Langkawi 2

After a full day, the Langkawi party vibe is wearing thin. It's more expensive than Penang all round, and the food is catered for tourists. Veggie stuff is few and far between (thank goodness for Indian). The beach the hour around sunset is gorgeous though. Staff at bars are friendly but exasperated. Tourists are... tourists. But that's just Pantai Cenang. Tomorrow brings a new adventure.

My hostel is still so fucking chill though. Even though I'm sleeping in what is basically a cupboard with four beds in, and share a single shower/toilet (one room) with at least eight other people, I still love it. It's probably the hammocks.

Anyway this morning I napped on the beach for a while, continuing to despair about the state of the world. Dipped in the sea, sat on rocks, got covered in ants. Then I tried:

• Yam Yam - a normal cafe between Pantai Tengah and Pantai Cenang; with working wifi, but it closed at 3pm. Decent long black, reasonable homemade giant hash brown.
• Yellow Beach Cafe - a beachfront cafe with no less than three wifi networks, none of which worked. Dismal homemade sorbet. Nice view.
• Kelut - a beachfront cafe/bar with working wifi, beanbags on the sand, beach umbrellas, cheerful staff and a gorgeous view. Acceptable lime juice (customised to elevate sourness).

Between the three of them, I got past the napping / beach bum phase, and conjured some thesis thoughts.

Now I'm in an Indian restaurant (Indian Palace) on the way back to Pantai Tengah. I ate a spicy vegetable curry and roti. Pretty good, nothing magical. Wifi. More expensive than ideal. I'll go back to the hostel and make tea and see if I can squeeze another hour or so of typing out.

In the long run, I think the superior food of Penang is actually more important for my happiness than beach paradise.

Photos.