A different kind of holiday :)

Ever since we got married, the holiday has always been about ourselves - us going to some exotic location to relax and seek out some new adventure. From riding around in a scooter and swimming through a sea cave in Krabi, to kayaking round Perhentian, to driving a rented car through the narrow Bintan roads, Emily has always been a great sport and it has been nice having her by my side during all those moments :)

But this time round, no heroics for the both of us :) We have just come back from a 4D trip to Kuching with my brother, sister-in-law and their 2 kids. We were hosted by Meilan's (my sister-in-law) family, and they were great hosts from the moment we touched down till our send-off at the airport. Upon knowing that emily and myself were going, and that we loved the outdoors, our hosts went through much effort to plan an itinerary that suited us and they made every effort to make us feel very at home.

One of the places that they brought us to was Matang, where we had a fun day out by the river with Meilan's family. We even had a barbecue by the riverbank. It was really good family fun! The water was really cold, and it helped bring down the swelling in my knee area a bit:) I managed to swim a bit too, but mostly it was doggie paddle and making sure that the kids are alright:) Meilan's dad, whom Emily nicknamed "James" (as in James Bond), also showed how young at heart and garang he was despite his age, when he climbed a rock face and jumped into the river:) "James" was very nice to us, and while ferrying from place to place, he would share with us his life story and tell us about Malaysian politics and stuff. In fact, I think that he is a wise old man who loves his family a lot, kind of like my dad, though my dad is not the very expressive type:) "James" was also nice enough to let me drive his Pajero, which is the biggest vehicle I have driven this far!

My dear wife showing how garang she is :)
We also stayed one night at the Permai Rainforest resort where we slept in a cabin set in the middle of the forest. It was like camping in the forest, except that we had proper bathing facilities and the luxury of sleeping on beds. During the night, we played blackjack with my brother, Meilan, her brother "Kwang-ge", and his wife Angela. Both myself and Emily lost the most money, and I guess I probably made the biggest fool of myself!:)


And of course, the trip would not have been made complete if not for the wonderful food that we ate over the 4 days! Our hosts made sure that we were brought to all the nice food places for our meals. I have to say that I have not eaten so much noodles for such a long time! I tried Kuching's kolo mee, tomato kway teow, beef noodles and yong tow foo, and they taste really nicer than the noodles we have in Singapore!

I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Kuching. It was a good opportunity to bond with my nephews and my brother and Meilan. Most of the time, it is a hi-bye kind of affair during Sunday lunch for us. Honestly, this is the first time I have gone on a holiday with my brother. We are not very close; perhaps this is due to the 9 year age gap between us. He's a corporate go-getter, and is always under constant stress..... even I feel stressed talking to him!:) We did talk a little during the trip, it wasn't much.....but it was a good start!:)