Within Malaysia, you can get almost anywhere for $20-30 thanks to local budget airlines. So I decided to check out Langkawi. It's an island right on the border with Thailand. But I quickly regretted the decision: there's practically nothing to do on the island, the infrastructure is pretty run-down, and the weather wasn't great either.

According to legend, in the early 18th century there lived a young and beautiful woman on the island called Mahsuri. Her husband went off to war with Siam, and in his absence Mahsuri became friends with a passing traveler. The village chief's wife, out of jealousy, started spreading rumors that it was more than just friendship—a full-blown romance. Eventually, the villagers brought an official accusation of infidelity against her.

As punishment, the woman was tied to a tree and they tried to stab her. It didn't work. Then Mahsuri said they needed to take the family dagger and that would definitely help kill her. They took her advice, but after the dagger struck, white blood flowed out. This proved her innocence. As she was dying, Mahsuri cursed the next seven generations of the island, predicting misfortune in everything.

According to beliefs, the curse was supposed to end at the end of the 20th century. The increasing flow of tourism is often linked to this. But from my experience, it hasn't ended yet :)