Stunning Koh Lipe and Eleanor's birthday

Koh Lipe is about 1.5 hours by ferry from Langkawi and Thailand is an hour behind Malaysia, so we arrived shortly after 10am. The boat docks at a platform a couple of hundred metres off shore; you are taken to the beach by long tailed boat and step directly into the shallow water. We went through immigration on the sand with wet feet. That's a first for us, it beats crowded airports, and the jetty at Langkawi! It is definitely a place for back packs rather than wheelie suitcases, we saw a few people struggling across the sand and didn't envy them!

Pattaya beach is gorgeous, clear blue-green water, fine white sand and lined with long boats. We felt relaxed just looking at it. The beach is full of tanned, slim, fit-looking beautiful people, many of whom prefer full sun to shade. We're a perfect fit :)

Koh Lipe is not a big island. Unless you are at a more remote beach, everything is within easy walking distance, and even if you are staying farther away it is probably walkable (maybe not with big bags in searing heat though!). Most accommodation is along Pattaya Beach or off Walking Street, the narrow little street that stretches from the beach for a kilometre or so into the island. The only vehicles we saw were motorbikes, taxis (a motorbike with a square box attached that has seats around two sides, or just the box if it is used to transport goods) and the small rubbish truck. You do need to keep an eye out for motorbikes and taxis, but they are careful and drive slowly. The beach and main tourist streets are kept pretty clean, but once you step out of these areas there is a lot of rubbish; plastic bottles, polystyrene and building materials. It is a real shame, and at odds with the beauty of the place. 

After passing through immigration we walked to our accommodation at the Lantern Inn, up a little right of way off Walking Street. The listing had said small rooms and they weren't joking.  It was definitely tight, but we weren't on Koh Lipe to spend lots of time in our room and the staff were friendly and welcoming. 

Once we'd put down our bags, it was off for lunch then to the beach for the afternoon. There are roped off areas for swimming, much nicer as dodging long boats would be a bit tricky, and there is some coral and a few fish just off the shore. We found a shady spot under a tree for our things and went for a long swim. It was calm and shallow for quite a way out. Perfect for children! 

We buried Eleanor and Leo in the sand and they both fell asleep so we stayed on the beach. When they woke up they went back into the water for another two or three hours. We kept an eye on them playing in the shallows and chit chatting to others while sitting on the beach drinking a beer and watching the incredible sunset. 

Walking Street is lined with cafes, restaurants and clothing, souvenier shops, dive operators and massage shops. By day it is a little shabby, but is bustling and has such a relaxed and friendly vibe. At night with the lights on, the shabbiness disappears and it is magical. The restaurants often have someone standing at or near the door to entice you in and the women in the massage shops call 'hello, massage, welcome'. They are busy in the evenings with people who've been out diving, snorkelling or have spent a little too long in the sun. Refreshingly no sex trade on show, just therapeutic services on offer.

You are spoilt for choice on the restaurant front and there is some great food available. People wander the street and beach choosing a restaurant, bar or massage. The Italians and Sweedish seem to particularly like Koh Lipe and there are a few Italian-owned restaurants. It suited Eleanor and Leo perfectly. They got through a lot of delicious spaghetti carbonara!

The next day was mainly filled with more swimming, resting, eating and planning for Eleanor's birthday. We'd told her months ago that as she couldn't spend it with friends and wider family, she could plan our day. She was thrilled with the idea and took to the planning with vigour. We also took an hour-long tour of the island, mostly a quick peak at other resorts and their beaches. The kids loved the taxi ride! The roads off Walking Street are sandy and not well-graded, so can be challenging for the motorbikes. We were impressed that our driver managed to get through some spots with all four of us. Along the way we saw some local housing, very basic corrugated iron shacks with rubbish all about. I don't think Eleanor and Leo grasped the difference between this and the tourist accommodation, even the cheap and cheerful Lantern Inn. I hope local living conditions will improve. 

So, the big day went like this... Eleanor woke up the instant the alarm went off and raced into our room to remind us that it was her birthday. We were up at 6.15am for the short walk and to Sunrise Beach for a swim and swing on a rope ladder as the sun rose. Beautiful, but the sea wasn't as calm as at Pattaya. 

