The Plantation (32 page)

‘Yep, she’s shipped them in from every Malaysian state, so the houses she’s got are all different architectural styles. She’s made them very classy and comfortable. All are set in the lovely hotel grounds and come complete with lap pools,’ explained Christopher.

‘It sounds amazing and different.’

As they drove the short distance to the resort, Julie was enchanted by Langkawi. She could see the blue sea through the waving palm trees, glimpses of casual streets lined with thatched-roofed bars and outdoor restaurants, and a few holiday shops selling sarongs and souvenirs. They passed lush emerald rice fields, where lazy water buffaloes wallowed, watched by a solitary farmer in a peaked straw hat.

‘Very picture postcard, isn’t it?’ she said to Christopher.

‘There’s a rice museum on Langkawi, where you can learn all about this staple of Asia. Now, here’s the turn off into our resort.’

‘Oh, it’s so tropical. I love all the coconut palms. I feel like I’ve come into some magic village,’ exclaimed Julie as the cars drove down a small lane and stopped outside a wonderful Chinese house.

‘I wonder what state they’ve put us in,’ said Christopher.

Julie was mystified by this remark until she began to look around and saw all the restored buildings that had been rescued from various parts of Malaysia. Chinese, Malay and Indian houses, plantation workers’ cottages, as well as a colonial mansion were cleverly spaced around the secluded gardens, all representing the architecture of the various Malay states.

Julie was accommodated in an old Malay house, which had originally been a fisherman’s hut but had now been transformed into a summery, colourful house. There was a balcony at the front and at the back was a secluded open-air bathroom and sun deck, holding a big old wooden bathtub. Inside, the bed was swathed in a mosquito net. There was a ceiling fan, turning slowly, but Julie noticed that there was also an air conditioner. The windows had intricately carved shutters and an inviting daybed on the sundeck was covered in colourful silk cushions. The whole house was simple and stylish, and, despite its old world charm, she was glad to find all the modern amenities she might need, including a cat.

As she started to unpack, a large black and white cat with a short tail with a kink in it strolled up the front steps and made itself at home. When she explored the gardens later, she found cats lurking around the red altar in the temple yard. The animals sat by the long lap pool or lazed on top of an old stone wall, which surrounded the large two-storey Chinese villa where Martine, Shane and Peter were staying.

‘Come on in, Julie, we’ve opened the bar,’ called out Peter from its upstairs balcony.

Seated on the wide verandah in comfortable planters’ chairs and surrounded by antiques, Julie sipped a cold drink. As the fan above her slowly whirred, Julie could imagine that she’d stepped back a hundred years in time. They were soon joined by Christopher, Carl and Tina and the owner of the resort, Nerida, whose dream this place had been. The hotel staff were young and friendly but unobtrusive, quietly delivering a tray of delicious hors d’oeuvres and a platter of fruit to the new arrivals.

‘You can see why our kids love it here,’ said Shane. ‘There are all those grounds out there to explore, and the house has a film and video room, a table tennis table and even a mah jong set.’

‘Two big families can stay here and not have to meet unless they want to,’ added Martine. ‘We’ve had some fun family holidays here. Carl and Tina bring their kids, too.’

‘What’s with all the cats?’ Julie asked Nerida. ‘I saw lots of cats in Kuching, too. Where did yours come from?’

‘I’ve lived on Langkawi for nearly twenty years, although I go home to Australia to see my family every year,’ said Nerida. ‘And years ago I started taking in stray animals, trying to help the neglected dogs and cats. There were a lot of them, so I started an animal shelter and sanctuary to care for abused and needy animals. Now we also run an animal clinic, a charity project aimed at the sterilisation of the stray cat population. Both of these projects are non-profit making ventures, staffed by volunteers and aimed at improving the lives of unwanted animals. I’ve adopted a lot of cats, as you can see,’ she explained with passion.

‘And the crooked tails?’ asked Christopher.

‘It seems to be a genetic trait,’ said Nerida. ‘Ah, there’s Aidi. You’ll enjoy his company,’ she said to Julie. ‘He’s the island’s top naturalist and guide, and a good friend to me.’

