7.5.12 - Assembling water hose reel

I bought a water hose with reel at Tesco and S was keen to assemble it. He could follow the visual instructions on the box. So, I left him at it, until he got stuck halfway and needed help to complete it. I too got confused at one point as the picture in the instructions was not clear.

1.5.12 - Selangor state level Wesak celebration

We brought our boys to the Selangor state level Wesak celebration, which was held at Auditorium, Dewan Jubli Perak, SUK Shah Alam. 

All attendees were provided with packed vegetarian dinner  before the event, thanks to the sponsors. 

After that, those who had taken their meals went to queue up at the entrance to the auditorium.  It was really packed as the doors weren't opened for the next 50 minutes. I wondered why they didn't let people in, until the last minute. It was uncomfortable and stuffy for the people who were waiting there. A large portion of the attendees were senior citizens, and they were standing or sitting on the floor, waiting for the doors to open. 

Fortunately, I brought sketch books for my boys and they started drawing there oblivious to the crowd standing around them. 

To our relief, finally we were allowed in. We received a goodie bag with some buns, a bottle of water, a Wesak flag and the event booklet. 

The audience were given a battery operated lotus candle, which could change colours. We were directed which way to hold it and practiced a few times for the "opening" ceremony. 

Colourful colour-changing lotuses

The event was officiated by Y.A.B. Tan Sri Dato' Seri Abd Khalid bin Ibrahim, the Chief Minister of Selangor. After that, it was followed by speeches and presentation.  

1.5.12 - KLCC Park

We went to Homedec 2012 at KLCC. I just realised that there is practically a home expo in KL every month. We parked at the car park near the mosque, so we walked through the park and the boys got to play at the playground there.

This park is very clean and well maintained. 

26.4.12 - Lego creations

Lego creations by S.

Cherating - Day 3

On our third day here, after breakfast, we went to the beach. Some friends who had woken up early to watch the sunrise were greeted by the sight of a large nesting turtle. Having woken up late, we missed the opportunity to see that.

Having a toast

A beautiful lotus flower at Ruby's

In the morning, the winds and waves were less strong. We went to the beach for a final time. E didn't want to go into the water and preferred to make a "house for ants" from sand. 

Cherating - Day 2

After leaving the turtle sanctuary, we walked behind the place, trying to find out what that interesting looking wooden house nearby was. We soon found ourselves at the entrance to the famed Club Med in Cherating. 

The boys picked up flowers that had fallen to the ground. 

We just hung around at the beach there, as the security guard didn't allow outsiders to enter Club Med. 

We found several crab holes at the beach.

We returned to the resort and the children played with this bubble balloon. It's from a tube of transparent "paste" that must be squeezed out and put on a tiny straw and blown up into a bubble. I haven't seen this around in more than 30 years.I thought it had been banned.

In the evening, we drove to the next state, Kemaman in Terengganu and had dinner there. We bought a bunch of bananas, but it was expensive compared to the price in KL. 

The sky was filled with angry, dark clouds when we were driving back and started pouring just as we arrived back at the resort.

After the rain, it was cooling and the pesky flies were gone. My boys played with their friends, and all the boys were bonded over iPad games. 

29.4.12 - Cherating Turtle Sanctuary

After lunch on the second day, we went to Cherating Turtle Sanctuary. It was still scorching hot in the afternoon. We saw a number of tourist buses and vans parked at the car park. There were many tourists (some from other countries) visiting the turtle sanctuary.   

The place belonged to the Pahang Fisheries Department. 

Visiting hours

The building that housed the Cherating Turtle Sanctuary

This is a dugong

When we went inside, the indoor exhibition area was small and stuffy. I didn't check if there was any air-conditioner there. If there was, it didn't seem to be working.  We quickly exited the place.     

When we went to the pool area to have a breath of fresh air but were sorely disappointed to see the pool water so filthy. It was depressing and I felt embarrassed to be a Malaysian. Is this what we are showcasing to our visitors? Furthermore, there were many tourists there, and some were foreigners.     

The poor turtles are living in dirty water.

This is a real turtle that has been stuffed

We had to remove our footwear before we entered the turtle sanctuary building, and when we visited the pool area outdoors, we were barefooted. I was disgusted to find dog poop on the ground nearby this turtle exhibition area outdoors, where we had to walk barefooted. The people in charge didn't seem to be cleaning this place. Maybe it was a Sunday and they weren't working. What a great impression we (Malaysians) gave to our foreign tourists. We had been to 2 other turtle sanctuaries before - Segari turtle sanctuary in Lumut, Perak and another in Pangkalan Balak, Melaka, but this was the most disappointing of all. This was the one with the most tourists but not upkept at all. It's a shame that we had so many opportunities for eco-tourism but didn't know how to take advantage of it.

Turtle hatchery by the beach

28.4.12 - Trip to Cherating - Day 1

We joined in a 3D/2N trip to Cherating, Pahang with a large group of friends and their children. The drive to Cherating was about 3.5 hours, but it felt much longer than that. Perhaps it was because there wasn't much things to see when we were on the highway. We stayed at Ruby's Resort, which was more like a motel, actually. It is a basic accommodation without any swimming pool.

The road to the venue

We stayed at one of the smaller rooms on the right, called Bamboo. It was very small, just slightly larger than the size of 2 single beds, and came with a toilet attached. It was scorching hot when we arrived and the heat was overpowering - one of those rare days (perhaps made more intense by being near the sea), so the only thing hubby and myself wanted was to hibernate in the air-conditioned room, never mind that it felt claustrophobic. The room was RM150 per night with surcharge on weekends.

The children played together

There was a nice treehouse at a shady tree next to the resort.

When it was cooler in the evening, we walked across to the beach.

The wind and the waves were quite strong in the evening. The boys played and jumped over the waves.

After his shower, E sat outdoors doing his drawing

Ruby's Resort is more like a sanctuary for animals, as the owner, Ruby, takes in stray dogs and cats. This is a suitable place if people want to have a vacation with their pets, as she has special rooms where the family can stay with their pets. 

Some of the animals there. There were dogs too. 

From our room, on the way to the meals area for dinner, we came across sleeping dogs and cats. Don't get me wrong, I love animals, and used to take care of several in my younger days. However, it was a little disconcerting to be eating so close to many stray dogs and cats roaming about the place. It also dampened my appetite to be eating at a dusty table with lizard droppings and a cat jumping on to the chairs and tables, trying to get at the food. I had to close an eye and think of more attractive things. Not advisable for people who are a stickler for cleanliness, who prefer a more hygienic area for their meals. 

The kids played together after dinner.