From next month on, I am attempting to drop Madison off at Mandarin class three times a week for 3 hours each time.
I didn't really intend to send her to a proper playgroup this year, but this happened somewhat out of my control.
Desiree, the principal of Bibinogs called me up just this week to tell me that they were scrapping the 2 hour enrichment class that she is currently attending and replacing it with a pre-nursery Mandarin program instead that would run daily from 9am to 12pm. Since I felt that everyday was too much for a 2 year old, the other option would be three times a week.
Which is not bad. Madison is now of an age that seems to need activity to occupy her day, and I am not of the right countenance to provide that the entire day. It takes PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE to teach pre-schoolers, and I now appreciate the people that have a passion for this.
The only things that worry me now are
1. I hope she doesn't fall sick too much
2. how on earth am I going to cope with having to ferry her to and from the class three times a week on top of work and the impending baby!!
I think she enjoys the classes although she does put up a bit of a fight on the way there. But when I go and pick her up she is all smiles.
Thankfully since the Joo Chiat clinic will be closed, it is one less place I have to travel to. It's amazing how things fall into place... the timing is incredible. Just as I decide to end JC in May, this new class starts!
Renovations for the Balestier clinic starts in May too. Hopefully by the end of the month things would have settled down and worked itself out. Then I have to make a decision as to whether we should do some advertising for the clinic. I think it's a good thing to try, especially for the dental part of the clinic. But what if there really is interest after the advertising? Can I cope with the patients, baby, and Madison then?
We are also getting some new curtains made for the house. I had Kelvin, the guy who works in the interior fittings shop next to us come and measure the doors and windows. I figured since we are absolutely unable to afford a new apartment at this stage I should try and make this one nicer. Also, with Annika coming Chris and I might (probably) have to move into the living room so that she can have a room. Until she is able to sleep through the night, then she moves in with Madison. Hopefully by then we'd have a bigger place?
Am also in two minds about getting more renovation done in the apartment. To create more storage space. On one hand it would be really nice to have an interior designed place, but then we really should be saving the money for the next apartment. Especially since this one will be rented out then. But who knows how long it will be before home prices stablise?
Speaking about the housing market. It's absolutely ridiculous at the moment. Chris found us an almost perfect place ( location, size and layout ) that was advertised for SGD 1.55 million. By the time we called the agent it was going for SGD 1.8+ million! That was 5 days later! The bank valuation of the property was for the former, so no way were we going to even think about paying the exorbitant prices. I think people are not really serious about selling right now. Either that or there are some crazy rich people out there.
Sigh.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Monday, April 19, 2010
Great weekends
The weekend that just passed was, by my standards, a great weekend.
It started with a fantastic week at the Heal Balestier clinic. It was actually busy for a change, which was really nice. By Friday I felt ready to wind down. The weather was cooler too, after a heavy downpour, for a change.
Friday afternoons at 4 Madison has her Mandarin class. So now I drop her off at Serene centre with Warni, then I head off to the Botanic Gardens to wait for her. It was pouring cats and dogs during the 2 hours that she was in class, and I was so lucky to have bagged an outdoor seat that wasn't rain affected. Casa Verde's pizza kitchen was raining! Water was running into the workstation and the poor guys were in there with umbrellas trying frantically to make the last of their takeaway pizzas before they closed it till the rain stopped!
When it was time to go the rain magically stopped, but of course en route to picking Madison up and then subsequently to the Swimming club the traffic was horrendous. What usually would have taken 15 minutes took an hour's worth of driving. Of course it didn't help that there were 3 accidents along the PIE.
The swimming pool was fabulous; the water was warm and there were only 2 other kids in the pool. We had an al fresco dinner by the pool afterward, then home. Madison was exhausted so it took merely 10minutes to put her down and she slept till 8AM! MEANS: I got plenty of sleep.
Over the rest of the weekend Pa and Ma took Madison on Saturday for her music class, haircut then lunch, while Chris and I had time out: lunch, movie then a good dinner at Boon Tong Kee along River Valley Road.
All in.... plenty of sleep and time out: equals reduced stress levels!
It started with a fantastic week at the Heal Balestier clinic. It was actually busy for a change, which was really nice. By Friday I felt ready to wind down. The weather was cooler too, after a heavy downpour, for a change.
