CNY Reunion in Kukup

March 8, 2015 4 Comments

Wow, how time flies! It is March already! It has been exactly 2 months since I last blogged. The past 2 months were incredibly hectic for me. Thankfully, CNY arrived early this year and I spent 10 good days with my family back in Singapore.

This CNY, the family picked Kukup (a mangrove fishing town) as the family’s reunion destination (and the reunion grew from 16 to 20 – thanks to the new company of Uncle Peter and Lita’s family). Kukup is a short 1.5hr drive away from Singapore. Compared with our last CNY reunions at Desaru and Sentosa, I must say this is the most relaxing family retreat. We stayed at a brand new 3-bedroom chalet. Each bedroom houses up to 9 beds! We were its first occupants, everything inside the chalet was brand new!

Unlike our last dining nightmares at Desaru, food at Kukup were delicious! The chalet provided 4 meals a day! We had lots of steamed fish and prawns every day. Life at Kukup was slow, quiet and breezy. There was basically nothing much to do here except sleeping, eating and fishing. The fully air-conditioned chalet was equipped with its own karaoke system and mahjong tables. This was exactly what I needed – a long carefree, lazy afternoon nap. The space here was so big that there was ample space for everyone to sink in. The adults were playing mahjong and the children were running around the compound. My cousins and I were sharing the latest gadgets (I finally got to try on the Google Glass!). And I successfully managed to teach Felicia how to scoot!

On our 2nd day, we planned a small tour around the small town. There is a mangrove nature reserve opposite our chalet. We took a ferry out ($5/adult) to visit the mangrove nature reserve and a nearby kelong.

Sunset by the Malacca Straits was calm and beautiful. By nightfall, big fireworks and sky-lanterns lighted up the quiet skies. Suddenly, the sleepy mangrove town came alive. Felicia, Elkan and I flew our first sky-lantern. This was a short but relaxing reunion and I am looking forward to next year CNY already!

Filed under Family, Travel Tagged with

Blissful Festive Reunion

January 4, 2015 5 Comments

I never like counting down to New Year. It is the day when I bid farewell to my loved ones.

After spending 8 days of home-quarantine, I finally get to spend some quality time with my parents, wife and child. Having chicken pox at 40 was a dreadful experience. It was a good test of one’s character and endurance. For me, the timing was just bad. My sickness coincided with our Christmas family trip. I wasted one good week at home. Fortunately, I was thankful that I managed to recover in time before their departure.

Every gloomy cloud has a silver lining. Auntie Amy, Joanne and Scott were in town too! I was so excited to receive them on my first day of freedom! Tracy and I went to the airport to welcome Auntie Amy and Joanne & family!

With Auntie Amy and Joanne & family in town, the gathering got merrier and noisier! Both my Aunt and mum started their nagging rituals on poor Elkan. I managed to avoid the old ladies’ bombardments by joining Joanne, Felicia and Tracy. Dad was happily chatting with Joanne’s dad who was also his ex-colleague.

There were 2 days when Auntie Amy and Joanne & family went away. Auntie Amy flew to Xiamen on 28th Dec to surprise her son and Joanne brought her parents to Macau and Zhuhai. I didn’t plan anything special for my family. My old folks didn’t want to travel far. Mum and Dad weren’t feeling well as they weren’t used to the cold weather. So, we spent a lot of time dining and shopping around Central and Soho areas.

Felicia and Elkan fell ill during their last 2 days in Hong Kong. Felicia was having the same symptoms as what I experienced (Felicia went to A&E and was diagnosed with chicken pox on New Year’s Day). She lost her appetite and her body was unwell. During both their absence, Auntie Amy and Joanne & family returned to Hong Kong. Chowpo volunteered to drive my family and friends around Hong Kong on 29th and 30th of Dec. We had lunch at Stanley Market and sight-seeing at Sai Kung. Later in the evening, we had farewell dinner at Central.

