13 Nov 2010
Head up to Abel Tasman NP today.
DL did his hang-gliding with Tasman Air Adventures.
GP and I were contemplating if we should do it too.
But the weather decided it for us.
The wind condition was too harsh that DL's ride was cut short and they had to cancel the rest of the hang-gliding rides for the day.
We stocked up on food at NW Motueka and had lunch at McDonald's.
Arrived at Old MacDonald Farm in the late afternoon and took camp spot #8.
Dinner : Chicken Porridge for the kids; Noodles with chicken and mushrooms for us.
Decided to check out the bath area. The tap was designed such that the water was either very very cold or very very hot. It was impossible to bath the kids under such condition. So I gave them a dry bath with wet wipes and powder.
We spent the night in the tent for a change and had some privacy as a family. DL made a lovely bed for our tent. :)
Sweet!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 02
12 Nov 2010
Rise & Shine at 10am.
I really had a good night's rest. A much needed rest indeed...
The kids slept well too. Rachel didnt need to wake up for a pee which is quite unusual.
The bed was also comfortable for our backs. Sturdy and comfy at the same time. I think the leather bed base helped.
We had bread and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.
The kids were very excited to check out the surroundings since they did not get to see much of it last night. The weather was great too. Blue skies with long white clouds.
We were running short of time as we needed to be at the Whale Watching Centre at 1pm and we only managed to leave at 1230pm. (We need to drive about 20mins to reach the centre). That leaves us with insufficient time for dumping so we decided to skip it till the next stop.
Sensing some hesitation from GM to take the helicopter as well as who's gonna sit with who.. (we need to split up as one heli can only take 3 adults; they are 4 of us! Kids get to go on the heli for free...), I suggested that DL will join 2 other strangers who had signed up for the ride and the 3 of us (GM, GP and me) will take the ride together with the kids. We finally got a consensus and it was good. We could move ahead with our schedule.
Indecision brings about nothing but a waste of time. Sometimes someone has to step up to make the decision and very often, I find myself in this role. :P
Our pilot of the day was Lee Armstrong. He gave a briefing before we set off to catch whales. (The other two strangers backed out from the ride and that left us, DL, GM, me and the kids on one heli. GP chose not to take the ride as he had enough of heli rides in his younger days while working in the States.)
We managed to catch two sperm whales. Saw one just before it did a backflip into the water and the other one taking its own sweet time at the surface refilling oxygen and probably fell asleep while doing so. We didnt have time to wait till it does a backflip into the water and had to head back to shore. It was a fruitful ride nonetheless.
Bought takeaway from a nearby cafe for our late lunch before we head north to Old MacDonald's Farm, Abel Tasman NP.
(Tarts/Quiche/Lasagna/Salad/Carrot Cake)
Make a quick stop at Ohau Stream where seal pups can be sighted but we didnt catch any. Winter would probably be a better season to sight them.
It was a long drive and we decided that we had to pull over at a public carpark to spend our night instead of pushing on to Old MacDonald's Farm. Had a late dinner at Relish Restaurant in Nelson.
Rise & Shine at 10am.
I really had a good night's rest. A much needed rest indeed...
The kids slept well too. Rachel didnt need to wake up for a pee which is quite unusual.
The bed was also comfortable for our backs. Sturdy and comfy at the same time. I think the leather bed base helped.
We had bread and hard boiled eggs for breakfast.
The kids were very excited to check out the surroundings since they did not get to see much of it last night. The weather was great too. Blue skies with long white clouds.
We were running short of time as we needed to be at the Whale Watching Centre at 1pm and we only managed to leave at 1230pm. (We need to drive about 20mins to reach the centre). That leaves us with insufficient time for dumping so we decided to skip it till the next stop.
Sensing some hesitation from GM to take the helicopter as well as who's gonna sit with who.. (we need to split up as one heli can only take 3 adults; they are 4 of us! Kids get to go on the heli for free...), I suggested that DL will join 2 other strangers who had signed up for the ride and the 3 of us (GM, GP and me) will take the ride together with the kids. We finally got a consensus and it was good. We could move ahead with our schedule.