We had a relaxed breakfast and a couple of little presents, including Rainbow Bunny, a soft toy from lovely Juliette who works at the Lantern Inn. Leo was so upset not to get anything that she had a car set for him that evening. Then I took Eleanor to have her hair braided at one of the many local shops. She and Leo had a massage (they'd been very envious of my treatments on Langkawi) which they loved! We spent the afternoon on a snorkelling trip on a long-tail boat, with three excellent snorkelling stops and a swim at a lovely beach on Koh Adang for sunset. After that it was pizza for dinner and an icecream birthday cake, complete with candle... the staff turned down the lights and even helped us sing Happy Birthday! Then we called it a night, exhausted and happy. We asked Eleanor if it was the best birthday ever. She answered 'so far, but next year might be even better'. Not sure we'll top that one for a while!

On our first afternoon Eleanor and Leo had befriended Jane and her two-year-old son, Chavez. Jane is lovely. She is from Chiang Mai originally and met her husband when they were both working in a dive shop on one of the other islands. They now live in Perth with Chavez and their four-year-old daughter. She and Chavez are visiting friends for a month. When Jane first came to Koh Lipe nine years ago there was one resort and bush right down to the beach. It is obviously developing quickly! According to the Lonely Planet, which must have been researched two or three years ago, there are no ATMs on the island. There are now three or four, although they run out of money periodically and no one seems to know exactly when they'll be restocked: 'maybe tomorrow or the next day...'. The ATMs at the beach end of Walking Street ran out on our first day. Fortunately I found one just off the far end of Walking Street and managed to get enough cash for our time there before they all ran out a day or so later. We were okay, but talked to several others who were having to get cash from shops on their credit cards with a 5% additional charge. 

Jane offered to talk to her friends who own a number of local businesses about arranging a long tailed boat for the six of us for a few hours, so at 10am the day after Eleanor's birthday we met Jane, Chavez and the driver and off we went. We snorkelled off a beautiful beach. It was incredibly clear so we could see an amazing underwater garden with plently of beautiful fish and brightly coloured coral. It was the snorkelling highlight of the trip so far for me. They took us to a spot to see monkeys which the kids quite enjoyed, but they were most interested in the tiny little crabs on shells skuttling up and down the beach. They built a sand house for them, but the crabs were (unsurprisingly!) unwilling to be contained. We had fried rice for lunch and another snorkel at a spot teeming with fish, and somewhat less enjoyably, people. Eleanor and Leo loved all the snorkelling and are getting very confident too. Eleanor is duck diving and Leo can quite happily snorkel about for 30-45 minutes. 

That night we had dinner on the beach and packed up in preparation for our ferry trip to Koh Phi Phi the next morning. 

Waiting for immigration 

Sunset at Pattaya beach

Sunrise swinging on Eleanor's birthday (photos courtesy of Charlene Kwong)

Morning at Pattaya

Birthday dinner

Beached on Langkawi

Leaving a location early in the morning is a good thing in hot countries; our 1km walk to the Langkawi ferry terminal in Georgetown was much more pleasant before the heat of the day. We were still sweating by the time we arrived though. 

The 2 hour 45 minute ferry ride was smooth and comfortable. We even had a James Bond movie to watch on the boat's TV, although we preferred chess, ludo, stories and a little bit of iPad time. The ferry terminal at Kuah is a busy place. Fortunately(?) there was a Starbucks so we retreated there for a much-needed coffee before catching a taxi to Pantai Cenang, our home for the next few days. 

As our apartment wasn't ready for check in, we dropped our bags and went to Little Lylia's, a beach bar run by the owners of the apartment. We had booked a table there for New Year's Eve dinner, and to watch the fireworks (if we made it to midnight). It is simple and right on the beach with reasonable food and a terrible toilet. The food at Cenang isn't as cheap or good as at our previous stops, but there are loads of restaurants and it isn't expensive ($NZ20 - $25 for a meal for the four of us rather than $15 - $20) and you could definitely find some tasty options. 

The owners are a very friendly English/Malay couple. Nikki comes from just outside London and she first visited Langkawi in 1999 when it was considerably less developed. They were amongst the first to serve western food on the beach when they opened 12 or so years ago. There is apparently some talk of removing all the little bars/restaurants along their stretch of the beach and a possibility that they would be replaced with a big hotel. That would be a great shame! Nikki was fascinating to chat to and had some interesting thoughts on the missing Malaysian Airlines flight too. Naturally it's a conspiracy...