Friday afternoons at 4 Madison has her Mandarin class. So now I drop her off at Serene centre with Warni, then I head off to the Botanic Gardens to wait for her. It was pouring cats and dogs during the 2 hours that she was in class, and I was so lucky to have bagged an outdoor seat that wasn't rain affected. Casa Verde's pizza kitchen was raining! Water was running into the workstation and the poor guys were in there with umbrellas trying frantically to make the last of their takeaway pizzas before they closed it till the rain stopped!
When it was time to go the rain magically stopped, but of course en route to picking Madison up and then subsequently to the Swimming club the traffic was horrendous. What usually would have taken 15 minutes took an hour's worth of driving. Of course it didn't help that there were 3 accidents along the PIE.
The swimming pool was fabulous; the water was warm and there were only 2 other kids in the pool. We had an al fresco dinner by the pool afterward, then home. Madison was exhausted so it took merely 10minutes to put her down and she slept till 8AM! MEANS: I got plenty of sleep.
Over the rest of the weekend Pa and Ma took Madison on Saturday for her music class, haircut then lunch, while Chris and I had time out: lunch, movie then a good dinner at Boon Tong Kee along River Valley Road.
All in.... plenty of sleep and time out: equals reduced stress levels!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
On the kiddy front...
First.. preschool hunting... am so glad to say that I have finally found the preschool that I like.
Pat's Schoolhouse on Buckley road. It's quite close to the Novena house( well, walking distance ). The school is set in an old Victorian type house, with a large yard and plenty of rooms inside that are divided into the various classrooms.
The principal, Elsie Lim, is also a lovely lady. She was patient and friendly, and the kids all seemed to love her. Her daughter was in the kindergarten class when we visited. Madison seemed to like the schoolgrounds too... first thing we saw when we alighted from the car was a group of kids playing in toy cars. And she was all ready to join in!
When I asked about potty training, I was so relieved that they didn't expect Madison to be fully potty trained by the time she starts school! Although I am sure that within a month of schooling she'd be trained... peer pressure always works! Another school principal ( I shall not name ) had that horrified look that Madison might not be trained by the time she entered at 2+!
So... without hesitating I filled in the registration form and have since then posted my cheque for $321. Am still waiting for a place because she cannot confirm till July/August whether siblings of current kids require the spots.
This is also Madison's second week at drop off Mandarin class. She still sobs the first 10-15 minutes ( according to Warni!) but after that seemed to settle for the rest of the class. We also attended our first music session at Mandeville, after waiting for the past month for it to start. The lesson itself was pretty good, the teachers sing and play the piano, and the kids get to use bells, tambourines and other small music instruments. BUT. It was SO CROWDED. I don't know how many parent-child pairs there were, must have been 10-12, and one kid had BOTH his parents there until the teachers told them gently to only have 1 parent stay! The room was pretty small and we were seated on the floor for most of the class. Think I shall see how this first term goes and then decide whether or not to continue.
As for number 2, I saw Prof John Tee last Friday. Gave him the fetal anomaly scan results and the letter from stemcord for cord blood banking. It was quite embarrasing that Sally ( his trusted nurse assistant) had to call me to ask if I was coming for the appointment. I had a 1550 appointment and was running late since I had to drop Madison off to class. I didn't expect his clinic to have finished at 4PM!
Baby is doing well, and scan results were all normal. The appointment took all of 15minutes, most of it spent doing the routine urine/weight/blood pressure and payment/making the next appointment!
The only thing I really noticed this pregnancy is the severe back/butt pain that I had during the Phuket trip. It seems to have settled somewhat now, but it was excruciating during that time. I was thinking maybe sciatica, and looked it up online as to what else I could do since NSAIDS are out of the question. Then it seems that I may have something else. Pelvic Girdle Pain/dysfunction. Something to do with relaxin affecting the joints of the pelvis, including the pubic symphisis and sacroiliac joints. Something like 20%of pregnant women suffer from it. The description of the syndrome seemed to perfectly fit what I had. And it seems that true sciatica as a result of pregnancy is much more rare.
The only thing that can be done for PGD is apparently avoiding high impact sports, pelvic support in the form of belts and rest. It recurs with subsequent pregnancies and in a small number of people becomes a chronic pain syndrome! Horrors.
I am thankful that at least for now the pain seems to have mostly subsided into the occasional nag and twinge, unlike 2 weeks ago when I could barely walk or dress myself! I am trying to do non weightbearing activity, such as swim, and it seems to really help.
Hopefully the back pain that I had after delivery the last time doesn't come back to haunt me too!
Pat's Schoolhouse on Buckley road. It's quite close to the Novena house( well, walking distance ). The school is set in an old Victorian type house, with a large yard and plenty of rooms inside that are divided into the various classrooms.
