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A Very Accommodating Baby Elephant |
It had been six months since we went on vacation, and in
that time we moved our family to China and started a new life…new home, new job,
new school, new country, new language. It was time for a break. After
deliberating for a while to decide where to go, which mostly revolved around
where it was the rainy season and where it was not, we hit on Malaysia. We just
returned from a 1-week trip there.
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Elephant Ride! |
As you might guess, our vacation style has shifted recently, and this time more of our activity selection was centered on the kids. From Kuala Lumpur we had a guide take us out into the jungle area where we visited an elephant sanctuary. Here the kids got to ride and feed and bathe elephants. They absolutely loved it (except for the splashing). We also visited a fort with some very friendly monkeys that would take food from your hand and Amelia would let out an adorable giggle every time. The kids also had the chance to feed deer and rabbits at another little animal park. We only had to be sure to steer clear of the pythons which Amelia made very clear she did not want to see (Katrin got to detour to go check them out). We also made a stop at Batu Caves to view the temple, had a very tasty seafood dinner followed by a boat ride in the dark to go observe hundreds of fireflies lighting up the trees on the bank like Christmas lights.
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Steps up Batu Caves |
Also in Kuala Lumpur Katrin went to visit a biotech company
that supplied us with a trial drug for our cat, Baba. She has Feline Leukemia,
which is not curable, but so far they have had good results suppressing a lot
of the symptoms, so we are hopeful this will make her feel better. When we
returned home she had taken a turn for the worse, but seems to be perking up
again, and I will let you know how she progresses.
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This lady knows who to sell to! |
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Dress-Up! |
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Going Boating |
A short flight then took us to a quiet resort on Redang
Island. Here was pure relaxation with the softest white sandy beach, a plethora
of tropical fish to see while snorkeling, warm and calm water, ice cream walks
on the beach after dinner, and so on. We also found it unusual to be on holiday
at the beach and spend a few hours each afternoon in the hotel room, but since the
kids are still napping each day and, like I said, this trip was centered around
the kids so we had to take turns hiding in the room during nap time. Of course,
the kids spent most of their awake time in the pool and ocean, which is also
good as Amelia is getting more confident as a swimmer (using floaties) and
Tristan is learning from her.
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Water Slide |
The area was a bit special since there was good snorkeling
right off the beach. It was a good opportunity for one of us to go snorkeling
while the other played with the kids by the beach, and then switch. Most of our
fellow tourists were from Japan or China or India, and the snorkeling was
interesting because most of them can’t swim. So they would float around in their
life preservers holding onto each other, occasionally poking their heads into
the water. They were also into feeding the fish and I was impressed to see my
kids literally surrounded by little reef fish and not freaking out. It was
quite fun.
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Palau Redang...Is it Paradise? |
It was a great trip, and I guess to attest to that fact, the worst moment I can think of was when we had to explain to Amelia that when we said we were going to take a ferryboat, it didn't mean a Fairy Boat. The big watery eyes and quivering lip were heartbreaking. Other than that it was all really wonderful, not only to relax on the beach, but honestly also to take a break from China. It’s a fun adventure here but it’s
also not easy sometimes. It was a nice opportunity to leave behind the traffic
and noise, the pollution and endless smogginess, the challenges of shopping and
getting stuff done. And the trade that in for a quiet peacefulness, a night sky
full of stars, and bright blue sunny days. Now it’s back to work for awhile and
looking forward to the next trip…for Katrin and the kids that means California
and Oregon in two weeks, but for me it will not be until October when we’re
thinking of going to Japan and perhaps the Philippines.
Looks like a wonderful trip! We can relate to the travel with kids--will have to get the name of where you stayed on Redang. It's always nice to have snorkeling right off the beach. I was wondering how you two managed to pull that off. Too funny about your fellow snorkelers, as well! Thanks for sharing, and maybe next time you can organize a Fairy boat.
ReplyDeleteNice to meet you! We blog at http://blog.lepak.com and it's almost always about our cats.
ReplyDeleteLove your holiday here - except for the elephant rides. Heard too many bad stories about how these animals are "domesticated".