Indecision brings about nothing but a waste of time. Sometimes someone has to step up to make the decision and very often, I find myself in this role. :P
Our pilot of the day was Lee Armstrong. He gave a briefing before we set off to catch whales. (The other two strangers backed out from the ride and that left us, DL, GM, me and the kids on one heli. GP chose not to take the ride as he had enough of heli rides in his younger days while working in the States.)
We managed to catch two sperm whales. Saw one just before it did a backflip into the water and the other one taking its own sweet time at the surface refilling oxygen and probably fell asleep while doing so. We didnt have time to wait till it does a backflip into the water and had to head back to shore. It was a fruitful ride nonetheless.
Bought takeaway from a nearby cafe for our late lunch before we head north to Old MacDonald's Farm, Abel Tasman NP.
(Tarts/Quiche/Lasagna/Salad/Carrot Cake)
Make a quick stop at Ohau Stream where seal pups can be sighted but we didnt catch any. Winter would probably be a better season to sight them.
It was a long drive and we decided that we had to pull over at a public carpark to spend our night instead of pushing on to Old MacDonald's Farm. Had a late dinner at Relish Restaurant in Nelson.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 01
11 Nov 2010
The plane landed smoothly at about 1145hrs at Christchurch International Airport.
As we were unsure if the stuff (milk powder, health supplements, instant cereal drink, coffee, biscuits, camping tent etc) we brought would clear the customs without declaring, we decided to go through the DECLARE lane so as not to risk the NZ$400 fine. The customs officer who checked our stuff turned out to be quite friendly and especially lovely toward Rachel. Our luggage went through the x-ray machines and we were good to go. No problem with the stuff.
DL decided to get a SIM card from the airport and it took him quite a while to decide which ones to get. Meanwhile the kids got active at a small arcade centre at the airport. They were no one there so they basically jumped onto a ride and then hopped onto another.. without paying any coins of course. :)
After DL got his SIM card, we quickly made our way to the pickup area where the Pacific Horizon (PH) representative was. She drove us to the PH office which was located within minutes drive from the airport.
We saw our campervan and it looked pretty big. DL had to go through a briefing and made some checks on the campervan. The staff was kind enough to show us how to transform the seats into beds and many hidden gadgets of the campervan.
By the time we unloaded everything, it was almost 3pm. I was extremely tired and hungry by now. The kids were also starting to get cranky. But we still need to get some groceries before we can hit the roads to Kaikoura Top10.
Went to Raewards' Fresh Produce to pick up some fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. Their locally grown vegetables looked so big and fresh. I marvelled at how palatable they looked. Then we hopped over to New World Supermarket (NW) to load up on diapers, milk, pasta, biscuits, chips etc.
By the time we reached Kaikoura Top10, it was already 8pm.
Mum got to cook her first meal on the CV while we washed up. I did a dry bath for the kids simply because it was too cold and they was no detachable shower head.
We had pasta bolognaise for dinner and it tasted so yummy! After that, I went to get a shower and was glad that the water was hot, despite it lasting only for 7 minutes.
Hit the sack soon after and didnt remember how I made the kids sleep. I guess I was super concussed.
Thanks to DL for transforming the bed all by himself.
The plane landed smoothly at about 1145hrs at Christchurch International Airport.
As we were unsure if the stuff (milk powder, health supplements, instant cereal drink, coffee, biscuits, camping tent etc) we brought would clear the customs without declaring, we decided to go through the DECLARE lane so as not to risk the NZ$400 fine. The customs officer who checked our stuff turned out to be quite friendly and especially lovely toward Rachel. Our luggage went through the x-ray machines and we were good to go. No problem with the stuff.
DL decided to get a SIM card from the airport and it took him quite a while to decide which ones to get. Meanwhile the kids got active at a small arcade centre at the airport. They were no one there so they basically jumped onto a ride and then hopped onto another.. without paying any coins of course. :)
After DL got his SIM card, we quickly made our way to the pickup area where the Pacific Horizon (PH) representative was. She drove us to the PH office which was located within minutes drive from the airport.
