Langkawi, officially known as Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah, is a district and an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea about 30 kilometers off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of the state of Kedah, which is adjacent to the Thailand border.
We stopped in on a Friday for a short shore excursion, bus tour and shopping in Kuah. Unfortunately, we learnt that Fridays are religious holidays and most stores are closed. On any other day, this may have been OK since this has been a tax-free zone since 1987 in hopes of increasing tourism. I wonder if the other tourist attractions were also closed down for the day. The best place we found for lunch was the Bayview Langkawi Hotel in the harbour town of Kuah.
The Princess Cruise Ships dock at the southernmost point of the island at the end of a long jetty. (Marked by a 3 in the lower left of the map.) The tour buses picked us up at the terminal and drove us into town to shop and see the Big Brown Eagle.
Tourists arriving by Ferries from the mainland would usually dock in Kuah Bay at Dataran Helang (Eagle Square) and be greeted by this grand 12-meter tall statue. This is the iconic landmark of Langkawi Island.
The square is a large open space for walking, eating, buying some refreshments and souvenirs.
restaurants in Eagle Square 
a big list of “not to does” 
exit and entrance to Eagle Square 
perched, ready to take off 
Dataran Helang (Eagle Square) 
Brown Eagle 
Looking back at the 9 meter high statue
Located at the north end of the Strait of Malacca in the Andaman Sea off of the boarder between Malaysia and Thailand, like the other ports of Klang and Singapore, there is a visible presence of law keepers.
