SU ANN'S 1ST TRIP OVERSEAS (27 TO 30 MARCH 2008)

Mommy had been eyeing a property in Kuala Lumpur for some time now, but couldn't leave Singapore to view the property because of work. At her first opportunity to leave Singapore, she made an appointment with the real estate agent. Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy decided to come along for the road trip, which was also Su Ann's first trip out of Singapore.


27 MARCH 2008 (THURSDAY)

3.00 pm: The 7 of us (Grandpa Eddy, Grandma Nancy, Daddy, Mommy, Ipa, Su Ann and I) piled into our trusty Honda Odyssey MPV with all our luggage. We were an hour behind schedule, so Mommy was worried that she'd not have sufficient expressed breastmilk for Su Ann to last the drive to Kuala Lumpur. We moved off in a hurry.

3.05 pm: We were back at home because Ipa forgot to pack Su Ann's thermal flask. Not a good start to the trip at all!

3.10 pm: We were ready to move off again.

3.40 pm: Got to Tuas Second Link in a jiffy, and were surprised to find the place desserted. There had been plenty of news reports about how bad the traffic situation was at the causeway because the police were searching each vehicle thoroughly in an attempt to nab escaped terrorist, Mas Selamat Kastari. We were waved through by the police after looking at our passports. I guess the police didn't think Mas Selamat Kastari would use the Tuas Second Link, and prefer to wait in line at the Woodlands Checkpoint...

4.00 pm: We had our passports stamped by the Malaysian customs, then sped off towards Kuala Lumpur, which was 330 km away.

5.00 pm: Daddy wanted coffee, so we stopped at Machap R&R for him to get some. Grandma Nancy bought chicken drumsticks and other snacks for the rest of us. At Machap R&R, Mommy took over the wheel so Daddy could drink his coffee and catch a few winks.

6.00 pm: We passed Melaka. A short while later, we stopped at a random rest-stop so I could use the toilet. It was the squat kind and I had to be coaxed into using it.

8.00 pm: We arrived at the Royale Bintang Hotel in Kuala Lumpur. The hotel was at one end of Jalan Bukit Bintang (Kuala Lumpur's main shopping belt), and was close to the property which Mommy was interested in. Mommy had read good reviews on the hotel at http://www.asiarooms.com/ and http://www.tripadvisor.com/, and managed to get a really good price through http://www.wotif.com/, which offered last minute deals for hotels. Mommy paid S$85.00 per room, inclusive of buffet breakfast and free parking. Grandpa Eddy and Grandma Nancy were given Room 819. Daddy, Mommy and Su Ann were given Room 701. Ipa and I shared Room 702, which had a connecting door to Mommy's room. The quality of the hotel was excellent, especially for the price we paid. Daddy and Mommy usually stay at The Coronade Hotel when in Kuala Lumpur, but that hotel is actually more pricey, the rooms more dated and the breakfast less satisfactory.

9.00 pm: We walked to Jalan Alor for dinner. Jalan Alor is Kuala Lumpur's famed food street, and Daddy is a big fan of the oyster omelette there. The omelette is wafer thin, crispy and garlicky. Aside from the omelette, Daddy ordered char kway teow, wanton mee, Ampang yong tau foo, deep-fried mushrooms and tofu, vegetables, fried hokkien mee and curry noodles. We ate by the road like everyone else.


10.30 pm: We returned to the hotel, but it wasn't till midnight that I fell asleep.


28 MARCH 2008 (FRIDAY)

9.00 am: Rise and shine, followed by breakfast at the hotel. The spread reminded me of our trip to Phuket because it was very similar.


10.30 am: We left the hotel for Suria Shopping Centre @ KLCC. During their last trip, Daddy and Mommy discovered a sizeable playground and wading pool at KLCC Park, which was next to Suria, and they wanted to take me there. We got a little lost, and kept driving round in circles. I had to make everyone nervous by repeatedly saying: "I want to poo poo. I want to poo poo."

