Pangkor Island, Malaysia

Over Chinese New Year, we drove 2.5 hours south to a nearby Malaysian isle. Our "home" for two nights was connecting rooms at Pangkor Island Beach Resort, where we all enjoyed doing . . . not too much! Our not-so-busy days were spent swimming, kayaking in the calm bay, reading on lawn chairs, and eating large buffet breakfasts and dinners.

To treat their guests, our hotel welcomed us with ang pau (traditional red envelopes containing money, 20 sen), mandarin oranges, and even a lion dance performance. Gong Xi Fa Cai and blessings to you in 2014, the Year of the Horse!

We also enjoyed morning strolls along the beach to look for shells. I found some "lucky" money: a few sand dollars and RM50 (probably lost from an ang pau). We also enjoyed the diversion of bird-watching: observing hornbills in their natural environment. The national bird of Malaysia, hornbills were in abundance here, flying around freely at morning and evening.

Another fun and easy Dewhirst beach weekend! Now back to work and school, at least until April . . .