Road Trip With Young Children

One of my dearest childhood friend came to visit us from Vancouver last month and one of the many thought-provoking questions she had asked, was this:

"What is it like going on a road trip with your children?"

The answer, my dear Ellie, is this - plan, prepare and pray. 

Proviso: There is no cut and dried rule as far as young persons are concerned. In fact, they add all the variable factors and differentiating circumstances we can think of. This is just a simple account of what works for my family.

1. Plan

We are the best of planners, Allah swt Decides. So, plan we do. 

We look up common free dates, hotel deals, flight schedules, road maps, places of interest for 2 and 5 year-old young persons. 

Rest points, safe playgrounds, clean toilets along PLUS or any highways overseas are noted.

We book and pay for the necessary hotel rooms/park entrance tickets, service the vehicle we are using, fuel up and load up our prepaid toll cards.

If taking flights, we book and pay for the tickets, download and keep the e-tickets into the same information folder (which in itself deserves a separate post). Same goes for train tickets. 

Visa is something we always double-check. Some countries do require at least an e-visa which can be completed online.

The checklist is quite long, as we usually also plan our laundry, dishwasher load and fridge contents to be a neat as possible. Then I do a minor spring clean BEFORE we leave so that we can come home to a clean, inviting home. 

Oh, emptying the trash is a big item on the plan, as are turning off most power sockets and unplugging electrical and electronic devices.

We even reload the supply of fresh diapers for Bean so that we will not have to face diapers shortage crisis upon return.

(Of course, we use a neatly typed-out checklist like most parents).

2. Prepare

We pack, prepare for the journey and just go ahead with the plan without stressing over the exact minutes and seconds. 

A holiday is a holiday. It starts from the minute we wake up for the day, not upon arrival at holiday destination. All of the journey is part of the holiday so we try to enjoy it as much as possible.

The obvious preparation for young travellers like ours include handy towels, wet wipes, spare change of clothes and shoes for everyone, "never-ending" supply of snacks and drinks, CD and book combo for sing-along, a fairy tale or two to read and watch. An iPad can do all that but we are parents who try to minimise their screen-time.

Never underestimate the usefulness of a waste-bag to contain all the trash young persons are capable of producing within 350km, or more. 

3. Pray

Nothing beats prayers, in our lives that is. Journey mercies, safety, deliverance from hardship and mishaps. The whole long-winded prayers and Amin for me, said in the heart/thought out in the brain. 

The Little Girl had vocally "led" some of those prayers and they were concise too. "Bismillah, we go to Penang happily. Amin!" Love those moments.

Our reality:

Over the years, we gained more experience and road trips have become less tedious. Less overwhelming. Less daunting. More joy. More simplicity. Travel lighter. 

We have since added Bean to the equation but the golden rules have not changed much. In fact, we have found more efficient and effective ways of traveling, cutting down on anxiety and add more beautiful memories into our lives as a young and growing family.

We are not perfect, but we are happy. Syukur alhamdulillah. 

Here's to more future road trips (I promise it gets easier as the little ones grow up!). I sincerely hope this answers your question, Ellie!

P/S: Long haul flights are different  experiences depending on the airline and route we choose. So far, we have only practised with MAS to Sydney, Australia and Emirates to Newcastle Upon Tyne, United Kingdom on multiple times with equally good outcome. 

The worst had to be British Airways UK local flights because The Little Girl had a meltdown during the 5pm flight; she was simply overwhelmed and tired. It is the time of the day I would avoid travelling if all plans were up to me.

We could have had a better experience with British Airways and MAS in the London return sector. That was probably a one-off incident.

InshaAllah, Vancouver, Canada is in our medium term plans. If it is His Will, it will happen according to His Time! We look forward to it, nonetheless. 

The Leak: Part 1 of 2

Allah swt is really testing my patience of late. The subject is constant, and my "answers" and/or reaction have hopefully improved over the years. Sabr is part of iman and since He keeps testing me, He must really want me to pass!

Two of our air-conditioning units are leaking and since they are out of commission, the comfort level at The Flat has been ...

... severely lacking.

I guess I failed the test right there when I mentioned my discomfort.

The dripping has not stopped for a few nights now, sometimes waking Bean up at wee hours of the night. On a positive note, it sounds quite comforting, like pitter patter after the rain. Can you guess how desperate I am at trying to look for the beauty in this ordeal?

Our timber skirting has warped from water damage. The wallpaper is taking a beating too. I self-soothe by telling myself that this is just a small property damage that can be fixed. Be thankful we still have a home.

The timber flooring strips look wet from beneath despite being mopped up. My fear is rot. If indeed it rots, we will have to get replacement strips. Put in the effort, this is a trial of sabr.