Felicia, Elkan, Auntie Amy and my parents left Hong Kong on the eve of 2015. Joanne & family, Harshad, Tracy and another Hong Kong auntie came to IFC to send them off. It was another teary farewell at the airport express station. Separation makes us cherish every reunion. Elkan kept reminding himself not to cry but he eventually broke down just seconds before he boarded the train. He was suppressing his sadness the entire morning and when he broke down, I gave him a tight hug and told him it was okay. Departure was never easy for anyone of us. That is why I am always so hasten to say goodbye.

I was blessed with the company of good friends. Tracy, Chowpo and Harshad were there for me at every farewell. And this new year’s eve, I had the company of Joanne & family. We welcomed the first minute of 2015 on a rooftop watching fireworks over Victoria Harbour.

On New Day’s morning, Joanne & family joined me to welcome the first sunrise at the Peak. The weather was fantastic, we walked a total of 10km that morning! By 1pm, Joanne’s parents were so tired that they went back to the hotel to take an afternoon nap! It was also this trip when Joanne bumped into friends on the street. Amazingly, she bumped into 3 different friends in Hong Kong! It is just unbelievable how small the world is!

Finally, I bid farewell to my last visitors yesterday. Joanne and parents flew back to Singapore last evening. I started to miss all of them (my parents, wife, son, auntie and friends) already! As I walked past their hotels this afternoon, I could feel their presence. Guess it will take me quite a while to get back to my usual working pace.

Thank you all for being there with me this Christmas and New Year (in sickness and in health). Thanks for everything! See you soon my loved ones!

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

Christmas Without the Polkadot Man

January 1, 2015 Leave a comment

It is great to see my loved ones enjoying themselves during my “chicken pox” absence (19th – 27th Dec) this festive season. Thanks to Felicia, Tracy and Chowpo for taking such good care of my old folks and boy. Here are the photos and blogs by Felicia. Enjoy!

BLOG BY FELICIA (20th Dec – 23rd Dec)

Harbin Ice Exhibition & Lychee Valley (21st Dec)

A bright sunny day was the perfect day out for us to enjoy the cool weather! To make it cooler, we took the MTR and headed to the Harbin Ice Exhibition at Yuen Long.

The exhibition site was quite crowded with lots of carnival booths. Elkan was excited about the cold while the old folks were worried if the huge ice cage would be too cold for them. This is my father and mother in-law’s first experience of -10ºC. We were each handed a thick down jacket to keep warm just before we enter the exhibition. 

Although temperature wasn’t as cold as it was at the real Harbin Ice Festival in China, Heilongjiang, but it was cold for us as we didn’t have the proper winter wear. There wasn’t many sculpture pieces inside. Some nice ones are the igloos and the slides. Elkan took his grand parents to the slides. They had fun like little kids!We quickly swept through the rest of the sculptures and headed for the exit. It was great to be back at the outdoor of 16ºC.Elkan and me decided to have a short race on the paddle go kart and it was really fun going for a few rounds on the race tracks. Not easy keeping up with Elkan’s speed now!

Next we headed to a nearby organic park, the Lychee Valley. A small park with kids playground and lots of fruits farms. Unfortunately it wasn’t the season for most of the fruits. Maybe another trip again soon!

Lantau Island, Tai O & A Surprise Sammi Concert! (22nd Dec)

Thanks to Chowpo who accompany us to Lantau and visit the Big Buddha. It was also a meaningful day to visit there as it was the 冬至（Winter Festival).

The fun of the day was the cable car trip up the hill. Apparently, my father in-law was afraid of the ride but he went along with us and bravely stepped into a crystal cable car, which is a glass-bottom cable car! Bravo!!

After a healthy vegetarian lunch, we headed downhill to Tai O. Took a short boat ride out to the sea, but we didn’t have much luck to spot any pink dolphin. At least the sea breeze was enjoyable.

The day ended with a sweet surprise! A Sammi concert for me with Tracy!

A spectacular performance with lots of gunfire, hot dance and special guest, Eason Chan! We were amazed with how the stage transforms, changing the whole dimension of the centre stage, not just once but a few times. And creating a stage within the stage! Eye-opening for me!