After checking in to the apartment and a  swim we headed back to Little Lylia's for dinner and to watch the sunset. We thought we'd see how the kids went, but were expecting to see the new year in at the apartment rather than on the beach as they were pretty tired. As it turns out, they met an Australian boy and an English brother and sister and had a fantastic time playing with them and cheap plastic light-up toys, so it was only about 20 minutes short of midnight when we left to put a new year message on a lantern and watch it drift away out to sea on our way to bed. An excellent end to 2015!

One thing we like about our seaside stops is that they all have common features: warm sea, restaurants on the beach and lovely white/golden sand, but are culturally different. We also fall into the same routine leisurely breakfast, swim, lunch, rest, swim, dinner. That is certainly how it went on New Years Day. 

The beach at Cenang is lovely, about 2km long with white-gold sand. it doesn't get deep too quickly and is calm, so is perfect for swimming with kids. Although, you do have to watch out for the jet skis some of which are towing banana boats or large inflatable chairs. Having jet ski lanes would make it a more relaxing experience when swimming with young children, but not every day is busy and generally it seems to work okay.  There are also a few vehicles on the beach, mostly motorbikes and SUVs, but they drive slowly. It is a big beach so there is plenty of room for everyone and the drivers are very considerate. 

On 2 January we went on a snorkelling day trip to a reef about an hour on a boat from Kuah. We saw 100s of fish, including clown fish and angel fish, much to Eleanor and Leo's delight (finding Nemo fans here!). Eleanor was determined to snorkel without a life jacket, despite the depth and did very well. Leo absolutely loved it and they've since decided they want to be marine biologists. We loved introducing them to one of our favourite pastimes, and watching them fall in love with it too. Nothing like getting an underwater double thumbs up from your madly grinning 5 year old!

The following day we went to Panorama Langkawi, a gondola and sky bridge in the hills about 30 minutes from Cenang. The gondola is quite an experience, you go along at a reasonably gentle incline until you reach the cliff, then it is almost straight up to the middle station with a more gentle incline again to the top station. I have to admit to being a little nervous, but didn't want to scare the kids, so was mostly brave outwardly. They loved it and the views are amazing. The sky bridge is a walking bridge built over the forest with a few clear tiles so you can see the canopy several metres below. From the end of the bridge you can see all the way to Thailand. We then had a 30-minute guided walk through the forest to the middle station. It was hot, so lovely to be in the shade and the guide was impressed by Leo who walked quickly and didn't complain at all. Eleanor needed a little more coaching, but did well too. 

We also visited a batik arts centre, Atma Alam, where the kids could colour their own pictures. They really enjoyed the experience and have very colourful eagles to show for it. They'll look wonderful on their bedroom walls. 

Our final day on Langkawi was a bit of a luxury one for me. We swam in the morning (of course!) then after lunch I had a body scrub and facial at Furusato, a local spa (highly recommended by me!). Adrian and the kids relaxed at the apartment as Eleanor and Leo didn't feel like a swim... a sure sign they're getting plenty of time in the water!

Wow! A coffee and white rice scrub leaves you feeling incredibly clean and a cucumber wrap is so refreshing. Of course I had an itchy ear while all wrapped up but was so relaxed I couldn't be bothered scratching it. Follow that with a jasmine bath and facial and walking a 1.5km in the heat, dust and sand to the apartment doesn't appeal. Although I didn't really walk, I floated. I'm sure I haven't been that clean since Anna and I had a hammam in Marakesh seven years ago or as relaxed since the flotation tank experience in Amsterdam. Must do it more often!

That evening we went to the amazing Pahn Thai restaurant at Berjaya Resort, where Alli and Rach stayed when they visited. It is an outdoor restaurant on stilts at the end of a pier and beautifully positioned for the sunset. And the food is delicious. What a fantastic way to end our time on Langkawi and in Malaysia. Thanks so much Rach for all your recommendations, this one included!

