The Wee Corner

We didn’t think we would make another trip back to Malaysia and Singapore again so soon seeing we visited last November however we only needed very little convincing when we received a wedding invitation held in Taiwan from one of Daddy’s good buddies to pack up the family especially after scoring a good deal on the airfares (while Mummy was hawking the airline sites for weeks)  plus the convenience of flying direct via Singapore Airline (and the opportunity to visit the other set of grandparents .  Mummy was most excited about this trip as she will get to spend time with her family and she was very eager to meet the new arrival of the family (Baby Kieran), her new little nephew.  

And so Mummy and Daddy packed up their two boys (5yr and 2yr) with the travel itinerary of 4 weeks of Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan. Knowing that everyone else would also be having their own schedule of work, house moving and travel plans, we planned our stay with little vacations in between to fill the gap and make full use of the holiday to the max. It was a trip filled with one too many short flights and 2 massive 10hours flight to and fro (Auckland –Singapore). Singapore to Taipei was half the time which took only 4.5hours and we had quite a few little legs of domestic flight within Malaysia when we went from Johor to Kuala Lumpur and further to Kuantan when we head towards Club Med at Cherating Beach.  A separate posting on our experience in Club Med with be put up soon. Mummy was very proud of her two boys who were excellent traveller and given her and Daddy no headaches at all during the flights.

First set of long flights from Auckland to Singapore lasted 10hours, Mummy was a little nervous after experiencing some horrible toddlers screaming and refusing to stay seated but her worries were in vain. She was proud of her 2 little man who were very good travellers the whole time. Another little surprise was upon arrival into Changi Airport, we had Grandpa coming to pick us up with Tai-Q’s people mover. After the custom clearance and baggage belt, we started looking out for Gong-gong and the moment Jayden saw him, he ran towards him flung open his arms for a big hug and followed on with a kiss and asking to be carried. Now putting things into perspective, my little boy hasn’t seen his Grandpa for about 1 year and he was not at all sociable to anyone except for Mummy then.  Both Mummy and Daddy were very surprised and glad that he showed such a warm and adorable gesture the very moment we touched down.

Going overseas with 2 young children is not a task every parent would attempt but with the luxury of family support these trips always make it achievable for us.   Spending time with the extended family is definitely Mummy’s highlight.She was also very keen to see baby Kieran the new arrival of the family. Being back in Asia around the festive season was also nice to see the commercialisation of the Christmas spirits in Shopping malls, airports and even along the streets.

We also celebrated Daddy’s birthday in Singapore at Tai-Q’s house. We had dinner with the cousins and family. Uncle Isaac was there too, so Mummy got to catch up with him for abit. Tai Q and Q Meh were always nice and fun. The triplets cousins played very well with the boys too.

We were fortunate to be invited to stay in the vacant condo owned by Q-Meh’s parents when we were in Malaysia. That allowed us to spend lots of quality time with Popo, Gong-gong, Ah Q, Q Meh and of course little cutie Kieran. Mummy and Daddy did most of their shopping in Malaysia too. Jayden got another Smurf T-shirt and that was such a relief to Mummy as she was forever frantically trying to wash the one and only Smurf shirt that Jayden insisted on wearing daily! Thank you Gong-Gong and Popo! We also get to see Siow Ku Po who made a trip out to JB to spend a day with us.

 The next item on the itinerary was rather exciting for all as it was to Club Med Cherating for us four and Gong-gong + Popo. Mummy made the bookings for all and we flew numerous little domestic flights from Johor Bahru to Kuala Lumpur and further on to Kuantan. It was our very first Club Med and waking up at 4am to catch the early flight made it all worthwhile! More on Cherating Beach in another post.

On days back in Singapore, we get to stay with Ah Pek and we saw how Lizzy has really grown tall and pretty. It was lovely having to play with her and not to mention the swimming sessions that both boys thoroughly enjoyed at the Singapore Swimming Club on every trip back to Singapore. We were also lucky to experience a ‘cooler’ Singapore weather. It was a much tolerable weather for Mummy and she hardly complained to Daddy this time. We did to visit the Science Centre once but the thundery rain denied us of the water play. We visited Ji Kor Po at her house and also saw Tua Kor Po who was there too. Both grand aunties were pleasantly surprised with how sociable Jayden has become and how tall Jared has grown.