Dine by The Peak & Shopping at Central (23rd Dec)

Chowpo brought us to a nice restaurant with a great view for Dim Sum the next morning. It was pleasant and relaxing lunch. The food was great!

After lunch we took a short ride up the the peak garden. The higher peak which most tourist would give it a pass. The air was fresh but the wind was chilling.

We spent the afternoon shopping along the streets near our hotel. And visiting nice christmas decorations in the shopping malls. Hong Kong malls never fails to surprise us with beautiful decorations.

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong

The Nightmare Before Christmas

December 26, 2014 2 Comments

I had the worst nightmare before Christmas. And it happened 5 days before my year-end holiday. It ruined all my secret Christmas holiday trips with my parents and loved ones!

A week ago, I was perfectly normal. One minute, I was attending a meeting at work, the next, I was shivering with a high fever kicked in. It was a strange new experience. There was no symptoms. I had no flu, cough or sore throat. My body just shut down with this sudden high fever. I decided to stay away from work (my first MC in 2 years!) and took a day off to rest.

The next day, I went to see the doctor. He too, couldn’t provide me with any medical reason about my fever. He gave me the usual fever and pain-killer pills. He suspected a virus attack and asked me to rest for 2 more days. It wasn’t any typical fever. It came with severe headache and body-aches. I lost appetite and I had difficulties breathing. It was extremely uncomfortable and it was driving me crazy.

On the third day, I started to notice some rashes on my chest, arms and back. There were a couple of tiny red bumps near my elbow. One of them looked like a blister. Instantly, my worst fears surfaced in my mind. I was swearing and cursing in the shower room. Felicia asked me what happened, I told her my suspicion. I made a trip down to the clinic and showed the doctor the new symptom. After checking my body, he confirmed I had chicken pox.

My heart sank. The first thing I thought of was my wife and son. Like me, they never had chicken pox too. It will be devastating if the entire family was infected at the same time!

I came home and asked both of them to pack their bags. I immediately checked them into a nearby hotel for their remaining days in Hong Kong. I cancelled all our air tickets and hotel bookings. Originally, I planned a surprise 1-week Christmas vacation (for my parents, Felicia and Elkan) at Taiwan.

Having chicken pox at 40 was a humbling life experience. The books were right. Chicken pox is no small feat for adults. I sincerely urge all adults who never had chicken pox to take a chicken pox vaccination jab. Trust me, it is bearable but I wished not to experience such tortures again. The sickness took a heavy toll on my body and mind. The first three days were the worst days of my life. It was worst than what I experienced in National Service. I am extremely weak and under extreme pain. The pox spread everywhere (on my palms, in my ear and even inside my mouth). Thankfully, Tracy had chicken pox before and she took great care of me throughout this tormenting ordeal. 

It was extremely difficult for my loved ones. To avoid any contact, they cannot visit me and can only drop food/gifts by the door. Finally, after 10 days of house-arrest, my body has recovered and I managed to have a short Christmas dinner with my family and friends this evening.

It wasn’t the Christmas I have expected. Still, I appreciate this experience. It taught me the value of good health and family bonding. To my parents, wife and child – Thank you for being so patient with my sickness. Thank Felicia for dropping lovely meals by my door step. Thank Tracy for fetching me medicine, food and water 24/7. Thank Chowpo and Harshad for accompanying my parents and popping by to fill my apartment with so much warmth and sunshine. I am sure in another 2-3 days, I will be able to go out in full. On a positive note, I am finally immune, this will not come back (cross my fingers) to haunt me for a long long time. Thank you all for all the beautiful gifts and good-wishes. Looking forward to more happy moments with all of you in the coming days! Happy Poxing Day!

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

Camping at Wan Tsai (西貢灣仔)

December 14, 2014 Leave a comment

It has been almost 20 years since I last camped outdoor. Thanks to my colleagues (Sean and Wing) who invited us, Felicia, Elkan, Tracy and I had our first family camping experience last Saturday. When I told my friends that I will be camping at Wan Tsai, many of them assumed I will be occupying Central on the highway. Unknown to many, there is really a campsite by the name of Wan Tsai (not Wanchai) and it is located at the far northeast of Sai Kung. It was a long ride from our apartment in Central. First, we took a cab to Wong Shek Terminus at Sai Kung Country Park. From there, we then took a 20min-ferry to the campsite.