Getting sandy

Sky Cab

Cenang Beach

Meeting Boa the Boa constrictor at the Sky Cab base station

Dinner at Pahn Thai (doesn't do it justice!)

Sunset at Pahn Thai

Georgetown

The ferry from Butterworth to Georgetown took about 20 minutes and cost a grand total of 3 ringgit 60, about $1 for the four of us. Bargain! We stood in amongst the cars while Eleanor and Leo made friends with the people next to us who had a little girl and spoke little English. When we went to disembark, the gave Eleanor and Leo each a box containing a local cake/biscuit. People are so kind and generous!

Georgetown was hot. We walked from the ferry terminal to Silver Shine Guesthouse, which took about 25 minutes. Our first impressions of Georgetown were that it was bigger than Melaka, a bit run down and the the roads were incredibly busy. Not easy with heavy bags, two hot and hungry children and non-existent footpaths in some places. 

It was fantastic to walk into an air conditioned reception! We had the family room, a lovely wood panelled room with a private bathroom (the only room with one I think!); the kids slept on a comfortable bunk downstairs and us upstairs. Putting down our bags and heading to the little restaurant next door for afternoon tea relaxed us all and gave us a chance to plan the next couple of days. Georgetown is known for its excellent food, so no matter what else we did, there would be eating! I wanted to try a chow tey keow and Adrian was determined to find a Penang laksa. 

That evening we thought we'd try one of the street food markets near our guesthouse. It turned out that there is no market on a Monday, so we decided on Joo Hooi, a restaurant that sounded as though it would have a good laksa and walked there instead. It was closed, so we picked another at random. It was flasher than we would normally go for, but had delicious fresh fruit juices, and my tasty chicken rendang was the dish of the evening. It was only slightly awkward when out of the blue Eleanor asked our waitress whether she was a boy or a girl. On our walk between restaurants that evening, we managed to find a dress for Eleanor in a shop with beautiful brightly coloured saris, something she'd been searching for since Melaka. 

We arranged a taxi to take us to Penang National Park the next morning so we could see some forest and do the canopy walkway. When we arrived, we discovered that the walkway was closed for maintenance, but there were lots of other walks of varying lengths, so we picked a short one and did that. The path was well-defined, paved at the beginning and concrete steps in some places. The kids loved the swing bridge and scrambling over exposed tree roots. The path was in the trees, but followed the coast. The sand was nice, but there was a lot of rubbish washed up on some of the beaches. We were happy to save our swimming for the islands. Leo in particular enjoyed the walk and would have kept going a bit longer if we hadn't needed to get back to our taxi driver. 

That afternoon we went to the botanic gardens for a wander and to see the monkeys and black squirrels. They have moved most of the monkeys outside of the park, so we saw some at the entrance and a few had sneaked their way back in. Two took a real liking to Leo, which gave him and Adrian a fright. It turns out they weren't interested in Leo at all, but in the plastic bag he was carrying, which they thought contained food. They jumped on it when Adrian threw it on the path. The last laugh was on them though; the only thing in the bag was the children's rock collection! Other than that, our wander around the gardens was lovely. They are pretty and quiet, away from the hustle and bustle of the city. Eleanor and Leo raced about finding rocks (crystals) for their collection and were disappointed to lose it to the monkeys! We didn't see any black squirrels though. 

The next day we decided to have breakfast at a funky little cafe we'd seen the day before with eggs benedict on the menu, only to find it was closed at 9am (it opens for brunch not breakfast). We then thought we'd try Joo Hooi again before remembering it doesn't open until 11am (it pays to check opening hours here!). Fortunately, there is always another option, in this case the Black Kettle, an immaculately clean cafe a little like Starbucks, but more unique and quirky. 

From there we went off to to explore the World Heritage area of Georgetown. Like Melaka it is designated a smoke free area, so a pleasant spot to be, even if not perfectly observed. 

We loosely followed a walk suggested in the Lonely Planet. It took in a couple of clan houses, the ostentatious temples and housing areas built in the 1800s by local Chinese smuggling families. The Khoo Kongsi was the only one we could see inside and most spectacular, with a large temple incredibly detailed art works and carvings. Some scenes from Anna and the Jing were filmed there as tgey weren't allowed to film in Thailand. We also visited the clan jetties, old wooden jetties where the clans brought in their loot, complete with housing and shops selling tacky souvenirs (which does reduce the authenticity somewhat!). We enjoyed our walk down Lebuh Armenian filled with arts and crafts in amongst better quality souvenir shops. 

