Back in Langkawi

Nate and I made it back to Langkawi a week ago and realized very quickly that the tourist season was in full bloom. Apparently Malaysian students all across the country get "summer" break during December and January, and many of them, along with Europeans and Australians and all manner of white folk, flock to the island at the same time. So, with a little help from our old landlord from our last time here, we got what may have been the only room left in Langkawi. She had to spend an hour just getting it ready for us, and she charged us a ridiculously low price in accordance with it's quality (there was no water). The worst news, however, was that she no longer had a room to rent us out for the month.
So for the few days we stayed there, we started thinking of moving on, back to the mainland to see what the rest of Malaysia was like. But then we met Lan and his girlfriend Joanna, who own the only local art gallery right on the main road. We initially just stopped in and started talking to the two of them, with no intention or motive, but somehow the topic of us looking for a place to rent for a month came up, and within half an hour we had been invited to come and live with them for 200 RM a month, 150 Ringgit less than what we were willing to pay for a guesthouse. The next day Joanna took us to look at the house, which is set back from the main road, about a five minute walk from the beach, and secluded nicely by palm trees and local families. We loved it right away. We have our own large room, a big kitchen we can use to eat for cheap, a living room with cable tv and dvd player and a separate space for the shower and the toilet, something I've learned I greatly enjoy. We moved in on Monday and have been busy settling into life in a home, buying groceries, pillows, sleeping bags.
We also rented motorbikes for the first time, and spent two days riding all over the island. We rode to the top of the highest mountain on Langkawi (890 KM). We saw many small fishing villages as well as the five star luxury resort beaches where they told us we couldn't sit in the chairs or swim in the pool before we were anywhere near either of them. We watched monkeys tend to their children. We saw a Chinese man crash his motorbike into an SUV and flip. Nate road on the wrong (right hand) side of the road a few times. We have made a firm decision to rent a motorbike for the entire month we'll be here, and with the help of Lan who gives us all the local inside information, we found a shop that will rent one to us monthly for 250 RM. Most bikes are rented daily for 20-35 RM, so this would save us tons of Ringgit.
Life has definitely slowed down. We don't have to think about moving or how to get to the next city or when to catch the ferry or the bus or the train and it's a nice change of pace for a while. We've watched a little television, which is very different when you haven't watched one in a while. Luckily Lan only likes to watch National Geographic and Discovery, so at least we're learning. We cook at home now instead of eating out every night. We went out for Joanna's birthday and met even more great people, like Vladimir the Russian, Johan the Swede, Wan the Malay artist, Zool the Malay husband of a very rich local German. Nate met a Malay girl that he likes. Lan very quickly told him she was bad news. People are very good to us and treat us like old friends. We can't walk down the street without seeing people we know and having a conversation. I can't say I've ever felt that way anywhere I've lived.
All is well, more soon.
Love,
Brent