We're going places (Part 6) - More pics and story of Bukittinggi!

That's the view from Novotel hotel (now it is called The Hill) in Bukittinggi. It was a bit misty. Anyway, that's field site I saw from the hotel room. Better view can be seen at the town in Panorama, where the "ngarai" or canyon is magnificently exposed.

Closer view near a village there.

At the shore of Lake Maninjau.

We finished sampling at around Bukittinggi and Maninjau and have some time to spend and decided to see Lembah Arau.

I was just amazed looking at a huge outcrop of horizontal to subhorizontally-bedded sandstone and conglomerate. In many places, water flows from the top or in between bedding and crack to form waterfalls.

They are just pure and natural. Geological monument on their own.

Girls chasing a butterfly

Bea3 with a 'keropok' (can't remember the exact name for that).

The girls' first sugar-cane experience. I love Bea3's chubby hands!

On the last day in Bukittinggi, while Adel Rayyan and me doing the check-out, the girls having some laughs at the hotel playground. They also have an indoor playroom, a truly child-friendly hotel. I didn't expect this.

A bit on the hotel rooms, this is a family junior suite in Ambacang in Padang. It cost slightly over RM200.

And this is Novotel Deluxe room, costs about RM270. It translates to it is more to see in Bukittinggi, and it is cooler there of course.

The famous Jam Gadang that we only passed by, this is not a holiday, but a geological fieldtrip.

The 'kluk klak' that got the kids fascinated...and the mother, too!

Phew! It took me a few log-in time to finish this entry. And please don't blame me if you see more pics of the kids than of the place, they are just adorable.

Beach fun

A few weeks ago, hubby went to Macau for 5-day business trip, leaving me alone with the kids. He arrived home at 3 am but didn't go to bed right away. I woke up the next morning to a squeaky clean bathroom. That's his way to compensate his time away from us, maybe that does not affect the kids much but enough to put an ear-to-ear grin on my face.

Last weekend, he got back from a two-week trip (I can't believe how I managed without him), but he planned for some fun,upon his return, with us way before the trip. It was supposed to be his company family day at Port Dickson and we all anticipated some fun at the beach. But he called me up on Friday afternoon informing that they had cancelled it. Not to get the kids to be dissapointed he asked me to book a room right away.

Finding a room with our budget at that time was hard, but I drove with the kids to KLIA to fetch him and went straight to PD without a confirmed booking.

Anyway, we settled for something higher than what we budgeted but it was great. Checked in at 9.30 pm, not hard to get the kids to be in bed as they just could wait to hit the beach.

Be prepared for lots of pics!

Yup, it's the Guoman

In a glimpse, anyone can tell they are having fun....(hey! didn't I tell them that the cups and plates are for eating only!)

and the baby, too!

Look! I'm MERMAID

Dozing off in the tranquility of the beach is a bliss to the baby

Having papa around and being half-buried in the sand is a bliss to Bea3

Strolling on the beach with papa is a bliss to Bea1 and Bea2

Having everyone near is a bliss to me!

We spent 3 hours at the beach, we just got the right shaded spot and it was near the shower. It was almost perfect even though I expected a sand castle to be created, instead of a mermaid and an octopus! And hubby did complain that the beach was no longer as nice as many years ago.

Adel Rayyan had sands all over, but they didn't mind him at all!

Spent some time at the pool, had lunch in the room and checked out at 3 pm. Such a satisfying outing, think we should do this more often.

Look! What's new in blogosphere

I'm pretty sure those who own and read blogs are aware that more people are into blogs these days. I'm talking about the politicians, as I read in that one section in the Star where they have interviews with the new MPs. All that I read around 5, maybe is either just started, or about to start or considering to start a blog.

And just now, I got to now that even chedet himself has a blog.

So now am I excited? Despite several times that I thought of clicking the delete button, my heart was just so stubborn to tell me to stay. And despite that I'm still struggling to get a feed link to my blog, I just went ahead and started a new one already.

And nope, politic is just something that I read, digest and comment if I need to but not write. I only write about my passion (read freakiness).Inspired by the word written by my eldest girl on almost all the furnitures and the walls, in her way to make the apartment into an ikea showhouse, I thought I just need to blog it. And of course I'm not paid for that.

To all Ikea fans and freaks, alike welcome to ikealiving. If you are not an Ikean, don't bother. But if you insist, be prepared with a puke bucket. You've been warned;).