Australia Diaries - Day 11 to 14 - Melbourne

Day 11 - Uluru to Melbourne
- Woke up at 6 am and relaxed in our room for an hour
- Went down for breakfast around 8:30 am
- Checked out and took the resort shuttle at 10:20 am to the airport
- Flight was on time and took off at 12:25 pm
- After a flying time of about 2.5 hours, we landed in Melbourne at 3:30 pm local time (factoring in the 30 minute time zone change)
- Took a taxi to our hotel but due to rush hour, took almost an hour and we reached our room around 5 pm
- It's a skyscraper hotel in the heart of Melbourne downtown that has shops and offices on the lower floors and hotel rooms above the 35th floor. Our room was at the 40th floor which meant we had great views of the city from our room's windows
- Freshened up and got ready to meet up my friend Bilal Tanvir
- Bilal came to our hotel around 7 pm but then we had to spend almost half an hour figuring out how to install the baby car seat that he had borrowed from his brother for Sereen
- Drove to an Indian restaurant where food was exceptional and we had a great time catching up with him
- Bilal drove us around and showed us some good views of the Melbourne skyline
- Reached back our hotel around 10:30 pm and then went to bed

Day 12 - Cricket History at MCG
- Woke up around 6 am and relaxed in our room
- We didn't opt for the breakfast option when booking this hotel so had in-room coffee with cereal bars
- Booked a tour of the Melbourne Cricket Ground for later that day
- Left hotel around 11:45 am and walked to one of the city's highly rated restaurants Chin Chin for lunch. The restaurant serves Asian Fusion cuisine and we had pad sew noodles, beef Masaman curry and wagyu beef stir fry
- Walked to the nearby Hosier Street that is famous for its graffiti
- Emerged from Hosier Street into the Federation Square which is a great meeting point in the center of the city and close to the historic district
- Walked along the Yarra river to the Melbourne Cricket Ground
- Did a tour of the stadium where we saw the playing field up close, the dressing rooms, the honours boards with names of Pakistani cricket stars on them, indoor practice pitches, corporate boxes and an interesting tapestry which had famous cricketers and events depicted on it to commemorate the 150th anniversary of MCG
- After the tour, we made our way to the National Museum of Sports that's under the MCG
- We focused mainly on the cricket section since we didn't have too much time left. Highlights were 3 actual World Cup trophies won by Australia in 1987, 1999 and 2003 on display alongside the actual ball used in the 1992 World Cup final that was held at the MCG and won by Pakistan
- We also played some interactive games (cricket run out and net ball) but sadly there wasn't too much time left and we had to leave once the museum closed at 5 pm
- We relaxed in the park adjacent to the MCG for about half an hour which was thoroughly enjoyable since Sereen constantly babbled and played with us
- Walked back to the main road and then got a taxi back to our hotel
- Samia's father's cousin Jamal Chacha picked us up around 7:30 pm and we drove to his house where we had dinner and chatted. He dropped us back at our hotel and then we went to bed around 11:30 pm

Day 13 - Yarra River Walk
- Decided to sleep in after having woken up early for almost 6 days in a row and got up around 7 am
- Went downstairs and had avocado toast, scrambled eggs and lattes from two different cafes
- Played with Sereen after breakfast and then relaxed for a bit
- Took a nap around 11:15 am and woke up around 12:45 pm
- Sereen fell asleep and since she had been missing daytime naps and napping on the go for a few days, we wanted to let her nap peacefully in bed and so chilled in the room
- Left our room around 3 pm and went to a pizza place next to our hotel for lunch where we shared a pizza
- Sereen needed a diaper change and there was no change room at the pizza place so we came back to our room to change her diaper
- By the time we left our room for some sightseeing, it was almost 4:30 pm! It had been a very laid back and relaxing day
- We walked from Flinders Lane (where all the nice restaurants are) to Hosier Street to Federation Square and then emerged on the other side of river (as opposed to the side where we had walked when going to the MCG on the previous day)
- Walked through a park and then along the Yarra River waterfront. There was still light when we started walking but we kept walking till the sun had gone down and then turned back
- When we reached the bridge which could have taken us back to Federation Square towards our hotel, we decided to not go back and instead continued walking on the South bank Promenade. This walk turned out to be one of the most pleasant strolls along the water that we've had in any big metro city. The other ones that come to mind are the walk in Singapore earlier this year and then two such walks in Canada - one in Halifax and one in Vancouver. I would even dare say say that this is the best of all of them! Melbourne is an excellent city to live in and we were beginning to realize why it rates as the #1 most livable city in the world
- We took a break at a bookstore where we bought some books for Sereen and then walked back to Flinders Lane to dine at Chin Chin, again! This time we had the egg fried rice with beef rendang and the food was again delightful
- We walked back to our hotel and then went to bed around 10:30 pm on what was a very relaxing day but where we still ended up walking over 10 km