We saw our campervan and it looked pretty big. DL had to go through a briefing and made some checks on the campervan. The staff was kind enough to show us how to transform the seats into beds and many hidden gadgets of the campervan.
By the time we unloaded everything, it was almost 3pm. I was extremely tired and hungry by now. The kids were also starting to get cranky. But we still need to get some groceries before we can hit the roads to Kaikoura Top10.
Went to Raewards' Fresh Produce to pick up some fresh vegetables, fruits and meats. Their locally grown vegetables looked so big and fresh. I marvelled at how palatable they looked. Then we hopped over to New World Supermarket (NW) to load up on diapers, milk, pasta, biscuits, chips etc.
By the time we reached Kaikoura Top10, it was already 8pm.
Mum got to cook her first meal on the CV while we washed up. I did a dry bath for the kids simply because it was too cold and they was no detachable shower head.
We had pasta bolognaise for dinner and it tasted so yummy! After that, I went to get a shower and was glad that the water was hot, despite it lasting only for 7 minutes.
Hit the sack soon after and didnt remember how I made the kids sleep. I guess I was super concussed.
Thanks to DL for transforming the bed all by himself.
Campervan with all our luggages
Rear of the campervan which is used as a dining table for meals
and transformed into a double bed at night.
We kept it as a bed throughout our trip!
Stove Top (right) & Wash Basin (left)
Bar Fridge (below)
The tiny bathroom that is indispensable when nature calls!
NZ South Island Campervan Vacation Day 00
Day 00 - 10 Nov 2010
One of the things that we wanted to do this year was to have a family vacation, either the four of us or with the extended family. As DL has always wanted to experience traveling on a campervan, we finally agreed to do a 14-days trip down under with his parents.
New Zealand's North Island was the place where we spent our honeymoon. Five years later, we were back but this time, we headed for the much acclaimed South Island.
Departed Changi Airport on 10 Nov 2010 via SQ297 at 1945hrs.
Rachel was very excited with her "first" flight experience. I doubt she remembers any of her previous flights as she was still very little. This time round, she got to choose her own toy, was given a pair of pink earphones and had her child's meal.
Ariel fell fast asleep shortly after we boarded the plane and was already in dreamland when the plane took off. But he woke up in time for his meal (post weaning meal which consists of meiji milk, mashed potato, cauliflower, tomota and chicken; all mashed up). After he's done with the meal, he started to poo. A very efficient digestive system he has!
At 2250hrs, we experienced pretty rough air turbulence. That was also around the time when Rachel cried as she was force-led to the toilet by GM. I comforted her and brought her to the seats at the back rows and continued to have my meal there with her. The seatbelt sign was on and we couldnt return to our seats even though I was already done with my meal. It didnt help when Rachel wanted to pee (again!!) and one of the crew told me that "this (referring to the air turbulence) is really bad..."
I didnt like air turbulence at all. It bothered me as my very first flight experience was pretty turbulent. I always wondered if the plane would stop functioning and crashed due to the bad air turbulence. DL, on the other hand, is never worried. Oftentimes, he would be fast asleep and unaware of the rough ride. I tried to be calm as I sat next to my little traveller. We prayed together for the air turbulence to clear so that she could go pee pee. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" for a good 20 minutes...
Half an hour later, we were able to return to our seats. She released herself and finally managed to find a cozy position to sleep. Ariel slept in my arms after I nursed him and thank God, I was able to put him into the bassinet without awakening him. I did that as I could not hold my pee. The others were sound asleep.
I was tired but I just couldnt get myself to sleep. I could only close my eyes for a couple of minutes, opening again to see if Ariel's doing okay in the bassinet and if Rachel's neck is resting on the cushion... I think I did that for about half an hour before they started to offer the next meal.
As long as the kids are travelling with me, the mother instinct in me would be to make sure that they are well-rested. My basic needs can be met later...