Georgetown is known for its excellent street art. Wow! On walls all over the city are beautiful and interesting pieces of art. Some a simple painting, and others a prop embedded in a wall with painted details like an old bike with children painted on the wall as though they are riding it or an inner tube stuck to a wall with a cat coming through it. Eleanor and Leo enjoyed Minion-spotting as we've recently watch the Despicable Me movies. We've Minions them everywhere on this trip so far, for sale in various forms, painted on walls etc. 

We caught a trishaw (far less bling than in Melaka!) to try Joo Hooi one last time. In Georgetown the drivers often seem to be older men, and that was certaintly true of Eleanor and Adrian's driver, so it was excellent to see that he, and they, arrived in one piece. The door to the restaurant was open, but the inside was burnt out. So much for third time lucky we thought, until a smiley man popped out and took us to the end of a side street, where the same restaurant had reopened. Not only was there laksa but also the chow tey keow. Yay! Adrian said it was the best laksa he'd ever had. And he's had a few...

That afternoon we popped back to the edge of the gardens, where we'd seen a big playground. The kids raced about trying everything out. A playground every few days is definitely a good thing! And we saw a black squirrel in the trees. 

The next morning was New Year's Eve, so we were up and off bright and early to catch the ferry to Langkawi. Our final stop in Malaysia.  

Walking in Penang National Park

Georgetown Botanic Gardens

On the trishaw

Wandering in Melaka (and a sleepover in Ipoh!)

A taxi driver met us in Tampin off the train from KL and drove us the 1.5 hours to Melaka. The final 1km took about 45 minutes due to the crowded streets in the old town. 

We liked Melaka immediately. Was originally a spice trading port and at various times was controlled by the Portugese, Dutch and English. The old town is considerably older than KL and full of character. The slow drive down Jonker Street, the main street in Chinatown, gave us plenty of opportunity to check out the weekend food stalls, shops and niknaks. Somehow I'm struggling to find the words to describe it, but will give it a go...

Our guest house was near Jonker Street, but much quieter thank goodness. Joti, the friendly and helpful owner, thinks it is about 150 years old and was likely to have been built by an Indian family before passing into Chinese hands. The current house is half of the original, which was demolished and replaced at some stage. It still stretches from the street to a little lane at the back. 

The house is two stories with an open central courtyard. Our huge and very comfortable room was upstairs and had a lovely balcony overlooking the street. 

We apparently struck a particularly busy weekend; a public holiday, school holidays and the end of the leave year for many employees coincided, so a large number of Malaysian and Singaporean tourists descended on the city. 

After dropping off our bags, we tried a local specialty for lunch, chicken and rice with chilli sauce on the side (tasty, but not as exciting as other foods we've tried since being here!). Adrian and I then took it in turns to explore a little while the kids relaxed in our room. Adrian headed over the river to the town square. I wandered down Jonker Street. What an experience! It is not pedestrianised during the day, so hundreds of people compete with cars, motorbikes and stalls for space. It was crazy-busy, but the atmosphere was relaxed and friendly. People are very patient here!

We decided not to tackle the crowds for dinner, so retreated to a little cafe by the river. Cooler, quieter and very relaxed - perfect! Melaka has a delightfully authentic and historic Chinatown, and is a dreamy spot for exploring down little alleys and coming across garish temples and weird little curio stores. We loved it.

The following day we found a lovely little cafe named Lavendria for breakfast. It even had eggs and sausages as well as pancakes with peanut butter and chocolate sauce on the menu, and good coffee. Something for everyone! Jonker Street was still busy, so we walked it, visiting shops along the way, then crossed the river to see the town square, Portugese sailing ship, visit a playground and buy a couple of new books for the kids from an excellent bookshop. Lots of Enid Blyton! 