The principal, Elsie Lim, is also a lovely lady. She was patient and friendly, and the kids all seemed to love her. Her daughter was in the kindergarten class when we visited. Madison seemed to like the schoolgrounds too... first thing we saw when we alighted from the car was a group of kids playing in toy cars. And she was all ready to join in!
When I asked about potty training, I was so relieved that they didn't expect Madison to be fully potty trained by the time she starts school! Although I am sure that within a month of schooling she'd be trained... peer pressure always works! Another school principal ( I shall not name ) had that horrified look that Madison might not be trained by the time she entered at 2+!
So... without hesitating I filled in the registration form and have since then posted my cheque for $321. Am still waiting for a place because she cannot confirm till July/August whether siblings of current kids require the spots.
This is also Madison's second week at drop off Mandarin class. She still sobs the first 10-15 minutes ( according to Warni!) but after that seemed to settle for the rest of the class. We also attended our first music session at Mandeville, after waiting for the past month for it to start. The lesson itself was pretty good, the teachers sing and play the piano, and the kids get to use bells, tambourines and other small music instruments. BUT. It was SO CROWDED. I don't know how many parent-child pairs there were, must have been 10-12, and one kid had BOTH his parents there until the teachers told them gently to only have 1 parent stay! The room was pretty small and we were seated on the floor for most of the class. Think I shall see how this first term goes and then decide whether or not to continue.
As for number 2, I saw Prof John Tee last Friday. Gave him the fetal anomaly scan results and the letter from stemcord for cord blood banking. It was quite embarrasing that Sally ( his trusted nurse assistant) had to call me to ask if I was coming for the appointment. I had a 1550 appointment and was running late since I had to drop Madison off to class. I didn't expect his clinic to have finished at 4PM!
Baby is doing well, and scan results were all normal. The appointment took all of 15minutes, most of it spent doing the routine urine/weight/blood pressure and payment/making the next appointment!
The only thing I really noticed this pregnancy is the severe back/butt pain that I had during the Phuket trip. It seems to have settled somewhat now, but it was excruciating during that time. I was thinking maybe sciatica, and looked it up online as to what else I could do since NSAIDS are out of the question. Then it seems that I may have something else. Pelvic Girdle Pain/dysfunction. Something to do with relaxin affecting the joints of the pelvis, including the pubic symphisis and sacroiliac joints. Something like 20%of pregnant women suffer from it. The description of the syndrome seemed to perfectly fit what I had. And it seems that true sciatica as a result of pregnancy is much more rare.
The only thing that can be done for PGD is apparently avoiding high impact sports, pelvic support in the form of belts and rest. It recurs with subsequent pregnancies and in a small number of people becomes a chronic pain syndrome! Horrors.
I am thankful that at least for now the pain seems to have mostly subsided into the occasional nag and twinge, unlike 2 weeks ago when I could barely walk or dress myself! I am trying to do non weightbearing activity, such as swim, and it seems to really help.
Hopefully the back pain that I had after delivery the last time doesn't come back to haunt me too!
Heal Balestier Clinic
I met up with an old friend from Raffles Junior College days... He's doing well now, as an investor dealing with private funds. It's quite amazing how they can deal with so much money, money I can only dream about at this stage!
Anyway... what started out as a get together turned out to be a mini business discussion. It was quite an eye opening experience talking to someone who is purely into number crunching the the business end of things. Unlike myself, when it comes to the clinics I admit getting a little sentimental about them and feel bad about letting patients down or missing out on potential business.
So what he told me was that based on figures and the current situation, it wasn't ideal for me to be running 2 places. 48clinic hours with only 24 dr hours. The drive to and from the clinic also took time away from the business. Finally, the actual figures that were needed to keep the clinic running.
He listened to my sentiments and then suggested that it would be better renting the premises at Joo Chiat out and collecting the cash then to have to worry about it making money. It was the priorities, he said. If I had a choice, what would I choose? The clinic business? My family? The answer was obvious. In that case, then I should not try to use all my energy and time to try and make 2 clinics succeed. The Balestier clinic made sense since it is close to home and also has the added advantage of the dental business.
After talking to him the decision to transfer the Joo Chiat clinic to Balestier was made alot clearer and easier.
And of course as soon as I made that decision patients started popping out to see me at Joo Chiat!
But my mind is made up. We are also doing some minor adjustments to the clinic at Balestier so that workflow is more streamlined. Then the machinery can be moved over into the spare areas. Am thinking of doing some clinic advertising too, once the renovations are complete.
