Traveling Near and Far in 2016

2016 is what I'm calling "the New Normal." It's been two-and-a-half years since we returned to Texas from our three year expat assignment living in Malaysia. There's no doubt about it. Malaysia was a turning point in family travel for us. Before that, we fell into the "One Big Trip a Year" category, typically during the summer. Most holidays were spent visiting our families who live 3 hours away in Houston where both hubby and I grew up. With the overseas move, we were in a rush to squeeze in as much travel as possible while living on the other side of the world. It really helped that almost all our friends were in the same mode.

The "New Normal" is a mix of both styles. We still drive to Houston for Easter, Fourth of July (USA's Independence Day), Thanksgiving, Christmas and other weekends here and there. But, we managed to take three big family trips this year, too. On top of that, hubby spends a total of one month in Malaysia and one month in Hungary on business.

GPSmyCity Travel Article App review & giveaway

On my family’s trip to England this year, I tried a travel article app for the first time after winning one in a giveaway. It was free, so why not? After downloading GPSmyCity and getting a few clicks in, I was already won over. I would gladly pay for travel assistance like this in the palm of my hand. What exactly is GPSmyCity? It’s an app you can download onto your iOS device that delivers travel articles, city specific tours and GPS-guided navigation all in one place. (Android version will be launched in 2017.)

Ever since I discovered travel blogs, they have factored heavily into my trip planning. After reading them, I usually use a combination of different apps to pin info about where I wanted to visit, to map where they were all located relative to each other and to figure out directions to get from one place to the next. Once I started using GPSmyCity, I realized that I could finally do it all on one app without having to switch back and forth.

The Fading Art of Map Reading

What's your favorite way to figure out directions to a place? Maps app? Google Maps? Waze?

I'm all for using my smartphone apps now, but I remember how fantastic I thought the portable Garmin GPS Navigator System was when I first bought it many, many years ago. Just plug in my destination, and it gave me turn-by-turn instructions in real time. Miraculous! It was a pain, though, whenever the suction cup gave way, and the entire thing tumbled onto the floor just out of reach on the passenger side. Luckily, I could haul it over to me by grabbing onto the power cord.

In Search of Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life

Long before I became an expat and started reading travel blogs, I was an ardent fan of expat books and travel books. Admittedly, many of them had to do with food such as Pretty Good Number One: An American Family Eats Tokyo or chef David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris. I laughed at Bill Bryson's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail in A Walk in the Woods and tried to immerse myself in Parisian expat life with the classic Hemingway memoir, A Moveable Feast. I developed a better appreciation for PBS's Europe through the Back Door host, Rick Steves, when I read his book, Travel as a Political Act which I highly recommend. 

Celebrating New Year's Day 2013 watching surfers --  Tamarama Beach, Sydney, Australia

However, what I've never had an interest in is surfing books. My book club recently decided to read Barbarian Days: A Surfing Life, an autobiography by Willian Finnegan. That's what I like about book clubs. They expand my horizons and get me to read books that I may not have chosen on my own. Looking back through my photos though, surfers apparently appeal to me enough that I snap pictures whenever I see them.

The Future of Travel

Buddhist monks staring up a the Washington Monument... and a teeny, tiny Lincoln Memorial in the background

The beginning of the year always seems to turn my thoughts to the future. What does 2016 have in store? What will it be like when my kids get older and the family trip becomes optional for them? How will my travel style change when it's back to being just hubby and I exploring places? My youngest is only 10 years old, so I'm really getting ahead of myself with that last question.

I took the photo at the top of the post as I was exiting the Washington Monument in November. After spending so much time in Asia taking photos of Buddhist monks at temples, I enjoyed seeing them being tourists just like me. I also bet that this was the first time some of the other people at the monument had ever seen a monk.

Christmas Ornaments from Around the World

A star from Bethlehem

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my house. When my kids were younger, they often had the school assignment of telling the class about a holiday tradition from their heritage. While I forget what their reports covered, I clearly remember one classmate's presentation on Tio Nadal, the pooping log or cagatió, from Catalan, Spain. At first, I thought the kid was completely making it up, but an internet search confirmed his info. The hollow log is decorated with a face, traditional Catalonian hat and a blanket. In the days leading up to Christmas, the kids give Tio Nadal food offerings like fruit and nuts which he mysteriously eats when no one is looking. According to Donquijote.org,

"On Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, according to traditions of each family, the children will approach the cagatió while singing: 

'Poop log, poop turron, if you don't poop well, I'll hit you with a stick' 

There are many variations to the song depending on each family and their traditions. After each song, the kids hit the cagatió with a stick to make it poop. After their parents quickly distract the children, a small present, normally candies, turron (Spanish nougat) or wafers (called neules en Catalonia), appears underneath the blanket. Nowadays, more and more often, different presents are being incorporated into the cagatió pooping log tradition. 