After walking up the hill to see the ruins of St Paul's church, we had a trishaw ride. Trishaws are bicycles with little carriages attached. In Melaka they decorate the carriages in themes; Frozen, Hello Kitty and emergency services seemed the most popular. Some also blast music as you ride along. Eleanor and Leo loved it! That evening we found a restaurant just off Jonker Street where we could watching people sing karaoke on a nearby stage along with a number of others sitting in plastic chairs in front of the stage. There are some pretty impressive singers out there! Adrian enjoyed returning later on for a night walk and bit of photography. 

The next day we were leaving for Ipoh on the 2pm train. Eleanor woke up with a sore tummy and proceeded to throw up in the cafe at breakfast, in the car on the way to the station and on the train. Poor thing! It was miserable, but she recovered remarkably quickly and was largely back to normal by the time we got off the train in Ipoh. 

Ipoh was really just a way to break the journey between Melaka and Georgetown. And that was pretty much it. The main site you can visit the interior of is the train station. We had a good breakfast for about ($9 NZ) at a local's local restaurant (M.Salim, Adrian recommends the Nasi Lemak). Even if there wasn't a huge amount to see, it was an interesting stop and the people are super-friendly. Our post-breakfast walk to the station gave us the chance to see a little of the town. From there we caught the train to Butterworth and ferry to Georgetown. 

Tampin station

Trishaw riders

Sunrise from our balcony

Bustling Kuala Lumpur

Our 8-hour Air Asia flight from Sydney to KL was a classic case of 'you get what you pay for'... it got us there with absolutely no frills. No food or drink (even water!) is covered in the ticket price, leg room is a tight and there is no TV (not even shared ones). Thank goodness for colouring books and the iPad! Still, it was affordable and we arrived safe and sound. 

We flew into KL at about 5.30pm.  By the time we found our way through passport control and the baggage claim, it was already dark and still a humid 32 degrees. Our lovely friend Rachel, who was here with Alli and their family last year, had arranged a taxi to collect us so (after a little confusion), we were on the road to our apartment. 

Arriving somewhere new at any time of day is exciting, but night time is my favourite. You get some sense of your surroundings - particularly the temperature, smells and sounds - but what it looks like is a bit of a mystery and you won't really begin to get your bearings until morning. 

Please excuse the lengthy ramble to follow, I seem to have a lot to say about our time in KL!

We stayed in a very comfortable and roomy studio apartment in the Regalia complex complete with a 37th floor roof-top infinity pool with a stunning view over the Petronas Towers, KL Tower and other city landmarks. That was our first destination on our first morning and we swam at least once every day after that, usually more, including one very popular night swim. The pool was a wonderful refuge from the heat and hustle and bustle of the city. We barely saw any rain at all during our time in KL. One taxi driver commented that it is unusually dry. 

After that first swim we caught the train to see Merdeka (independence) Square - complete with a cricket pitch and Tudor-style club rooms - and Chinatown for lunch and a spot of shopping. Eleanor is now the proud owner of a pretty fan and Leo a toy gun with a laser pointer. After returning to the apartment for another swim, we headed to Jalan Alor, the foodie street, for dinner. Thanks for the recommendation Max! We all enjoyed wandering the street checking out the options and nibbling on fried chicken before settling down to a delicious dinner of noodles, chicken wings and dumplings. I'm wondering if I'll ever tire of noodles. No where near it yet!!! Afterwards an ice cream was in order... we were lucky to find a vendor who made it in front of us. He froze the milk in a little dish, mixed in the flavours continually flattening it with a little tool before he scrapped it into little curls and added the toppings. The kids were mesmerised and so were we! We also began teaching the kids how to say "no thank you" to hawkers, beggars and the like - Eleanor is a natural, her line "maybe later" delivered with a smile seems very effective.

On day two we decide to follow the Lonely Planet's instructions to walk from Masjid Negara (the National Mosque) to Lake Gardens Park where there is a bird park, butterfly park and Museum of Islamic Arts. Unfortunately the instructions were in the wrong order (grrrr!), which lead to two wrong turns and about 2km of extra walking in the heat (and a hot, tired, hungry family) before a nice lady helped us find the right route. Lunch in air conditioning at the bird park got us back on track! And I had my first coconut milk of the trip. Yum!!!