In another 3 hours, we would land in Christchurch. Yippee!!
One of the things that we wanted to do this year was to have a family vacation, either the four of us or with the extended family. As DL has always wanted to experience traveling on a campervan, we finally agreed to do a 14-days trip down under with his parents.
New Zealand's North Island was the place where we spent our honeymoon. Five years later, we were back but this time, we headed for the much acclaimed South Island.
Departed Changi Airport on 10 Nov 2010 via SQ297 at 1945hrs.
Rachel was very excited with her "first" flight experience. I doubt she remembers any of her previous flights as she was still very little. This time round, she got to choose her own toy, was given a pair of pink earphones and had her child's meal.
Ariel fell fast asleep shortly after we boarded the plane and was already in dreamland when the plane took off. But he woke up in time for his meal (post weaning meal which consists of meiji milk, mashed potato, cauliflower, tomota and chicken; all mashed up). After he's done with the meal, he started to poo. A very efficient digestive system he has!
At 2250hrs, we experienced pretty rough air turbulence. That was also around the time when Rachel cried as she was force-led to the toilet by GM. I comforted her and brought her to the seats at the back rows and continued to have my meal there with her. The seatbelt sign was on and we couldnt return to our seats even though I was already done with my meal. It didnt help when Rachel wanted to pee (again!!) and one of the crew told me that "this (referring to the air turbulence) is really bad..."
I didnt like air turbulence at all. It bothered me as my very first flight experience was pretty turbulent. I always wondered if the plane would stop functioning and crashed due to the bad air turbulence. DL, on the other hand, is never worried. Oftentimes, he would be fast asleep and unaware of the rough ride. I tried to be calm as I sat next to my little traveller. We prayed together for the air turbulence to clear so that she could go pee pee. We sang "Jesus Loves Me" for a good 20 minutes...
Half an hour later, we were able to return to our seats. She released herself and finally managed to find a cozy position to sleep. Ariel slept in my arms after I nursed him and thank God, I was able to put him into the bassinet without awakening him. I did that as I could not hold my pee. The others were sound asleep.
I was tired but I just couldnt get myself to sleep. I could only close my eyes for a couple of minutes, opening again to see if Ariel's doing okay in the bassinet and if Rachel's neck is resting on the cushion... I think I did that for about half an hour before they started to offer the next meal.
As long as the kids are travelling with me, the mother instinct in me would be to make sure that they are well-rested. My basic needs can be met later...
In another 3 hours, we would land in Christchurch. Yippee!!
Monday, September 13, 2010
Lunch with Rachel
Mondays are library days ever since I started homeschooling Rachel.
We went to the Woodlands Regional Library today.
As usual, we would borrow up to the maximum that the library card permits, 6 books or 2 audio/visuals + 4 books.
And these are all children's books. They were damn heavy!!
After library, we would usually head out for lunch. Ichiban Sushi is one of our favourite lunchtime haunts!
I love japanese food and so does Rachel.
We managed to get a table right next to the food belt and Rachel was so excited and hungry that she readily picked her sushi off the belt and tucked in using her bare hands. She also loves Cha Soba which is one of my favourites.
We had a great time chomping down the food and talked like we're friends!
:)
We went to the Woodlands Regional Library today.
As usual, we would borrow up to the maximum that the library card permits, 6 books or 2 audio/visuals + 4 books.
And these are all children's books. They were damn heavy!!
After library, we would usually head out for lunch. Ichiban Sushi is one of our favourite lunchtime haunts!
I love japanese food and so does Rachel.
We managed to get a table right next to the food belt and Rachel was so excited and hungry that she readily picked her sushi off the belt and tucked in using her bare hands. She also loves Cha Soba which is one of my favourites.
We had a great time chomping down the food and talked like we're friends!
:)
Note. This post was published a week later.
Friday, September 3, 2010
Ah MA
I thought about my Ah Ma (my paternal grandmother) today and remembered these last few words that I had with her weeks before she passed on.
