#30 - Friday, 24 February 2017 | Langkawi, Malaysia

I have dated this post as Friday because that is what it is for my readers, but it actually just chimed midnight Saturday morning here in southeast Asia. Today has been a strange day as I haven't felt well after having a restless night before. The heat and humidity have taken their toll, as has drinking much more than I normally do. The truth is that I rarely drink alcohol and here it has been a daily activity. The fabulous boat adventure on the Andaman Sea really sealed the exhaustion and heat effects I had already been feeling.

Today I tried to go back to sleep after breakfast but that was not to be, and Mark, Brandon and I walked to the Oriental Village for our daily fish therapy. The Anjung Spa charges 15 ringgits for 15 minutes of soaking your feet in cold water as the "Dr. Fish" feed off your dead skin. It is so relaxing and meditative and 15 ringgits is about $3.65. I bought a few souvenirs and Mark changed some currency and then we headed back to the resort. Brandon and I enjoyed a Salted Caramel Frappucino from the Starbucks kiosk in the hotel lobby. I walked to the pool with them, but then returned again to my rainforest chalet for yet another cold shower and another failed attempt at napping. Eventually I did drift off a bit and when I woke I decided to walk back to the Oriental Village for an espresso and chocolates at Chocohauz. All during our stay at Berjaya Langkawi Resort, Mark and I have had a routine of getting four pralines each at the chocolate shop. I wasn't up for it during the morning visit to Oriental Village, but I sat alone with a shot of espresso and enjoyed the chocolates, and some good air conditioning and wifi. Part of the reason for my return trip to Oriental Village was to photograph an Argiope sp. orbweaver spider that we had observed in the ornamental bushes that line the road between the village and resort. I don't usually carry my macro rig, so I had it and also had my longest lens mounted to another camera body. It was a good thing as I finally was able to get some clear shots at an Oriental Pied Hornbill and one of the butterfly lizards that inhabit the dry grass around the helipad and tennis courts. I also photographed a few beautiful birds and a troop of spectacled langurs that were moving through the Oriental Village.

Today (Saturday) I begin the long trip home. Flying west is into the wind and each of the three flights will take longer than they had when I traveled out (1+ hr to Kuala Lumpur, 7.5 hrs to Dubai, 5+ hr layover in Dubai and then 15+ hour flight from Dubai to Chicago). It will be going back in time (it is fourteen hours ahead of Chicago time here), and I expect that to suffer from jet lag when I finally arrive at O'Hare airport mid-afternoon on Sunday. I am hoping to keep my chalet as long as possible as I don't need to be to Langkawi's airport until about 9 pm or so. I'd prefer not to be the sweaty mess that I quickly become when I board the plane. I expect I'll mostly relax around the pool and have a nice early dinner at Pahn-Thai before I depart for the airport.

All the best, M

#29 - Thursday, 23 February 2017 | Langkawi, Malaysia

What a day yesterday! I am exhausted and sunburned from an amazing adventure on the Andaman Sea aboard the Damai Indah. Captain Eva and her crew outdid themselves and the food, drink and hospitality were incredible. 

But before I talk about our boat trip I'll fill you in on what occurred on Tuesday. Two years ago when I first visited Langkawi a small group of us hired Wendy Chin for a guided birdwatching trip. Her business is the aptly named "Langkawi Nature Guide". She has begun to generalize a bit more and explores the island for wildlife other than birds now. Part of that I'd like to think is due to meeting Mark and I and learning more about spiders and reptiles. She arranged our trip into the mangroves of Tanjung Rhu for the Mangrove Pitviper (Trimeresurus [Cryptelytrops] purpeomaculatus) earlier in the week, and we hired her to take us to Teluk Datai on Tuesday. This is the area she had taken Mark in February and June of 2016 and where they found what we feel is a new species of arboreal tarantula. Mark wanted to return to the area and bring myself, Ray & Angela Hale and Jean-Michel Verdez along. It was quite the group of international tarantula experts, but we couldn't locate the adult female that Mark had discovered with an eggsac the previous year. We did, however, find what was likely one of her offspring and evidence of others in the area. I located one silken entrance to a liana hole and was able to spy the forelegs of a juvenile Phormingochilus sp. Mark has bought an endoscope that connects to his iPhone via wifi and he saw it as well. However, in the few hours we had to comb the jungle above Datai Bay we could not find other theraphosid spiders. We did observe quite a few "flying lizards" of the genus Draco and I photographed one very special species of true spider – the Curved Spiny Orbweaver, Gasteracantha arcuata.

Gasteracantha arcuata © Michael Jacobi

But back to the Andaman Sea ...

Our group of 18 – comprised of 13 mad hatters from Bristol, England, 2 originally from Birmingham, England and now of Polegate in the south of the U.K., 2 from northern France and this lone American – boarded a private coach to take us on the forty-five minute drive from Berjaya Langkawi Resort clockwise around Langkawi to the Langkawi Yacht Club in Kuah, the commercial center of the islands. I guess this is the time for me to tell you a little more about Langkawi ...

Langkawi is an archipelago off the northwestern coast of peninsular Malaysia. Some sources say it is a cluster of 99 islands, while many others state 104. It is officially known as Langkawi Permata Kedah or Langkawi, the Jewel of Kedah, Kedah being the state of northwestern Malaysia. The largest of the islands is Langkawi Island and that is where I am typing this from. In the map below you can see the dark line representing the border between Thailand to the north and peninsular Malaysia to the south. You will see that the Langkawi Archipelago lies to the west about 30 km almost even with the border.