Day 14 - Good Friday with Friends
- Woke up at 6 am and played with Sereen
- Samia stayed in the room while I went down to get breakfast around 7:45 am and got avocado toast for her, plain croissant for myself and lattes for both of us
- Relaxed in our room and then got ready for 10 am which is when my friend Bilal Tanvir picked us up to show us around the city
- We drove to Williamstown for some excellent views of the Melbourne skyline and then walked along the beachfront for about half an hour. It started drizzling slightly so we decided to head back to our car and by that time the rain had stopped
- Our next stop was the Eureka Tower Sky Deck which is the second tallest building in Australia and the sky deck offers unmatched bird's eye views of the city. Finding parking was a challenge and after we were unable to find street parking, we decided to park within the Eureka Tower building
- Spent a good 45 minutes on the 88th floor observatory and identified all major landmarks of the city
- Drove to McDonald's for a quick lunch and then Bilal drove us through the Port Melbourne suburb of the city
- Sereen had been very patient all this time but finally her patience was running out so we decided to head back and Bilal dropped us off back at our hotel and we were back in our room around 3:30 pm
- Sereen took a nap while we relaxed in the room
- Around 6:30 pm, we went downstairs since the plan was to have dinner with Samia's friends from LUMS, Sumayya and Mahwish who now live in Melbourne with their husbands and kids. We accidentally walked much farther than we needed to but once we realized that, we turned back and reached the restaurant around 7 pm. The restaurant was right next to our hotel and served Mexican cuisine
- Samia was meeting them after a long time and had a good time catching up while I chatted with their husbands and got introduced to their kids
- Sereen started crying around 9 pm so we had to say goodbye and came back to our hotel and went to bed around 10 pm

Didn't get a chance to write updates after day 14 but the last 2 days were just travel days to get back home. Australia is a vast and amazing country with different climates and friendly people. We thoroughly enjoyed our trip and would love to visit again someday!

Day 15 - Melbourne to Sydney

Day 16 - Sydney to Calgary

Australia Diaries - Day 9 and 10 - Uluru

Day 9 - Cairns to Uluru
- Woke up at 4:30 am for early morning flight
- Finished packing and left hotel at 6 am
- Reached airport in 15 minutes and after checking in and dropping off our bags, we had a quick breakfast comprising lattes, blueberry danish and yogurt
- Flight took off on time at 7:30 am and we reached Ayers Rock airport after two and a half hours but due to a different time zone, the local landing time was 9:30 am
- Ayers Rock is an extremely remote town in the state of Northern Territory and there are only 5 things in about a 200 km radius: the small airport (which is more like an airstrip), the Ayers Rock resort which is a collection of hotels with a small market, the Uluru rock, the Kata Tjuta rocks and the Aboriginal town where about 300 people live
- It's desert terrain with healthy vegetation of patchy grass and trees which is surprising because it's quite dry
- Temperatures can go above 50 degrees Celsius in summer which is why we didn't go in December when it's summer in Australia but chose the month of April which is fall in Australia. Fall temperatures can still hit early to mid 30s
- The resort has shuttle buses at the airport that pick up resort guests arriving on one of only 5 daily flights that come into Ayers Rock and transport them to the resort. There are no taxis or any other form of public transportation
- Our hotel room wasn't ready so we read brochures for guided tours of the area to pass time
- We booked three tours: one night tour departing at 8:20 pm later that day and two tours for the next day
- After checking in to our room, we relaxed for a little while and then spotted a big spider on the spare bed. I sprayed bug spray on it which killed it but we got scared about the animals in the desert, also because the room had a booklet warning about different dangerous animals that are found in the region
- We called housekeeping to change the sheets of the spare bed and went out for lunch
- We went to the so-called town center market of the resort that has a handful of shops and three restaurants
- We had fish and chips, peri peri chicken pizza and lime cheesecake for lunch at one of the restaurants
- Then we bought some insect repellent sprays and some snacks from the supermarket which is so fully stocked that it can fool you into thinking you're in a major city
- After that we walked back to our room and took a nap
- Then we walked to our hotel lobby where we were picked up for the night tour of the desert called "Field of Lights"
- We were driven to a field in the desert which has a multi million dollar art installation of softly lit lights that are powered by stored solar energy and each light looks like a medium sized stem with a colored bulb on top. The bulbs change color between green, blue, red, yellow, orange, white and purple and cause the field to appear as a field of lit-up crop
- We walked through the field for about half an hour and I wore Sereen in her baby carrier. We enjoyed the peace and quiet of the cool night desert with the moon shining in the clear sky and the thousands of lights changing color
- We took the return bus at 9:20 pm and had dinner in the lobby restaurant of our hotel. Samia had chicken qorma with basmati rice whereas I had a beef burger
- We came to our room after dinner and went to bed around 11 pm