The Wan Tsai campsite is a good site for beginners. It is located just right beside the pier, so we need not to walk very far with the heavy gears. There are lavatory and shower facilities around the campsite and they are very clean! There were many other campers around so we felt very safe.  Felicia, Tracy and I were so inexperienced and unprepared for the trip (we brought all the outdoor toys, snacks and bottled drinks but not the basic survival gears!). Lucky for our more camping-savvy friends, they came with the right tools and gears. The weather wasn’t that good. It was misty cold (at about 10-12°C) and it rained in the wee hours. We managed to survive the long cold wet night with some really good warm supper and breakfast. I never expect a cozy night sleep (the tent we bought was too short for my body length) and this was a very good experience for all of us. With better cool days coming ahead, I am sure we be doing more outdoor camping in the next few weeks!

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong

Coincidentally Taipei

November 16, 2014 Leave a comment

This was one amazing trip of fateful coincidences. Tracy and I were supposed to use these discounted air tickets to meet Lionnel and Joey in Taipei. Due to a Super Typhoon, we had to cancel our September trip at the last minute. Without any plan in mind, we picked a random date in mid November to exhaust the tickets.

It seemed that Fate had other plans for us. Coincidentally, 2 weeks before our November trip, I was informed that two of my best buddies in office (Chowpo and Vanliza) will be flying to Taipei for business on the same travel dates as ours. We were so happy to know that as Tracy and I didn’t have any special plan for our postponed trip. I changed my hotel booking so we can all stay around the same vicinity.

Since we were part of the same business unit, Tracy and I decided to lend Chowpo and Vanliza some help on Friday evening. We accompanied them to the client’s office to move some props. There, at the lift lobby, another delightful coincidence occurred! I bumped into an old client-friend, Mandy! She was so excited and surprised to see us! What a small world! We started chatting non-stop outside the lift door. We haven’t seen each other for almost 4 years! It was great bumping into her!

The next morning (Saturday), we were supposed to make a trip to visit another friend at Taizhong. At 7am, I received a surprise text message from my Cousin Bin! His family and he were all in Taipei! I supposed to join them for breakfast but one thing led to another. Coincidentally, Cousin Bin was staying at the same hotel I originally booked (but I changed another hotel to be closer to my colleagues). He was planning a 1-day tour along the northern coastal towns of Taipei. I checked with the ladies and we decided to tag along!

It was an awesome gathering! I was so happy to meet Cousin Bin and family! It was so unreal! The excitement was indescribable. Perhaps all these were fated! Cousin Bin booked 2 cabs for us. We went to visit Yehliu Geopark (野柳), had lunch at Jiufen Old Town (九份), hiked across a suspension bridge at Shifen Waterfalls (十分大瀑布), and released sky lanterns (天燈) at Shifen Old Street (十分老街). It was an extraordinary day with so many delightful moments! I was so glad that my friends and cousin enjoyed themselves.

Surely, no any other pre-trip planning can match what I experienced this trip. Tracy and I weren’t expecting anything special after our disappointing cancellation last September. This postponed trip was simply amazing and fulfilling! Fate certainly has its own unique way to connect people. Thanks God (and the power of social media) for this wonderful arrangement. This is indeed one of my best Taiwanese visits ever! And yes, life is beautiful. May all our wishes (on the sky lanterns) come true. Enjoy the photos! 

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

A Little Sweet Mid Autumn Reunion Treat

September 10, 2014 2 Comments

September school holidays are here and my darlings are with me for 10 good days! I was hoping to get the attractive deal on Cathay Fanfare but I couldn’t get the tickets to Maldives or Perth. The other destinations were either too expensive or the timing was just not ideal. With limited options left, I decided to plan “a little sweet treat” for them in Macau.

