DAY 1
Our adventure begins....
Due to location of UAE and the time zone issues with arriving flights, most flights leave Abu Dhabi in the early morning....we are no different with a departure time of 2:40am. We put two very excited kiddies to bed early, in hope of them getting some sleep before heading to the airport. The flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia is approximately 7 hours so crossing our fingers that we all can sleep most of the flight. A taxi has been called and we'll be heading to the airport shortly..
We've arrived to the airport and the kids are wide awake and jumping out of their skin with excitement. We arrived early to take advantage of the nice airport lounge. Turns out the lounge is not really that great, albeit it does come with free booze if you want to get hammered.
Sitting in the lounge, curiously watching the provincial election back home. I suspect it will be determined by the time we arrive in KL. Always been a supporter of PC but this may be the time they get defeated.
I'll be back after we arrive in KL....stay tuned
After an uneventful flight we arrived in KL, Malaysia approximately 2pm. Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital and most populous city in Malaysia. Its said to cover an area of 243 km2 and has an estimated population of 1.6 million. According to the taxi driver, the country is 63% Malays, 23% Chinese, with the remainder being Indian. After checking into the hotel we headed off for an early traditional Malaysian supper to fuel up before the evening began. We stayed at a hotel opposite of the Petronas Twin towers where each room had a full view of the towers. These towers are considered the highest twin towers in the world. The picture below is from our room. As you can see they are nicely lite up at night. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Entrapment” you would have seen the towers. We spent the evening touring the central markets and China town of KL. It unfortunately was raining most of the evening however since its very warm and with the help of a couple of small umbrellas it didn't really bother us. In one of the markets we all tried putting out feet into a pool of fish doctors (little fish that nibble at your toes) for a foot massage. Don’t worry, we asked if it was safe and the lady that didn’t speak any English re-assured us. It was difficult to put your feet in the water knowing that hundreds of fish were going to be kissing your feet. Carmen, Rafi and I tried it first and then Trace maybe stuck a toe into the water before he said he was too scared. :)
Our adventure begins....
Due to location of UAE and the time zone issues with arriving flights, most flights leave Abu Dhabi in the early morning....we are no different with a departure time of 2:40am. We put two very excited kiddies to bed early, in hope of them getting some sleep before heading to the airport. The flight to Kuala Lumpur (KL), Malaysia is approximately 7 hours so crossing our fingers that we all can sleep most of the flight. A taxi has been called and we'll be heading to the airport shortly..
We've arrived to the airport and the kids are wide awake and jumping out of their skin with excitement. We arrived early to take advantage of the nice airport lounge. Turns out the lounge is not really that great, albeit it does come with free booze if you want to get hammered.
Sitting in the lounge, curiously watching the provincial election back home. I suspect it will be determined by the time we arrive in KL. Always been a supporter of PC but this may be the time they get defeated.
I'll be back after we arrive in KL....stay tuned
After an uneventful flight we arrived in KL, Malaysia approximately 2pm. Kuala Lumpur is the federal capital and most populous city in Malaysia. Its said to cover an area of 243 km2 and has an estimated population of 1.6 million. According to the taxi driver, the country is 63% Malays, 23% Chinese, with the remainder being Indian. After checking into the hotel we headed off for an early traditional Malaysian supper to fuel up before the evening began. We stayed at a hotel opposite of the Petronas Twin towers where each room had a full view of the towers. These towers are considered the highest twin towers in the world. The picture below is from our room. As you can see they are nicely lite up at night. If you’ve ever seen the movie “Entrapment” you would have seen the towers. We spent the evening touring the central markets and China town of KL. It unfortunately was raining most of the evening however since its very warm and with the help of a couple of small umbrellas it didn't really bother us. In one of the markets we all tried putting out feet into a pool of fish doctors (little fish that nibble at your toes) for a foot massage. Don’t worry, we asked if it was safe and the lady that didn’t speak any English re-assured us. It was difficult to put your feet in the water knowing that hundreds of fish were going to be kissing your feet. Carmen, Rafi and I tried it first and then Trace maybe stuck a toe into the water before he said he was too scared. :)
Carmen bought herself a nice Burberry hand bag (I’m sure its real….) at the Chinese market so she was happy. Lets call it a little graduation gift. By the time we got back to the room it was 10pm.