Aidi wandered over to the house and Nerida introduced him to Julie. He seemed to know everyone else. Aidi was dressed in khaki shorts and shirt. His round, affable face, a mixture of Malay and Chinese, seemed to be constantly wreathed in smiles and Julie liked him immediately. He joked and laughed a lot, but she quickly found that a fascinating torrent of information poured out of him.

‘Aidi knows the island intimately and if he takes you on one of his tours, you’ll get a look at another world,’ said Nerida.

‘So Christopher mentioned,’ said Julie.

‘Could I come along with you?’ asked Christopher. ‘I haven’t been out with Aidi for ages.’

‘You’re always too busy fishing or lazing by the pool,’ said Peter.

‘I’d better get back to work and relieve Alice, she’s my business partner,’ said Nerida. ‘We’re opening some other residences in Penang, so we’re back and forth all the time. She’s heading over there tomorrow to see how the renovations of our old Chinese shophouses are going.’ Martine and Nerida walked to the entrance talking in low voices.

Aidi turned to Christopher and Julie. ‘You two want to meet me at six o’clock tomorrow morning? Spend a few hours discovering the secret parts of the island? Bring sunscreen, hats, cameras. I’ll bring cool drinks.’

‘Sounds good,’ said Christopher. ‘You okay with that?’ he asked Julie.

The start seemed very early to Julie, but she knew that they would have to head out before the sun got too hot. ‘Can’t wait.’

‘You could meet us for dinner tomorrow night, Aidi,’ suggested Christopher. ‘Bring your family along.’

‘How about you all come down to my neck of the woods? There’s a great local seafood place,’ Aidi replied.

‘Now don’t do too much planning,’ said Martine coming back into the room. ‘This is a place to relax.’

After enjoying a leisurely lunch, everyone did their own thing – reading, sleeping, swimming or taking a short walk. These people are so easy to be with, thought Julie. There seemed to be no pressure as there had been with David constantly at her elbow, though, to be fair, being in a longhouse in the jungle was a bit different from staying at a lovely resort like this.

At sunset they took two cars down into Telaga Harbour. This gave Julie a totally different view of the laidback island. Here, at the harbour, she felt as though she’d been dropped into Monte Carlo, or some other European coastal hotspot. The glamorous new marina was filled with millions of dollars worth of shiny white motor cruisers, sleek yachts and massive ships equipped for weeks at sea, fishing and adventuring. Reflections of the coloured lights that were strung along the promenade danced across the water. All along the waterfront was every kind of restaurant, cheek by jowl, interspersed with a few smart providores, catering to the boating fraternity. Restaurant tables, covered with snowy tablecloths, were being set, candles lit, flowers arranged. There was a small square with a fountain, looking like a smaller version of the Spanish Steps, which led to an upper level of buildings and apartments, while further across the water gleamed brand new, but incomplete, hotels and office buildings.

Julie was stunned. ‘What a contrast to being up-country with the Iban!’

‘This looks a bit like Disneyland, a kind of Lego world,’ commented Christopher. ‘But I guess the dollars here are real.’

‘There’s a zillion dollars been spent on all this. For tourists?’

‘There are a lot of wealthy Malaysians, as well as foreigners, who are making a heap of money out of this country, one way or another,’ said Christopher.

‘But it doesn’t seem to be exactly spread around evenly,’ said Julie. ‘There are people like the Iban, fighting for their land – which has always been theirs, and with very little material wealth, but then, if you have the bucks you can come and live in a place like this, where it’s conspicuous wealth overload. I don’t think it’s fair.’

‘Well, there are always rich and poor in every society, but you’re right, it’s accentuated in places like this.’

‘I wouldn’t want to live here anyway. It’s fun for an evening but I prefer our side of the island and the more traditional architecture and it’s a lot more peaceful,’ said Julie looking at the pink and peach, ochre and cream buildings.

They had drinks at Werner and Ursula Stevenson’s luxurious apartment overlooking the harbour and afterwards they all wandered down to the waterfront, looking for a place to eat.