I feel more confident and less stressed now that I know I only have to concentrate on one location everyday from now on. I was getting quite down worrying about 2 clinics doing well, and having to do the terrible commute everyday, sometimes twice a day to Joo Chiat. Traffic is getting from bad to worse on the expressways and roads here.
I think if the decision feels and sits well after it is made, it is probably the right one. No one will ever know otherwise, because the alternative is not done. Here's to the Heal Balestier Clinic!
Anyway... what started out as a get together turned out to be a mini business discussion. It was quite an eye opening experience talking to someone who is purely into number crunching the the business end of things. Unlike myself, when it comes to the clinics I admit getting a little sentimental about them and feel bad about letting patients down or missing out on potential business.
So what he told me was that based on figures and the current situation, it wasn't ideal for me to be running 2 places. 48clinic hours with only 24 dr hours. The drive to and from the clinic also took time away from the business. Finally, the actual figures that were needed to keep the clinic running.
He listened to my sentiments and then suggested that it would be better renting the premises at Joo Chiat out and collecting the cash then to have to worry about it making money. It was the priorities, he said. If I had a choice, what would I choose? The clinic business? My family? The answer was obvious. In that case, then I should not try to use all my energy and time to try and make 2 clinics succeed. The Balestier clinic made sense since it is close to home and also has the added advantage of the dental business.
After talking to him the decision to transfer the Joo Chiat clinic to Balestier was made alot clearer and easier.
And of course as soon as I made that decision patients started popping out to see me at Joo Chiat!
But my mind is made up. We are also doing some minor adjustments to the clinic at Balestier so that workflow is more streamlined. Then the machinery can be moved over into the spare areas. Am thinking of doing some clinic advertising too, once the renovations are complete.
I feel more confident and less stressed now that I know I only have to concentrate on one location everyday from now on. I was getting quite down worrying about 2 clinics doing well, and having to do the terrible commute everyday, sometimes twice a day to Joo Chiat. Traffic is getting from bad to worse on the expressways and roads here.
I think if the decision feels and sits well after it is made, it is probably the right one. No one will ever know otherwise, because the alternative is not done. Here's to the Heal Balestier Clinic!
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Phuket trip 2010
Karon beach, Phuket, Thailand...
We were in Phuket over the most of this week.
Chris and Pa were there to attend a Plastic Surgery conference, while Ma, Geok, myself and the 2 kiddos tagged along for the holiday.
This was our first trip together with the 2 kids. There were 7 of us altogether so we booked a family suite and an extra room. Geok and Elizabeth were leaving a day earlier to meet Munhon in KL so the extra room was booked for a day less. We stayed in Movenpick Resort and Spa in Karon beach. The conference hotel was fully booked by the time we had finally decided on who was going to Phuket.
So.....we left on Tuesday afternoon at 630PM on a Silkair flight. The flight took just under 2 hours. The 2 kids were relatively well behaved during the flight, except that Madison started to whinge and cry just as we were landing.
We were greeted at the airport by hotel staff( which was a blessing!). Then it was an hour long car ride to the resort. By the time we arrived, we were exhausted and the 2 kids were asleep. It took some time for the front staff to check us in, and by the time we were settled the 2 kids woke up! Geok managed to put Elizabeth back to sleep but we allowed Madison to stay up and run around while we had some room service for supper.
On the first day, Chris and Pa attended the conference. Chris left first, after breakfast. Ma had realized she'd forgotten to bring her glucometer test strips so we had to go and buy some. We were told that there were pharmacies in the street just outside the hotel so we took a walk in
search of them after breakfast.
MY GOODNESS. The sun was blazing hot by mid morning and after 15minutes we were hot and thirsty. Most shops weren't even open at 10am and the pharmacies that were, didn't sell the strips. We ended up taking a taxi into Patong in search of a larger pharmacy.
By the time we'd found the strips, we'd also had to buy a stroller to pop Madison into while she napped . Then it was time to head back to the resort to sort out the kids' lunch. That took a while. Madison was terrible at mealtimes the entire trip... whingy and spitting out all the food. First 2 meals I got so mad I was losing my temper at her, but after that I'd become used to it so I let her be. Perhaps it was the hot weather, or that she'd gotten a viral fever on the day that we left for Phuket ( the fever went away after the first day or so )that made her appetite disappear.