The process is repeated until the log “poops” a head of garlic, an onion, an egg, or any other symbolic item that represents the end of the fun until next year."

It's so fascinating how different places celebrate the same holiday. For the record, Krampus can stay far, far away from me. My family doesn't have an Elf on a Shelf, but I kind of want Tio Nadal.

Camping Jitters and Outdoor Cooking

Into the fire

I'm about to embark on my biggest adventure yet in a few weeks, and frankly, I'm kind of nervous. What is it? Climbing Mount Everest? Free diving to the deepest depths of ocean? Wrestling crocodiles? No, I'm going camping... for the first time in 17 years... with a bunch of 10-year-olds.

The Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award

“Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award recognizes the unique voices of women bloggers around the world.”

Five years ago, I would have never imagined that I'd be nominated for a Sisterhood of the World Bloggers Award. I didn't know that travel blogs existed. I wasn't a world traveler. And...this is the big one... I didn't have some deep, unfulfilled dream of traveling around the world. International travel just kind of landed in my lap when we became expats, lucky me. At some point, I realized that there were planning resources beyond printed guide books, and that the best of  them were the travel blogs. Since that time, I've knitted together a network of blogger friends. A sisterhood, if you will. I know more than just where they've been. I know if they're buying a house, if they are changing jobs, or if health has caused them to rearrange their plans. 

A Free Trip to Europe

Where in Europe would you love to go?

Where would you go if you won a free, all-expenses-paid trip to anywhere in Europe? Yes, anywhere. Ten days — flights, trains, hotels and meals all paid for. You even get a little spending money. Wouldn't you be beyond excited at this opportunity to travel without spending a dime out of your own pocket?

The contest rules were:

• Enter by suggesting a destination
• Present a  proposal of five sites to visit or things to do while on the trip.
• Destinations will be ranked by all the contestants plus the people funding and organizing the trip.
• Winner will be the top ranking destination.
• Contestants must be under 18 years old. 

Best of all, contestants are guaranteed a spot on the winning trip even if theirs is not picked.

7 Mondays

For the past seven weeks, we've been a very busy, globetrotting family.  Life and the whole world have been going by so fast that I feel like I've been spinning around and around with arms outstretched and my face turned upwards toward the sun. I've dizzily collapsed on the grass and lie in the field but everything still seems to be moving. I'm at that point where you relax and lay still, trying to recover your equilibrium while the memory of everything you've just experienced still shines brightly in your mind.

Love is in the Air: Wedding Photos from All Over

One of the best things about traveling around the world is finding love. I already have my own true love, so I'm not on the lookout for someone for myself. What I enjoy stumbling upon is other couples having their wedding portraits done. Whenever I see a bride and groom, I'm sure to whip out the camera and snap a photo.

Siem Reap, Cambodia

Just outside of Angkor Wat

Sorrento, Italy

Stepping out of the car on their way to their wedding reception.

Beijing, China

Temple of Heaven
I'm assuming this is a fashion shoot. 

Paris, France

On the banks of the Seine

Chagall painting at the Pompidou Centre

Kyoto, Japan

At Fushimi-Inari shrine famous for its thousands of torii gates

Venice, Italy

Whizzing down a canal on a speed boat

Austin, Texas, USA

The henna decorated hands of my Indian friend
This couple has had 2 babies since I moved to Malaysia. I can't wait to get to know their girls.

Isn't love grand?

This post is part of the following link ups. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

• Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox
• Friday Postcards on Walking On Travels
• Sunday Traveler on Frank about Croatia, Chasing the Donkey, A Southern Gypsy, Ice Cream and Permafrost, and Pack Me To...

Prayers of Hope for Malaysia Airlines Flight 370

Normally, I post some fantastic travel story on Thursdays, or I show you a little more about Malaysia where I now live. Many people in the USA where I am from are unfamiliar with Malaysia, and it's been a bit of a mission for me to educate the world about what Malaysia is like. Now, Malaysia is making headlines for all the wrong reasons, and I can't bring myself to write a jolly post for the week.

As I'm sure you know, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished on Saturday night during a red-eye flight from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Five days later, no trace of the plane has been found. My last few travel posts have been about my own family's trip from Malaysia to Beijing last October, albeit on a different airline. I can't help identifying with the passengers on that plane. I'm sure that the same question has crossed other travelers minds. What if I had been on that flight?

Memories of our own trip from Malaysia to Beijing

I remember when my parents were visiting Europe and scheduled to fly home on September 12, 2001. I got the days mixed up and thought that they were flying home on September 11. When the attacks on the World Trade Center began, I vividly remember calling their phone in Texas and leaving a frantic message on the answering machine. "Are you home? Did you get home? Do not get on a plane!" They probably couldn't understand me; I was so hysterical. What if my family or friends were on a missing flight?


