Airports Worlds Apart: KLIA - V- LCCT

It was my first time to Malaysia.

On landing at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) I was overwhelmed. Not only by the responsibility of  traveling alone with the children for the first time but also as I had to navigate a foreign airport in search of a helpdesk to book an onward flight to Bangkok for our friend Nai. 

This challenge was met by little customer service, and a very overpriced Malaysian Airlines ticket.

After that we caught a bullet train to the baggage collection terminal. This train is contained within the shopping area of the airport and has trains leaving every 2.5 minutes.

The KLIA is a slick and shiny state of the art structure, full of designer shops and high end stores. After we collected our bags and said our goodbyes to Nai, it was time to make our way to our Hotel.

I thought it best to feed the children at the airport not knowing what was available at or nearby the hotel. We had a quick bite to eat then made our way to the exit doors of the airport, assuming taxis would be available outside. I was wrong. I needed to go back inside, a 500 meter walk to a taxi ticketing counter and purchase a taxi ticket. There I told them which hotel we needed transport too and they informed me of the price, which I paid to them and not the driver. I was then directed (and by that  I mean a wave of her arm) to the exit.

I walked back to the exit door. And stood in line, once I reached the front I was told I was in the wrong line, that I needed to go to exit 3 instead. Ok then, off we go, another 200 meters away I line up again. This time we reach a taxi who drives us to our hotel to await the arrival of Joel and Georgia.

I had done it. I had jumped thru all the hoops at KLIA and successfully traveled solo with 3 toddlers into a foreign country.

The following day we all traveled to the Low Cost Carrier Terminal (LCCT) for our onward flight to Vietnam. This terminal is for Air Asia flights and given that Kuala Lumpur is the hub for Air Asia this terminal is enormous. Basic and busy but utterly enormous. Think super large warehouse or shed like structure.

In strike contrast from KLIA. Apart from a few food outlets and a couple of basic shops there is nothing on offer at LCCT. The checking in area was much like a cattle yard, after checking in we walked to the lounge area and waited for our flight to board. The lounge was basic and very very crowded.

You really would think you were in two different countries when you compare these two airports which are only 20 minutes apart in reality.

World Vision Sponsor Child Visit

Joel and I have had the pleasure in sponsoring a wonderful boy from vietnam since 2003. We not only pledge the small amount of $50 per month to his village but we had the chance to visit with him and his family back in 2005. This was an absolutely amazing experience and we had been waiting for the children to get a little older so we could take them there to meet Hon.

Our children have grown with pictures of Hon in our home, writing to him and sending him small gifts at Christmas and birthdays. So not only were we keen to have our children finally meet Hon but we wanted to show them the conditions some children live in and impart on them how lucky they are to live in Australia and to appreciate all they have.

So from our hotel in Hoi An we were met by a world vision representative, in fact this man was the book keeper for world vision  project area in which Hon and his family lived. We traveled the one and a half hours from Da Nang to the remote province.

On our arrival Joel and I were shocked yet glad to see the development the province had made since our last visit. We met with some community leaders who greeted us before taking us to see Hon. WOW - this little boy had grown into a handsome young man.

We spoke with Hon and his father as best we could via an interpreter. Hon was encouraged to speak to us in English which he did a little but he was not confident and a little embarrassed to do so. He was such a sweet boy. He held Phoenix and Hamish and gave them cuddles. Morgan was a little reserved as usual and stayed with Mum and watched on.

Hamish was thrilled to be able to give to Hon and his teacher all the drawings and pictures that his prep class had drawn as gifts. Hon looked and spoke with Hamish about these pictures for a while. It was gorgeous to watch, Hamish had a huge smile on his face the entire time.

Georgia was super keen to play some soccer with Hon. We had bought with us some sports equipment for the local community to use. Several soccer balls, footballs and tennis racquets and balls. Soon we all went out to the front grassed area and the kids had an awesome time kicking the ball around with Hon. It was great that Georgia was able to get the chance to do this with Hon, as we had talked so often about what that would be like. She was in her element.

We spoke some more with Hon and was glad to hear that it is his wish to study at university to gain as much qualification he can to enable him to get a good job to support himself and his family. This young man was so thankful to us for our sponsorship and on going support to him. We agreed to stay in contact even after the World Vision work is complete in his province in 18 months time. We arranged for the intrepreter who works for World Vision to pass to Hon any direct emails we send him and he will return Hon's replies to us.

Our visit was far too short but very valuable indeed. I believe the children came away with all the things we had hoped they would. We not only have the memories of this visit but some awesome photographs as well.