In the evening we finally headed for the beach for the first ( AND ONLY ) time. Seriously, it was baking hot most of the day, and I don't know how sunbathers can stay under the sun the entire day! We had fresh coconuts too, but just as we were about to enjoy them, the weather suddenly changed and we had to run back to the resort to escape the lightning storm.
The rain did not abate by dinner time so we decided to stay in the resort and try out El Gaucho, the hotel's Brazilian Churrasco restaurant. The food was average, which explained why it was half empty. Madison didn't have much dinner ( as usual for the trip ).
The second day we went to the hotel pool pretty much after breakfast. The pool was definitely the highlight of the stay. The resort has 3 pools, the main one being the largest and most popular. It had a water slide, a pool bar and areas of different depths, the deepest section at 3 metres! Only downside? IT WAS SO SLIPPERY! I fell into the pool the minute I stepped into the shallow section, nearly dragging Madison down with me.
I was already having some nagging right sided back pain when we started the trip, but after the fall into the pool I could barely move! IT was agony, sharp shooting pains into the butt whenever I tried to put weight onto my right leg. It took pretty much the rest of the trip to recover some mobility in my back. Fortunately Pa and Ma were there to help with Madison.
After the swim we headed out to Chalong Bay for lunch at a seafood restaurant by a jetty. The place was recommended by the concierge and I would say it had the best food of all the places we ate at during this trip. We had fresh lobster, half done sashimi style and the other half cooked in butter and garlic. That set us back SGD $130 already. BUT it was sweet and succulent, and accompanied by freshly grated wasabi! In Phuket! There was also freshly grilled fish,mud crab in a curry sauce, tom yum seafood soup, Pad Thai, and some vegetable. The bill came to Baht7000. Almost SGD 300.
Well fed, we stumbled out of the restaurant in search of transport. Obviously tourists, we were soon approached by a guy who offered to take us around town for the rest of the afternoon.
First stop: elephant ride. Obviously touristy, but since none of us had ever ridden on one we stopped to try. Only 2 adults were allowed per elephant so Pa gallantly offered to wait while the rest of us went on the 30 minute ride.
It was quite an experience! Within 5 minutes of the ride our elephant decided to pee and poop,which greatly displeased our guide. Instead of waiting for it to finish he poked and prodded the beast to hurry. Of course the elephant was pissed off and started to lurch and protest. OMG.
Fortunately that passed and the rest of the trek it was fairly calm. Still, it was a rather slippery kind of ride, with the hot sun baking us and making the seats slightly sweaty and slippery. Each downhill traipse was a major exercise in clinging onto our seats for fear of slipping off our chairs.
Towards the end of the trek the guide pointed his thatched home out to us. Apparently he is paid Baht2000/ month for work, of which half went into feeding his 2 kids and wife. I guess he makes some more in tips, which was what a sign advised us to do at the end! I tipped him with Baht100. Another Baht100 went into buying 2 baskets of sugarcane to feed the elephants.
The rest of the tour was pretty much driving around Phuket, with a stop to buy some local foodstuff at a one-stop food speciality store. Typical tourist type shop. Still, we ended up with bags filled with cashew nuts, dried mango, freeze dried durian and mangosteen.
By the time we returned to the hotel it was time to give the kids dinner, then sort our dinner out. We took a walk along the beach in search of a decent place to eat. Karon beach had many restaurants and hotels, most of which seemed to cater to the European taste bud. There were influences from Germany, Netherlands and the UK. We ended up at another seafood place, but the food was not that great. It was also unpleasant trying to eat in the oppressive heat and humidity, being rather used to dining in air conditioned comfort. ( Yes, we are the stereotypically spoilt Singaporeans!) It was great getting back to the cool comfort of our rooms. Madison slept really well that night, having run and swum off all her energy during the course of the day. Oh, and she finally pooped after 3 days...
Friday came soon enough and Geok was off to Singapore, then to KL. The rest of us had breakfast as usual at the hotel, then Chris went off to attend more of the conference. The rest of us headed off to the pool... the water was fabulous as usual, warm and soothing. Chris came back in time for a drink with me at the pool bar, de rigeur in a place like that!
We'd arranged with our driver to take us out at lunch time and he arrived punctually to pick us up at 1130. It was a 20minute drive to Phuket bay for another seafood lunch by t. This time we had fish, mud crabs, tom yum soup, crab meat omelette and pineapple rice. Madison refused to eat lunch again, even refusing to eat any of the Pad Thai we'd ordered separately for her after we'd finished our lunch!ARGH.