Day 2
After an exhausting flight and day/evening in KL, the kids and Carmen nearly slept in until 9am. For any of you that know Trace, this is about 2 hours past his normal wake-up call. Fortunately we woke up to a beautiful clear sunny sky. Just to give you some perspective, it seems like the temperatures range in the high 20s to low 30s but there is lots of humidity… its quite sticky. In the morning we ventured out to the Batu caves. The Batu Caves are approximately thirteen kilometers north of KL. They are the sacred place for the Hindu's in Malaysia. They consist of three main caves and a number of smaller ones. The caves are made of limestone and 400 meters long and 100 meter high. They were discovered in 1892. Standing at the entrance of the caves is a huge statue (approx. 140 ft) of Murugan, a Hindu deity (140 ft high). One of the highlights of morning was when a monkey showed his teeth and jumped at Trace and I while we were taking a picture. It almost made us fall down the stairs as we were startled. There are hundreds of monkeys climbing around and all seem to be quite tame so it surprised us and all the people around us. In the end we figured the monkey was simply having a bad hair day and didn’t want his picture taken… After returning back into KL we went to a Hindu temple called Sri Mahamariamman. This is known to be the oldest and richest Hindu temple in KL. It was a quick stop but interesting none the less. Finally before going to the airport we took a quick trip to the bird park. I was a little suspect about this tourist trap but as it turns out it was a great stop, in fact we didn’t get to see all of it due to lack of time. The Malaysian taxi driver that took us to the bird park thought I could speak englysian (I’m sure it was a mixture of English and Malaysian – mostly Malaysian). He literally spoke to me the entire 15 minute ride without me understanding a word. After a couple of “excuse me’s”, I simply nodded my head every 5 seconds and threw in the odd “ok”. Seemed to do the trick. The Bird Park is the largest free range aviary park in the world which basically means that many of the areas allowed the birds to fly free (i.e. not in a cage). The picture give you a sense of how interactive they are. Rafi allowed some parrots feed out of her hand but Trace wasn’t as keen (humm – seems to be a pattern here!) We are heading back to the airport to fly to Kuantan, the east coast of Malaysia. We’ll be staying the next 7 days in a beach resort next to Cherating beach, 40 miles out of Kuantan. Until then!
Today was our first full day at Club Med. It started with a tour of the facility. It is quite impressive with tennis, squash, trapeze, basketball, archery, two beaches, an awesome pool, etc… The setting is also beautiful! Rafi and Carmen hit the pool first and Trace demanded we play soccer before the pool. When he saw the court on the tour, he refused to let go of the ideaJ We all spent the rest of the morning in the pool. We had lunch together and then went our separate ways. The twins went to try the kids club, Carmen went for a “four hand” massage and I went to workout. Pretty nice afternoon had by all although Carmen said she had the giggles initially as the last time she experienced two “massage therapists” in one room was with Chandra in Vancouver where she was more wondering if she could take the lady on if need be rather than relaxing! I ended up running on the beach, which was beautiful and then took a little nap. The kids enjoyed the kids club, but when we picked them up were ready to hit the pool again. I don’t know how the day could be so busy relaxingJ After the pool was supper and bed. Let’s just say there wasn’t much of a fight put up by the kids when it was time to turn in!
Day 4-6
We're a little behind on our posts but at least I found time to post some pictures. We are having a great time!
Day 4 - 9
It was hard to say good-bye to the resort. Never thought I would say that about an all inclusive, but truly was the perfect holiday with the kids. Now, on to Singapore for three days before returning back to reality.
Day 4-6
We're a little behind on our posts but at least I found time to post some pictures. We are having a great time!
Day 4 - 9
What a great week we had at Cherating Beach Resort. We were busy everyday with activities for the whole family. Each morning the kids had the opportunity to be part of a circus act…there was an inverted bungee and trapeze set up. By the end of the week they were doing back flips on the bungee. Ryan and I got a couple of chances on the trapeze as well…can’t believe how sore my abs were afterward! The kids also could join a mini kids club each day. They enjoyed many fun events like a kids Olympics, cookie making, tie-dye shirt making, bingo, limbo, etc… It was a great club for all because while they had fun playing with other children, we could do some adult activities on our own. We played tennis, went for a couple of beach runs, did a tree top obstacle course, archery, badminton, and had time to just r&r by the pool! Between all the organized events and the two different beaches we didn’t even leave the resort the whole week.