The bird park was huge and we saw a great variety of bird-life, pelicans, parrots, flamingos, pretty pigeons (not the pigeon park variety), even a white peacock and lots of birds we didn't recognise. It must be mating season for peacocks as we saw lots strutting about with their beautiful tail feathers in the air. The park is covered by high nets and many of the birds are cage-free. It was exciting and a little scary for the kids to be in amongst the birds, some of which are at least the same size as them and no doubt considerably heavier. They loved feeding them bird food (which had obviously been in the dispensers a while given the bug infestation) in little cups and having their photos taken with several birds. As usual my feelings on this type of thing are mixed... a fantastic opportunity for people to see so much bird-life in one place and not all caged which is wonderful, but I think the space and close interactions with humans in must bring its issues in terms of being fed (ice cream etc.) and handled. 

After a slow start that morning, unexpectedly long walk and long visit to the park, we abandoned other plans for the day and went back to the apartment for some cool and an early night. 

Our last full day was Christmas Eve. We spent the morning at the excellent Petrosains Discovery Centre attached to Suria KLCC Mall (great shopping!). Another great recommendation thanks Rach! The Discovery Centre is a fabulous science-based learning centre with hundreds of hands-on activities broken into various sections, space, dinosaurs, speed, music etc. It is sponsored by Petronas, but there is relatively little promotion of their work. Eleanor and Leo ran from activity-to-activity and we could have easily spent the day there, but managed to get through about half of it in 2.5 hours before we needed to race away if we wanted to get to the Butterfly Park and swim before dinner. 

Eleanor in particular loved the butterfly park, she waited patiently, coaxing them to land on her hand. She was thrilled to make a white and orange butterfly friend, which fluttered away and later returned. Leo preferred feeding the huge koi which gobbled up his fish-food with great enthusiasm. Again we ran short on time so missed the Islamic Arts Museum. Next time!

Our Christmas Eve dinner was a truly special treat... we had a delicious buffet at the rotating restaurant Atmosphere 360, which is 270 meters up the KL Tower with panoramic views over the city. Wow!!! We all over ate and fell into bed full and happy. 

Today is Christmas Day. Happy Christmas everyone!! KL feels much more Christmasy than you might imagine, with Christmas trees, decorations and lights everywhere.

Much to Eleanor and Leo's joy, Father Christmas found them in KL, so they had stockings to open. Apparently they heard clattering on the roof over night, saw the light of Rudolph's nose and heard Father Christmas's footsteps. They have exceptional hearing, given that our apartment is on level 11 of 35 :). I now have my very own grown ups colouring in book, which I'm looking forward to getting into (so is Eleanor!) and Adrian is sporting a new hat. 

After a final swim we taxied to KL Sentral to catch the train to Tampin, from where we will taxi to Malacca. The trains are immaculately clean, fast, air conditioned and comfortable. A great way to travel!

So, a few observations on KL (the parts we have seen at least)... I spent a day here in 2000 between flights and remember thinking it made an easy introduction to Asia. It is a melting pot of cultures and there are lots of familiar shops/brands, great bakeries, good coffee (served with milk and sugar by default),  it is easy to get around, the food is delicious and the people almost without exception are very friendly. It is fairly clean for a big city and feels a little like Singapore in the rules (no eating on trains, no littering, no chewing gum etc.) and the way they are followed. Seat belts are readily available in taxis, the driving is good and we saw very few stray animals. Just one cat that looked pretty healthy really. I have a feeling we'll be back one day - I certainly hope so, there is lots more to do!

And now a note from Adrian: 

A BMW SUV, black of course, immaculate, with heavily tinted windows and shadows for passengers, threads its way carefully down Jalan Alor, a street heaving with food vendors; slowly, gently, almost politely yet firmly dispersing the curious, the meek, the gawking tourists and the people whose whole lives are seemingly here on this street before it. 

Gleaming dark towers of steel and glass soar above the low rise concrete brutalism, above the canopies and umbrellas of the hawker's stalls; a monorail whines past through the palm trees and flowers and beggars shake their stumps at the neon lit skies above. Mostly people make money and spend it just as they forever have.

The juxtaposition of near future and history; the clamour of Chinese mercantilism almost restrained by Islamic stricture and the vestiges of colonial British rule; indecent wealth shines in tiny pockets amongst the grimy vast ocean of hard graft, no safety nets and little welfare.