11.30 am: We finally got to Suria, and headed straight for the toilet. There was a sign outside the toilet which said: "Premier Toilet. Rm2 per person." Once inside the cubicle, I pretended to squeeze then said: "Nothing comes out." Grandma Nancy grumbled about me wasting her money. She quickly caught onto my "I want to shu shu." and "I want to poo poo" tricks. Ipa knows I'm just interested in playing with water at the sink. For the rest of the trip, Grandma Nancy would ignore me when I tell her that I need the toilet!


11.45 am: We got to the playground to find the place devoid of kids; just populated by security officers with whistles. Ipa took me to the swing. She sat on one of the swings, and a whistle went off. "Beep beep beep!" The security officer made Ipa get off. We went over to the see-saw instead. I sat on one side, and Daddy sat on the other side. Once again, the whistle went off. "Beep beep beep!" Daddy tried to explain to the security officer that I couldn't possibly play alone on a see-saw, but the tudung-clad security officer continued to blow her whistle at him. Daddy suggested that I went into the wading pool with Grandpa Eddy instead. Immediately after we took our shoes off and stepped into the pool, the whistle went off again. "Beep beep beep!" Incredible! A security officer then motioned to Grandpa Eddy to leave the pool. The security officer pointed to the large patches of algae in the pool and said: "Got problem. Closed." Urgh! Just my luck!


12.15 pm: We went shopping in Suria instead. Mommy took me to a toy store. I wanted a scooter, but Mommy said we didn't have room in the car for it.

12.45 pm: We decided to take away food from the Food Court because my parents were due to meet the real estate agent soon. Mommy bought laksa from Laksa Shack, a popular laksa chain in Kuala Lumpur. Grandma Nancy bought fish n chips for the both of us. It was very crowded at the food court.

1.45 pm: We reached our hotel, and Mommy got a call from the real estate agent that she was waiting in a car opposite the hotel. Grandpa Eddy, Daddy and Mommy left to meet the agent.

2.20 pm: Grandpa Eddy, Daddy and Mommy were back at the hotel. Daddy was indignant. Once they stepped into the agent's car, they were informed that the property had been sold the night before. The agent drove them to a different building which was being used as an Arabian cafe. She told them they could take a look inside by pretending to be tourists interested in eating at the cafe. Mommy didn't understand why they had to be so secretive about the whole deal, so she asked the agent to take them back to the hotel.

3.00 pm: Mommy had another appointment lined up to see a different property, but Daddy cancelled that appointment because he felt the building was too small. After Su Ann and I took a shower (first time Su Ann took a shower standing up), the family went to Times Square instead. Cosmo's World Theme Park was in Times Square, and Daddy wanted to take me on the rides. The mall was huge, and it took us ages to walk to the theme park. When we eventually got there, Daddy was informed that, for my height and age, there were only 3 rides which were suitable for me. Out of those 3 rides, only 1 was open on that day. Urgh! Just my luck again!


4.30 pm: I decided that Times Square wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention. I fell asleep in my baby sister's pram, whilst Grandma Nancy, Mommy and Ipa went hunting for good bargains. There was a hair accessories shop selling everything at 50% off. They bought hair accessories at next to nothing prices.

5.00 pm: Daddy had been disappointed by the quality of coffee in Malaysia thus far, and he was happy to see an Old Town White Coffee joint in Times Square. He likes their coffee. Everyone sat down for a drink, whilst I snoozed.

6.30 pm: We got back to our hotel. There was a 50% off cakes sign, so we went to the cafe for a look at the selection of cakes. Daddy bought 2 chocolate eclairs, 1 cheesecake, 1 opera cake and 1 apple tart for a grand total of S$3.00!

7.30 pm: The hotel was also having a Seafood BBQ Buffet promotion. It cost RM42 per person, and for every 4 persons eating, 1 person dined free. Daddy was very happy with the find because the oysters and prawns were very fresh, and on average, we paid only about S$15 per person for the buffet spread. For the first time in my life, I fed myself an entire meal. I buttered my roll myself, ate 2 small cobs of corn in cream sauce, twirled my spaghetti myself and finished up my brocolli. Everyone was so proud of me.

