring the first day I am in a new place. My Langkawi hotel was by the beach and the sea was rough the first day but calmer afterwards. I’d sit in the balcony listening to the waves and drinking coffee. Unusual lizards (brownish with orange spots in their back) ran everywhere on the grass. But once they see people, they run and hide in their holes in the grass. The first day I was nervous and scared of them, but later, I started to stop and watch them run a round. This morning there were more than 10. They are so beautiful (as long as they do not come into my room. I asked at the reception if they do when I saw a mother and a baby walking on the side walk a couple of hours after I checked in).

I enjoyed listening to the natural sounds of the crickets, ocean waves, and trees. The island is so quiet, not densely populated and they do not have many cars running around like the place where I live.

You see rice paddies, too many cocoanut trees, bulls and cows in the fields and monkeys playing off the road. Downtown is also quiet not like crazy KL. They have no public transportation and you have to take a taxi. Places are far from each other. For example, downtown was 45 minutes from my hotel. I have to reconnect as I was disconnected while typing this e-mail. Let me know how the baby is doing and what you did with him and whether you are planning to take him back with you. What does it feel like to be a grandmoter? I will never be a mother or a grandmother in my whole life.