Ipoh, Malaysia

Approaching Ipoh, lovely limestone cliffs rise up to greet you, surrounding the city with ethereal wonder, and form the majestic backdrop of The Lost World of Tambun. Its mist-shrouded cliffs lend a mysterious air to this theme-park that beckons you to come and play. We checked in to the Lost World Hotel and were pleasantly surprised by our lovely Executive Suite, complete with separate bedroom and flat-screen TVs.

After caking on the sunscreen, we headed straight to the water park and spent the afternoon splashing in the wave pool, flying down tube slides, and swinging from the rides. We also saw the tiger-feeding show (live-feeding would have been more exciting, but not kid friendly!), panned for tin with our dulangs, and peddled swan boats. There was also a petting zoo/animal encounter and a walk-in aviary.

In the morning we enjoyed the breakfast buffet (nasi lemak and curry chicken--yummy!; pancakes for the kids!), then we drove 20 km south to explore Kellie's Castle in Batu Gajah. This lovely and mysterious castle was built by a Scottish man named William Kellie-Smith who traveled to Malaya in 1890 to seek his fortune.  He became wealthy in the rubber industry and built his first mansion, Kinta Kellas, in 1909. (Most of this structure was later destroyed in WWII.) Five years later, he laid the foundation stone for his second mansion, which proved to be his ultimate folly. During construction, illness broke out killing many of his workers. He immediately halted construction on the castle and instead built a Hindu temple nearby to appease the gods (accessible by a secret underground tunnel from his estate). Work then resumed on the castle, but unfortunately, Kellie would never live there and it would never be completed. He died from pneumonia at the age of 56. Some say his ghost still wanders the estate at night . . . , but we were only there during the day.

 Before heading back to Penang, we drove back through Ipoh and enjoyed gourmet burgers and crepes at the quirky and eclectic Burps and Giggles Cafe. (Mine had jalapenos; oh, how I've missed you!) Throughout, creative items hung from the ceilings and the walls were decorated with artwork and unexpected phrases. We chose a table under a painting of some fat ladies in bikinis. =) In the back, we enjoyed a local art gallery, and my daughters spotted some kittens they wanted to take home. (Mean momma didn't let them!)

Phuket, Thailand

Taking advantage of the kids’ Spring Break, we just returned from the beautiful Thai island of Phuket. Four nights spent in this tropical paradise was just the refreshment we needed!

We arrived via Firefly Airlines on a direct flight and then taxied to our hotel in Patong, an hour’s drive from the airport. We chose Novotel Phuket Resort, happily perched on a hillside overlooking the ocean, and we enjoyed the very comfortable rooms and three-tiered pool. The service and breakfast buffets were excellent, the kids were given locally-made elephants (“chang” in Thai), and Mark enjoyed being greeted as “big boss”! After a few hours in the pool, we walked down the hill and enjoyed dinner overlooking the beach at Belgian Beer Café.

 

For our first full day, I had booked a daytrip to Koh Phi Phi with Offspray Leisure (recommended by Lonely Planet). Our perfect day did not disappoint! We were picked up from our hotel in the morning and transported to Chalong pier, where we waited for the 17 guests in our boat to arrive. Soon we set off in our speedboat. It took about an hour to get to the islands, but we enjoyed calm seas, picturesque scenery along the way, and free drinks and bananas. Our driver stopped at a lovely secluded spot, and we enjoyed snorkeling for an hour amongst technicolor corals. There were many kinds of tropical fish, and we also saw huge, colorful starfish and large oyster shells. So cool!!!

After leaving this spot, we went on to see Maya Bay, the famous backdrop for The Beach starring Leonardo Di Caprio. We also saw Viking Cave, where daring entrepreneurs collect swallows’ nests to sell as a delicacy. We then enjoyed a fabulous Mediterranean lunch of gourmet salad, bread, cheese, and salami (even smoked salmon!) on a secluded beach. Everyone enjoyed playtime on the sugar-fine sand, and a highlight for me was spotting a pipefish! (Resembling a small stick, it is in the same family as the seahorse.)