Day 10 - Uluru
- Woke up very early at 4:15 am despite sleeping late the night before at 11 pm since we had a sunrise tour booked
- We didn't have time for breakfast so our hotel packed some continental breakfast for us to have in the tour bus
- The bus picked us up at 5:30 am and we drove to the national park that houses the Uluru rock. After parking, we were served some coffee and snacks before heading up to the elevated sand dune which has a viewing platform of wood constructed on it for best views of the rock
- We had arrived here in complete darkness and the silhouette of the magnificent rock had been visible from a distance
- Around sunrise time, within minutes, the desert started coming to life as the sun's first rays appeared and the outline of the trees and shrubs became visible with a pink hued background. The rock started to change colors as the sun rose, making the ridges on the rock obvious as the shadows emerged. The pink hues turned to orange and then blue, and then we could see Uluru standing alone in the desert, in all its splendor, towering over the flat land all around it for as far as one could see
- It's a sandstone monolith that is thought to have started forming some 550 million years ago! The local Aboriginal Australian people regard the rock as sacred and it plays a big part in their religion and lives
- The Uluru rock which is also called Ayers Rock is almost 350 meters high and is a massive 10 km in circumference!
- It was hard to take your eyes off the gigantic rock that has been standing in almost exactly the middle of the Australian continent for millions of years, virtually unchanged
- After viewing the sunrise at Uluru, we drove 40 km for our next stop: Kata Tjuta (pronounced Kata Juta)
- Kata Tjuta, also known as the Olgas, lay West of Uluru and the highest peak is 546 meters high (approximately 200 meters higher than Uluru). After viewing the Kata Tjuta from a distance, we went closer and hiked through Walpa Gorge. It was very windy so Sereen loved it!
- Then we headed back to our resort around 11:30 am and had reached back around noon
- We had two and a half hours before our next tour so we quickly ate at the lobby restaurant. We shared chicken pasta and lamb roghan josh on basmati rice while Sereen had her rice cereal
- Then we headed back to our room to quickly take showers to freshen up and then walked to the hotel lobby
- Our tour bus picked us up at 2:30 pm and then we drove to the Uluru-Kata Tjuta Cultural Centre where we spent about an hour to learn about the unique spiritual culture and the dreamtime/creation stories of the Anangu (pronounced Ana-noo), the traditional custodians of Uluru
- Next we drove around the base of Uluru to see all its sides, including the culturally sensitive side that is still used for Anangu customs and is not allowed to be photographed
- Then we went on a guided walk that took us really close to the rock and we were able to touch some parts of it too
- The walk led to a famous waterhole that has been a source of water for Aboriginal Australians for thousands of years
- Our guide also told us about different plants and trees that grow in this area and how they are used by the Anangu
- After the walk, we got back on the bus and drove past a controlled fire that was being lit up to get rid of certain trees and plants so that it wouldn't result in bigger forest fires. When to burn which trees and plants is knowledge that is supplied by the local Aboriginal park rangers
- Then we parked at a viewing point of Uluru so that we could see the rock during sunset and had some snacks while waiting for the sun to go down
- Uluru was again beautiful in the dimming light of the setting sun but it wasn't as splendid as the sunrise
- After watching the sunset, we drove back to our resort and headed back to our room around 7:30 pm
- The hotel had accidentally left two packed breakfasts in our room as well, in addition to the ones we had picked up from reception in the morning so we decided to have those as dinner so as not to waste them
- It was a very long and tiring day but we decided to finish packing before going to bed so that we could sleep in the next day and went to bed around 10 pm

