Langkawi is an archipelago of 99 islands in the Andaman Sea, some 30 km off the mainland coast of northwestern Malaysia. The islands are a part of Malaysia’s Kedah state, but are adjacent to the Thai border. By far the largest of the islands is the eponymous Pulau Langkawi with a population of some 45,000. The island is a declared duty-free zone.

Kuching is the capital of the East Malaysian state of Sarawak on Borneo. Kuching is the most populous city in the state of Sarawak and the fourth largest city in Malaysia. Kuching means “cat” in Malay.