Wednesday night's update in a string of sometimes confusing and contradicting reports indicate that an unidentified blip was caught on military radar 200 km northwest of Penang at roughly the time that MH 370 disappeared. Could it be the missing aircraft? Did it turn back towards Kuala Lumpur? The search area has expanded from the east coast of Malaysia over the the west coast and the Andaman Sea that surrounds Penang. No, I have not seen any search planes or boats. Penang is in a heavy shipping lane and populated enough that someone would have noticed if the plane went down within sight of the island, so the rescuers are focusing on the vast expanse of water instead. Still, I cannot help looking out my windows to the Straits of Malacca spread out before me in hopes of spotting something —  a life raft, fragments, or, God willing, the whole entire plane floating by.

Looking out at the Straits of Malacca, waiting and searching

There has been an outpouring of support from the people of Malaysia. Radio stations broadcast people's phoned-in messages of hope for the missing plane between songs. A local mall is holding a paper crane origami event on Thursday and Friday. They aim to offer up 5000 cranes, 5000 wishes, and 5000 prayers for the 239 passengers and crew members. University students stood near the flight path of planes taking off from Penang International Airport holding up signs that proclaimed, "Pray for MH370."

Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah, pilot of the missing flight, attended Penang Free School. Over a thousand teachers and students there gathered to pray. The Muslims, Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, and Sikhs went off to separate areas in the school to supplicate their respective god(s) for the plane's safe return.

As is typical in this day and age, people expect total transparency and updates on the search and rescue efforts. News updates are given over the local radio every 30 minutes. The New Straits Times website adds multiple new articles an hour with all the latest information. Sometimes it's about area fishermen pledging to do everything they can to help with the search and rescue mission. A group found a badly damaged life raft floating 10 nautical miles from Port Dickson on the west coast of Malaysia on Wednesday. Unfortunately, it sank while being transferred on board the boat operated by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency. Other times, it's about family members of the missing losing control of their emotions and giving in to grief and despair.

The locals I know are upset about how the government seems to be bungling the search and rescue operation. They had hoped that this emergency would give Malaysia a chance to shine and demonstrate its capabilities in the world. Instead, they've come up with nothing. The Dewan Rakyat (Malaysia's House of Representatives) has gone from observing a moment of silence in honor of the missing flight to members of the opposition party accusing officials of mishandling the incident and calling for the Prime Minister and Acting Transport Minister to present themselves to the next day's session to provide an explanation.

In the end, what everyone wants to find out is where is the plane. We hope that somehow the passengers and crew are safe. That six days out, this story will have a happy ending. That's what I'm praying for.


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox. Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

128 Hours 55 Minutes of Air Travel in One Year

This has been a banner year for travel for my family. I've often said that living the expat life has prompted us to travel, and my oh my, we really embraced that notion these last 12 months. We literally traveled around the world heading westward until we returned to our starting point in Penang. On another trip, the kids made their first hop back and forth across the Equator.

Would Icarus be jealous?

Here are some statistics for our family's air travel for one year.

• 128 hours and 55 minutes in the air, not including layovers
• 31 flights
• 20 airports
• 12 airlines; hence, abysmal accrual of frequent flier miles at any one airline
• 7 countries
• 5 flights longer than 10 hours
• 4 continents
• For hubby, add on an additional 32 hours 10 minutes spread over 6 flights for business travel.

We did all this without the kids missing any school for travel.

Wow. If you had predicted this three years ago, I would have laughed in your face. Earlier this week, I was chatting with a nomadic family about their flight from England to Rio de Janeiro. When they said it took 14 hours, I actually said, "14 hours? That's not bad." My brain now thinks that 14 hours is no big deal.

Back in Penang, I'd spend my days while the kids were at school exploring the island and getting deliberately lost in George Town so that I could stumble across its many wonders. On weekends, we'd play on the beach, hike through the jungle, or camp out on Penang Hill. There are many perks to living in a tourist hotzone.

So, where did we go on all those airplane flights?

Enjoy the hikes around Uluru (Ayers Rock) in the early morning on hot, January days.

Australia

We kicked off the year in Australia. We strolled along Bondi Beach on New Year's Day and watched from afar as the water was cleared after a shark sighting. A glow-in-the-dark puppet show entertained the kids at the Sydney Opera House. We snorkeled at the Great Barrier Reef and wilted in the 114°F (46°C) heat at Ayers Rock. Kangaroo Island off the southern coast of Australia proved to be a great place to relax and unwind after our hectic itinerary.

Despite how incredible this trip was, my children really missed being with their grandparents and cousins at Christmas. This has been mentioned repeatedly throughout the year during honest, heartfelt moments.