After our visit with Hon we were able to see some of the other great projects that World Vision had implemented since we were there last. We visited a daycare that was built and is funded by World Vision. This centre allows parents to work in the field or farms without the need for taking their babies or small children along with them. They are able to be more productive and the children are safer. While here the children learn nursery rhythms and learn through play. Our children gave some gifts to the daycare and loved listening to the village children sing for us. Phoenix (our social butterfly) made himself at home and was the star attraction.

Our Hoi An Hospital Experience

Hamish had been complaining of an ear ache for a few days. A common complaint by children who swim in the not so clean waters of Bali.

We had hoped that if he refrained from swimming that it would pass quickly. Unfortunately this was not the case. As we arrived at Hoi An, Vietnam he was in alot of pain and we noticed some redness and swelling to the back of his ear. We had recently met a little boy who had a severe ear infection from bali waters so we were keen to get on top of this condition before it got too bad.

I asked the receptionist at our resort if there was a medical centre nearby. She asked what was wrong and I told here. She then made two phone calls. One to the local hospital and one to a taxi. She confirmed that Dr. Quang was on duty and that he was excellent with children. So flying blind and not knowing where we were going, we headed off in a taxi for the short ride to the Pacific Hospital.

On arrival, it was like stepping into a 1950's hospital or at least how I imagine they looked back then based on the movies of that time. The place was antiquated, yet clean and functional. The nurses worn blue uniforms with a white apron and white triangular hat. Maybe this is why it felt so 1950's. I had to hide my giggles when I approached the head nurse.

She was expecting us and asked if we were from the Vinh Hung Riverside Resort and I confirmed. She then gave me some paperwork to complete and walked off. A few minutes later, a neatly dressed, well spoken doctor appeared. He introduced himself and read through my paperwork. Soon he showed us to an examination room. I was surprised to see the equipment he was ready to use. Not only did he use the standard, ear light and magnification device that we are accustom to but he then used a microscopic camera to look inside the eardrum with the image appearing on a nearby computer screen.

Dr Quang took great care in explaining the condition and was very detailed in his treatment plan. He then asked the nurse to fetch the medication for us. He explained what I was to do for the next 5 days and then showed us to the cashier. $65 USD for consultation and medication.

We were in and out in about 10 mins.

Overall I was very impressed with the level of care we received. The treatment took affect within 2 days and Hamish was back to his happy healthy self.

If vietnam is a third world country, their medical system and level of care certainly is not.

A day out with a French photographer in Hoi An

When I was in Hoi An, Vietnam, I booked a photo tour with French Photographer Etienne Bossot. He is a local photographer living in Hoi An and has great knowledge of Hoi An. His connection with the local community made it a great morning. His tour catered for all levels of photographers and was delivered in a relaxed nature. Hopefully I will meet up with Etienne in Laos later in the year! If you are heading to Hoi An I strongly recommend taking this tour. www.hoianphototour.com

This is a photo of Etienne chatting with local. This man runs an ice making business which he allowed us to go and look at.

The Craftsman - he makes all the cane products for the village. His hands were like stone.

Fishing lady was happy to pose for a few minutes before getting back to work

These bamboo boats are all made by the man in the first image.

There was a lot of activity around the fishing wharfs. However there was a break in the kaos and I caught this lady riding towards me. 

The Craftsman - His face and ands well worn.

I got low in the water for this shot and was able to freeze the water being splashed. 

Sea snake

Woman shovelling freshly crushed ice into buckets of fish which are loaded directly onto a waiting truck

Village kids resting in their backyard. Fishing village life...

Things settling down.

We know we made a big decision to travel with our small children. Most people were worried for one reason or another and then there were the travel minded people who understood why we wanted to do this so very much.

We received wonderful advice from family, friends and some very special traveling families before we left. Many had warned the there would be a period of adjustment, a period of settling in and it may feel like the worst decision we had ever made. I thought I was prepared for that, I thought I knew it was not going to be a walk in the park etc..... But

It still knocked us both for a six. The reality was harder than I first imagined. Even with the kids flying well, eating and sleeping well it was hard. I feel blessed that those things were on track at least.

What we have struggled with is confined spaces. We are always conscious of how noisy our boys can be, they are active and lively. That is not so great at 6am in a small hotel room with paper thin walls. We have struggled with no adult alone time. Sharing one big room has been a challenge at times and we often wake with all of us in one bed.

Things I have learnt in our first month on the road are;

My children seem to love travel as much as their parents.
My children are good at adapting to new places, have proven to be able to sleep anywhere.
My children are willing to try new foods. They are keen to order what they see for sale at the local markets. This really surprised me.
My children are kind and accepting of others differences.

I have more strength and patience than I thought.
It is ok to ask for help.
I will be able to enjoy life again. I will.

