The origins of the name “Langkawi” come from the Malay words for reddish-brown eagle, which I would have to assume was indigenous to the island when they were naming it.

We had no idea what we were getting into the day we boarded that ferry from Penang. We got on the boat, and not long after leaving the port, the waves became choppy. Not just a little choppy. Very choppy. So choppy that at times, the driver would turn the engine off and let the boat rock and sway until the water calmed a bit. Everyone around us started throwing up in bags. Many of the women wearing niqabs were puking under their face veils. Seasick women lay in their heads in their partner’s laps as the boat rocked from side to side. I kept my eyes focused on the subtitles of the bad movie they had playing on the TV screen ahead of us, just to distract myself and keep tunnel vision during the three-hour boat trip from hell. Looking left or right revealed faces about to be ill. It didn’t help that the barf bags were hanging right above my seat.

A crew member came by and gave people a little bit of salve for under their nose to help with the seasickness. I was trying so, so hard not to get sick and keep my focus away from the rocking boat, the sounds of puking and crying children, the smells leftover. There were times I was on the brink of sickness— I felt my mouth salivating, a surefire sign it’s coming. Dread rose in me like an awful balloon and somehow, someway I avoided throwing up. Jack was not so fortunate, another victim to the choppy water of the Malacca Strait.

When we bought the ferry tickets, the woman told us the ride would be an hour and forty-five minutes. It had been about that long, and the boat slowed, pulling up next to a dock. Relief was felt on board as we waited for further instructions. We sat next to this dock for about 15 minutes. Then, something terrible happened. We pulled away from the dock, and began surfing over the rough waves yet again. Concern spread through the cabin as multiple people flagged down the crew members to ask where we were headed. They informed us it would be at least another hour until we arrived to Langkawi. My stomach dropped. One more hour. All I wanted was to be on solid ground, as far away from this boat as possible. The movie ended and the same trashy movie restarted again after the credits. The minutes passed slowly. I tried not to check the time too often for fear it would seem like forever. It already did seem like forever, though. Forever passed a long time ago.

Finally, we made it to the port of Langkawi. A weak and dejected cabin hobbled off of the boat with their bags. Jack and I sat down at a table inside to collect ourselves and book a hotel.

Everything still felt like it was swaying as we researched places to stay. We finally decided on one and figured we could book it in person— that it wouldn’t get booked by the time we arrived there. We got a ride to the hotel. Halfway there it started pouring. We watched the water stream down the windows and a sinking feeling started creeping its way into my stomach. So much for the lucky weather of the previous travel days… this island beach excursion wasn’t turning out so well. We grabbed our bags and ran under the covered canopy outside the lobby. Jack went in to book us a room. Totally full. That room we had seen online? Taken right from under us.

We waited for another driver from under the canopy. Everything was booked. The only place we could find a vacancy was a dirt-cheap motel with no wifi. The smell of mold permeated the walls. The lack of windows felt like we were in a box with no connection to the outside world. Rain continued to smack down onto the metal roof as we contemplated what to do. Jack called the “front desk” to complain about the smell and a man came in, sprayed a bunch of air freshener in the room, and left.

We needed to get out, so we went to an Indian restaurant across the street. We ate garlic naan as we watched the rain fall in sheets out the window. Then we checked out a nearby shopping mall, where we got foot massages. We were lucky the masseuses weren’t occupied because after us, several customers got turned away. Two people was their capacity, apparently. I think I actually might have fallen asleep in my chair at some point during the massage, but it was just a testament to what a day it had been. It was so nice to relax inside, dry, away from our dungeon of a hotel room. We checked out the mall a little bit afterward, but decided to head back to our room since there wasn’t much else to do around there. We read, talked, napped, and before we knew it, it was dark outside. After doing more reading and talking, we finally slept for real. The next morning it was actually nice out, so we walked along the beach before we had to go.

Photo 1 of 2 from my small, but priceless Langkawi Collection

Photo 2 of 2 from my small, but priceless Langkawi Collection

It was a short trip in Langkawi, which I hoped would have nicer weather so we could enjoy the beach. But since it wasn’t that nice, it was better that it was short. We walked up and down the beach in the morning, and I got a chicken shawarma wrap somewhere along the way. I was actually short about a dollar and some kind stranger pitched in for me to afford it. After we took a couple of photos, it was time to checkout and go to the airport for our flights to Kuala Lumpur and then Taipei.

The flight back to Kuala Lumpur was short, and the flight to Taipei went smoothly. It wasn’t long before I was back in my apartment in New Taipei City, returning from the adventure of a lifetime. I had wanted to do a lot of traveling when I came to Taiwan to teach for a year, and I finally felt like I had accomplished that. All of the traveling I had just done with friends and family made my year in Taipei that much more worth it. I’m so glad I went, stuck through the teaching (even though it was rough), and stayed after my contract ended to really take advantage of one of the main reasons I came: to see more of the world. If this wasn’t ending my year in Asia on a high note, I don’t know what would be. My next airplane trip would be my longest since I came to Asia… returning to America.