The PETRONAS Towers

Kuala Lumpur

It wasn't always overseas travel that called to us. We took a roadtrip to Kuala Lumpur one long weekend. After learning my lesson from a previous trip when we couldn't get into the Petrosains Discovery Centre due to crowds, I reserved tickets a few weeks in advance to make sure we'd gain admission this time to the very hands-on science museum. We enjoyed our hotel room with a view of the Petronas Towers, the tallest twin towers in the world, and a kid-free outing at the Sky Bar. Kidzania was the highlight of the trip for my younger kids because they loved playing pretend and trying the various jobs from DJ to chocolatier. We stocked up on plenty of American processed foods at Ampang Grocers and made sure to visit La Mexicana, a truly authentic Mexican restaurant.

Water for Elephants in Chiang Mai, Thailand

Chiang Mai, Thailand

Easter found us in Chiang Mai, Thailand. We played in waterfalls, visited the Long Neck people and other tribes, strolled through temples, squeezed into tuktuks, and did a little drifter kart racing and paint ball target practice, too. As a family, we took a Thai cooking class where my boys surprised me with their culinary skill. For me, the highlight of the trip was a day spent at Elephant Nature Park where I got to feed elephants and bathe them in the river.

Jumping for joy at the Eiffel Tower.

Paris

Paris was an eagerly anticipated trip. We were headed to Texas for the summer school holiday but took a week-long stopover in the City of Light. Everyone seemed to be brimming with suggestions about where to go. We went deep underground to see decorative skeletons in Les Catacombes and climbed high above the city at both the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame. The kids gave a thumbs up to the classics at the Louvre and a thumbs down to modern art at the Pompidou. My son still exclaims, "Some pictures were nothing but white paint on a canvas!" One gustatory delight after another crossed our lips from macarons to baguettes smeared with Brie to McDonald's on the Champ Élysées. Versailles dazzled us and gave us a taste of idealized country life at The Queen's Hamlet. A day spent at Parc de la Villette allowed the kids to just run free and have fun. Best of all, we completed our goal of visiting a Disney park at each of its worldwide locations when we added Disneyland Paris to the list that already had Florida, California, Hong Kong, and Tokyo on it.

My daughter has been dreaming about her first visit to the American Girl Doll Store and Café.

Texas

Fathers' Day was busy for us. We had breakfast in Paris and a late lunch in Houston, Texas with both my dad and father-in-law before making the 3 hour drive to our home in Austin. The kids absolutely loved being in the Lone Star State, seeing their friends, and celebrating the Fourth of July with their cousins. We tried some new adventures like indoor skydiving as well as old favorites like visiting the Kemah Boardwalk and multiple museums in Waco, Austin, and Houston. My oldest boy spent a week at Boy Scout Camp in the Lost Pines along Lake Bastrop and talked to his friends about middle school in Texas compared to where we are now. He came away concluding that Texas kids have more social pressure.





Mid-Autumn Lantern Festival at Singapore's Gardens by the Bay

Singapore

Cheap airfare and a long weekend lured us away to Singapore just in time for the Mid-Autumn Festival. Our kids asked to go to the Science Centre where we met up with some Texas friends, and we also explored Gardens by the Bay for the first time. The new S.E.A. Aquarium awed us with the Guinness Book of World Record Largest Aquarium Tank. Dining on Chili Crab at Jumbo Seafood and Tex-Mex food at Café Iguana have become a Singapore trip tradition.

The Great Wall stretches as far as the eye can see.

China

China is in the same time zone as Malaysia, so we had no issues with jet lag. In a departure from our usual method of independent travel, we hired a private tour company. It was wonderful to be freed from worrying about logistics so that I could just enjoy myself. The Forbidden City was large and imposing while the Great Wall turned out to be great fun since we took a cable car up and a toboggan down. Seeing all the Terracotta Warriors standing at attention at the massive archeological dig site was impressive.

Woman with Tibetan Prayer Wheel at the Yak Butter market stall in Lhasa.

Tibet

Tibet was a last minute addition to our China trip and highly recommended by a friend with kids. I flew in over the Himalayas with vague notions of Shangri-La and Dalai Lama quotes floating through my brain, and I exited with a richer understanding of life there. The conflict between Chinese rule and a longing for a free Tibet was an undercurrent that ran throughout our travels. Tibetans clearly still cherish the current Dalai Lama who has been living in exile in India since 1959. Hubby and I took turns visiting palaces, temples and monasteries while the other parent cared for the kids who had been rendered lethargic by altitude sickness.

New Zealand The United States (again)

Hubby and I had long planned on heading to New Zealand for the Christmas break, but the kids had other ideas. They have never really forgiven us for keeping them away from Texas family and traditions last year. I'd try to tempt them with visions of glowworm caves and glacier hikes, and they would counter with "Grandma, Grandpa, Lolo and Lola." So one day, I just looked at hubby and said, "New Zealand will always be there. Let's give the kids what they want."

