I last left off with us hosting our five visitors from MN in Hong Kong, but then it was time to get some sun on those pale faces (but not really with all of our sunblock on) and warm them up before they'd return home for the rest of winter. We took a short and cheap flight down to Malaysia's Kota Kinabalu, which is on the island of Borneo. Alana wasn't in the mood to fly Malaysia Airlines because of the crashes..... so we took Air Asia instead (six of one, half a dozen of the other as it turns out). But we made it.
We had rented a large apartment that could sleep all nine of us that looked great online and had an infinity pool that looked out over the ocean. Cue sad music here as we arrived and discovered the pool was drained for re-grouting, and while you could see the ocean, there were just industrial docks and a drive down to the waterfront, nothing walkable or beachy nearby. Our vision of sipping mai tai's by the pool while the kids amused themselves quickly evaporated. I made my most "I'm not happy and we're going to write you a bad review face" (Paul knows this face) to the guy who didn't tell us the pool was closed for repair before we rented from him, and the kids did their part of being sad and whining about wanting to go swimming. Paul got him to agree to somehow find us a pool that we could go to the next day. From there we settled in and the day at least ended nicely with a visit to the local outdoor food market for a fabulous dinner. From under the canopies we had this nice view of the sunset and boats.
The market was full of people and food and cooking sounds and BBQ smoke, lots of delicious looking things to pick from. We've been to this style of eatery before in other southeast Asian countries, but it's not for everyone. Luckily our travel companions thought it was as awesome as we did. (Note: many photos in this post are courtesy of Miss Tanya).
These chicken wings were soooo yummy. We all smelled like BBQ chicken wing smoke by the end of dinner, but it was so worth it.
While it can be a bit chaotic, it's great to not to have to worry that the kids are being too noisy, or spilling food on the floor. We were the only non-locals in sight (Paul loves it when that is the case).
The next morning the kids did their usual joint Minecraft playing before we went out in search of a pool.
The apartment owner did come through in the end and got us day pass access to a resort/country club that had a few nice pools with water slides and a nice veranda for some eats and drinks.
After swimming and hanging out all day, we were drawn like moths to a flame back to the same food market for dinner.
If it ain't broke, don't fix it! Another round of coconuts and chicken wings!
And for dessert it was everyone's favorite "ABC Special". It stands for Air Batu Campur, which means mixed ice. The picture really doesn't do it justice, nor does the description (shaved ice with a variety of fruity bits, coconut milk, sweetened condensed milk, crunchy bits, jellies, syrup), but it's really delicious.
Our next day was beach day. We made our way to the pier and hired a local boat guy and rented some snorkel gear and boated out to a nearby island.
The kids had fun with the snorkel stuff at least long enough for me to get this great picture, but really G was the only one that stuck with it. She found some good fish viewing spots and was my snorkel tour guide later in the afternoon.
Must build sand castles. This is Tony's area of expertise. (That's snorkeling G in the background).
Must bury someone in the sand.
The island also had some wildlife like this big monitor lizard (I think that's what it was?) that was about five feet long...
...and this wild pig with a really long snout and hairy face that came to root around the garbage bins.
I love these windblown snapshots from our return boat ride. A storm was starting to brew and we had some big waves that we were roller coastering over.
That day was Dec 24, so after beach time, it was Christmas Eve! It was pouring rain and we were uncertain about getting a cab and finding a restaurant we'd all like that could fit a group of nine, so we ended up at the small restaurant within the apartment building that was a mix of Japanese/Asian/American choices. A little udon soup here, some pancakes with maple syrup there, you know, traditional Christmas Eve fare.
Swapping out photo takers... now with Tanya. And now you can see who takes better photos (though mine was just with my phone in this case).
It was relaxed, the food was good, and despite being in a predominantly muslim country, they still had a decorated Christmas tree for the kids to pose in front of.
Santa is a great guy and still knew where to find the kids for some small, luggage-fitting gifts while also sending them emails to let them know they had a couple more presents at home. The white paper stuck to the window is a drawing of a Christmas tree.
After Christmas morning presents and breakfast, this is when it would have been really nice to have that pool in working order. We could have relaxed while waiting to leave for the airport and soaked up some more sun. Instead we packed up, checked out and then hung out with our suitcases at the local mall for some time. It was packed and full of loud music and a big food court and lousy bathrooms, kind of a weird Christmas experience, but definitely memorable. At the airport the kids set up Uno shop behind a row of seats, but the game quickly devolved. Moods were recovered with popsicles. Well, not totally because then Esme had a giant tantrum upon boarding the plane.
We returned to HK and our guests unpacked and repacked to depart the next day. I was packing too as Tanya and I were peeling off for a very quick side trip to Beijing. The kids were sad to say good bye to each other, but in just a few short months, we'll all be neighbors again. Thanks to Tanya, Alana, Tony, and the kids for visiting us in HK and making the holiday so fun!
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