9.00 pm: Mommy had been to Kuala Lumpur several times, but never to the night market at Petaling Street. We drove there after dinner. What should have been a 5-min drive took us almost an hour because the traffic was so bad. To get to the market from our hotel, we had to travel along Jalan Pudu. Hentien Puduraya Bus Station is along that road, so buses line the leftmost lane of Jalan Pudu, causing a jam there every day.

10.00 pm: We finally got to the night market at Petaling Street. This was supposed to be the heart of Kuala Lumpur's Chinatown, but strangely enough, almost all the vendors in the night market were Indians! The market was extremely touristy, with most stalls selling t-shirts, keychains, lighters and pirated DVDs. Once we entered the market, the vendors were pretty much in our face, making us feel uncomfortable. A vendor rode his motorbike right into thr market, and he knocked into Grandma Nancy's arm. Instead of apologising to Grandma Nancy, he scolded her. Incredible! We hugged our belongings tightly and were out of there in 10 mins.

11.00 pm: We were back at the hotel, and I went to bed.


29 MARCH 2008 (SATURDAY)

9.00 am: Woke up, followed by breakfast at the hotel.

11.00 am: We followed the directions on Daddy's GPS screen to Genting Highlands. Enroute, we saw a snack vendor with packets of snacks piled up high on his motorbike. So Asia!


12.30 pm: The weather was pleasantly cool up in Genting. There was an Old Town White Coffee joint, and Daddy suggested that we have our lunch there al fresco to enjoy the cool weather. Mommy recalled that Genting was a lot colder when she was there as a child almost 30 years ago. Genting was a lot less developed back then.

1.45 pm: After filling our tummies, we walked to the indoor theme park. Daddy bought SnowWorld tickets for the both of us. SnowWorld is an artificial snow play area. It was -5 degrees celcius in there, and we were not properly attired. SnowWorld loaned us jackets, gloves and boots.

2.30 pm: Mommy watched Daddy and I play in SnowWorld through the big glass windows, whilst Grandpa Eddy, Grandma Nancy, Ipa and Su Ann went shopping. The artificial snow was bitingly cold. Daddy gave up on teaching me to mould and throw snowballs. We kicked snow at each other instead. Daddy kicked so hard that his boot flew off! We went down the slide together and walked around the artificial winter wonderland.


3.15 pm: We were out of SnowWorld. My nose was frozen red and my hands were both icy cold. Daddy reckoned he had caught a cold. Oh dear! That didn't dampen our enthusiasm for more fun. Daddy bought tickets for the both of us on the mini roller coaster. However, I was refused entry because I was too small. Just my luck again! We went on the ferris wheel instead.


4.30 pm: We were back at Old Town White Coffee for a warm cuppa kopi. Grandma Nancy suggested that we splurged on a good dinner, being our last night in Kuala Lumpur. Daddy agreed.

5.00 pm: It was time to head back to the city. The ride downhill was a lot more unpleasant than the ride up. The road was twisty and winding, and Daddy went too fast for Mommy's liking. Grandpa Eddy and Mommy felt sick, and without warning, Ipa threw up in the car! Daddy screeched to a halt near the base for Ipa to clean herself up.

6.00 pm: Just as we were moving off again, we saw a fleet of Lamborghinis bearing Singapore-registered plates tearing up the hill at great speed. The drivers were escorted by 2 police vehicles with flashing lights. With money, you can buy almost anything, including the right to break the speed limit and endanger other road users.

7.00 pm: We were back at the hotel. Ipa was still giddy and green. Grandma Nancy said we should postpone our "best meal" to a later time, so Ipa had sufficient time to recover.

8.30 pm: Ipa said she was feeling better. Daddy had found out from the hotel receptionist that there was a bunch of Chinese restaurants along Jalan Imbi with good food, and suggested that we head there for dinner. Jalan Imbi was not far from our hotel.