The bucket has to be emptied so often so as not to pose a drowning risk to curious Bean. Be watchful over Bean, he is His Amanah.

On top of that, we are not able to open our windows to let in fresh, cool, clean air because there is none to be found in the city. When we did, briefly, we let in dust, noise and humidity. Much regret but be patient. Clean, clean and clean. 

The serviceman is coming tomorrow and hopefully he can fix this fix we are in, pun intended.

We know he cannot fix the underground pipes without hacking half of The Flat. We know one of the air-conditioning units  have to be rerouted, at best.

So often, I feel so frustrated at the architect and interior designer who had conceived The Flat. Did they not foresee these intricacies? Was it purely a commercial decision?

Until then, I am reconsidering a simple, traditional Malay kampung home at Janda Baik. Freehold. No encumbrances.  Small plot of garden. Time it takes for daily school run...reality check!

Hope the leaks will be fixed for good, in sha Allah. 

Note to self: Be thankful for the lessons derived.

Starstruck

Today, I finally gathered my guts and introduced myself to one of the most admired (former) Judges of High Court of Malaya after pondering it over last night (yes to Salam, no to selfie strategy / please laugh at me for being slightly naive and over-thinking things). 

We were in a continued legal professional course along with a group of other practitioners from diverse Corporate Malaysia. Fun people, with creative ideas (myself included, teehee).

Oh, I am so glad I did because what followed was a friendly banter on whistle-blowing, corporate governance, growth of faith in Allah swt, life in general and etc. so many wise words from a person whose life is being well-devoted to Him. Ever so humble, in spite of being ever so experienced and globally respected for his stance on transparency, judiciary independence and good governance.

 

"Right is right even when you are the only one doing it."

Alhamdulillah for such this blessed encounter with an "old school" person with strong principles and values. Rare gem. May Allah swt bless (ex) Yang Arif forevermore.

Why 2 Rooms, Ma'am?

Quite a few people have asked me why a family the size of mine needs 2 rooms during holidays.

The sales team at Shangri-la Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa explained that we could easily fit in an extra bed for The Little Girl, and a cot for Bean.

I politely declined.

Then persistently requested for connecting rooms. It was good they did because we were very satisfied with this configuration.

This made putting The Little Girl to bed first a whole lot easier. She had her space for her quiet activities, reading or watching the telly without Bean disturbing or distracting her. 

The most obvious convenience is of course, having the additional bathroom during inconvenient times of both kids needing the throne at the same time. 

Synchronised clean up time would have been a nightmare in only one bathroom. For my family, that is.

Win-win situation. The hotel gets an additional room sale, my family is comfortable.

There is a back-story to the difference between 2 rooms and 2 connected rooms. 

We had once made an expensive boo boo at Avillion Port Dickson because the resort did not have connecting rooms at its garden wing and what was worse was that they failed to inform us beforehand. 

It was obviously too late to change hotels upon check-in. We were then made to pay extra for the usual water chalet we had stayed at on countless times prior to that visit. We had booked for 2 rooms with a special request for those rooms to be connecting rooms. They insisted 2 rooms and 2 connected rooms is NOT the same thing.

So I agreed with them. Technically and grammatically, they are right. I did not want to start a vacation with an argument with my host. 

What I do, is to try not to make the same mistake again.

For our next holiday this coming August, we have  paid for a 2-room family suite that comes with a spacious bathroom at Cameron Highlands Resort by YTL. I hope and pray by spacious they mean the four of us can perform bathroom gymnastics - one of us can fit into the bath tub, another one can use the shower cubicle, with another one brushing teeth at the sink with the last one still standing ready with a towel and not bruised from the many pairs of elbows around.

Wish me luck!

P/S: If you have any reliable direct contacts with organic farmers in Cameron Highlands (other than COP) please share them with me. Thank you in advance!

Our Holiday Programme

We did "nothing" as usual this holiday.

By nothing, we mean:

1. Woke up to this view of traveller's palm. We did not want noise from the poolside, or the possible danger of falling from a balcony. We couldn't hear any noise from the roads just outside either except the one time a bridal entourage honked the entire resort down when they were coming to collect the bride.

2. Daily breakfast at Spice Market. The kids were fascinated by the Vacant/Occupied sign for the table. I was obsessed with the fresh fruit buffet spread, pain au chocolat and hot latte. During the peak period, the buffet hours were extended from 6.30 to 11am. Bliss! We did not experience any long wait or shortage of food, and that scores thumbs up from us.

3. Walked in this rain tree garden. Nothing but fresh air, chirping birds and endless chatter from my lot.

4. Lazed in the room (showered, read with and to the kids, rested, played with Bean, watched telly). We do not subscribe to Astro at home so kids were happy to indulge in some Disney programmes. The Little Girl especially enjoyed Ratatouille. I even managed to keep abreast with latest episodes of Sensory Couple and Queen's Flowers. Wifi was reliable until 30 April when the KL exodus arrived.