Australia Diaries - Day 6 to 8 - Great Barrier Reef and Cairns

Day 6 - Sydney to Cairns
- Woke up at 4 am and realized that not having dinner the night before was a mistake since we were famished
- Packed our suitcases and got ready to checkout at 6:25 am but bellboy took a while to come to our room so Samia and Sereen went downstairs for breakfast while I waited in the room
- I only had 10 minutes for breakfast so quickly gulped down some scrambled eggs with toast and a latte that Samia had ordered for me
- We had checked-in for the flight the night before and had the boarding passes on our phone
- Took a taxi to the airport, left hotel at 7 am. Thankfully, morning work traffic hadn't started yet so we reached the airport in about 25 minutes and had ample time to drop off our check-in bags and pass through security
- Flight to Cairns was delayed by about 10 minutes. It was a comfortable 3 hour flight where a complimentary snack comprising yogurt and a muffin was served, in addition to the typical coffee/juice/water
- Virgin Australia is a very impressive airline and even had full entertainment system, albeit through a mobile app but it was surprising since usually that amenity is only found on long haul flights. Samia watched half a movie during the flight
- Sereen had her own seat but we weren't allowed to take our car seat so she slept in it for a little while after we lay down her blanket on it
- After landing in Cairns at about 12:10 pm, we got our bags and took a taxi
- All large taxis in Sydney offer a car seat for babies, perhaps because the legislation in the province of New South Wales requires that. On the other hand, the taxi in Cairns let us hold Sereen in our lap. She loved the freedom and had a great time chattering away during the entire ride
- Our hotel Hilton is located right next to the pier where all cruise ships depart for the Great Barrier Reef
- Cairns is a tropical city which gets a lot of rain and is very humid. It's located in the Queensland province whereas Sydney was located in the New South Wales province
- On our current trip, we'll be visiting 4 cities which are all coincidentally in different provinces with different climate patterns
- Cairns is the gateway to the Great Barrier Reef, the largest Reef system on earth which is also the largest living organism on earth and can be seen from the moon
- We reached our hotel at 1 pm and checked-in but our room wasn't going to be ready till 3 pm so we decided to book our tours for the following 2 days with the tour booking desk next to the reception
- By the time we changed Sereen's diaper and waited for the tour booking lady to become available to book our tours, it was 3 pm so Sereen and Samia went up to the room while I walked to McDonald's to grab a quick lunch
- After having lunch, video chatting with Sarim and relaxing for a little while, we decided to take a nap around 6 pm thinking that we'll get up for dinner but that was a bad idea since the next time I woke up, the time was 11:40 pm. I went back to sleep till 1:30 am
- Samia woke up at 11 pm and then Sereen woke up at 1:30 am and needed a diaper change so we changed her
- Sereen played for a couple of hours before going back to sleep at 3 am which is when we went back to sleep too after scheduling an alarm for 5:30 am in the morning

Day 7 - Great Barrier Reef
- Woke up at 5:30 am with our alarm and got ready for the day
- Went down at 7 am to have complimentary breakfast in the hotel restaurant
- Walked along the waterfront on the boardwalk next to our hotel for a few minutes and reached the pier where our ship for the day was to depart
- We were supposed to leave at 9 am but owning to some issue with the onboard toilets, everyone had to switch to a different ship
- Purchased sea sickness tablets for me since the crew advised that we'll be facing choppy waters. The tablets weren't safe for nursing mothers so unfortunately Samia couldn't take them
- We finally left at around 9:45 am and had an extremely rough journey, owing to the strong winds at the ocean. I felt sick and had to go outside for fresh air but that only helped marginally: I vomited twice and felt nauseous throughout the 90 minute ride and had to stay outside. Samia felt sick too but she had no choice but to stay inside with Sereen since I had already left for the lower deck
- Once the rough journey was over, at around 11:15 am, we reached a platform erected in the middle of the ocean that offered numerous activities to see the reefs of the Great Barrier Reef. Platforms like this are called pontoons
- Our platform was at Moore reef which is located on the outer reef. Reef systems that are closer to land are called inner reef but owing to global warming and rising ocean water temperatures, the coral in the inner reef systems have become bleached and started losing color. Reef systems farther away from land are said to be in the outer reef
- At noon, Samia went for a helmet dive in which she was wearing a helmet that had oxygen being pumped into it through a pipe. She walked on the ocean floor and saw the reefs, corals and marine life up close. She also saw a giant resident Maori Wrasse fish and got some very cool photos with it. The fish has an interesting characteristic: all newborns are female but as they reach maturity, the dominant ones turn into males!
- Samia and I had both planned to take turns doing the helmet dive but since I didn't have a great time on the ship, I didn't want to take a chance with the dive
- At the same time when Samia went for her helmet dive, Sereen and I went on a boat that had a glass bottom so we could see the reef below us. If Samia's view was HD, ours was probably the TV quality that existed back in the 1990s 😂
- Around 12:30 pm, all of us were back on the platform and had buffet lunch that was included in the day tour package. For a touristy buffet, the spread and quality of the buffet were very good
- At 1:30 pm, we all went for a third type of activity, the semi-submersible boat. The view was much clearer than the glass bottom boat
- The ocean floor views are spectacular and on all our activities, we got guided tours and got to learn about the different types of corals, reefs and marine life that exists in this ecosystem. The coral close to the Cairns area is blue and green in color whereas the coral near Port Douglas has red colors too
- After getting back on the platform, we spent some leisurely time enjoying the cool ocean breeze on a humid and hot day. Sereen absolutely loved the breeze and had a great time. It has become a theme on this trip: anytime the weather is warm with a cool breeze, Sereen starts giggling and chattering
- We also saw a fish feeding activity and also got another view of a coral garden from an underwater observatory located on the platform
- At 3:30 pm, we got back on the ship and started our return journey. We changed our seats so that we were under an air conditioning vent. We suspected that the lack of air circulation at our previous seats might've contributed to the sickness
- The return journey was smooth and we didn't feel any motion or sea sickness. We reached back Cairns around 5 pm and went back to our hotel room
- Around 7 pm, we walked down to a restaurant located adjacent to our hotel and had Thai curry noodles and fried rice for dinner
- After dinner, we walked along the Esplanade waterfront on the boardwalk for about half an hour and then came back and went to bed around 10 pm