In a few days, we'll head off on the last part of our 128 hours 55 minutes of flight time in one year travel binge. On Christmas Day, we'll be seated around the table at hubby's aunt's house surrounded by both of our families. Both hubby's and my parents get along fabulously and celebrate this day together so we don't have to choose.

We've offered our kids the world, and what they want most is home.


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox, "Oh the Places I've Been" on The Tablescaper, and "Share Your Best" on Two Kids and a Map and Mommy Travels. Please check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

Travel Tip: Staying Cool & Dodging Flies

Do I look ridiculous? Yes. Do I care? No.

"Bring a Scarf." How many times have you seen that tidbit of What to Pack travel advice? It's a fashion accessory. It's blanket. Yada, yada, yada. Like many other traveling women, I carry a scarf for all those many reasons. I found a couple more good uses when we went on a bush walk around Australia's Uluru (Ayer's Rock).

Staying Cool
Uluru was hotter than Hades when we visited, hitting highs of  45°C (113°F). Even starting out on our hike at 7 a.m., the heat radiating up from the baked earth was getting to us. Scarf to the rescue! Wet it and wrap it around your neck. You'll be amazed at how much cooler just doing that makes you feel.

Dodging Flies
The flies at Uluru followed me around like I was a buffet that had been sitting out for hours. A cloud of them whizzed around me, trying to gain access to my nose, ears and mouth. I never really pictured myself hiking around this amazing landmass while wildly waving my hands in front of my face in a futile attempt to fend off airborne insects. I began to regret passing up the flynets for sale at the resort giftshop.  That's when I uncoiled the scarf from around my neck and draped it over my hat and around my head. The gauzy fabric was easy to look through and kept the flies out. Problem solved. Sure, I looked ridiculous, but all the other hikers were too distracted with their own fly swarm to pay me much heed. I bet this works great for sandstorms, too.

Other Uses
Just in case if this is the first time you've ever heard the Bring a Scarf tip, other uses are:

• Jazz up your outfit with a scarf (the original use, so not exactly ground-breaking)
• Keep warm by wrapping it around you
• Cover up bare shoulders when entering a temple or cathedral
• As a head scarf when entering a mosque so you don't have to use the loaner headscarf
• Roll other clothes up inside it to turn it into a pillow
• As a towel
• Wrap it around your waist for privacy if you have to pee by the side of the road.
• Emergency First Aid sling, bandage, or (God help you) a tourniquet
• Wrap it around ice for an ice pack
• Attach your small child to you 
• Bundle up all your belongings, tie it to a stick and pretend you're a hobo
• Superhero cape

If you forget to bring one, it sounds like it's time to go shopping for a souvenir scarf.


Related Post:
The Allure of Uluru (Ayer's Rock)


This post is part of Travel Tips Tuesday on Walking On Travels and Suitcases and Sippy Cups. Check them out for more great travel advice.

International Air Travel in 1958

I'm not the only one in my family who has the travel bug. My father also loves journeying around the world. Perhaps it was destiny since his Chinese name is "Pui Ping" which means "The Wanderer." For over a decade, he lived the expat life in Montreal, Paris, Southeast Asia and China, seizing each work holiday as an excuse to travel everywhere from New Zealand to Kashmir. Now in retirement, he and my mom recently returned from a trip to Brazil and Argentina.

 

Years before he was an expat, a husband, and a father, he was a young man growing up in the Philippines and graduating summa cum laude from university. Then, it was on to England for a graduate training program scholarship which happened to include money for air travel. How exciting this must have been for him! In my father's own words, here's the story of his first international airplane journey.

Getting ready to board the plane

On November 1958, I left Manila for London via Hong Kong.  In those days, very few people went overseas.  There were about 50 people consisting of relatives, friends and business associates who saw me off at the Manila Airport.  I stopped over in Hong Kong to get tailored suites and warm clothing,woollen underwear, gloves and other accessories before flying off to London, England. 

During that time “common people” travelled by ship to Europe and America.  Only the rich and senior executives could fly.  It was the era of propeller planes, with top speed of 250 miles per hour and carrying 60 passengers, with 15 rows of two seats on each side of the aisle.  This is in contrast to modern day jet planes with a cruise speed of over 600 miles per hour and a seating capacity of 450 passengers. In those days, there were no different classes. Seating was much like the economy class of today, except there was more leg room and the service was excellent. 

The propeller plane had a limited flying distance and had lengthy stop-overs for re-fuelling and picking up passengers. To get to London from Hong Kong the airplane made numerous stops.  From my recollection -- starting from Hong Kong, we stopped at Saigon, Bangkok, Rangoon, Bombay, New Delhi, Cairo, Beirut, Bahrain, Rome and finally London.  It was exciting to visit all these places.  It was like my geography class coming alive.  The flight time was very long, maybe 36 hours in the air.  In contrast today’s commercial flight for the same route would take 16 hours.  All I remember was after lunch we had a snack, then dinner, then breakfast and then lunch again. We flew past so many time zones in that trip. 

