Mom turns 60!

SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2008


Just before our departure to Pangkor island on Monday (mom's real birthday -- the 23rd of June) we celebrated the big SIX - ZERO on Sunday evening, complete with birthday cake and a few gifts.

Tracy, with help from the kids, had baked a cake -- and we enjoyed having mom, dad, and Tasha up for dinner. A few gifts were given, and we sang "Happy Birthday." Rania was THRILLED to have a "shew-shew" (sound as though you are blowing out a birthday cake, and you get what Rania called cake). We then tried to get mom to reminisce a bit about her childhood.

While she didn't have very many details about her birth (I'm sure that grandpa Levi can fill us in, right!?!), she told great detail about her disappointment when her brother Don was born -- and he wasn't a girl. Fortunately a day of pouting turned into having her very own doll -- complete with hourly baths and changes of clothes.

When we get together next month, I'm sure we'll hear more of Don's side of the story.

It was a joy to celebrate the birthday with my mom -- something that hasn't happened too often the past few years.

Coral Redang Review

The purpose of this post is largely for Doug's fuzzy memory -- so when we think about going back to Coral Redang, we'll remember some of the basics -- or others who are interested in going there can get an idea.



We bought a package that included the boat transfer, airport pick-up, and the dive (SCUBA) course, so the overall price will certainly be different. The package came with breakfast, which was very good -- buffet breakfast, and for lunch & dinner we could order ala carte or have the buffet. The dinner buffet was reasonable at 35 RM (US $11)-- and the ala carte menu ranged from 12 RM for rice or noodles to 25 RM or so for some of the dishes. The kids were 30% less.

We were surprised at how reasonable many of the prices were -- we could fill up our water bottles for 2 RM (US 65 cents)(for a large one) and there was a large variety of restaurants on the beach that ranged from 6 RM set menus to 35 RM large dishes of Chinese food. Since everything has to be brought in by boat, we thought the prices would be much higher.



As part of the package, we were upgraded to a chalet, which you can see pictured. It was nice, but we learned the hard way not to leave things out -- as Doug's swim shirt was taken overnight. They put in an extra bed (for a price) and there was plenty of room for Rania's pac'n'play. The safe and the small fridge were very helpful -- as we brought lunch things for most days.

Snorkeling gear was quite expensive (20 RM for 3 days -- or 12 RM for one day) to rent, and ridiculous to buy (170 RM for a set) so we were glad that we brought stuff for the kids. Snorkeling trips (daily -- morning & evening) were about 40 RM for the boat ride, which did not include the mask, snorkel, and fins.

The major bummers were that each night there was loud disco music from down the beach that we could hear in our rooms. We could drown it out by the revolving fan (mounted on the ceiling) but bafflingly, it couldn't be adjusted -- so it was either disco music or gale winds blowing across our faces. In our room, at least, we couldn't figure it out -- but our bathroom sure stunk. They would clean it daily, but as soon as we would take a shower, it would stink again.

Most incomprehensibly -- an annoyingly, there was a rooster that appeared to live under our chalet -- or would wander around the yard. Each morning at 6:30 we would hear the incessant cock-a-doodle-do. Why a resort would allow a rooster to meander on its premises was beyond us.

The other hassle was flying into Terrenganu and getting the ferry. Things went pretty well, but Firefly canceled its flight on our return, so too much time was spent trying to figure out what flight we could get on -- and with the ferry schedule we spent a lot of time at the airport on our departure.



Overall, it was mixed bag as to whether we'll return. We may want to try the other options, but returning is an option -- especially since the diving instructors were so great.

Life on Redang

On our second to last evening, we walked down the beach to eat at a Chinese restaurant -- Tasha had to get ready for her upcoming trip to China, and while in Asia enjoy some Chinese food -- including some seafood.



We also managed to get a family picture, and Reeve and Gabi had their chance to play with the cameras (see Reeve's picture above) before Doug & Tasha tried to capture the amazing full moon, a deep red color, that was rising above the ocean -- making it seem as though we were walking on the surface of Mars, instead of our own planet Earth.

Scuba Certified!

Thanks to our time in Redang, Tasha, Tracy, and Doug were able to get our scuba certification. It was wonderful being able to do the training right on the edge of a great place for aquatic life. Doing our practice dives from a boat or on the shore nearby with some amazing coral and beautiful fish was a great experience.



In fact, we only had to do one dive in the swimming pool, even the practice dives were right off shore, with a small coral reef and getting to see fish swim by as we practiced our dives and learned the new techniques.

We had a fabulous guide, Cheng, who was very patient with all of our silliness. And we were able to watch the videos, do the course work, and take the tests while grandparents spent most of the days with the kids.



Our schedule was generally to do course work and maybe a morning training session from about 10 - 12:30 before a lunch break. We would then also meet from 2:30 - 4 followed by a "tea break" and then a 5 - 6:30 session. The final days, when we had three dives real dives (at nearby islands), our schedules were slightly different.

Some hilarious memories include Tracy practicing taking off her weight belt and having the weights throw her all around the water as she struggled to put it back on (tip: hold the weights close to your body!), and Tasha's air tank falling down while Cheng and Doug were walking on the beach, paying now attention -- and only noticed that Tasha was struggling once we were in the water (hey, we thought the girls were right behind us!).

Our first two "real" dives were wonderful, and our third dive had very poor visibility and a strong current -- giving us quite a different experience! What a great experience!

Arriving in Redang

MONDAY, JUNE 16, 2008

After Tasha's arrival, we left the next morning for Redang, flying to Terrenganu. It was amazing to see the incredible colors of the water as we jumped off the boat onto the soft, sandy shores of Redang island. The kids greatly enjoyed playing in the sand and had lots of fun time in the pool. Thanks to grandpa and grandma's watchful supervision, we also got our scuba diving license completed (see subsequent post!)