Day 8 - Kuranda Rainforest Village
- Woke up around 6:30 am and had breakfast from the hotel's complimentary buffet
- Went back to our room to get ready for an all day trip of the Australian rainforest
- Tour bus picked us up at around 10 am
- Drive to the sky view cablecar took a little under an hour and we boarded it around 11 am
- First stop of the cable car was after 15 minutes where we got off and did a walking tour with a ranger who walked us through the rainforest and talked about the different types of trees and the nocturnal animals that inhabit the rainforest
- The main theme was that due to the tiny amount of sunlight that is able to filter through to the rainforest floor, plants compete for the sunlight and adapt to get survival advantage
- Some memorable ones included a giant tree that sheds its trunk to get rid of other plants trying to grow on it to get access to sunlight, a plant that grows on the trunk of a host tree and uses it for structural support and plants that grow on trees all the way up to the top to get sunlight
- The ranger told us that in the past, venomous snakes had been spotted on the boardwalk so we became extremely careful. He told us that the specie of snake found in the area is so poisonous that once it bit a man who was agitating the snake and the man died in 10 minutes!
- It rained on and off during the walking tour so Sereen's stroller's rain cover once again saved her from the rain while we used umbrellas provided by the cablecar company (its called Skyrail)
- Then we got back on the cablecar and rode it for another 15 minutes before getting off at the second station
- This one had views of the Barron Gorge and waterfall from viewing points nestled in the rainforest
- There was also an interpretive center where we found out the reason why animals in Australia are so different from animals found everywhere else on the planet. Thousands of years ago, when Australia broke off from the supercontinent that included all continents that are now in the Southern Hemisphere, it remained isolated from contact from the rest of the world for a very long time during which the terrain changed from primarily rainforest to primarily barren desert. Animals found in the rainforest like the platypus have remained virtually unchanged for thousands of years ago while others like the kangaroo have evolved to cope with the desert terrain of the Australian outback
- After getting back on the cablecar and riding for another 15 minutes, we reached the final station and saw an interesting variety of magnum ice cream at the station souvenir shop and tried red velvet and strawberry
- Then we started walking towards the town center of the village of Kuranda which is a village only in name but is otherwise quite developed and touristy
- We stopped at a cafe and had beef burger and chicken burger for lunch, accompanied by fresh juice that was a combination of mango, pineapple and passion fruit
- Then we checked out a butterfly sanctuary which has a facility to breed various species of butterflies. The guided tour was very informative about the breeding process and the characteristics of butterflies
- We saw the largest butterfly who can sometimes stay in the cocoon for up to two years but when it comes out, it only lives for about 3-4 days and then dies after mating
- We also found out that the butterfly uses its feet to taste flowers and that it sedates its male counterpart during the mating process
- In the main section which is essentially a small covered park, there were hundreds of colorful butterflies of all sizes flying around
- During the tour, Samia had been told that butterflies can see very few colors but her white shirt is very prominent to them. The guide took Samia under a special light to show her how butterflies perceive light and under that special light, Samia looked like a beacon of light in a dark sky! The guide told her that the butterflies would be attracted to the color of her shirt and would come and land on her. After getting that information, she would start getting stressed as soon as any butterfly would come close to her, so we quickly made our way out of the sanctuary
- It was time to head back to catch our return ride on a scenic train so we hurried back, despite the fact that it was raining quite substantially
- We boarded the 3:30 pm train back to the Cairns area and were going to get off at a station just outside of the city
- The train passed through the thick and green rainforest, making its way through numerous tunnels and over several bridges. Sereen loved the fresh air but it was hot and humid so we had to take off her onesie and she enjoyed the ride in just her diaper!
- We took some incredible pictures of some curving bridges and listened to the commentary about the construction of the track from Cairns to Kuranda in the early 1900s
- Sereen had been extremely popular the day before at the Great Barrier Reef tour and several people had interacted with her and said that she is a cute baby. We saw an Indian family again on this day and not only did they say goodbye to her but even requested to pinch her cheek. Some other girls who had been on the Great Barrier Reef tour also waved at her, despite the fact that they we had never talked to them but they recognized Sereen!
- After getting off at our station, our tour bus picked us up and drove us back to our hotel and we were in our room at 6 pm
- Sereen was extremely tired and went to sleep soon afterwards. We didn't want to disturb her so instead of going out for dinner, I walked to the nearby McDonald's around 7 pm and grabbed burgers for dinner
- After dinner, we went to bed around 9:30 pm after setting an alarm for 4:30 am for the next morning to be able to catch our early morning flight to Uluru

