Yep, I reckon if I had done what I usually do , gone to Laos made another tourist visa it would have been ok ... Flying in and out like I did was foolish
Maybe my current difficult predicament is souring my opinion a bit ... I do know I prefer Penang to KL. I'm sure Langkawi would be good. The fat 90 day hassle free visa on arrival is useful ... The price of beer is not 😂. Though I think Langkawi duty free so it's half the price there.
Then you can ferry over to Thailand from Langkawi reasonably cheap. Koh lipe even ...