She needed help to go to the toilet during the terminal stages of her lung cancer and I assisted her.
She was rather awkward initially and said these to me in hokkien, "When you were young, Ah Ma took care of you, now you have to help Ah Ma..." literally with tears welling up in her eyes.
I can't help but felt alittle emotional as I recalled those moments today.
It was sometime in October 1994 that she was diagnosed with lung cancer and she came over to stay with us. But it was only for a few days before she was re-admitted to hospital and shortly after, she passed on in November 1994. It has been almost 16 years since she had died.
My Ah Ma took care of me when I was only a few months old baby until I reached 7 years old. She lived in a village along Lorong Buangkok. I can still recall the village address. 134D Lorong Buangkok S1953. It was a village located along the stretch of roads of the present day Yio Chu Kang/ Gerald Drive area. Two houses situated at the start of the former Lorong Buangkok are still visible today.
I remembered that Ah Ma always cooked two half boiled eggs for me for breakfast before I left for school for my Kindergarten lessons.
She would buy Char Siew Rice for me on saturday mornings from the food delivery man named Ah Yer. (water in malay)
I would go to the wet market with her on Sundays. She frequented the one located along Upper Serangoon Road. That market used to be called the "Gor Ko Jio" market (5th Avenue).
Sometimes she would buy little ducklings for me.
Most times, she would buy "nine-layered kueh" and "tao suan" for me as they were my favourite breakfast treats.
During the durian season, she would listen out for the sound of durians dropping on the ground (there was a big durian tree in front of her front yard) and she would keep the better quality durians specially for me well hidden underneath a cane basket. She would bring them out for me to eat whenever I visited her on Sundays. (This was when I started attending Primary 1 in a school in Toa Payoh and I didn't live with her in the village).
She doted on me alot.
I would help her roll the paper cigarettes (hun kee in hokkien) and she would take a smoke after doing her chores.
I also enjoyed helping her collect eggs from the hens' nest in the afternoons. The eggs still felt warm in my palms.
She would bring me to the puppet show during festive periods when they put on a show for the gods. She would buy a packet of ice glass jelly drink for me.
In the afternoons when we were watching the 3pm chinese dramas, the ice cream man would make his rounds. She would give me 50cents so that I can run down the road to buy an ice cream sandwich.
These were fond memories that I have of my beloved Ah Ma.
I missed you Ah Ma. I hope that one day, I get to be a loving Ah Ma to my children's offsprings and I can tell them stories about you.
She needed help to go to the toilet during the terminal stages of her lung cancer and I assisted her.
She was rather awkward initially and said these to me in hokkien, "When you were young, Ah Ma took care of you, now you have to help Ah Ma..." literally with tears welling up in her eyes.
I can't help but felt alittle emotional as I recalled those moments today.
It was sometime in October 1994 that she was diagnosed with lung cancer and she came over to stay with us. But it was only for a few days before she was re-admitted to hospital and shortly after, she passed on in November 1994. It has been almost 16 years since she had died.
My Ah Ma took care of me when I was only a few months old baby until I reached 7 years old. She lived in a village along Lorong Buangkok. I can still recall the village address. 134D Lorong Buangkok S1953. It was a village located along the stretch of roads of the present day Yio Chu Kang/ Gerald Drive area. Two houses situated at the start of the former Lorong Buangkok are still visible today.
I remembered that Ah Ma always cooked two half boiled eggs for me for breakfast before I left for school for my Kindergarten lessons.
She would buy Char Siew Rice for me on saturday mornings from the food delivery man named Ah Yer. (water in malay)
I would go to the wet market with her on Sundays. She frequented the one located along Upper Serangoon Road. That market used to be called the "Gor Ko Jio" market (5th Avenue).
Sometimes she would buy little ducklings for me.
Most times, she would buy "nine-layered kueh" and "tao suan" for me as they were my favourite breakfast treats.