So after some bumping days and a few tears, I think our second month will start to see us settling into this family travel lifestyle a bit more.

Ubud - A place to recover

We fell in love with Ubud.

We visited briefly in November last year without the kids and had a great relaxing break. So once we said goodbye to our friends in Legian it seemed the natural place to head for our last 4 nights in Bali.

We stayed our first night a the Jati 3 bungalows and although they were lovely and very well located on Monkey Forest Road, we required something with a little more space for the kids to roam and play.

I jumped on trusty tripadvisor.com and searched for a vacation rental in ubud and a number of good value villa's came up. I soon learned that the majority of these villas were managed by Private Ubud Villas http://privateubudvillas.com. A lovely australian gentleman, Steven Castley answered my request and the following day we moved to the beautiful Villa Palm Merah.

These 2 bedroom pool villas are luxury plus. The attention to detail that Steven has taken with these villas is second to none. The living space, dining and kitchen is all open aired which gives such a glorious feeling of freedom. We were super surprised how there seemed so few mosquitos in this environment. Much fewer than we experienced in Legian which seemed strange.

We could have easily stayed put here for a couple of weeks if not months. The villa was perfect, the service which included a bellboy to clean the villa, service the pool and make breakfast for us all was great and Steve popped in a few times to make sure all was satsifactory.

The area is full of yoga classes, meditation, alternative therapies and gorgeous fresh organic foods.

The only spoiler was that our friend Nai decided to head back to her family in Thailand. We had hoped that she would continue with us on our travels to help with the children and give Joel and I a chance to have some R & R from time to time. Oh well, all things happen for a reason.

We definately will be back to Ubud in the near future. I can totally understand why it featured in the Eat, Love and Pray story. It would be a perfect place to recover.

Good Deed For The Day

It was our second day in Ubud and we decided to try hiring a scooter to show the boys a few sights while the baby slept in the care of Nai.  In previous trips to Asia it was always one of the first things Joel would do was to source a scooter for the duration of our stay as we had the freedom to explore the area on our own terms. We both loved the feeling that driving through the busy streets  or the greenery of Asia gave us, a true sensory overload. The boys were super excited about riding on the back of a scooter. So you can imagine Hamish’s joy when he learned he would in fact be heading up the family scooter, standing on the foot plate in between Joel’s arms.

As Joel navigated out of the sleepyness of Penestanan where our pool villa was located, Morgan sat bright eyed and full of smiles as he sat in between Joel and I.  At one stage he put his arms out as if he was flying. So I guess he was enjoying the freedom of the scooter as well.

We drove around the Monkey Forest area a few times, giving the boys a look at the monkeys that managed to escape the grounds and were waiting for unexpecting tourist to steal food from or pose for photographs. My money was on the former due to an unfortunate incident I had with these monkeys some 15 years earlier. So I personally was glad when the boys were happy to watch the monkeys from the safety of the idling scooter.

After that we head up and down some side street, taking in the scenery of Ubud and enjoying the warm weather. We came across some pretty rice fields and saw a photo opportunity. Joel asked a man passing by, an American tourist I believe, if he would mind taking a photo of us sitting on the scooter in front of this beautiful backdrop of bright green. The man kindly agreed.

While Joel got his camera set. I asked the man how he was enjoying Ubud.  He said, “Just fine, until I went and got myself lost.” He went on to explain how he had arrived the night before after dark and was ill prepared when leaving the hotel to go for a quick morning walk. He did not know the name of the hotel nor the street it was located.

So after a quick photo, we offered to help him find his hotel. While the boys and I found a nearby café, Joel and the American tourist rode off in search of a five or six story tall building, located somewhere in the Ubud centre !

I had only planned on getting myself and the boys a cold drink while we waited, but that drink then turned into lunch, which then turned into I think we have overstayed of welcome here.  About one and half hours later Joel returned to the Café. But the American tourist was still a passenger, they had had no luck.

So I headed off in a taxi with the boys back to the pool villa while Joel headed to the nearest tourist office to see if they could help.

Over lunch and during the taxi ride home the boys had lots of questions about what daddy was doing and why. It was the perfect opportunity to explain to them about helping others and taking time to give back in even the smallest ways when and if you are able.

So while the boys had yet another swim in our villa, Joel continued to drive the American tourist around before asking a travel information centre if they had a list of hotels in the area, to see if any of the names rang a bell with the gentleman. When one did, the travel agent kindly called the hotel to confirm that the gentleman was in fact a registered guest there and he was.

So with address and directions in hand, Joel scootered his way to the American’s villa back to his waiting wife who had become a tad concerned about the whereabouts of her husband.

Both the gentleman and his wife were very grateful for the assistance that Joel gave to them.  His good deed for the day was done.