Elkan was a little disappointment when he found out that we were heading to Macau for the weekend. He never liked the City of Sins as there’re little things for him to do. He begged me a couple of times to stay in Hong Kong so we can play soccer and hike the mountains together. In order not to spoil the surprise of the “special place”, I acted cold and indifferent to his pleas. I lied to him that we will be shopping and nothing else. Elkan was grumbly throughout the journey. (See some of his photos, he didn’t even want to smile!) To divert his disappointment, I added a short outdoor hike (at Monte Fort) in the itinerary at the last minute. Felicia sensed something amiss with my “unusual poor planning” . She asked me quietly in a mischievous tone, “mmm, what are you planning?” I replied with a straight cold answer “Nothing to do leh, maybe catch a movie later.”

You see, I was buying time to keep them occupied till 3pm as that was the check-in time for my “little sweet surprise” at the legendary Banyan Tree Macau. Famed for its luxurious suite featuring a spacious living area and an indoor private relaxation pool, Banyan Tree Macau is infamous for its unavailability and exorbitant price!  The room I wanted was often fully-booked many months ahead. Thanks to Mid Autumn Festival, the occupancy during this festive holiday was surprisingly low. I was extremely lucky to secure the room one week ago at a very special price!

The moment Felicia and Elkan walked into the suite, both of them were delightfully dazed! I love watching their priceless expressions! None of them expected this! Felicia gave me that stern “I-knew-you-had-something-up-in-your-sleeve” stare and Elkan’s eyes were watery. My boy felt guilty for all the bad feelings towards me during the trip. Knowing he was overly touched, I went to give my silly boy a big hug!

This is Elkan’s dream playroom – a 100sqm space with luxurious bedroom, expansive living area complete with spacious 3m wide relaxation pool and custom 2-person wooden bathtub complementing an opulently furbished bathroom!  The pool was constantly kept at a perfect water temperature between 27°C-30°C overseeing unparalleled views of the Cotai City. All thanks to the simple and great space design, the room was so indulging that we stayed indoor most of the time. We spent our Mid Autumn Festival watching TV, selfies in the pool, face-timing my parents, niece and nephew back home.

I am so glad that I didn’t disappoint them. What an unique and memorable experience for the family! When it was time to leave, Elkan asked me to bring him back to Macau in Nov and he promised he won’t be grumpy anymore. Hahah, my silly happy boy.

Filed under Family, Life in Hong Kong, Travel

Create Your Very Own Personalised Russian Nesting Dolls (aka Matryoshka Dolls)

June 29, 2014 1 Comment

When Felicia gave me a handmade doll-house last Christmas, it was a cozy lovely house. It was a gift of craftsmanship and love, every thing was created to the finest details. But there was one problem, it was an empty house. Over the past six months, I have been thinking how to fill this beautiful empty home with our own personalised characters. Finally an idea came to my mind! I planned to surprise and cheer Felicia and Elkan up with a very special gift on their last day in Hong Kong since I expected it will be another heart-breaking farewell.

Thanks to my colleague who recommended me to “Etsy“ – a wonderful e-commerce website that focused on handmade or unique-manufactured items. At Etsy, I found 2 talented artists who helped me to personalised my first very own Russian nesting dolls! (As I couldn’t made up my mind on what I prefer, I ordered 2 different painting styles for the dolls – The Graphic Dolls were produced by Shiny in Hong Kong and the Still-life Painting Dolls, produced by Julia in Russia). Special thanks to Shiny (the artist who helped me with the Graphic Dolls!) What a small world, Shiny is also a friend to my ex-poly school mates, Eric and Dorothy! I sent Shiny a cartoon sketch of what I wanted and attached photographs of the attire and props, she quickly sent back the work-in-progress. The production was so smooth and easy! Shiny managed to paint my “favourite Superwhite Tees!” for me too! I personally like the Graphic Dolls more as it is timeless and neater. It is a personal preference. There is a always risk if the Still-Life Dolls don’t turn up to be as accurate as the real photos. Both dolls of mine are great!!! (Here is Shiny’s shop link: https://www.etsy.com/people/shinykins and this is Julia’s shop link: https://www.etsy.com/people/bakalnchik1)