I think in honesty we were probably just dying to go back to the cool comfort of our rooms to relax, but since we'd hired the driver for the day we had to plan some sort of itinerary. After lunch he took us to yet another tourist trap, this time the jewellery store. We refused to get out of the car and told him to take us to see Wat Chalong instead. ( that was at the spur of the moment, after see
ing the signs to it on the way to the store!)
Wat Chalong is one of Phukets' most famed Buddhist temples, and there were quite a few tourists and locals alike when we were there. The midday sun was baking hot, and whenever we took our shoes/slippers off to walk around they were invariably burning hot after 5-10minutes!
After that we asked the driver to take us to a local market, but for some reason he drove us to a complex that sold clothing and shoes. He gave us 80minutes to wander around, but after 30 minutes we surrendered to the heat and called him to pick us up. Sat at a local noodle cafe nursing icy cold drinks while waiting for him to come.
We were pretty frustrated and worn out by the heat by then so we begged him to take us to a fruit stall and then pretty much back to the hotel. Even then he nearly took us somewhere else, were it not for Chris who noticed that we were heading towards the airport!
The fruits were pretty amazing though. 2 types of local mango ( which Madison adored ), Longkong ( a golf ball sized fruit ), mangosteen and pomelo. All of which were sweet and juicy. They were pretty expensive though, the mangoes costing slightly more than what they were in Singapore. Still, we'd been through so much travelling to get to the fruit shop so we had to buy some.
IT was fantastic to return to the hotel and immerse in the cool of the pool again. The clouds had come again so the heat had abated, and we spent another 40minutes or so enjoying the water.
Come dinner time, it was yet another lightning storm. We took a gamble and waited it out. Eventually it stopped enough for us to catch a taxi down to Patong for dinner.
What a world of difference Patong beach was to Karon beach! Shops lined the street, from seafood and pizza parlours to Starbucks, MacDonalds and Subway. We had dinner at Savoey restaurant, again another reccommendation from the concierge. Sashimi lobster, huge tiger prawns, mud crabs and seafood tom yum soup. We ended the meal with Ma's favourite dessert: mango with sticky rice, and an ice-cream sundae( which Madison gobbled down, of course )
After dinner, Pa and Ma took Madison back to the hotel while Chris and I wandered around Patong for a bit. Now I knew why it was a ghost town during the day. Come nightfall, bars, nightclubs and sleazy parlours spring open. Tourists and party-goers throng the street, together with transsexuals and prostitutes, openly canvassing for business. There were leaflets advertising "ping pong" shows every 10 metres, free "girly" shows and pole dancers strutting away on platforms for everyone to see.
Sadly the trip came to an end Saturday morning. Bright and early at 0630am we had to wake up, go for breakfast and take the hotel transport to the airport. The holiday seemed like a dream, we were just arriving in Phuket and now we were on the way back home. We arrived at the airport pretty early and after clearing immigration had to wait an hour to board the plane. The flight back was uneventful, with Madison whinging and then finally falling asleep just as the plane landed. A taxi ride later we were back in the comfort of the Novena house, with the 3 helpers to greet us and assist with the bags. What luxury!
It was a good trip, but we were glad to be home. The hotel was great but the island was just too hot and not much else for kids to do during the day. Food was a problem too, as it was mostly seafood and too salty or spicy for young tastebuds. But the Thai people were hospitable and generally honest, and were very accommodating of young children and families.
Sawadee Krap!
We were in Phuket over the most of this week.
Chris and Pa were there to attend a Plastic Surgery conference, while Ma, Geok, myself and the 2 kiddos tagged along for the holiday.
This was our first trip together with the 2 kids. There were 7 of us altogether so we booked a family suite and an extra room. Geok and Elizabeth were leaving a day earlier to meet Munhon in KL so the extra room was booked for a day less. We stayed in Movenpick Resort and Spa in Karon beach. The conference hotel was fully booked by the time we had finally decided on who was going to Phuket.
So.....we left on Tuesday afternoon at 630PM on a Silkair flight. The flight took just under 2 hours. The 2 kids were relatively well behaved during the flight, except that Madison started to whinge and cry just as we were landing.
We were greeted at the airport by hotel staff( which was a blessing!). Then it was an hour long car ride to the resort. By the time we arrived, we were exhausted and the 2 kids were asleep. It took some time for the front staff to check us in, and by the time we were settled the 2 kids woke up! Geok managed to put Elizabeth back to sleep but we allowed Madison to stay up and run around while we had some room service for supper.