During the durian season, she would listen out for the sound of durians dropping on the ground (there was a big durian tree in front of her front yard) and she would keep the better quality durians specially for me well hidden underneath a cane basket. She would bring them out for me to eat whenever I visited her on Sundays. (This was when I started attending Primary 1 in a school in Toa Payoh and I didn't live with her in the village).
She doted on me alot.
I would help her roll the paper cigarettes (hun kee in hokkien) and she would take a smoke after doing her chores.
I also enjoyed helping her collect eggs from the hens' nest in the afternoons. The eggs still felt warm in my palms.
She would bring me to the puppet show during festive periods when they put on a show for the gods. She would buy a packet of ice glass jelly drink for me.
In the afternoons when we were watching the 3pm chinese dramas, the ice cream man would make his rounds. She would give me 50cents so that I can run down the road to buy an ice cream sandwich.
These were fond memories that I have of my beloved Ah Ma.
I missed you Ah Ma. I hope that one day, I get to be a loving Ah Ma to my children's offsprings and I can tell them stories about you.
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
Friends of the Zoo
Sometime last month, we brought the kids to the Singapore Zoo. I think kids just loved being outdoors and since we're staying pretty nearby to the Zoo, we decided to go for it.
When we were setting off, the weather looked fine. But after a few minutes' drive, dark clouds started to loom above us and the winds were blowing them in the direction of the Mandai Zoo. It started to drizzle and we thought maybe the rain will subside when we get to the zoo. Just when I opened my mouth to pray for clear weather, it started to shower and then downpour.
We ended up having our breakfast sandwiches in the car (with the car parked in the zoo carpark). It was raining cats and dogs. But the strange thing was we noticed that cars were still coming into the zoo. Maybe they lived further away from the zoo, we thought and it would be kind of a wasted trip if they decided to head home. For us, we trust that the weather will clear up simply because we prayed for it. And so we waited patiently for about a good half hour.
Then the rain subsided and we could make a dash to the entrance of the zoo without getting drenched.
We signed up for the Friends of the Zoo membership thinking that we'll bring the kids here on a regular basis since we're staying nearby. :)
We'll see about this if we really get to make good use of the membership.
The kids were thrilled to get out of the car and Rachel wanted to see the elephant!
Ariel was running around and getting all active. He's not particularly interested in the animals though.. Someone's Thomas & Friends' raincoat got his attention while the rest of us were paying attention to an Orang Utan feed!
Well, we didnt expect to cover much from this trip, knowing that they will soon be drained of their energy right about lunch time. So we left the zoo shortly after lunch. We've got the membership so we can always come back again. :)
P.S. The weather did clear up for us and we enjoyed a cooling day at the zoo. Thank you Lord!
When we were setting off, the weather looked fine. But after a few minutes' drive, dark clouds started to loom above us and the winds were blowing them in the direction of the Mandai Zoo. It started to drizzle and we thought maybe the rain will subside when we get to the zoo. Just when I opened my mouth to pray for clear weather, it started to shower and then downpour.
We ended up having our breakfast sandwiches in the car (with the car parked in the zoo carpark). It was raining cats and dogs. But the strange thing was we noticed that cars were still coming into the zoo. Maybe they lived further away from the zoo, we thought and it would be kind of a wasted trip if they decided to head home. For us, we trust that the weather will clear up simply because we prayed for it. And so we waited patiently for about a good half hour.
Then the rain subsided and we could make a dash to the entrance of the zoo without getting drenched.
We signed up for the Friends of the Zoo membership thinking that we'll bring the kids here on a regular basis since we're staying nearby. :)
We'll see about this if we really get to make good use of the membership.
The kids were thrilled to get out of the car and Rachel wanted to see the elephant!
Ariel was running around and getting all active. He's not particularly interested in the animals though.. Someone's Thomas & Friends' raincoat got his attention while the rest of us were paying attention to an Orang Utan feed!
Well, we didnt expect to cover much from this trip, knowing that they will soon be drained of their energy right about lunch time. So we left the zoo shortly after lunch. We've got the membership so we can always come back again. :)
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