It took about 2-3 weeks (plus a few days for overseas delivery) for the artists to produce the dolls. The gifts arrived just in time! I decided to surprise them this morning. They loved the gifts! Felicia was in tears when she saw the dolls! There are 5 nesting dolls, the first 3 characters are predictable – Me, Felicia and Elkan. What Elkan didn’t know was about the “Marriage Proposal Robot” and Felicia’s favourite bear! There are a lot of details in the dolls. I was holding a SX70 Polaroid camera, wearing my favourite Superwhite attire. Felicia was wearing her favourite crystal necklace and carrying a heart-shaped bread toast (which she made last year!) and she was in the beach attire that she wore in Bintan. Elkan was in the attire he wore at X-Box360 Dance Event 2 years ago and was accompanied by his addictive Minecraft character. The Robot was holding a bouquet of white lilies and a proposal ring and the Forever Friends Bear marked the date of our anniversary!

I am so happy to see the smiles on their faces. These are very meaningful and priceless gifts! What’s more, it is collapsible and doesn’t take up much space at home! We have plans to carry the dolls to all our future travel destinations as a photo marker!

Most importantly, the doll-house is no longer empty now! Home sweet home!

Filed under Cool Stuffs, Family

A Birthday Reunion Surprise

June 17, 2014 1 Comment

I never forget all the birthday surprises. Wendy did it in 2005, Juliana in 2007, Duuk in 2008, SuperRace Teams in 2010, Chester and Auntie Amy in 2012, Sister & family in 2013 and mum and Auntie Amy did it again in 2014! Really, no matter how many times I went through these surprises every birthday, I am always deeply touched by the effort and presence of my loved ones. It never fails to put a smile on my face.

This year, the surprise arrived in the most unexpected way. My wife collaborated and instigated with Tracy and Chowpo. Knowing my meeting schedules, they planted a surprise right outside my client’s office!

Chowpo and I just finished a meeting at IFC and I wanted to go to the loo. I had 2 more meetings at the office and I wanted to finish the day early so I can spend some time with my boy at home. Just when I was walking towards the toilet, in that spilt-second, I thought I saw Elkan ran around a corner. I didn’t see Felicia around and I was wondering why my boy was alone at IFC. Just when I was about to chase after my boy, I saw Auntie Amy standing right there in my path! It was one of those twisted moments when my mind was fighting furiously against my logic to register the sudden reality. Shocked, surprised and extremely delighted, it took me a couple of seconds to register what’s going on. My eyes roved back to Chowpo and I knew instantly she was one of the accomplices. Then, I saw Felicia and Elkan holding 2 travel trolleys. They tricked me that Cousin Chester was hiding outside the mall. I went out and got my second and biggest surprise! It was my dear mum who was hiding behind the column! Double surprises!

I never expect to see them here in Hong Kong! I am very grateful to Auntie Amy and my sister for getting my mum to Hong Kong. (Auntie Amy was here for the past 3 birthdays!) Thanks to their well-deployed plan, I never expect to see them right outside my client’s doorstep! Superb timing and acting!

This was the best weekend ever! The timing was perfect! I have just finished a 8-week work marathon and this was the first weekend when I did not need to work! On Saturday, I decided to bring the family to Macau to watch the House of Dancing Water, and visited a couple of new casinos. On Sunday, I arranged a small birthday-cum-father-day brunch at Soho and invited Cousin Mike along. Dinner was at a scenic Chinese restaurant at iSquare building with 2 other lovely Hong Kong relatives. Auntie Amy and mum were a lot more active this trip. They were bold to explore the streets around Central by themselves! Despite the hot stuffy weather, they shopped tirelessly and bought many things! Mum even played an Augmented Reality Robot Fighting Game with Elkan at the Transformers Exhibition! (Wow, my mum is so high-tech now!)