While we were staying at Coral Redang Resort, there were a large number of places along the beach where we could visit. On the second evening, we walked down the beach to place that was rumored to have banana splits -- where we enjoyed our dinner. With a full moon rising over the water, it was quite a spectacular sight!




Nothing quite like a great view of the ocean as we were eating our dinner as the sun sets and the colors dance in the sky.

Horray for Auntie Tasha!!

We were very excited to welcome Auntie Tasha to Malaysia.





She arrived, a bit weary from her long flight, but it was so wonderful to see the kids warm to her so quickly -- as though it had just been yesterday, instead of the nearly 15 months since our last visit.

Rania especially enjoyed spending a bit of time with her auntie, after whom she was named (middle name).

You can also see a general picture of how Rania spends many minutes a day -- in front of our bookshelf -- dumping out a bunch of books and then flipping through one of them for a while.

And daddy got to teach his kids Sunday School -- what a great way to celebrate Father's Day, being reminded of God's power (Jesus calming the storm was the topic) and spending time with precious kids.

Ending the Singapore Visit

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008



After the wedding ceremony, we enjoyed seeing some more of Singapore. Due to the unusually persistent rain, we decided the Botanical Garden wouldn't be the best use of our time -- so we headed to the Asian Civilizations Museum before taking Singapore's efficient subway system to Orchard Road -- a famous shopping area.

Of course we had to take a picture of the Fullerton Hotel on behalf of our good friends, the Fullertons.



After bits of shopping on Orchard Road, we found a bus that took us to the Singapore Flyer -- a huge ferris wheel that is somewhat like, but larger than the London Eye. Just as night was falling on the city, we enjoyed the 30 minute ride that takes you as high as a 42 story building.

It was a fun little trip to Singapore, but as always, it is nice to return to home, sweet home. In our absence, our kids managed to ride the Hop-On, Hop-Off bus, go up the big Malaysian ferris wheel (not quite as big as London or Singapore), visit the Bird Park, learn to play solitaire, and climb all 272 steps up to the Batu Caves. Wow!

Marcus & Velle's Wedding

SATURDAY, JUNE 7, 2008



Our official purpose in going to Singapore was to celebrate Marcus and Velle's legal wedding ceremony. The real ceremony, complete with Chinese traditions, will be in KL in September, but Doug got to sign his name as a legal witness for their wedding license.



The ceremony was held right on the edge of the harbor in a beautiful ceremony. We enjoyed walking along the beach for a few minutes before other guests began gathering. The Singapore equivalent of the "justice of the peace" conducted the official ceremony. Marcus and Velle said some vows, and we all got to sign our names and shortly thereafter, they were pronounced man and wife.



A number of Velle and Marcus' friends from Singapore were present, and it was fun to meet some of them and learn a lot more about Singapore -- including its ambitious efforts to reclaim land from the sea by building barriers, pumping out seawater and filling in dirt -- as well as witness the 1000 ships that are said to be in Singapore's harbor at any one time.

After the short ceremony, we were treated to an amazing buffet lunch. We were privileged to witness Marcus & Velle's legal ceremony and will look forward to witnessing their official wedding in a few months.

A Visit to Singapore

FRIDAY, JUNE 6, 2008

The day after school finished, Tracy and Doug took off for Singapore, leaving our kids in the capable hands of grandparents (including a friend that was visiting them). All of our kids adventures can be seen on Doug's parents blog. So we had a wonderful weekend enjoying the big city in Singapore. Surprisingly, it was the first time that Doug had left Malaysia since our arrival nearly 11 months ago.

The bus ride was quite elegant with coffee, tea, chocolate and a light lunch served as we could watch movies. We were spending the weekend in Singapore to help a good friend from high school, Marcus LeMaster celebrate his wedding (see subsequent postings).

Our first night, we made our way to our hotel, right on the river at Robertson Quays, not far from the hustle and bustle of Clarke Quays -- where much of Singapore's nightlife takes place. We enjoyed walking along the river, and meandering our way to Chinatown. After experiencing the challenges of trying to be a pedestrian in KL -- with broken sidewalks and narrow street crossings, it was encouraging to see many pedestrian overpasses and lots of foot traffic around Chinatown.

We were very privileged to enjoy an amazing dinner of chili crab and other amazing seafood, courtesy of Marcus and Velle. Some of Velle's family also joined us, and it was fun to meet her brother for the first time. The food was amazing. It was definitely the best crab we had ever had -- and other than the mistake of wearing a white shirt while trying to crack open huge crabs covered in chili sauce -- we did pretty well.

The great picture of "gastronomical delights" will certainly please one of our few regular blog readers -- Doug's sister. It doesn't come close to matching some of the great Chinglish sayings that Tasha collected during her time in China, but it is certainly an unusual way to talk about restaurant food.




We enjoyed walking back along the river at night -- and playing with the night scenery on our camera -- to try and capture the view from our hotel window.

Kites from Auntie!!

TUESDAY, JUNE 3, 2008



Again and again we are blessed to have such amazing neighbors. We came home one evening to find that Auntie, our wonderful neighbor had purchased two kites for our kids.

Since we have a narrow street and few open places, the best way to make the kites work is by running up and down the street. Gabi got in quite the work out and Rania even enjoyed doing the same thing, trying to imitate her siblings. You can see Paul and Margo -- other neighbors who live not to far away -- in the picture above.

Reeve was eager to get his kite higher and higher -- but too often the trees on the side of the street would snag his kites -- so much time was spent untangling his kite from the trees.

But it was quite fun to watch the energy and enthusiasm of our kids running up and down the street -- yet another reason we're glad to be part of this little community on our street.