Surviving a Disastrous Holiday

We thought we have been through a few rough patches with the boys and we would have the right experience to help us tide through rough occasion. However, the recent trip up to Genting Highlands threw us into the unknown and unexpected part once again. There were many first in this trips, while some turned out to be bad, others were actually more to our benefit (unexpectedly).


1. Coach

The coach turned up earlier than expected and we barely made it in time for boarding on the way there. When we checked in, we were given the lower deck while my parents were given seats on the upper deck. We couldn't swap so we settled what was given.

lower deck to ourselves

Though the air on the lower deck was a little musty in the beginning, it began to clear up after we cleared both customs. Being on the lower deck meant we had the whole place to ourselves. No worry about the boys making too much noise, disturbing others. It was also roomy.

On the return trip, there was a hiccup. I explained in a bit and we were give the back row. It was a small coach and there was no upper or lower deck. There was no photo to show but the 4 of us were at the last row which turned out to be good again. Because being far behind meant the boys would not disturb anyone. It was also more roomy for us and more space to put our barang barang (belongings).


Lesson #1 - Always plan for extra timing to leave the house and hotel room, regardless if the location for departure is near or far. Must always cater extra timing when travel with the young and old.


2. Travel Insurance

Never leave home without it, no matter how near or how far, how short or how long is the trip. It was a good thing I was conscious about having travel insurance although it was bought with Matthew in mind.

Jonathan suffered from altitude sickness and he kept throwing up that we had to call in the doctor because he was too weak to walk. He was fine when travelling up and was up and about, having lunch and enjoying some kiddy rides. After we checked in to our hotel room, he threw up. I threw a big fit because I saw his face changed and he didn't run to the toilet when he knew he is going to throw up. The father cleaned him up while the grandfather scurried away to bring the rest of the kampong over.

After cleaning him up, the boy started his vomiting frenzy, non-stop for an hour. By then, he had dirtied both twin beds, puked a bin full and dirtied 2 sets of his clothing. This was also when I got calmer and instructed the man to call the hotel concierge to get the doctor in. I dared to make this move because I knew we would be covered by insurance.

The doctor took half an hour to arrive. By then, the whole kampong has gathered at our room. The helper was holding up the poor boy while the grandmother was mediating a mad mother and a worried father. The ah gong took refuge at a corner while the youngest decided to stay away by watching the TV.

important piece of paper

Lesson #2 - Travel insurance. Can't do without it especially when you travel with the young and old. The short visit from the doctor, a suppository to stop the vomiting, a syrup (anti-vomit) for us when we depart later on caused us RM 315. The husband followed the doctor back to clinic to get the receipt. He then told us that good thing we called the doctor in because the clinic was crowded too. 


3. Hotel Room

Stay in comfort. We used to scrimp on hotel room because we would be out the whole day. Not much point to get a nicer and better hotel. It is a different story when we have kids. The hotel concierge at Resort Hotel was pretty cool and professional. We had to get them change both bedsheets almost immediately after we checked into our room. They got someone to escort the doctor up and waited till we were all settled and okay before leaving. They added a 3rd bed for us promptly and sent us fresh towels and bins after the vomit episode. They extended our check out time without additional charge.

Lesson #3 - Spend a little more on hotel is okay. After all, when on holiday, you just want to relax and not worry about the nitty gritty stuff. Especially with kids, you have no time and mood to think about fresh linens and towels. Good hospitality from hotel makes a great deal of difference. 


4.  Entertainment for the kids


Family vacation is mainly catered for the children. They must first be occupied before the adults can take a breather. At the eleventh hour before leaving house, I decided to pack some drawing papers and colour pens. It was a good move. The kids doodled away while the adults packed and unpacked.

inhouse entertainment

I also brought along story books and allowed them to choose 1-3 pieces of small toys to bring along. These were enough to occupy them when we were in the room, getting ready to go out.

There must be also interesting places for the kids to burn their energy. While the outdoor theme park is still under construction, the boys took delight in the kiddy rides and arcade games.

July 2015 (Then)

June 2016 (Now)

no prize in guessing right

When the games and rides are all done, try the weighing and height measurement machines. Although not calibrated it drew a crowd (don't ask me why) while the boys were getting their statistics done. We also had our cable car ride down to the mid-valley to tour tourist attraction.

cable car ride

The initial plan was to catch a cab and hop over to strawberry park to pluck strawberries. Aha, turned out that strawberries were not in the right season. The cab drivers were kind. They offered to send us to chocolate gallery which we bought 2 boxes of handmade pralines before hopping over to butterfly and insect world.

water curtain to entrance of insect world

someone is not in the camera mood

difficult to get a nice family shoot

The insect world was a little picturesque shop in the middle of nowhere. It had those artificial grass patches with glass cabinets of reptiles, small animals while introducing the life cycle of a honey bee. At one corner, you lift up the heavy curtains and stepped into a small garden (sort of like a secret garden) to play with the butterflies.

terrifying reptile

the hungry caterpillar morphing

into a big butterfly

At the other corner, you entered the dark hideout of the insects.

Giant Ladybug

butterfly workshop

life cycle of a bug

The whole place wasn't big but it was just right for us to spend some time before going back for our buffet lunch. The courtyard was better with water feature and wooden seats for resting. Plus the cooling weather made it a nice escape from the concrete jungle.

courtyard

tell me why

The cab fare to and fro only caused us RM20. It was a good deal because the drivers waited for us while we went around the places.

Lesson #4 - Venture out to get better fresh air and experience some nature. Get the price quotes from cab drivers and negotiate for the wait to make the trip transition smooth. Cater for extra time to head back to cable car station and ride back.


5. Communication

For some reason, my father's handphone couldn't work in Malaysia, plus he didn't want to follow us so we had difficulties in arranging meal time with him. There was a major miscommunication on the departure day and we almost missed the coach.

mis-com is a major culprit for trip upset

I didn't want to tug our luggages around like what my father suggested. Do early check out, lug the luggages along for brunch and then head down to mushroom farm for our coach back. So he went ahead and checked out himself and ventured around. There was a major miscommunication because my mum told him to wait for us at the main hotel lobby at 12pm to head down together. He heard as wait at mushroom farm at 12pm. So can you imagine, we couldn't contact him and he couldn't call us?

At 12.10pm, I suggested we proceed to mushroom farm and perhaps he was waiting for us over there. At 12.20pm, while we were in the shuttle bus down, I received a call from the coach counter, informing us that my father was waiting for us. It was a call of relief and it was by stroke of divine's act that I held on to my phone. Usually I just put my phone on silent mode and deep inside my bag. More often than not, I usually get missed calls.

The bickering between the 2 elder folks continued and the husband intervened and got them to back off. The check -in for coach was 12.30pm and the bus was supposed to depart at 1pm. We boarded at 12.34pm and though were the last fews to board, we were still on time by schedule.

Lesson #5 - Always make sure the phone can work and battery fully charged. Spending a few more dollars to bring back happier memories is still worthwhile.