‘This is where the action is,’ said Christopher quietly to Julie.

She glanced around, not sure if he was serious, then giggled as she realised that there were hardly any other tourists around, only a few locals.

‘It’s probably too early for everyone else,’ she said. ‘Though it’s a shame they’ll miss the sunset.’

They strolled along the waterfront, reading the blackboards and menus displayed outside each venue.

‘There’s even a Russian place,’ said Julie. ‘But I don’t think I fancy heavy Russian food. A nice fish or pasta will do me.’

‘That Russian place gets pretty boisterous as the evenings wear on,’ said Shane. ‘The customers like to sing, as well as drink.’

Eventually, they all decided on Mediterranean food and Werner ordered Italian wines. Julie looked at the prices on the menu and mentally compared them with prices in Brisbane. It seemed to be very expensive, even the ordinary Australian wines weren’t cheap.

‘I’ll stick to the local beer,’ said Julie.

Christopher leaned over and murmured. ‘My shout tonight. You can do the honours tomorrow night at Aidi’s joint.’

She smiled at him. ‘It’s a deal.’

The sky was rosy as the sun began to rise. Clouds fluffed along the horizon. Aidi led Julie and Christopher across the beach to where his boat, with its bright blue plastic roof, was pulled up to the edge of the water. As Julie and Christopher clambered into it, they were introduced to Jan, the skipper.

‘He’s a local and speaks a little English, but he really knows these waters,’ said Aidi.

The boat sped off, bumping across the water, rounding a peninsula, and heading out to sea. Over the noise of the wind and the hull slapping on the water, Julie asked Aidi how he came to be doing this job.

‘I grew up in KL. My father was a schoolteacher and historian. I asked for a book as a birthday present and received a Life Nature Library book called
The Sea
. This got me keen on nature but at that time studying nature was not quite as acceptable as it is now. I became a flying instructor and kept my interest alive by reading and doing aerial surveys for nature-based organisations.’

‘Christopher is a pilot, too,’ said Julie.

‘He flies jets though,’ said Aidi. ‘My experience was more modest. Anyway, while I was managing a crop- dusting operation, I noticed that the chemicals were indirectly affecting the waters offshore. I decided then to leave aviation and I studied and looked for work as an environmentalist. I came to Langkawi and fell in love with it, and I got a job as a naturalist at a resort, so I was doing what I always wanted. Later I met the manager of a new five star resort, which was being built very close to a man-grove forest. So I spoke to him at length about the potential side effects of a large development so near mangroves. The result of this conversation was that I was offered a job as the naturalist for that resort and I worked closely with the developers while they built it. Now that it’s finished, I try to educate as well as entertain guests who stay there.’ He smiled. ‘My life story, in a nutshell.’

From the boat, he pointed to some discreetly screened buildings buried among trees and set back from a sandy beach. ‘That’s my resort there. It’s very well designed, and the owners care about the local environment.’

A little further along, the boat turned into a man-grove forest which fringed the shore and for the next hour they weaved through the narrow tidal channels. Every so often Jan would stop the boat and Aidi would explain the importance of mangroves, not only to the ecosystem around them but also globally.

‘This is the bridge, the forest, that not only links sea and land, they intertwine,’ he said. ‘Mangroves, perhaps even more than rainforests, cleanse the planet.’

‘How is that?’ asked Julie.

‘One hectare of natural mangrove will take one hundred kilos of carbon out of the air. The living mangroves also filter the water. If mangrove forests are destroyed, rivers will be salty much further upstream. The mangrove forests sustain and nurture fish and crustaceans and also shelter birds and monkeys and other wildlife. If mangroves are removed, the coast will be quickly eroded because the mangroves protect the land from wave and storm damage. For centuries they have also provided all manner of important uses for local communities, but now …’ he lifted his shoulders in a despairing gesture.

‘And now this habitat is threatened,’ said Julie. ‘I can’t say that I’m surprised after the damage to the environment that I saw when I was in Sarawak.’