This was a very short trip for both of them. Mum has to fly back to take care of the grandchildren. I tried to extend their stay for one more week but mum was unable to. This afternoon, Chowpo specially drove all of us to the airport and arranged a sumptuous dim-sum farewell lunch for Auntie Amy and mum.

When it was time to say goodbye at the departure gate, mum’s eyes were teary as she hugged us goodbye. This was the first time I saw mum weeping at the airport. My heart was broken. Her tears infected all of us. I saw Auntie Amy walked away with teary eyes. It was indeed a very blissful and eventful weekend! I miss their presence so much and I wish they can stay a day or two longer. Guess Elkan and I inherited mum’s genes, we are sentimental. Putting on a brave front, I went to give her a big warm hug and pat her on her head. I told her to take care and come back soon, hopefully during the next school vacations in Sept and Nov.

Thank you Auntie Amy and mum for making my birthday weekend so special and memorable. Please come back soon and do stay a little longer. Big hugs and smiles!

Filed under Family, Jo's Thoughts, Life in Hong Kong

Felicia and sisters’ surprise Easter Gift for Mum – A Trip to Penang

April 21, 2014 5 Comments

BLOG BY FELICIA (21st April 2014)

My first family trip was when my father won some lottery money and brought the whole family including my grandparents to Hong Kong! That was my first trip on the plane and I was 15 then.

This Easter, my sisters and I decided surprise our mom! We decided to go Penang!

Keeping the secret was easy task for us. Breaking the news was a tough one. Coz mom didn’t believe us and kept saying we were just pulling her leg! It took us a while to convince her before she decide to pack her luggage. Eventually she became excited and so much she couldn’t sleep the night before!

DAY 1: GOOD FRIDAY

First stop, 8:30am, Sunflower Garden at Changi Airport. This is just one of the many mini gardens within the compound of Changi Airport. The huge sunflowers kick start a very happy trip for us!

By 12 noon, we arrived at our hotel in George Town (named after King George III of England), capital of Penang!

It was free and easy for the first day. We spent the afternoon roaming the streets and eating along the way too. We all agreed the Chendol along Penang Road was the best! Only RM$2.30! There was a long queue under the hot sun for it. Best Dessert of the day!

There were always a small crowd around the wall paintings with tourist like us snapping fun shots. Other than Ernest Zacharevic’s paintings, there were other artists from Japan and local ones too. There were also some metal sculptures by the state of Penang to promote tourism. Ernest Zacharevic’s wall paintings have become so famous in George Town, even the Trishaw men offered routes to tourist to visit all the sites. But do beware of their charges. Usual rates of RM$40 per hour. They usually exceed the time and charge for more. So you got to watch your own timing! Or you could rent a bicycle at RM$10-20 for the whole day!

Dinner was great at the local food street along Chulia Street. Although the weather was still hot and humid in the evening, the fresh fruit juices were great so were the Fried Kuey Teow, Satay, Wanton noodle, Assam Laksa, Lok Lok and Fried Carrot Cake in a cone-shaped take away banana leaf!

DAY 2: SATURDAY

Our friendly local guide pick us up in the morning in a mini coach and brought us to the Penang Hill. One of the oldest colonial hill station established by the British during their time in Malaysia. A 8min tram ride up took us up the 823m hill. There’s lots of nature like botanical gardens and nature walk trails. An Owl Museum great for kids. Guided hikes were available too. We took a short 30min buggy ride touring around the hill top. The air was cooling and refreshing at about 21-3º.

Just a short drive from Penang Hill, our next stop is at Kek Lok Si Temple. Situated at the slope of a hill, a seven storey pagoda of the temple or the Pagoda of 10,000 Buddhas, was built in 1930. Some 70 years later, another 30.2m bronze statue of the Kuan Yin was completed and opened to the public. It was located on the hillside above the pagoda. The huge interior structure of the pagoda has beautiful ceiling paintings and sculptures. However the Kuan Yin bronze statue didn’t offer a good view as there were too many pillars around it.

We wrote some wishes and hang them on the wishing branches in the Pagoda. You can pick from the many wishes that were printed on colorful ribbons. Some interesting ones like: “Listen to the words of my father/mother”, “World Peace”, “Beautiful and Good Looking”!