We were all (yes, even me) in the pool at least twice a day. The temperature of the pool was perfect so it was easy to spend an hour or more playing around. The kids practiced swimming, diving, and shooting mommy with water gunsJ We also participated in a pool chipping contest. Our family kicked butt. Trace chipped one ball into an umbrella as did Ryan and I got two balls in the umbrella…I was named the world champion, but don’t want to brag too much! Oh, did I also mention I came in second in a tennis tournament…don’t want to rub it in, but will mention that Ryan did participate in both events, but didn’t metalJ
The food was impressive. We all had lots to eat daily and each night enjoyed a different supper theme. Lots of fresh fruit, baked goods, and choices between Indian, Chinese, Korean or Western cuisine. The kids were introduced to crepes with cream and chocolate….definitely against their diets, but were allowed one little one a day…what a treat! It will be detox time when we get home.
The weather was also perfect. It was sunny and warm everyday and then often rained in the evening. The humidity was high, but nothing the pool wouldn’t cure for us, but that is more than we can say for our digital camera. It made it only 2 days before the humidity must have fried the electronics. We had to use my iphone very carefully for the rest of the trip to take pictures. We went through a lot of sun block, but still all have browned up. And Ryan…well, he always goes for the lobster look given his more limited holiday time!
Days 10-12 - Singapore
Wow, what a beautiful city. Singapore is well known for being a very safe and clean country. They have some interesting/strange laws that supposedly reinforce this, although some of them seem to be overboard. For example:
1. No where can you purchase chewing gum – caught with gum comes with a fine
2. No spitting in public, we were a little worried about this one (story to follow)
3. Another interesting one was a $500 fine for forgetting to flush the toilet in public - Carmen almost got busted for this one J
Singapore seems small in terms of land mass but over 5 million people reside there. It’s very similar to places like UAE and Cayman where there is a large expat community both in terms of laborers and professional workers. Singapore has a large banking and financial district. If you like warm and humid, Singapore is the place for you. Talking to some of the locals it sounds like weather is pretty constant throughout the year ranging from 25-33 degrees Celsius and minimum 70% humidity. Rain is a part of life, everyone walks around with umbrellas. We were fortunate during our stay as there was very little rain yet it was overcast for most of the time.
We arrived in Singapore early Wednesday afternoon and after checking into our hotel we ventured to a nice Italian restaurant that offered gluten free pasta. Poor Rafi had been without pasta or any wheat product for the past 9 days so we wanted to find something that wasn’t rice. Don’t get me wrong, the kids ate very well during the time in Malaysia, but having something more familiar was exactly what they needed. It was probably the quietest meal we had all trip J
That evening we decided to take in the famous night Safari. Singapore has a world famous zoo where part of it is only open during the evenings starting 7 pm until 12 midnight. As many of the animals are nocturnal, this concept seems to really make sense. Most of the zoo is viewed by tram, however there are also walking paths to see some of the smaller animals. Unbelievably most of the animals are not contained by wire or fences but by natural terrain. The kids were quite excited and lasted quite long considering the time at night, but by the end of the tram ride (approx 11pm) we had two kids sleeping in our laps! They missed some of the best big animals like some rhinos, elephant, and an animal that was like a cross between a pig and cow…it was quite big and had a white face and body and from mid back to bottom was black…very strange.
Due to the late night we took the opportunity to sleep in the next morning. This day was going to be a true tourist day and see all the cool things of Singapore. These were some of the highlights:
Singapore Science Centre - http://www.science.edu.sg/Pages/SCBHome.aspx - this is a very comprehensive and interactive science exhibition. We only spent 2 hours there but the kids could have easily explored it all day. We were doubtful they understood the interactive exhibits but nevertheless they enjoyed trying them and playing them. We also took in a IMAX show about caving and it was the first time for the kids to go to an IMAX. As you know, the way IMAX works it actually gives the perception that you are moving as the screen shows images of flying through the sky. Trace was gripping onto his chair tightly thinking that we were actually flying, quite funny.
Bugis Street – This was not on the top 10 list, but the cabbie convinced us to try it out…big mistake! It was originally (1950s to 1980s) known for being an area when trans women would hang out in the evenings but since has been converted into a large local market. Like other markets there were tons of people and vendors however the difference was that all prices were fixed (i.e. no bartering) and they seemed quite expensive. Also, most of the shops were of clothes and lots and lots of the same stuff. Since we had taxi’d all the way there we felt we should spend some time checking it out. I for one am not a fan of the markets but at the same time I do like to engage in the bartering. Since this was not an option I wanted out of there. This combined with Trace spending the entire time looking for “Ben 10” things and then whining and crying with each new item that it was his favorite, almost put me over the edge. In the end we broke down, more to stop the whining, and bought him a cheap “Ben 10” watch. Of course we then had to also buy a similar Barbie watch for Rafi. I will always refer to this experience as the “shopping from hell”.