Jeremy from Australia actually steered our vessel as we left the jetty of the yacht club while Captain Eva commanded her crew of three and her German Shepherd "Rebekka". The Damai Indah has a full bar and two coolers filled with beer and soft drinks as well. We weren't even underway before I had a cold tin of Tiger in hand and was slurping down some fantastic seafood cocktail. In was less than an hour before we were anchored at our first stopping point, and I was the first person to jump from the second deck into the ocean. Before long Mark and two other mates were bobbing in the Andaman Sea with me and we were chucked cold cans of beer. It's not a bad life treading water in the warm and salty turquoise water with a refreshing Tiger lager. Appetizers were continuously served when we re-boarded the Damai Indah, and included corn on the cob and a wonderfully marinated tempeh on skewers, and we sailed on to another anchoring location where we returned to our ocean swimming while a secondary boat took some of our group to a beautiful and secluded private beach. Dinner followed and there was plenty for vegetarian, pescatarian and carnivore alike with steamed mixed vegetables, broiled corn on the cob, rice pilaf, red snapper, prawns, meatballs, chicken satay, baked chicken and more. The drinks were flowing and I dozed under the shade of the upper deck while others sat atop under the sunscreen socializing and enjoying more than a few cocktails. As the sun began to set, we headed back to the main island's harbor where we arrived after dark.

Today I've spent a good deal of time resting my sunburned carcass in my air conditioned chalet, alternating correspondence with napping. I finish this blog entry after meeting Mark and family at the pool bar and having a late afternoon snack. Tonight we have a reservation at the Mizumi Japanese Restaurant in the Oriental Village.

All the best, M

#28 - Tuesday, 21 February 2017 | Langkawi, Malaysia

It has been almost a week since I've blogged. Langkawi and the Berjaya Resort are paradise and I haven't wanted to focus on my laptop and write. This is a magical holiday and I have been consumed by some wonderful activities as well as relaxation in the pool with a cold Tiger lager. I am not much on swimming pools or daytime drinking, but this is a special vacation and the pool bar is a great place to unwind. It is very hot and humid here and everything is incredibly tiring. Being submersed up to your chest in the pool with a cold beer isn't a bad way to spend the afternoon. 

My chalet is my sanctuary where I have the air conditioner set to 16ºC and take several cold showers a day. My Instagram has depicted some of the wonderful wildlife I have encountered here on the resort grounds and also on a boat trip into the mangrove of Tanjung Rhu. Later today we are taking a trip with our local nature guide friend Wendy to return to the spot where she and Mark found a new species of arboreal tarantula last year. Tonight we have dinner reservations at the Pahn Thai restaurant that sits on the Berjaya seafront.

Last night we celebrated Mark's wife Kim's birthday with an elegant dinner on the beach. The Berjaya Langkawi staff outdid themselves with an amazing setting and delicious food for both vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. My friends Ray and Angela arrived Sunday morning and yesterday we took them to the Oriental Village. We took a VIP glass bottom Sky Cab cable car to the top of the island. It is said to be the steepest cable car ascent in all of southeast Asia if not the world. I am no fan of heights, but it was amazing to view the Seven Wells Waterfall and the jungle mountains of Gunung Raya from the aerial tram. Through the glass bottom we looked at the vast jungle below. Again, see Instagram for pix. I also have been posting daily snapshots during adventures to my exotic fauna Snapchat.

We disembarked at the top of mountain and I had an engraved heart lock made for Bailee, a lovely lady who is extremely special to me, and now my feelings for her are forever locked high above the montane Langkawi jungle.

(Side note: If you haven't heard the song I wrote for her ("Bailee's Grace") click here to listen to it on my Soundcloud page. I will be re-recording the song soon and intend to release a full CD of new original acoustic guitar music this year.

Tomorrow is our big boat trip. Two years ago when I first visited Langkawi we sailed with a German woman named Eva on her Damai Indah. Damai Indah and Damai Indah Lagi are charming traditional wooden cargo-boats that Eva, the only lady-captain in the area, has converted and renovated to become luxurious charter-boats. Captain Eva provides an amazing experience with full open bar, delicious food and a vessel that is a perfect party yacht for a group of 18 (15 mad Brits, one French couple, and this lone American). We all loved it and are excited about tomorrow's adventure on the Andaman Sea. As wonderful as drinking a Tiger in the pool bar here at Berjaya is, it pales in comparison to diving off the Damai Indah into the Andaman Sea somewhere between Malaysia and Thailand and having someone toss you a cold can of Tiger.

I type this from the cool comfort of my rainforest chalet, but soon will be off in search of spiders and, perhaps, reptiles. We have much planned between now and Saturday when I head back to Kuala Lumpur and then on to Dubai and then 15 hours of misery flying over the Atlantic back to Chicago. I'll try to write more when I can.

All the best, M

#27 - Wednesday, 15 February 2017 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This morning our group is traveling. After a flight from Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo back to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, we are headed to Langkawi Island and the beautiful Berjaya Langkawi Resort. Next week two more friends from England will join us to bring our group to 16. Langkawi sits off the northwestern coast of Peninsular Malaysia on the Andaman Sea very close to Thailand. Two years ago I surprised my mate Mark on his birthday whilst he ate breakfast that morning in the Beach Café. The resort grounds are teeming with wildlife and we will have plenty of hikes to other nearby locations in pursuit of spiders, snakes, birds and mammals. Kuching was amazing with very warm and humid weather and torrential rains. Langkawi promises to be significantly hotter and drier. This afternoon I will get situated in a rainforest cabin at the resort and settle back into the routine of almost exactly two years ago. All the best, MJ