Langkawi - Part II

The main activity everyday was swimming.  Samantha couldn't get enough of the pool.  It reminded me so much of our family vacations where Megan and I would swim until our eyes were completely red from the chlorine and our skin was red from the sun.  Regretfully we didn't spend too much time at the beach mostly because there was no shade.  However we did venture out on the island.

Monday - in the afternoon we headed to the local Underwater World which was an aquarium and animal park.  We saw some crazy fish there, unlike any others we have seen.  Of course Samantha's favorite was Nemo.  The most bizarre part is that there was this duty free shop right in the middle of the fish tanks that had a major display of condoms.  Haven't seen that at a kids place before.  

Tuesday - Kyle and Samantha took an island hopping tour where they went to three different islands and saw a fresh water lake, eagle breading grounds, monkeys and a beautiful sandy beach.  If you look closely at the mountain picture you can see why they call it "the lake of the pregnant maiden".  Emily and I decided that napping by the pool sounded better. 

Wednesday - I signed us up for a guided nature walk around the property at 7:30 am.  Wouldn't you know the only day the girls decided to sleep late.  So Kyle went up to cancel but the guide was there and talked him into a shorter tour that was a half an hour later.  Sold.  He introduced us to many of the local birds and plants.  He was telling us about the cashew tree and how unusual it is because the nut/seed grows outside the fruit.  Then he asked if we could think of any other fruit that has the seeds on the outside.   Kyle and I were thinking but came up with nothing.  Then Samantha says "strawberries have seeds on the outside".  Smart ass.  For dinner we went to a resort next door called Bon Ton that was unbelievable.  It did not have beach access but overlooked the swamplands with an amazing sunset.  The food was the best we have had in Malaysia and ranked in top 5 ever.  What a way to end the night.

Thursday - we headed up one of the mountains on a cable car and explored Oriental Village (tourist trap).  I have been on many cable cars in my life but none like this one.  OH MY GOD was it high.  I had to breathe real slow and not look up or down to keep it together for Samantha.  She was not too sure of it, but we kept telling her how cool it was and how she was going up into the clouds.  We passed a few amazing waterfalls on the way up and what a view of the island and water.  At the top is a bridge that goes between the top of two peaks but I declined.  If it wasn't for all the steps to access it I think Kyle would have gone.

Friday - one last morning of swimming.  Thankfully the clouds were out because at this point we had too much sun.  

Enjoy the photos.

Langkawi - Part I

Last week we went on vacation!  We have been going from one project to the next and with Kyle commuting back and forth the first part of the year it was so nice to have all the family together for a little r&r.  I am not sure how much relaxing Kyle and I did after chasing two kids but we had a great time.  Langkawi is an island off the northwest coast of Malaysia.  It is about a 5 hour drive + one hour ferry ride or a one hour flight.  We were initially going to drive so we could see the countryside.  Then we realized that we could not take our car on the ferry, and the thought of lugging all our stuff on and off the ferry hardly seemed worth it considering that, even after a 5 hour trip, we would still end up on the island with no car.  The flight is easy and cheap so we chose that route.  On the way there we were just about to touch down when we started to ascend.  Never a good sign.  They aborted the landing due to poor visibility and, instead of circling, we flew to Penang to refuel.  We were not prepared for a three plus hour flight around lunch time so needless to say the snacks and drinks ran out and we had two cranky kids.  

We stayed at a local resort called Pelangi Beach Resort and Spa.  It was an older property but had all the amenities we needed.  One of the main reasons I chose this place was because it was kid friendly.  They had amazing pools with a slide, kid menus, plenty of baby seats, etc.  We were a little worried about how we were going to manage in a hotel room for a week with two kids but it turned out that we had a fabulous balcony with a "semi" beach view.  So at nap time and in the evening Kyle and I retired there with drinks.  The resort itself was designed like a Malaysian village so there were many different buildings that each had four rooms and the entire property was open-air so you really got the beach feeling.  

These are some of the pictures of the resort - the view from our room, one of the pools, the beach and our balcony.

Fangs

This post is probably the mother of sins to be mocking your child on a blog, but I couldn't resist.  Our precious Emily now has four teeth, but unlike most children she decided to grow fangs first.  Kyle and I had to get a picture now because it looks like her front teeth are about to come in as well.  She is such a sweet baby, smiles ALL THE TIME.  We can only hope the rest of her pearly whites come in normal order.