Australia Diaries - Day 1 to 5 - Sydney

With Sereen, it's tough to find time to write detailed accounts of each day so I'll shorten the updates to bullet point highlights.

Day 1 - Calgary to Sydney
- Sarim dropped us off to the airport
- Almost missed flight to Vancouver due to Electronic Travel Authorization that's required for Australia (similar to visa but can be applied at airport) so getting that caused delay
- Two hour layover in Vancouver
- 15.5 hour flight to Sydney - Sereen slept for first few hours in her own car seat, were able to watch couple of movies
- Passed immigration, bought local phone SIMs
- Took taxi to InterContinental hotel
- Took showers and got ready
- Walked to Circular Quay next to hotel
- View of Sydney Harbour Bridge while having burger and steak for lunch
- Walked to Sydney Opera House
- Hot day so had ice cream on our way back to the hotel
- Went to sleep early around 6 pm

Day 2 - Australian Animals
- Woke up at 1:30 am due to jet lag
- Played with Sereen and made plans for later travel days
- Had complimentary hotel breakfast at 6:30 am, Sereen had a banana
- Walked to Circular Quay to board ferry to Taronga Zoo
- Started raining when we were walking from ferry station to zoo
- Took the cable car to zoo entrance, saw elephants during the ride
- Saw kangaroos, Koala bears, emus, platypus, little penguins, elephants
- Had peri peri chicken and steak for lunch at zoo cafe, Sereen had rice cereal
- Close encounter with a Koala bear named Darwin
- Bought kangaroo and Koala bear stuffed toys and animal themed tableware for Sereen
- Walked back to ferry station
- Ferry cruise of Sydney Harbour for almost 45 minutes
- Dropped off back at Circular Quay and walked back to our hotel
- Midhet picked us up for dinner, met after 15 years and met his Japanese wife Minami for the first time
- Had dinner at Thai restaurant
- Had chocolate fondue for dessert at Max Brenner's
- Reached back hotel around 11 pm

Day 3 - Australia's Convict Roots
- Woke up at 7 am, had breakfast, Sereen had banana
- Came back to our room for a nap
- Got ready and left hotel around 1 pm
- Started walking to the museum, passed NSW Parliament House and Library
- Had chicken salad and chicken sandwich for lunch at a roadside cafe
- Walked to Hyde Park Barracks Museum and reached there at 2 pm
- Australia's convict roots, 160,000 convicts were transported to Australia, most of them to Sydney and they helped build the city
- Sereen fell asleep so we took turns going through the museum, also because the upper two floors were not stroller/wheelchair accessible
- Left the museum at 5 pm and it was raining so we found cover and then walked back to our hotel
- Left hotel around 8 pm to go out for dinner
- Walked along Circular Quay to Ribs & Burgers and had half rack of beef ribs and a small burger with fries
- Walked back to our hotel and went to bed around 10 pm