On the first day, Chris and Pa attended the conference. Chris left first, after breakfast. Ma had realized she'd forgotten to bring her glucometer test strips so we had to go and buy some. We were told that there were pharmacies in the street just outside the hotel so we took a walk in
search of them after breakfast.
MY GOODNESS. The sun was blazing hot by mid morning and after 15minutes we were hot and thirsty. Most shops weren't even open at 10am and the pharmacies that were, didn't sell the strips. We ended up taking a taxi into Patong in search of a larger pharmacy.
By the time we'd found the strips, we'd also had to buy a stroller to pop Madison into while she napped . Then it was time to head back to the resort to sort out the kids' lunch. That took a while. Madison was terrible at mealtimes the entire trip... whingy and spitting out all the food. First 2 meals I got so mad I was losing my temper at her, but after that I'd become used to it so I let her be. Perhaps it was the hot weather, or that she'd gotten a viral fever on the day that we left for Phuket ( the fever went away after the first day or so )that made her appetite disappear.
In the evening we finally headed for the beach for the first ( AND ONLY ) time. Seriously, it was baking hot most of the day, and I don't know how sunbathers can stay under the sun the entire day! We had fresh coconuts too, but just as we were about to enjoy them, the weather suddenly changed and we had to run back to the resort to escape the lightning storm.
The rain did not abate by dinner time so we decided to stay in the resort and try out El Gaucho, the hotel's Brazilian Churrasco restaurant. The food was average, which explained why it was half empty. Madison didn't have much dinner ( as usual for the trip ).
The second day we went to the hotel pool pretty much after breakfast. The pool was definitely the highlight of the stay. The resort has 3 pools, the main one being the largest and most popular. It had a water slide, a pool bar and areas of different depths, the deepest section at 3 metres! Only downside? IT WAS SO SLIPPERY! I fell into the pool the minute I stepped into the shallow section, nearly dragging Madison down with me.
I was already having some nagging right sided back pain when we started the trip, but after the fall into the pool I could barely move! IT was agony, sharp shooting pains into the butt whenever I tried to put weight onto my right leg. It took pretty much the rest of the trip to recover some mobility in my back. Fortunately Pa and Ma were there to help with Madison.
After the swim we headed out to Chalong Bay for lunch at a seafood restaurant by a jetty. The place was recommended by the concierge and I would say it had the best food of all the places we ate at during this trip. We had fresh lobster, half done sashimi style and the other half cooked in butter and garlic. That set us back SGD $130 already. BUT it was sweet and succulent, and accompanied by freshly grated wasabi! In Phuket! There was also freshly grilled fish,mud crab in a curry sauce, tom yum seafood soup, Pad Thai, and some vegetable. The bill came to Baht7000. Almost SGD 300.
Well fed, we stumbled out of the restaurant in search of transport. Obviously tourists, we were soon approached by a guy who offered to take us around town for the rest of the afternoon.
First stop: elephant ride. Obviously touristy, but since none of us had ever ridden on one we stopped to try. Only 2 adults were allowed per elephant so Pa gallantly offered to wait while the rest of us went on the 30 minute ride.
It was quite an experience! Within 5 minutes of the ride our elephant decided to pee and poop,which greatly displeased our guide. Instead of waiting for it to finish he poked and prodded the beast to hurry. Of course the elephant was pissed off and started to lurch and protest. OMG.
Fortunately that passed and the rest of the trek it was fairly calm. Still, it was a rather slippery kind of ride, with the hot sun baking us and making the seats slightly sweaty and slippery. Each downhill traipse was a major exercise in clinging onto our seats for fear of slipping off our chairs.
Towards the end of the trek the guide pointed his thatched home out to us. Apparently he is paid Baht2000/ month for work, of which half went into feeding his 2 kids and wife. I guess he makes some more in tips, which was what a sign advised us to do at the end! I tipped him with Baht100. Another Baht100 went into buying 2 baskets of sugarcane to feed the elephants.
The rest of the tour was pretty much driving around Phuket, with a stop to buy some local foodstuff at a one-stop food speciality store. Typical tourist type shop. Still, we ended up with bags filled with cashew nuts, dried mango, freeze dried durian and mangosteen.
