Finally... the ocean!

The tail end of our Spring Break found us driving away to Kuantan, on the east coast of Malaysia. A short 3 hours from Kuala Lumpur lies a beautiful stretch of beach where the South China Sea brushes against the sands of Malaysia. In there somewhere Natalia, Laurence, Irini, Sammy and Erika managed to shove their bodies into the car and reach the Swiss Garden Resort and Spa.

Irini took things in stride, now becoming quite acquainted with this in-the-car, out-of-the-car routine with lunches on the fly, different smells, temperatures, and weather. She adjusted perfectly to the new sea-side location and enjoyed her first entry into water...

From dawning her first wet suit (made for 1 year olds) to being pushed around the sand on her new (though used) red roadster stroller, she was "hip" on the beach. As mom and dad gushed with pride and excitement, Irini just watched as the water wrapped around her feet and climbed up her body. The coolness was certainly a big hit, however, as she seemed quite content to be water-bound.

Sammy and Erika also seemed to enjoy the place, from a visit to the Spa to a walk on the beach. The food was perfect and much time was spent in the different restaurants in the hotel and around the area playing yatzi and our dice game. The youth won out time and time again as Erika found her niche with the dice game and Sammy won nearly every yatzi game. Natalia and Laurence were content to just get away with one win each after three days of thrilling competition.

Life was good for three days. Now we're back in KL to the regular routine. Life is still good, but without the ocean to keep us company.

Here's a short video of Irini meeting the South China Sea...

Road Trip!

Spring Break is a time of laughter, relaxation and travel. Ours crept upon us as we were still trying to figure out our own schedules, Irini's likes and dislikes and the like. We decided, however, that a trip was in order. After all, Sammy and Erika didn't come all the way to Malaysia to sit in our living room for three months. So, we decided to introduce Irini to a bit of a colder climate: Cameron Highlands. Irini took things in stride, but it was obvious that mom and dad had no clue how to deal with the cool weather, the rain, and the wind. Having said that, they improvised as Irini was given a first glimpse of winter clothes: A regular "oncie" and socks inside a pajama. Add a pair of mittens and we were good to go! The trip's purpose, apart from seeing the highlands, was to deal with the logistics of traveling with a child. Here we received mixed results. Enough flexibility was given to the circumstances, and with this adjustment and that, things were "worked out". In the end, a great time was had by all. We saw beautiful tea plantations and visited strawberry 'farms'. All in all, arguably more time was spent in the car driving from place to place, than actually enjoying the outdoors. Poor little Irini, Sammy, and Erika had a bit of a back-seat cramps. Today we take the day off, before heading to the Malaysian East Coast tomorrow. Life is good at Spring Break, and Irini's journey's have now begun in earnsest.