Day 4 - Opera House and Manly Beach
- Woke up at 4 am since Sereen was up
- Entertained her and gave her a bath
- Went down to have breakfast around 7 am, Sereen had her usual banana for breakfast
- Walked across the road from our hotel to the Royal Botanic Gardens since it was a beautiful day for a walk
- Walked along the water towards the Sydney Opera House
- Bought tickets for a guided tour of the iconic Opera House
- Had beef burger and chicken chipotle burger for lunch and got an avocado packed for Sereen for later
- The one hour tour started at 12:15 pm and we got an overview of the history, design and construction of the Sydney Opera House, along with stories about its primary architect
- After the tour, we walked along Circular Quay and stopped for dessert at Guylian Chocolate Cafe where Sereen had her avocado while we shared a chocolate mousse with almond panna cotta and a banana chocolate milkshake
- Then we boarded a high speed ferry to Manly Beach
- Manly Beach was exceptional and Sereen loved the cool breeze and smiled a lot
- It started raining so we sought shelter in a restaurant with a view of the beach and shared two tapas (goat cheese filled peppers and fried zucchini flowers)
- After it stopped raining, we walked back to the wharf and took the return ferry to Circular Quay and then walked back to our hotel
- Samia's relatives picked us up from our hotel for dinner around 7:30 pm
- Dinner at a Lebanese restaurant
- Reached back hotel at 10 pm

Day 5 - Downtown Sydney and Darling Harbour
- Woke up at 8 am, had our usual breakfast at this hotel comprising scrambled eggs, cereal, crumpets and lattes while Sereen had her rice cereal
- Came back to the room to take a nap
- Got ready and left the hotel around 1 pm
- Walked to Queen Victoria Building, a historic building that now houses a shopping mall
- Walked through Pitt street (similar to Stephen Ave in Calgary) where a few street performers were in action
- Entered the shopping mall and went to its food court for lunch
- Had Turkish Kabab and Indian chicken tikka masala for lunch from the excellent food court that had incredible variety of cuisines, Sereen had a banana that we had bought on our walk
- Got cafe lattes from a coffee shop inside the Queen Victoria Building
- Australia is famous for its splendid coffee and so far everywhere we've had coffee including our hotel, it has been great
- Walked to Darling Harbour, had to get help since elevator wasn't working so we were directed to take a different route
- Entered through Cockle Bay wharf and walked along the Harbour on the boardwalk
- Sereen loved the cool breeze and kept chattering when we stopped for a break and took her out of her stroller
- Continued walking around the Harbour and finally took the Pyrmont bridge back to Sydney Downtown and then walked back to our hotel, observing flocks of people walking back from work
- Did a lot of walking but the nice weather made it easy
- Reached back our hotel around 8 pm and were really tired so went to sleep, without having dinner

Malaysia Diaries - Day 13 - Back to Calgary

We woke up early on Friday, in Singapore, to finish packing for our flight to Kuala Lumpur. Then we had a leisurely breakfast, checked out of our hotel and took a taxi to the airport. After going through exit immigration, we waited at the gate for a little while. The flight took off late by half an hour but the flying time was only 30 minutes so we landed in Kuala Lumpur a few minutes before 1 pm. As on most flights during this trip, our little queen needed a diaper change so the half an hour passed very quickly. We didn't even have time to eat our hot chicken pocket so the flight attendants packed it for us. The immigration line in Kuala Lumpur was insanely long and it took us almost two hours to get from our plane to a taxi. The hot pockets were a life saver!

After the efficiency and organization of Singapore, the Malaysian taxi system didn't feel as impressive as it had been earlier during the trip. The taxi driver was on his phone the whole time which was off-putting. It was a long taxi ride to Kuala Lumpur City Center (KLCC) where we were staying for one night at the InterContinental. The hotels in Malaysia are definitely superior though. For slightly less money, you get much larger rooms in much more advanced and luxurious hotels. We gave Sereen a bath and helped ourselves to hot showers too. Standing in the immigration line had tired us out. We ordered in-room dining and had Malaysian fried rice with shrimp (Nasi Goreng Kampang) and Chinese fried rice with chicken and beef satay skewers. Then we worked on repacking our suitcases so that on our stay in Seattle, we wouldn't need all suitcases. The packing took almost 3 hours so any sightseeing was out of question. We headed downstairs to have dinner. We shared a chicken tikka pita wrap and chicken satay skewers. Then we came back to our room and went to bed for a few hours.