By the time we returned to the hotel it was time to give the kids dinner, then sort our dinner out. We took a walk along the beach in search of a decent place to eat. Karon beach had many restaurants and hotels, most of which seemed to cater to the European taste bud. There were influences from Germany, Netherlands and the UK. We ended up at another seafood place, but the food was not that great. It was also unpleasant trying to eat in the oppressive heat and humidity, being rather used to dining in air conditioned comfort. ( Yes, we are the stereotypically spoilt Singaporeans!) It was great getting back to the cool comfort of our rooms. Madison slept really well that night, having run and swum off all her energy during the course of the day. Oh, and she finally pooped after 3 days...
Friday came soon enough and Geok was off to Singapore, then to KL. The rest of us had breakfast as usual at the hotel, then Chris went off to attend more of the conference. The rest of us headed off to the pool... the water was fabulous as usual, warm and soothing. Chris came back in time for a drink with me at the pool bar, de rigeur in a place like that!
We'd arranged with our driver to take us out at lunch time and he arrived punctually to pick us up at 1130. It was a 20minute drive to Phuket bay for another seafood lunch by t. This time we had fish, mud crabs, tom yum soup, crab meat omelette and pineapple rice. Madison refused to eat lunch again, even refusing to eat any of the Pad Thai we'd ordered separately for her after we'd finished our lunch!ARGH.
I think in honesty we were probably just dying to go back to the cool comfort of our rooms to relax, but since we'd hired the driver for the day we had to plan some sort of itinerary. After lunch he took us to yet another tourist trap, this time the jewellery store. We refused to get out of the car and told him to take us to see Wat Chalong instead. ( that was at the spur of the moment, after see
ing the signs to it on the way to the store!)Wat Chalong is one of Phukets' most famed Buddhist temples, and there were quite a few tourists and locals alike when we were there. The midday sun was baking hot, and whenever we took our shoes/slippers off to walk around they were invariably burning hot after 5-10minutes!
After that we asked the driver to take us to a local market, but for some reason he drove us to a complex that sold clothing and shoes. He gave us 80minutes to wander around, but after 30 minutes we surrendered to the heat and called him to pick us up. Sat at a local noodle cafe nursing icy cold drinks while waiting for him to come.
We were pretty frustrated and worn out by the heat by then so we begged him to take us to a fruit stall and then pretty much back to the hotel. Even then he nearly took us somewhere else, were it not for Chris who noticed that we were heading towards the airport!
The fruits were pretty amazing though. 2 types of local mango ( which Madison adored ), Longkong ( a golf ball sized fruit ), mangosteen and pomelo. All of which were sweet and juicy. They were pretty expensive though, the mangoes costing slightly more than what they were in Singapore. Still, we'd been through so much travelling to get to the fruit shop so we had to buy some.
IT was fantastic to return to the hotel and immerse in the cool of the pool again. The clouds had come again so the heat had abated, and we spent another 40minutes or so enjoying the water.
Come dinner time, it was yet another lightning storm. We took a gamble and waited it out. Eventually it stopped enough for us to catch a taxi down to Patong for dinner.
What a world of difference Patong beach was to Karon beach! Shops lined the street, from seafood and pizza parlours to Starbucks, MacDonalds and Subway. We had dinner at Savoey restaurant, again another reccommendation from the concierge. Sashimi lobster, huge tiger prawns, mud crabs and seafood tom yum soup. We ended the meal with Ma's favourite dessert: mango with sticky rice, and an ice-cream sundae( which Madison gobbled down, of course )
After dinner, Pa and Ma took Madison back to the hotel while Chris and I wandered around Patong for a bit. Now I knew why it was a ghost town during the day. Come nightfall, bars, nightclubs and sleazy parlours spring open. Tourists and party-goers throng the street, together with transsexuals and prostitutes, openly canvassing for business. There were leaflets advertising "ping pong" shows every 10 metres, free "girly" shows and pole dancers strutting away on platforms for everyone to see.
Sadly the trip came to an end Saturday morning. Bright and early at 0630am we had to wake up, go for breakfast and take the hotel transport to the airport. The holiday seemed like a dream, we were just arriving in Phuket and now we were on the way back home. We arrived at the airport pretty early and after clearing immigration had to wait an hour to board the plane. The flight back was uneventful, with Madison whinging and then finally falling asleep just as the plane landed. A taxi ride later we were back in the comfort of the Novena house, with the 3 helpers to greet us and assist with the bags. What luxury!
It was a good trip, but we were glad to be home. The hotel was great but the island was just too hot and not much else for kids to do during the day. Food was a problem too, as it was mostly seafood and too salty or spicy for young tastebuds. But the Thai people were hospitable and generally honest, and were very accommodating of young children and families.
Sawadee Krap!
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