Marina Bay Sands Hotel - http://www.marinabaysands.com/ - After escaping the SFH we went to the Marina Bay Sands hotel and shops. This is a luxury hotel and mall that apparently has a beautiful skybar and casino. We had intended to check out the sky bar but after getting there and realizing that just to get to the top was going to cost over $200 for the 4 of us we decided against it. We took a quick look at the shops and then went to the marina to relax and enjoy the sunlight. Carmen used this opportunity to check out the Louis Vuitton shop that was built next to the shops on its own little island. I was holding my breath the whole time she was there but was relieved to see her leave the shop empty handed J
Singapore Flyer – http://www.singaporeflyer.com/ - of all the things in Singapore, the kids were most excited about this. From a distance it looks like a large Ferris wheel. For those of you that know London, the Flyer is similar to the London Eye. Once we got up to the flyer, the reality sunk in for the kids, especially Rafi, that this was not an exciting Ferris wheel. The combination of a long day, and already tired kids from the previous night made this 30 minute tour seem much longer. Unfortunately for an older couple that was stuck with us, they had to endure a lot of complaining and whining… Definitely wasn’t our best. We decided that was the end of our Singapore tour day and headed back to the hotel.
That night after the kids ate, a colleague from Abu Dhabi, Jesslyn, who moved back to her home of Singapore met us at our hotel. The adults ate while the kids played on the ipad and iphone…yikes, at 4 yrs this is already considered their entertainment. It turns out at our hotel is a very popular Chinese restaurant so we had a late supper and just visited. It was a nice evening and the kids were so well behaved, it was almost shockingJ
The next day was our all-out final full holiday day. We were gone by 9:30 pm from the holiday and didn’t return for 12+ hours. We met Jesslyn one last time at a café for breakfast and she drove us to the tram to go to Santosa island. Santosa island is a big playland. We first went to Universal Studios. I had to convince Carmen it would be a good idea. She thought the kids would be too young, but turns out they were great. We pretty much hit all the kid rides , went on the log ride as a family (only after purchasing rain ponchos) and made it to a couple of shows. I even got a chance to go on two adult roller coasters. We ended up spending most of the day there and the kids loved the 3D rides and mini roller coasters best. The lines were relatively short, so it was great fun for all. From Universal Studios we got the tram again and went to Sentosa Park. We had a pass that allowed us to get into three different attractions. We started with a luge ride. We went on a ski lift to the top of the island and then luged down with the kids. The girls made it down to the bottom first…they bought the picture to prove it. It was really a lot of fun. We could have gone multiple times, but also wanted to see a night light show over the water. It too was great. We ended the night with a final 3D pirate show. The kids were quite scared as it felt like bees were buzzing around your face, crabs at your feet, spiders jumping on you, etc…. The show wasn’t actually scary, but the effects even had us a bit jumpy! By the time the day was over and we found our way home it was past 11pm. We were all exhausted when we returned back from the theme park and went straight to sleep!
Our final morning was spent packing and doing a last minute trip to China town and Little India. It was ok, but nothing too exciting. The best part was Carmen and Rafi went for a 15 minute reflexology treatment together. Carmen was a bit worried initially with thoughts of Vancouver last summer (another story for another day) in her mind, but it was all legit! The only sickness issue we had occurred during the last day of our trip. For the last morning we decided to eat at the hotel which was a nice western breakfast brunch. Almost immediately after leaving the hotel to go to China town, Rafi complained of a sore tummy. By the time we got there, she was crying and kept saying she wanted to “spit”. Carmen fortunately had a little baggie in her purse and we were not 2 seconds out of the cabbie and rafi filled the baggie with “spit”. It was quite the site and we definitely drew a number of looks. The funniest look was the relief on the taxi driver’s face. Whatever the issue was, the spitting helped as Rafi was almost immediately in good spirits.
To solidify the trip as being one of the best, we were extremely surprised and pleased to find that we had been upgraded to business class for our trip back to Abu Dhabi. Since we would be arriving late at night this was perfect for the kids to get some good sleep. Ironically, Rafi and I sat together and we ended up watching movies (instead of sleeping) most of the trip. Like Father like daughter. In contrast, Trace fell asleep almost immediately.
It truly was a 5 star holiday for all of us and will be hard to beat. May be horrible to say, but both Carmen and I were already talking on the way back about how much travelling gets in your system and were already planning where our next trip would take us. The more places you go, the more you realize there is to see.