All the airports we stopped by were small and austere, not the large, multi-level complex of today’s international airports that require trains and long hallways to move from one terminal to another.  There were no shopping mall inside the airports, and neither were there restaurants or fast-food outlets. 

Most of the passengers were Caucasian businessmen.  The passenger next to me was a young Chinese from Hong Kong on his way to England to be trained as merchant marine.  It was good that I had somebody to chat with during the very lengthy flight. 

I remember two things about that long trip.  There were U.S. marines carrying guns in the Beirut airport to intervene in the 1958 Lebanon conflict between Christians and Muslims.  It was quite scary as I had flashbacks to the horrors during the World War II in Manila when I was a child. 

The other incident was an announcement by the airplane captain for us to look down as we flew over Athens.  We saw the ruins of the arena of ancient Greece.  Half a century later, my wife and I were on a cruise of the Greek Isles and went to that arena where we posed as if we were in a race.



A crowd showed up to see my dad (center, in the suit and tie) off at the Manila Airport.

My father has been on hundreds of international flights since this first trip. Before returning to the Philippines three years later, he toured much of Europe by train as well as flying to the U.S.A. to visit New York City, see John F. Kennedy's inauguration parade in Washington, D.C., then continuing on to San Francisco. I wonder if, at the time, he realized what great world travelers his grandchildren would become.

Would you have minded the small planes and long flight times of late 1950's air travel?


This post is part of Travel Photo Thursdays on Budget Travelers Sandbox and Friday Daydreamin' at R We There Yet Mom? Check them out for more around-the-word travel inspiration.

Major Fail: Sitting Together on the Airplane

Do you prefer to sit with your kids on flights? Except for that one time when I ditched everyone and grabbed hubby's business class upgrade, I will do almost anything to get all of us together. That's why I didn't like the news as we checked in at Regional Express airline on Kangaroo Island. The kids weren't sitting with us. In fact, THE KIDS DID NOT HAVE SEATS ON OUR FLIGHT.

Whaaaaa????

My youngest one is 7 years old. The oldest one is taller than me. We are way past Lap Baby stage. Of course, I had bought them seats!

I double checked the date and time to make sure I had not goofed up. "Look here!" I said as I showed them the printout of our confirmation email. There were the names of all three kids, and it clearly showed that they were supposed to be on the flight. When we changed our itinerary a few weeks earlier, hubby and I were put under one booking number, and the kids were mysteriously changed to a different one. I suppose that's when our troubles must have begun.

The agent clicked around on her computer some more. Nope, not on the flight. No parties of three either, so it wasn't a name mix-up. Unfortunately, the teeny, tiny, 36-passenger plane was completely full. 

It was the opposite of Unaccompanied Minors on airplanes. Instead, the adults had the tickets to get on and wave bye-bye to the kiddos staying behind at the airport. How much extra do you suppose airlines should charge for that?

Could we wait until the next day to fly out? No, then we'd miss our once-a-day international flight out of Adelaide back to Malaysia. Plus, Kangaroo Island doesn't exactly strike me as a place where you can drive around hoping to find last minute lodging. We'd have better luck convincing the pleasant airline counter staff to let us sleep in their homes. They were so nice and helpful that we probably could have guilt tripped them into it.

Our only real option was to take the SeaLink ferry back to the mainland and get on a bus to take us to Adelaide. Instead of a 30-minute flight, we were now looking at a 45-minute ferry ride plus more than 2 hours on the bus. And spending an unexpected $330, too! The last boat of the day departed in an hour. The drive to the wharf in Penneshaw takes 40 minutes. We didn't have time to standby at the airport and hope that 3 people would be No Shows so that our entire family could get on the flight that we had already paid for.

While hubby worked out the details of the ferry and bus with the airline staff, I ran over to the Hertz car hire counter to see if we could get back the SUV we had just returned. It was already reserved for someone else, but we could use another identical SUV for the short drive. Whatever. Fine. She'd add it on our original contract. The extra partial hour rolled it over from a 3-day to a 4-day rental. Normally, I'd be mad about the extra day, but it actually made the total cheaper.

Then came the weird part. (Yes, weirder than the fact that renting a car for 4 days costs less than for 3.) Whenever I've returned a hired car in the past, they usually hand me a printed map with the Car Return clearly marked.  Not on Kangaroo Island. The lady whipped out her iPhone and showed me a picture of a pizza joint. "Drive past the ferry building and then up the hill. You'll see Isola Pizza in a blue building on the left."



Isola Pizza -- Photo by Home Hound

I'm thinking, "I'm in a hurry. Why is she showing me a restaurant?"