On our way back, our exhausted kids slept in laps while we talked to others on our tour. I was very pleased with Offspray; our guides were very friendly and organized, passenger numbers were kept small, and they successfully avoided the other tour company crowds by selecting secluded spots to explore. (I will completely recommend Offspray to my friends!) After our boat excursion, we stayed at our hotel and enjoyed Latino buffet night.

Unfortunately, the next day didn’t start out well. On the way to breakfast, I almost stepped on a scorpion, but Adam warned me just in time! Worse, Mark suffered from nausea most of the day, and embarrassingly threw up in the middle of the entrance to the breakfast buffet! Needless to say, we didn’t do too much, but later in the afternoon, Mark recovered enough for light swimming, and Abigail and I tried our hand at batik painting.

That night, we had made reservations for the Thai cultural theme park and show FantaSea. The kids really enjoyed the colorful displays, feeding fish in the koi pond, and seeing a rare white tiger. The show itself was excellent, sharing Thailand’s heritage through traditional dance and costumes, an elephant show, and even some magic and circus acts. Afterwards, we got to feed sugar cane to an elephant!

For our last full day, we swam at the pool for hours, enjoyed Thai food and tropical drinks, and played a few rounds of darts. Later in the afternoon, we hopped in a tuk tuk to the center of town, did some shopping, and ate Thai food for dinner. After, we spotted a Baskin Robbins on a blocked-off side street, and while the kids ate their ice cream oblivious, we got a taste of the “dancers” and party scene across the street at the Tiger Club. Not wanting to answer any hard questions, I distracted the kids and walked out quickly!

Alas, school and work called us back to real life again, but we had a wonderful time in Thailand. We hope to explore more of this beautiful country next year. In the meantime, we enjoyed our last short flight; our next plane adventure will be somewhat longer . . . almost time to see family!

Bangkok, Thailand

Our first visit to Thailand was to colorful Bangkok over the Chinese New Year holidays. Arriving late in the day on Saturday night, we hopped in a pink taxi and headed downtown. (Prior to booking, I had researched to find a hotel close to both the BTS skytrain and the Central Pier. Centre Point Silom was a great pick: comfortable and clean, with connecting rooms, and almost half the price of the adjacent Shangri-la!)

Our first venture out was to the newly opened waterfront development called Asiatique. A short, free express boat took us there directly, and we had no trouble finding a place to eat. Afterwards, we browsed through a few of the hundreds of stalls selling local crafts.

In honor of the “Year of the Snake”, our first stop the next day was to the Snake Farm at the Thai Red Cross Institute. We bought “rabbit cards” and easily navigated the BTS skytrain to get there. All enjoyed watching the informative snake show and were amazed at the skill of the snake handlers. They showcased various venomous species and explained the procedure for extracting venom and making anti-venom serum. (I hope I never need it!)

We then found our way to Jim Thompson’s house and museum. An American sent to Southeast Asia during the war, he fell in love with Thailand and made a home there. Fascinated with the silk-making process, he developed a very prosperous silk business. He lived in a traditional Thai-style house and accumulated an impressive collection of Asian art before mysteriously disappearing into the Malaysian jungle in 1961. (Prior to our trip, I bought a fun Choose-Your-Own-Adventure book about Jim Thompson, and my kids had fun coming up with possible explanations for his disappearance!)

We had a flavorful lunch at the lovely onsite café, then enjoyed our tour through the house and gardens. Outside, we watched demonstrations of silk-extraction and weaving.

To cool off, we took a caffeine and dessert break at the huge Siam Paragon, and I got a chance to brush up on the latest fashions.

For dinner that night, we dined on yummy curries at Deck, overlooking the spectacular Wat Arun (Temple of Dawn). It was quite an adventure getting there, however, as our driver did not understand where we wanted to go, and alas, I speak no Thai!