Then came about the real reason for the holiday for us, yes, the trip to Taiwan for Uncle Bon’s wedding! Daddy was one of the best men as they were best buddies from high school back in Auckland. Taiwan was also new to us all so Mummy and Daddy were excited about it. We stayed in this Service Apartment called Agora Gardens and it was located almost right next to Taipei 101! We could see it from our balcony! With the apartment, Mummy could prepare Jayden’s meals and the 2 TVs were a great plus! She definitely gets her dose of Chinese Channels on the evenings when the boys were in bed early after an exciting outing during the day. Buffet breakfasts were really great too. Agora also had a nice heated indoor pool and very nice waterfall outdoor in the big yard behind. When daddy went to get busy with the wedding party, Mummy brought us into the kiddies pool and we were made to put on this cute little swimming cap that brought a huge smile on Mummy’s face every time we wore them.   We love Agora Gardens!

Daddy was alittle nervous about the need to converse in Mandarin in the entire trip, he was much relief when he was told he didn’t have to deliver his best man speech in Chinese! Phew! We stayed mainly around Taipei and we loved the city and the people of Taiwan. Mummy said the people are very pleasant and helpful. We visited the night markets, both Shih Lin and Raohe and loving both of them. It had all sort of trinkets sold there. The notorious odour we experienced were supposedly this delicacy name Smelly Tofu which we were gladly given a miss. Jared didn’t like the strong almond aroma that came about from specific stalls. We bought some souvenirs and tasted quite a few different snacks there plus we brought some back as gifts.

Taipei 101 being a mere 5 minutes walking distance was one never to miss. It was surrounded by a huge shopping mall and lots of creative Christmas decorations.  We visited the observatory during the day and Daddy was busy clicking the camera away. View from the high rise was compromised by the low clouds but the experience up so high was breathtaking. Mummy also get her photo taken outside the big LOVE sign which she saw from magazines once and really like it.

The wedding was spectacular with yummilicious banquets. Uncle Bon was dashing and Aunty Amy was like a princess come to life from a fairy tale book. What a great couple. Oh and did we mention that the wedding was held in Taipei 101?! Perfect 10!

One fact we learnt was that Taiwanese people and lifestyle were heavily influenced by the Japanese trends and fad. Japanese is a common language that the younger generation of Taiwanese can speak. We stumbled on a massive outdoor Nippon fair and were surprised that the stage performance and MC were in 100% Japanese and with a big crowd of locals!  Taxis were plentiful and very affordable too. We wanted to try the busses and MRT but were advised that cabs are the best way to go with us travelling in pax of 4 and a baby stroller. Seat belts at the rear were not compulsory in Taiwan so the boys had a few adventurous rides there. Not to mention the ’wrong side’ drive. Taipei Zoo was a great experience too, we got to see Panda for the first time!

We brought Jared and Jayden to their first bar the night before the wedding and it was surprisingly pleasant. The trip to the venue was rather hilarious as the cabby had some difficulty deciphering the non-chinese address and name we had on the bar. Mummy had a great laugh. We found the place without much trouble and not long upon arrival we got a kind reminder from the bar manager on how the bar will get rather child-unfriendly after midnight. We got the hint but we never intended to stay beyond 11pm.  Uncle Bon booked a nice portion of the bar which is smoke free and rather civilised. The kids enjoyed themselves and so did the adults.

We get to catch up with Uncle Eric and also Aunty Marji and hubby (Uncle Billy) while we were in Taipei. Uncle Eric took us around Mount Yangmin and also National Palace Museum while Aunt Marjorie and Uncle Billy bought us all a yummy Taiwanese dinner! It was really nice catching up with them all. We love Taiwan!

Being back from Taiwan, we made another trip into Malaysia for a few more days of quality time with Popo and Gong-gong. The boys love spending time with Ah Q, Q Meh and Baby Kieran. We got to eat lots of yummy food, bak kuah, and also get early Chrissy presents from everyone!  It was a wonderful and fruitful summer holiday for us all in 2009!