She continues, "Walk down the alleyway on the left side of the building. There's a Hertz office at the back, but it will be closed. Drop your keys in the unmarked mailbox by the door."

Then, she showed me a picturesque dead-end street lined with tall trees. "This is where you leave the car. There's no sign. When you're at the pizza place, turn to the left and you'll see it. Just park it on the side of the road."

I flashed back to my kids' Dora the Explorer days. Pizza parlor! Mystery mailbox! Pretty street! Why use a map when you can simply show people picture clues on how to return a vehicle?

We loaded everything into the car, buckled in the booster seat, and set off for our new destination. Surprisingly, we got there without any problems despite our lack of GPS or iPhone coverage for Maps apps. When packing, I had taken an uncharacteristically Luddite approach to the whole navigation thing and decided to rock printed maps. How 19th century of me.

The car hire lady's picture clues turned out to be perfect, and we were able to return the car without a problem. I'm sure the credit card charge for an unreturned vehicle would be quite sizeable and not easily overlooked.

The ferry started loading a few minutes after we arrived. We boarded and staked out a claim on comfy seats with a view out the front window. I gazed longingly at the beach beside us, a known Penguin Rookery, in hopes of catching a glimpse of a wild penguin. As with many other things that day... denied!

SeaLink Ferry with Cape Jervis in the distance.

The ferry turned out to be a nice way to travel with its cushy lounge, cafe, and meat pies. The SeaLink bus picked us up right outside the Cape Jervis wharf. Even though I was now very tired, I enjoyed peering out the window to see the Australian suburbs whizzing past. We'd been on the continent for 2 weeks, but most of our time was in cities or vacation areas, so I didn't have any idea where regular folks lived. It reminded me of home (the Texas one, not the Malaysian one) with its tidy expanse of family homes, chain restaurants, grocery stores and large retailers. The kids liked that Burger King is called Hungry Jack. Thank goodness the bus driver dropped us off at our hotel! That was a touch of convenience I wasn't expecting.

After I returned to Malaysia, I contacted Regional Express through their handy online feedback form. Interestingly, "Need a Refund" was one of the choices on the pull-down menus. How often do they get that query? After a few weeks, they replied that it was a system error and that the specifics had been forwarded to their IT department. They refunded the cost of the unused flights for our entire family, even the ones for hubby and I that we voluntarily gave up figuring that they'd prefer for us to not leave our kids behind at the airport. I didn't even have to throw a fit to get what I requested. So yeah, it was a major screw up, but Regional Express did everything to remedy the situation short of kicking others off the flight and thus igniting those people's fury.


Related Post:
YouTube: Kangaroo Island Highlights
Kangaroo Island's Koala Walk
It's the Great Penguin, Charlie Brown (Hanson Bay)

This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Travelers Sandbox and Friday Daydreamin' at R We There Yet Mom? Check them out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.

Best of 2012: Highlights from the Year

It's the end of the year! Where did the time go? If you celebrate Christmas, I hope that you had a most excellent day. Santa was kind to us this year. He even brought the kids some items that are hard to find around Penang like a huge, LEGO Ninjago dragon set. The Malaysian restaurant practice of not bringing a customer the bill until they ask for it tripped me up. We had an yummy Christmas brunch at the E&O hotel... and then absentmindedly left without paying. Oops! No worries, they had my phone number from my reservation and tracked me down. Not wanting to be on the Naughty list next year, I drove back and paid them.

As a year-end wrap up, I thought I'd do a Best of 2012. Looking back, it's hard to imagine that I've done so much in one year. Add in all the normal, everyday stuff like overseeing homework, going to my boy's baseball games, and volunteering with the school PTO, and I feel like I've been very busy.




Don't get between Hot Mama and her child at Semenggoh Wildlife Centre.

Best Animal Encounter Visiting the semi-wild orangutans at the Semenggoh Wildlife Centre in Kuching, Borneo was like stepping into a National Geographic show. The big alpha-male, Ritchie, was intimidating while the protective Hot Mama and her young child was fun to watch. There were no barriers between us, and we humans had to make sure we stayed out of the orangutans' way.
Runner Up:Wildlife river cruise in Borneo where we saw Irrawaddy river dolphins and proboscis monkeys.



Best Natural Wonder
Japan's Mount Fuji deserves to be famous. Its beautiful, symmetrical cone rises up from the surrounding plains, towering over everything nearby. From down at the base, I watched snow blowing off the top and couldn't imagine that people actually climb up to the summit.
Runner Up: Hakone National Park is near Mount Fuji and rounded out the day's visit.