The other picture is Samantha at nap time with all of her babies.  It is quite the ordeal to get them all positioned correctly and then covered up.  I put her down and about 30 minutes later I go in there and she is still arranging.  On this day I think she was in protection mode, probably from the family vampire.

International School

Today I had an appointment to meet the admissions director at the Mont Kiara International School, which is the only school in KL that is based on the American curriculum. Earlier this year when we were looking at schools for Samantha I was told that they had a 3 year old program but the class had only 16 students and there was a waiting list of 20 kids. Since that did not sound encouraging we chose a local Montessori school that we love. However, due to the waiting list I thought it would be a good idea to go check out the international school so she could possibly make the cut for Kindergarten in two years. As it turns out they now have three openings in the 3 year old class. Go figure. The admissions lady said it was mostly due to the economy and many companies moving people back home or families were so far down on the list they made other arrangements (like us).

The school is so nice. It kind of reminded me of my middle school because it is open air hallways with pretty courtyards. They have about 950 students from 3 years to seniors in high school. It has a full size rock climbing wall, lap pool, theater, music room, library and all the other amenities of a modern day school. I was very impressed by the facilities including the little kid's area. They have their own playgrounds and eating area. Once in Kindergarten they mingle more with the other students. The admissions director did mention a buddy program where the older kids adopt a younger child and spend one hour a week with them, which I thought was a great idea so the little ones can get acclimated to a larger school.

Although I was very impressed, we are going to leave Samantha at the Montessori school this year where there are smaller classes sizes and a more relaxed learning environment (also 1/3 the cost). Next year I think she will be ready for the big school.

Cosmo World

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First I must apologize for all the grammatical errors on my blog.  I swear I read it before I post.  Lately when I read older posts I see all sorts of stuff that does not make sense.  Of course I correct it but what's the point if everyone has already read it.  My sister even commented about my lack of editing.  Maybe I can still claim "baby brain"?  9 months later, does that work?  Maybe "stay at home with two kids brain"?  Let's see if with a little effort I can improve, however this is the most technical part of my life now.

Today we took the kids to Cosmo World which is a the largest indoor theme park in Malaysia.  It is actually in a mall called Times Square.  The park itself takes up about 4-5 stories with both adult roller coasters and kids rides.  The picture of the coaster is from their website (my photo skills couldn't capture the big picture).  Kyle went on the big coaster but I declined.  He said it was weird because on a normal coaster you go up very high in the air and then plunge down and around.  However on this one it was surrounded by "floor level" stuff you never felt like you were up in the air but you were constantly plunging and twisting.  Samantha had fun on all the kid rides - train, flying bumble bees, carousel, and bumper cars.  Cosmo World was nicer than we anticipated but the mall itself was one of those that in it's hay day was super nice but now is just a little past it's prime.

We were glad we checked it out but now we can say "been there, done that".  

Family Pool Day

We are very lucky to have a pool in our neighborhood that is only about four houses up the street.  It is just the right size and considering how hot it is outside the pool is surprisingly refreshing.  We seem to have adopted Sunday afternoons as family swim day.  Both the girls just love the water.  Samantha has been jumping off the side without her Dora vest for the last few visits, but she still felt more comfortable wear her Dora vest.  Until today.  She started off jumping the side and then she went over to the steps where she was holding her breath and swimming under water.  It was not long before she said "I don't want to wear the Dora vest anymore".  Then she went on to say that when Emily gets bigger we can save it for her.  I think we now have a little girl turning into a fish.  

Enjoy the video. 

"Lawn" Maintenance

I say "lawn" because I am not sure of what we have really qualifies as a lawn, more like a postage stamp.  Anyhow we have not had it trimmed since we moved in so the weeds/grass were getting kind of high.  So last night a guy rang our bell and asked if we wanted it done.  Perfect timing.  So I said sure, how much.  He wanted 60 ringgit, which is what my neighbor pays and they do have a lawn.  After a short negotiation he agreed to 30 ringgit. 

So he used a gas powered weed eater and this homemade rake/broom.  I apologize in advance for taking this man's picture and blogging about him without permission but it is interesting.  So he finished the front yard and because we don't have a side yard he brought all of his gear through the house to do the back.  Once done cutting he actually used this short, homemade broom to rake the entire yard.  Looks back-breaking doesn't it?  

Speaking of hard labor, the maid in the house next door washes all of their clothes BY HAND.  It is a family of at least four people and she uses big buckets of water and then hangs them dry.  Can you even imagine?  They probably think we spoil our maid because we have a washer AND a dryer.