MALAYSIAlonelyplanet.com PENINSULAR MALAYSIA – EAST COAST •• Johor Bahru
provides a romantic setting to while away a
tropical evening.
At Pantai Tengah try Boom Boom Corner
(%012 473 7167; mains from RM4; h5pm-late), a
bustling Malay and Pakistani food court at
the northern end of the strip.
Drinking
Langkawi is arguably the best (and cheapest)
spot for a drink in Malaysia. Most bars open
around 5pm and close late.
You can start at Bob Marley Bar, which
usually opens around lunchtime. There are
beach mats, posters of the great dreaded
one, a predictable soundtrack and very
good vibe. If you head south along Pantai
Cenang, you’ll hit the 1812 Bar, which is
run by a slightly mad but friendly northern
Englishman who is one of the best barmen
on the island.
As the evening wears on lots of folks end
up in Pantai Tengah at Reggae Bar (hnoon-
2am Sat-Thu), a beachside affair, and Sunba
Retro Bar, which turns into a dancey mega-
club and is open till about 3am. If you’re
still ready to party after that, Little Lylia’s
Chill Out Bar is, as the name suggests, a
laid-back spot that stays open till – wow, is
that sunrise?
Getting There & Away
AIR
Malaysia Airlines (%955 6322; http://www.malaysiaairlines
.com), Air Asia (%32-171 9333; http://www.airasia.com)) and
Firefly (%37-845 4543; http://www.fireflyz.com.my)) all have
two or three flights daily between Langkawi
and KL. Malaysia Airlines and Firefly fly
to Penang and Tiger Airways (www.tigerairways
.com) and SilkAir (%955 9771; http://www.silkair.com)) fly
to Singapore.
BOAT
All passenger ferries to/from Langkawi oper-
ate out of Kuah. From about 8am to 6.30pm,
ferries operate roughly every hour to/from
the mainland port of Kuala Perlis (RM18,
one hour) and every 30 minutes to/from
Kuala Kedah (RM23, 1½ hours).
Langkawi Ferry Ser vices (LFS; %966 9439) and
Ekspres Bahagia (%966 5784) operate two daily
ferries between Kuah and Georgetown on
Penang (RM60/115 one way/return, 2½
hours). Boats depart from Georgetown at
8.30am and 8.45am and leave Kuah at 2.30pm
and 5.30pm.
Getting Around
There is no public transport. Car hire is ex-
cellent value starting at RM60 per day for
a Kancil or RM35 for a motorbike. A few
places also rent mountain bikes for RM15
per day.
Otherwise, taxis are the main way of get-
ting around. Fixed fares for the entire vehi-
cle (which can be split between passengers)
include the following from the Kuah jetty:
Kuah town (RM6), Pantai Cenang (RM24)
and Pantai Tengah (RM24).PENINSULAR MALAYSIA
- EAST COAST
Refreshingly Malay, the peninsula’s east
coast is an entirely different experience from
the mobile-phone-obsessed, traffic-clogged
west coast. Headscarves, skullcaps and the
hauntingly melodious call to prayer are as
ubiquitous here as the white-sand beaches
that fringe the sunrise-drenched coasts and
jewel-like islands.JOHOR BAHRU
%^07
You’ll pass through the state capital of Johor
Bahru (known as JB) if you’re travelling to/
from peninsular Malaysia and Singapore.
The city is connected to Singapore by the
1038m-long Causeway bridge.
JB has never been a travellers’ favour-
ite but it’s been cleaned up over the years
and isn’t a bad place to grab some hawker
food and explore the colourful culture-
packed streets of the walkable downtown
area west of the Customs, Immigration andGETTING TO THAILAND: PULAU
LANGKAWI TO SATUN OR KO LIPE
There are three daily ferries from Kuah on
Pulau Langkawi to Satun (one way RM60,
1¼ hours). From 1 November to 15 May
Tigerline (www.tigerlinetravel.com) runs two
daily ferries each way between Langkawi
and Ko Lipe (one way RM115, 1½ hours) in
Thailand (during high season) with onward
service available to as far as Ko Lanta.
See p804 for information on doing the
border crossing in the opposite direction.471