5. Lunch. We tried Heritage Hotel at Armenian Street for my Penang Asam Laksa one noon and it was surprisingly, authentically good! Straits Quay was far from exciting so we had a little impromptu picnic out on a bench by the marina. The best food was at Royal Thai seafood but sadly, flies were everywhere once food was served (reminded me of our Pullman Putrajaya and Avillion Port Dickson trips). The kids were beyond fascinated by the display of life seafood. They even had fun walking on the beach by the restaurant. We had thought of paying a visit to Penang Butterfly Farm but the thought of jostling with the crowd and wrestling with my two kids put us off completely. Maybe next year, in sha Allah.

6. Lazed in the room post-lunch. The Little Girl usually worked on her Kumon math, practised styling her own hair with the many hair clips and hair bands we had packed along, and read more story books. She even practised writing some of her spelling words in English and Malay. All this while Bean napped in my arms. I wished I could have gone to spa but Bean will only nap in my arms and be a toddler once...

7. Tea. Scones, savoury and sweet delights every single afternoon. Complimentary with our two rooms, so we were qualified for two sets but after the binge last year, we restrained ourselves and politely limited ourselves to just one tray.

8. Swim. Highlight of the day for the kids.  It never once occurred to them to leave the pool.

9. Sand play. Second highlight of the day for the kids. Our convention is to bury some treasures to dig up the following day but mysteriously the treasure disappeared daily! My guess is the overzealous maintenance crew must have raked the sand pit thoroughly every single day. Which makes this the safest sand pit we have ever come across.

10. Clean Up and Quiet Time. Clean up, yes. Quiet? No way! The kids were so energised and happy, alhamdulillah!

11. Dinner. We love the dinner buffet spread at Spice Market but with The Little Girl and Bean around, we hardly caused a dent, which led us to order from the resort's superb room service. 20 minutes meant 20 minutes. The only time we managed to eat something from the buffet spread was the time my PIL agreed to hold and/or walk Bean. Even they preferred room service after that tiresome dinner. My fondest memory of that dinner out of the room was Bean having learnt  the word "dark" from me as I described to him the gorgeous orange and purplish sunset, and night that followed. He repeated and applied it after that, especially to Grandad who could not be more impressed by the accuracy of his youngest grandson pointing out at the dark garden and exclaiming "dark" for all the world to hear.

12. Read and Quiet Time after washing up. Our evening routine started quite early for a good night rest. Except the one night I had an insatiable craving for Penang Char Koay Teow and 20 minutes later, a cart with my calorie-laden supper arrived. I slept like a baby after the out-of-character chow-down, 1000 calories happier.

13. Sleep. The Little Girl was good and slept by 9 pm on most nights but Bean was once up till 1 am just because he was so happy, energetic and curious of his new surroundings. He slept at 11 pm on average.

6D/5N of utter bliss, alhamdulillah!

Lock&Lock

Pins and brooches.

Snap close et voilà. 

I would then slip my Lock&Lock "Tupperware" into my luggage/over-nighter. I have travelled with this as checked-in luggage without any troubles, and in sha Allah will not have troubles in future too.

In order to prevent creasing up of light chiffon scarves (too fragile to iron) and instant slip-on scarves with "awnings", I place them rolled into rectangular shaped Lock&Lock too. Very useful as they arrive creaseless and ready to wear.

When I am in the mood and have time to spare, a little sachet of potpourri is included into the "Tupperware" to keep those scarves smelling fresh. 

An original idea first handed-down to me by my dear MIL. I guess we are both OCD in our own ways. 

(I also keep The Other Half's battery operated shaver in a small rectangle Lock&Lock case. In case his shavings spill during transit, they are all held together in a case and not all over our luggage!)

How do you travel with your hijab pins, brooches and scarves? Please do share!

May Day

Have a blessed holiday, my lovelies!

We have been at Pearl of the Orient with sand, sea and seafood for a week now and look healthily sun-kissed. 

The real mission we were here for has been successful, alhamdulillah! May The Little Girl and Bean always have this good reason to return to this beautiful island.

The tropical weather has been glorious. When it did rain, we are never short of rainy day activities as the resort is highly-experienced in catering to active minds and limbs of the little ones. Lego, Jenga, board games and even art supplies!

When the sun did shine, everything returned to its original state of being with chirping birds, fresh sea breeze, lush rain trees, endless supply of dry and clean beach towels and cheerful voices of children splashing about in the pool. Yes, Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa lives up to its ratings and reputation.

If this is heaven on earth, I must be so blessed to be here with my little family.

See you again soon!