It is at once callous and noble; dystopian yet giddily optimistic; Dickensian and cyber punk; affirming, despairing; a heady, intoxicating  mix of cultures and classes and creeds reminiscent of so many places but joined together in a manner all its own.

KL felt like this. it fells like a glimpse of the future. Not without hope, and  not without concern.

KL by night

Annual reading of 'The Night Before Christmas'

KL by day

Off for a swim

Sunny Sydney

Our two days in Sydney raced by, filled with excellent conversation, food and lots of fun. 

We collected our rental car and arrived at John, Sarah and Patrick's in time for a yummy morning tea and much needed coffee. Eleanor and Leo were thrilled to see Patrick and were so busy having a good time that we didn't see much of them for the rest of our stay. It is fantastic  to see them have so much fun together, especially the boys this time!

We went to a special little restaurant in a boatshed, the Boatshed on Woronora, for lunch followed by a quick stop in a playground on the other side. It was sunny and around 32 degrees I think, very intense heat, so we were all pleased to head back to John and Sarah's for a lovely swim in their pool (or nap in my case!) and tasty BBQ dinner. Mmmmm prawns :) Adrian also spent some quality time testing their hammock.

The following morning after breakfast and another good chat we drove across town to Mosman and the Kassis family, London friends who have recently returned to Sydney. It is wonderful to have them back on this side of the world! 

We were in the same antenatal class when Renee and I were pregnant with Nadine and Eleanor. How lucky it was that we attended that group!

Eleanor was incredibly excited to be seeing her friend Nadine again after two years. So much so that when we arrived and she couldn't open the gate she climbed it! It was wonderful to see them together again. They have a very special friendship. I was very pleased to see Renee too, although was happy to go through the gate rather than over it!

We swam at Balmoral with its lovely golden sand in the afternoon and had a delicious BBQ on the deck with an amazing view over Port Jackson and out to North Head. Unfortunately for Adrian, he wasn't feeling up to food - we think he had eaten something bad before we left NZ. (But it looked lovely - Adrian)

It was a real treat to see Leo and Anton play together as they were too small when we left London, and to meet smiley, chatty little Lina, Renee and Fadi's youngest. We were also lucky to see Fadi's lovely parents, Suheir and Fahim. Hopefully they'll visit us in NZ one day. Suheir was very kind and made Adrian some fresh mint tea for his stomach bug. 

The kids had a sleepover with Nadine and Anton while we stayed at an apartment in nearby Cremorne, so we collected them after breakfast and headed on out to the airport. 

Next stop: Kuala Lumpur!!!

Eleanor and Patrick horsing around

Eleanor, Nadine and Leo, Mosman

View from the deck, Mosman

Outward bound

Almost three years to the day since we arrived back in Welly from London, here we are off on another adventure. This time a six-week trip to Sydney and parts of Malaysia, Thailand and Myanmar. Whoo hoo!

As we are away for Christmas, we had a pre-Christmas celebration with family. It was a lovely evening at Mum and Dad's boatshed on Pauatahanui Inlet. Great company and we were all spoiled. 

We've spent the last few weeks preparing. There was more to it than simply closing the door on our flats in London... this time in addition to all the travel planning, we had a house needing a decent clean before our house-sitters arrive, a garden to tidy (a partial success) as well as arrangements for Thistle the dog and Hodgson the cat.  

We're lucky to have great neighbours and my parents keeping an eye on the house while it is empty and that Thistle can stay with Mum and Dad, and friends down the road, while we're away. Hodgson will no doubt be a bit put out at being in a cattery until the house-sitters arrive, but both he and Thistle will be very well cared for. 

I love this part of a holiday... everything is done (or not!), we have closed the door and can relax into it. The trip stretches out in front of us. I think of it as like a diary with only a few headings in place and all the details - sights, sounds, smells, foods, conversations - still to be filled in. An amazing feeling; we're all extremely excited!

We had an early start for the 6.40am flight to Sydney. It was also early for Mum and Dad who came in to the airport for a quick farewell coffee before driving our car home - thanks again!! We were a fairly well-oiled travelling machine three years ago, but are feeling a little out of practice... hopefully it is like riding a bike!

Our first stop is in Sydney for a couple of days  with good friends the Cranney and Kassis families. Yay!