Captivating Mount Fuji

Best Water Adventure
Our day snorkeling at Thailand's Racha Yai island, near Phuket, suited everybody in the family, even my little, beginning swimmer. Crystal clear, blue waters and a boat crew that looked after all our needs almost made me forget how horribly nauseous I got on the ride to and from the island. That's right. I was seasick, and it's so good that it's still getting a Best of 2012 award. Plus, hubby got to play superhero by rescuing two young women from the surf.
Runner Up: White water rafting near Ipoh, Malaysia

Snorkeling in Thailand

Best Use of Gold
I must commend whoever came up with the idea of covering the top two levels of Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto with gold leaf. I'm pretty sure that my Homeowner's Association in my Austin neighborhood would never approve such a design for my house. And now that I think about it, hubby wouldn't approve either.
Runner Up: My wedding ring which is 20 years old and, hence, ineligible for this year's award




Kinkaku-ji Temple in Kyoto shimmers in the sun.

Best Use of Steel
What are you going to do with 1800 tons of steel? Sure, some people may choose to erect a tower, but how about turning it into an Observation Wheel (like a Ferris wheel on steroids)? At 165 meters, the Singapore Flyer is the tallest one in the world. We took a 30-minute "round trip" on it last October.
Runner Up: Coming in a very close 2nd place is the Tokyo Tower which is the tallest, self-supporting steel structure in the world.

The Singapore Flyer - 1800 tons of steel, 165m tall

Tokyo Tower - 4000 tons of steel, 333m tall

Best Theme Park
We're an experienced Disney park family, but Tokyo DisneySea still managed to impress. Most of the rides are unique to this location, but you can still do favorites like The Tower of Terror (with a different storyline, no less). 
Runner Up: LEGOland Malaysia

Jules Verne's Mysterious Island at Tokyo DisneySea

 

That's not a shirt. Those are small urns
hooked directly into his skin.

Best Festival
One of the must-see festivals in Penang is Thaipussum, but it's not for the squeamish. Hindu devotees honor Lord Murugan by carrying different physical burdens called kavadis to offer up as penance, thanksgiving or in supplication. As the procession makes its way through town, people smash coconuts to cleanse the path. Some people balance urns of milk on their heads while others carry tall altars decorated with peacock feathers. The most difficult burden is a multitude of body piercings with urns hanging off the body from hooks and spears threaded through the cheeks and tongue. All I could think was "Ouch!"
Runner Up: Loy Krathong

Foot pounding at Pangkor Laut Spa Village

Best Spa
Pangkor Laut, a private island in Malaysia, doesn't just hold the title of Best Spa for 2012, it's hands down the absolute, best spa I've been to in my entire life. Their Bath House Ritual brings in practices from all over Asia and sets a relaxed mood before your actual treatment begins.
Runner Up: The time I stuck my feet into a tank of flesh-eating fish

Best Buffet
I'll admit it. Ever since I went to my first big Vegas buffet when I was I a kid, I've always had a thing for buffets. The Mother's Day Brunch at the Shangri-la Rasa Sayang hotel in Penang wins for selection, quality and flavor. We had our choice of mock shark fin soup, fresh seafood, local delicacies, and a dessert bar with made-to-order crepes, ice cream, cakes and cotton candy. What really clinched the top spot for them was all the entertainment they provided for the kids. A clown went from table to table making balloon art, there was a crafts table for them to make Best Mom sashes, and kids could watch a movie on the porch.  Runner Up: Pangkor Laut Feast Village
 

Dessert station at the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Spice Market Cafe
Crepes, Cotton Candy, Cakes and a Chocolate Fountain



Best Street Food
Ok, I like all types of food from the high end to the low budget. Penang is known as a street food paradise, but this year, my heart and cravings are back in Austin, Texas. The Food Trailer Park on South Congress is one of the best places to get cheap, tasty food. The Mighty Cone Hot'n'Crunchy is a favorite of mine. A breading of sesame seeds, almonds, arbol chili flakes, sea salt, sugar and corn flakes encases your choice of chicken, avocado or shrimp. It's deep-fried, plunked in a tortilla cone and topped with mango-jalepeno slaw and ancho sauce. Nom nom!
Runner Up: Penang's Char Koay Teow

The Mighty Cone Hot'n'Crunchy Chicken in Austin, Texas

Best Source of Ice Cream Ingredients
Some foodies say that you should know where your food comes from. How about if you visit the farm where it is grown? Escaping the tropical heat of Penang, we drove up to the cooler climate of the Cameron Highlands. We picked hydroponic strawberries, bought strawberry syrup, and turned it into the yummiest strawberry ice cream I have ever made. This flavor has been hard for me to get right, so I was ecstatic with the results. Too bad I forgot to write down what I did.
Runner Up: Coconut milk freshly squeezed before my eyes at the local wet market.

Get in my belly!

Before I start making up increasingly strange categories like Best Toilet Instruction Sign, I'll stop now.

 

Happy New Year from Malaysian Meanders!

May it be filled with adventure and awe.

 

 

This post is part of Travel Photo Thursday on Budget Traveler's Sandbox. Check it out for more around-the-world travel inspiration.