Time for food again! Penang is known for it’s rich Peranakan heritage, Nyonya Baba food is not to be missed! Our guide drove us to Nagore Square where this area is dedicated to arts & cultural, F&B and entertainment. Lots of shophouse eateries along the streets. The Nyonya food didn’t disappoint us. Even Elkan loves it! He had 2 servings of rice!

The next attraction was a 200-year old Kuan Yin Temple. A very small temple. While mom and aunt do their prayers in the temple, I found caged birds which were sold at RM$4 each for you to release them so that they regain their freedom. Poor birds. They are kidnapped, and released if ransom is paid! Whoever paid for their freedom is their savior. This equation does not work out for me.

We get to see treasures belonging to others in the museums. But in this particular one, The Pinang Peranakan Museum, we found a treasure of ours! This museum is a mansion built in the end of the 19th century. It has over a 1000 pieces of antiques and collectables. My mom and aunt love the museum’s very rare displays. The biggest excitement was when my youngest sister, Chups, spotted a signage that says: “利昌金铺“. This signage belongs to our grandfather in the hay days when he owned a goldsmith shop. It brought back fond memories of days when we were young and running around at my grandfather’s shop house along Beach Road in Singapore. Best find of the day!

After the museum, we went to Batu Feringgi. Famous for its long stretch of beach. However, it was too hot to stroll along the beach, so we headed to the Straits Quay Marina. It’s a shopping mall by the sea and a Marina Club as well with a capacity of 40 pontoon berths. You can take a water taxi for an island tour.

By evening, our guide drove us to Gurney drive, well know for Penang’s local street food. We were dining under an umbrella to shield us from the evening’s drizzle. The variety of food is good but the queues are crazy…. And the food is a little over rated. Not the best choice so far.

Elkan was eager to move on to our next destination in the evening. The firefly boat trip. It was an hour’s drive to the mainland of Penang. We took the old Penang Bridge built in 1985 (13.5km) and traveled south along the North South Expressway. The boat trip was pleasant under the moonlight. We were well prepared with creams and sprays from mozzies! Our boat cruised along the dark riverbank with mangrove trees which were the natural habitat of fireflies. Elkan was excited to spot them and pointed out to us in a few directions. The boatman bumped gently into one of the bushes which scare the hell out of Elkan when the fireflies started to fly towards us. The boatman then handed me a net and signalled me to catch some of the fireflies. Elkan was relieved when he saw how tiny the flies were. Not some mega big bugs!

The boat trip ends our long and tiring day. We traveled back by the second Penang Bridge (24km) which was opened just about a month ago!

DAY 3: SUNDAY

We had a slow and easy morning. Elkan got to go for a fun dip at the pool while the ladies took their time the breakfast. We headed to our last attraction for this trip which was the Cheong Fatt Tze Mansion or more commonly known as the “Blue Mansion”. The former home of tycoon Cheong Fatt Tze. It was rated one of the ten greatest mansions in the world by Lonely Planet in 2012. This house has a Feng Shui inspired architecture. Every corner and detail was carefully thought of.

After the mansion, the ladies preferred to stay indoors to enjoy the aircon. While Elkan wanted to try hop on to one of the colourful trishaws. So the ladies went to the nearby shopping mall while I took Elkan on our little adventure.

We went to search for the wall paintings which we missed on the first day. The trishaw man also took us to some interesting spots like the Camera Museum, Cat Cafe, Made In Penang Interactive Museum and the Clan Jetties. We stopped by the last stop, the Clan Jetties where we walked through houses on stilts to have a view of the jetty. Along the way every household sells some sort of souvenir or local food right in front of their door steps. My best find was the durian ice cream! Elkan hates the smell most. Haha… love the look on his face!

Too bad we didn’t have enough time to explore all of it. We had to head to the airport. This trip we had the best dessert, best found treasure and best of all, our family traveled together! Looking forward to the next one. Be prepared, mom 😛

Filed under Family, Life in Singapore, Travel

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