On the way back, we had a different kind of adventure and squeezed in a tuk-tuk, a small, loud, and colorful motorized truck. As we sped down streets within inches of other cars, my kids squealed with delight!

The next day, we took the Chao Phraya express boat down the river to the must-see Grand Palace and most sacred of temples, Wat Phra Kaew (Temple of the Emerald Buddha). We were NOT the only ones there; the tourist crowds were unreal! Swept along like cattle, we stood sweating for 20 minutes as we were slowly funneled inside. Needless to say, our kids were out of sorts, but once inside there was room to explore. We marveled, for as long as they could last, at the amazing details and colorful, mirrored mosaic tiles everywhere!

We had yummy street food for lunch and then chartered a private long-tail boat to take us through the “khlongs” (canals) of the “Venice of the East”. Locals live along the waterways and travel around by boat, some selling their wares directly from their boats. Being proper tourists, we bought some Cokes and Chang beer, one for Adam and one for our driver! We also bought bread to feed the fish for good luck!

We made a stop at the Royal Barges Museum to admire how Thai kings travel in style.

We cooled off in the afternoon at our hotel’s rooftop pool and looked out over the bustling city. We didn’t get a chance to visit the famed skybars, but we enjoyed cocktails and drank in a bit of Bangkok’s fine dining scene at the artsy restaurant Eat Me. (My giant river prawn was amazing, as was the butterscotch pudding!)

I love big Asian cities, and Bangkok is the fifth one we've explored. =) We return with many fond memories of our short trip to the "land of smiles"!

NZ: Mt. Cook and Queenstown

After a long day of driving, we stopped for the night at Lake Tekapo and marveled at the aqua glacial lake water. In the morning, we visited and snapped pictures at the famous Church of the Good Shepherd.

Our favorite experience in New Zealand was the amazing hike we took at the base of Mt. Cook. The Hooker Valley Track was promoted by Steve Cook’s NZ Frenzy as “indisputably, the south island’s best day hike”, and I fully agree! This trail really had it all (swing bridges, boardwalks, glaciers, majestic mountain views), and we were blessed with perfect weather. I was amazed that my kids (even my 4-year-old!) hiked the entire 10 km (that’s 6.2 miles!). With snack and rest breaks, it took us four hours, but it was worth every step!

Exhausted, we parked that night opposite the “Plains of Rohan”, sipped wine, ate fajitas, and put a movie on for the kids. The next day it rained, but it didn’t dampen our spirits. We spent a few hours at Puzzling World in Wanaka, exploring the world of illusion and conquering the Great Maze.

Continuing on into Queenstown, we parked at Lake View Holiday Park then took a 5-min walk into the heart of town. Bars, restaurants, and shops lined the streets, and my kids were quick to raid the Remarkable Candy Shoppe, named for the surrounding Remarkable Mountains. (Meanwhile, I bought some treasures of my own!) We enjoyed not cooking dinner (Mt. Cook salmon!) and drank in the lively, fun atmosphere and the hip, young crowd.

Despite the rain, the next day we rode the luge. It was fun but very cold zooming down the hill in our ponchos. =) For a brief ten minutes, the rain cleared and we were able to see what a beautiful city Queenstown is, truly “fit for a queen”!

We went back to the city for the afternoon to have lunch, wander, and eat cookies. The kids enjoyed some carefree time on the beach by the gardens.

Sadly, we didn't plan enough time in this fun city, and the weather wasn't cooperating. It was clearing up and getting really beautiful as we left, but we had to start making our way back to Christchurch for our flight home. Also, we were unable to ride the “must-do” thrill, the Shotover jet boat, due to high water levels. We’ll just have to return! =)

Back in Christchurch we made a brief stop before closing at the International Antarctic Center. We saw some cute fairy penguins and learned about this continent too cold to live in without the help of technology.

We LOVED our holiday in New Zealand and made many “sweet as” (fine) memories. Where in the world will the Dews end up next? Just wait and see . . .