The Bangkok Post and Bangkok Post Student Weekly have long had an ambitious programme to help Thai English teachers use our newspaper as a teaching resource. Over the years, we have developed a close relationship with many outstanding secondary, college and university teachers. This year, in cooperation with Star Cruises, Thai Airways, Cathay Pacific, Angel Air and Singapore Airlines, we were able to organise a unique educational experience for a group of 100 of our long-time supporters. They were given a 5-day Phuket-Singapore cruise on the luxurious Superstar Gemini.

"Salamat Datan Ke Langkawi" was the greeting we received as we stepped on land at our first port of call. The island gets its name from two Malay words, "lang" meaning "eagle" and "kawi" meaning "marble".

Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir is keen that the people of Langkawi exhibit the strength and vision of the marble eagle and this could mean trouble for nearby Phuket.

Since Langkawi has few natural resources of its own, the island has embarked on an ambitious 15-year plan to develop the tourist industry. Already they have built tourist attractions such as Eagle Square, the Under Water World and a large outdoor market. In addition, the island's duty-free status draws many shoppers and even the Superstar Gemini buys most of its beverages there.

Penang is famous for its distinctive old buildings and the harmonious way its multi-racial society interacts. Although we can't claim to be instant experts, we found that like any big city, Penang is far from perfect.

Many of the buildings have an old, run-down look to them, including the police station we visited. From talking to a nice police inspector there, we found out that the city has its share of crime -- just like Bangkok. He warned us to keep a close watch on our bags.

Probably the most distinctive architecture found on the island is the old Portuguese-style Chinese houses. Strangely, no one we talked to -- except a Chinese taxi driver -- seemed to know anything about their history, not even the people living and working in them now. Our taxi driver also let us know that racial relations were not quite as good as they appeared and that the Chinese did not always receive fair treatment from the government.

Still, traffic flows freely in Penang and it is still easy to cross the street. The people are friendly and you can easily find people who speak Thai.

Getting there
Meet the captain/Quotable quotes
Experiences from Phuket-Singapore cruise

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