Kuching Trip- Day 3

There wasn't time to do much on our last day in Kuching. After breakfast, we decided to go in search of the famous cat statues. For some strange reason, we had not seen any yet!

We only had time to see one; since we didn't know where the others were, and we had a flight to catch. One is better than none, I suppose... Heh.

The only cat statue we managed to see

Hornbills in the hotel lobby

Checking out was quick and smooth, and soon we were on our way to the airport. The little one was so tired he fell asleep in the stroller while we browsed the shops at the airport.

Watching a plane getting a 'shower'

This time he stayed awake throughout the flight, and he coped well with the take-off and the landing. Thank God. I was so afraid he would have motion sickness or have a meltdown and refuse to stay in his seat.

Overall, it was quite a good trip. We did not get to do much, but I really enjoyed the time we spent with our little boy. I think he enjoyed having the both of us all to himself as well (just like the old days before his sister came along).

For me, the trip gave me some much-needed exclusive time with my son, and I am very grateful for that time of bonding. He seems to be closer to me after our Kuching trip; and for that, I thank You, Lord.

Kuching Trip- Day 2

We started the day with a buffet breakfast at the hotel. We fed him whatever we could- yogurt (one of his favourite foods), a little bit of noodles, crackers, etc. Not much, really.

We then made our way to the Sarawak Museum. I was quite excited about that (I have this thing for museums). Heh.

Unfortunately, we found the museum poorly maintained- the exhibits were dusty and falling apart, and the display cases were really dark (poor lighting), which just made everything rather depressing. A shame, really, considering Sarawak has such a rich cultural heritage and such wonderful flora and fauna. Even the windows and blinds had thick layers of dust, so it was really quite gross. Is this how we showcase our country to tourists? Oh dear.

One of the more interesting exhibits

We ended up just visiting the old wing, as the new wing was across the road and we had to use an overhead bridge to get there. No mean feat, considering we had a stroller with us, so we decided to give it a miss. We were quite tired, in any case. Chasing a toddler around a dusty museum can be quite exhausting! :p

We then went in search of some Sarawak Laksa (the only 'local' fare we had during our trip- so sad, I know), and found the famous one at the Lau Ya Keng foodcourt (at least I hope we got the right place- the signboard wasn't in English so we couldn't tell for sure). But the directions did say it was opposite a chinese temple, with a famous pisang goreng stall in front, so I guess we did eat at the right place! Haha.

The laksa was really yummy- it was sourish and peppery; interesting. The pisang goreng was delicious as well; it literally melts in your mouth! Mmmm. Just thinking about it makes me hungry.

We picked up some souvenirs along the Main Bazaar, and walked all the way back to our hotel again. We hung out at a really small shopping centre for a while (while the little boy napped in his stroller), had lunch after that, and made our way back to the hotel. Needless to say, we were soooo tired.

We got some rest in the afternoon, and at night we went for our friend's wedding dinner. I was quite impressed to see that people in Kuching actually came on time for the dinner; perhaps being late for wedding dinners is a KL thing? :p

The dinner flew by in a blur for us; I didn't get to chat that much with my ex-colleagues, since the little one was tired and cranky, and even made a scene during one of the speeches. Fortunately we were seated at the back, near the door, which made going in and out of the ballroom a whole lot easier. Gosh, we didn't even the chance to take a photo (using our own camera) with the bride and groom! So sad.

Phew- what a tiring day!

Kuching Trip- Day 1

We started the day really really early, getting No.2 ready for the few days with her grandparents, and No.1 ready for the busy morning ahead. We caught the KLIA express to the airport, and being No.1's first time on a train, he was really excited! He behaved really well, looking out the window and chatting loads. We even managed to see a rainbow! It was all very exciting for him. He ate his breakfast on the train as well so that was good.

Check-in at the airport went smoothly, and we spent some time wandering around the shops. He was rather fascinated by the big Toblerone ferris wheel, and spent quite a bit of time playing with the M&M's candy fans. After all that excitement, he got tired and cranky, and started acting up. He had a meltdown, wanting his daddy to carry him; and when we would not give in, he screamed the place down, sitting on the floor and clinging on to his daddy's leg. Yikes. Thank God he calmed down after a while, and we managed to make our way to the boarding gate.

The little guy managed to stay awake until we boarded the plane; he was so exhausted that he fell asleep while the plane was taxiing on the runway. He slept for most of the journey, and woke up only when there was about half an hour of flying time left. He did get the chance to look out the window and got all excited at the sight of white, fluffy clouds. Heh.

Travelling to our hotel by taxi was also fun for him; he was talking non-stop about anything and everything! So cute.

Our room at Pullman Kuching was nice and spacious, with a great view to boot.

The luxurious bathroom

We had a quick lunch at the small shopping mall connected to the hotel, and then took a much-needed nap. All of us were soooo tired!

Later, we took an evening walk down the Kuching Waterfront, which was rather interesting. However, our hot and humid weather does make going outdoors quite uncomfortable after a while.

We ended up having dinner at The Junk, which serves western fare. It was quite hard to find, and we were about to give up and go back to the hotel to dine, when we suddenly caught sight of the restaurant. We had lamb shank, fish and chips, and our little guy had some bread with asparagus soup, as well as some chips. He's not very adventurous with food, so it was quite tough trying to figure out what to feed him.

We walked back (uphill) to the hotel after dinner; and realised that we must have walked something like a few km with the stroller that evening! Luckily our little boy behaved himself and stayed in his stroller- I can't imagine carrying him all that distance! Yikes.

I had to pump and dump during our Kuching trip, but I managed to sneak some into the little guy's milk feed at night, so not all of it had to go to waste. He didn't notice it though, so that was good. Was half-afraid he might reject the whole bottle on account of it tasting different. :p

Coffee, tea or juice?

We made a trip to Kuching last month, and we brought No.1 along. It was his first time taking a flight, so it was very exciting for all of us. We tried to prepare him for the flight by telling him what to expect, and one of the things we had the most fun with was this:

Us (pretending to be the air stewardess): Hi boy, do you want coffee, tea or juice?
No.1: Juice please!
Us: Apple juice or orange juice?

And then he would reply stating his preferred juice (for that moment). Hilarious!

We also told him that he had to stay in his seat with the seatbelt on, be a good boy, etc etc. I also went online to do some research on flying with toddlers, which really helped.

Being new at flying with a toddler, it was rather manic for all of us. We planned and re-planned our travelling schedule, packed loads of stuff (in case of an emergency), and tried our best to get him involved in the whole process.

Needless to say, he was really excited and looking forward to the big day! More about that in the next post! :)