8.45 pm: We had barely moved an inch from the hotel before Ipa said she needed to get out of the car urgently. We stopped along Jalan Imbi for Ipa to get sick by the road.

9.00 pm: Ipa was well enough to get back into the car. Daddy was frustrated because there were no carpark lots around, so we couldn't park anywhere near the restaurants. It was way past my usual dinner time, and I was starting to fuss because of hunger and exhaustion from the day's activities. Traffic in the Bukit Bintang area on a Saturday night was terrible, so Daddy turned into a random building to park the car. The random building turned out to be Pavillion, Kuala Lumpur's newest, upmarket shopping mall.

9.30 pm: We were at the food court of Pavillion. The stalls were closing, so we quickly ordered what was available. This was clearly not Grandma Nancy's idea of a "best meal". She hacked away angrily at her roast chicken. I've never seen her so furious with her food before... Daddy who didn't want to eat at the food court in the first place enjoyed his pasta tremendously. He said it was the best pasta he'd ever eaten, and went forth to compliment the chef.

10.00 pm: We were one of the last customers out of the mall. Security officers were locking up and ushering people out.

11.00 pm: The jam along Jalan Bukit Bintang was horrendous. Motor vehicles were illegally parked along the whole stretch, leaving only one lane passable to traffic. The traffic police was nowhere in sight to ease the situation. It took us an hour to complete our 5-min journey. Once back at the hotel, Ipa marched me promptly to bed.


30 MARCH 2008 (SUNDAY)

9.00 am: Rise and shine, followed by breakfast at the hotel. The spread was decent, but we were all getting tired of the same food every day.

12.00 pm: After Su Ann took her bath in the sink, we checked out of the hotel and began our drive towards Singapore.


1.45 pm: We were in Melaka, after getting off the highway and taking the back roads. The ride was more interesting this way. We got to see buffalos, chicken, kampungs with attap and wooden houses, and a sizeable Chinese cemetery. We had lunch at Restoran Farmosa Chicken Rice Ball, one of the few restaurants in the Jonker area which was semi-airconditioned and appeared clean. The quality of the food though left much to be desired.


2.30 pm: It was Grandpa Eddy's and Grandma Nancy's first trip to Melaka, so we took a stroll through Melaka after lunch for some sightseeing. Melaka has some really beautiful, old shophouses and Mommy had a good time checking out the architecture. Grandma Nancy and Daddy bought some clothing, but Grandpa Eddy came home empty-handed. Grandpa Eddy loves antique furniture, and Melaka has many antique stores, but they were all asking for ridiculously high prices.

4.00 pm: We continued our journey towards Singapore.

5.00 pm: Mommy took over the wheel from Daddy as Daddy was feeling drowsy. Not long afterwards, the sky grew dark and rain started pelting down. Visibility became very poor, and Mommy had to strain really hard to make out the vehicle ahead. Everyone was travelling very slowly.


6.00 pm: Su Ann needed her diaper changed, so we stopped at Machap R&R. Strangely enough, we always end up stopping here.

7.30 pm: We finally made it to the border. There was a bad jam at the Tuas Checkpoint. Did the police think Mas Selamat Kastari would be in a vehicle entering Singapore at the Tuas Checkpoint?

9.00 pm: Home sweet home. Ah Gong and Ah Ma rushed out to welcome us as soon as they heard our car pulling into the garage. How I miss the both of them! On reaching home, Ah Ma told us about the Bong Family who perished in an accident along the North-South Highway, survived only by an infant who escaped unscathed. The Bong Family were on their way to Kuala Lumpur and Genting on holiday just like us. They left several hours before us on 29 March, and were due back in Singapore on 30 March, just like us but they met with the fatal accident near Muar on their way up. What a tragedy. I'm glad my parents took their time on the highway and made rest-stops where necessary.

I enjoyed my trip tremendously, but I'm not sure Su Ann will remember any of it. Hopefully, my blog will help her jog her memory in time to come.