We woke up at 4:30 am and headed down. After checking out and loading our luggage in the hotel taxi, we were on our way back to the airport at 5:15 am. In retrospect, we should've booked a hotel next to the airport since the taxi ride to and from the city center wasn't worth it for just one night. I didn't realize it at that time but the taxi driver didn't take any toll roads so the ride took almost an hour. This was despite having paid a premium for a limousine taxi so tantamount to cheating. We checked in our bags and then waited for our flight that was scheduled for an 8 am departure. The first flight was from Kuala Lumpur to Tokyo's Narita Airport. It was an All Nippon Airways (ANA) flight. The flight attendants were super nice and we were impressed by the fact that the washroom with the diaper changing station was extra spacious and had a curve in the table so that the baby doesn't fall out. The Japanese do know how to design things in the best possible way! For the first time on a flight, we were able to get a bassinet for Sereen. She slept in it for a couple of hours on the 6 hour flight.

Our transit in Tokyo was less than two hours and the long line for security made it even tighter. We hurried to the gate as quickly as we could since we had to check in and get our boarding passes. The plane was full so we didn't get a bulkhead seat. The flight was delayed by an hour so we had time to buy some Japanese chocolates. The 9 hour flight to Seattle went as smooth as it could without a car seat and a bassinet. We improvised to create a makeshift bed for Sereen by joining the seat tray tables of both our seats by covering the gap between them with a sturdy magazine and covering the surface with the blanket provided by the airlines. For the dinner and breakfast service, Samia would hold Sereen in her arms while I fed Samia. Since it was night time in Seattle, the lights were off during most of the flight which helped Sereen think it was her night time so she slept through most of the flight. It was the toughest flight with Sereen because it was long in duration and we didn't have the respite of a car seat or bassinet that we had on long flights earlier in the trip. To fix our sleep schedule and to make sure we kept Sereen safe, I stayed awake on the flight and had coffee twice.

We landed in Seattle at 9:45 am local time on Saturday, almost a day after leaving our hotel in Kuala Lumpur. After going through a smooth immigration and collecting our bags, we were out around 10:30 am. Samia's cousin Mariam's husband Sameem was there to pick us up. We loaded our luggage in their car and drove to their place in the University District of Seattle. Mariam and Sameem are excellent hosts and took great care of us. We had lunch and chatted with Sameem and played with their daughter Undaleeb who was born two days after Sereen. She is super cute and smiles a lot. She was recovering from a cold but the sweet baby was still very responsive and playful. Mariam was at a conference and got back by 2 pm. After chatting, catching up, playing with each other's daughters and sharing notes as parents for a few hours, we decided to freshen up by taking showers and get ready for dinner. Then Mariam's brother Taha came over so we had a good time catching up with him. We walked to a Persian restaurant in the neighborhood for dinner and the food was really good. After dinner, we came back and went to bed.

Next morning (Sunday), we had extremely delicious omelettes for breakfast made by our generous hosts. Then Samia, Sereen and I met up with my friend Omair, his wife Urooj and their daughter Zahra for coffee at a nearby cafe. It was good catching up with them and seeing their daughter all grown up and talking. After catching up with them, we walked back to Mariam and Sameem's place. For lunch, we ordered in burgers. We had our flight back to Calgary at 7 pm so we left their place around 4:30 pm. Sameem was nice enough to stay with us to give us company at the airport until we were ready to go for security checking. The flight took off on time and after a flying time of a little over an hour, we landed in Calgary at 9:30 pm local time.

Sarim was at the airport to pick us up. He had gone to our place, shoveled our driveway, started our cars, done grocery for breakfast, brought over food lovingly cooked by Samia's mummy and had then come to pick us up. Such a gentleman! It's so great to have family living close to you! After reaching home, we unpacked our essentials while Sarim played with Sereen and then we went to bed. It was a memorable trip and I love the fact that I was able to spend time with Samia and Sereen without having to worry about work or household chores. Hope you enjoyed the updates! Till our next trip to Australia in April, take care and goodbye!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 12 - Singapore Part Three

On our last full day in Singapore and our last touristy day of the trip, we woke up around 8:30 am and went down to have breakfast. The specialty item of the day was pooris with aloo. It was delicious but so filling that we skipped our customary omelette. However, to balance the oily richness of the pooris, we had cereal with milk. After breakfast, we went back to our room to relax and Sereen took a nap. Around 11 am, we had the chocolate mousse cake from the previous night which turned out to be quite good. After getting ready, we headed out around 2 pm.

We took a taxi to Chinatown and were dropped off near the entrance to the main touristy street. At the entrance is the Sri Mariamman Temple, the oldest Hindu temple of Singapore and was built in early 19th century. Similar to mosques and Chinese temples earlier in the trip, we had to take off our shoes to go inside. The temple also serves as a community center so lining the central prayer hall are rooms for community events. The outer facade of the main prayer hall building is decorated with hundreds of colorful statues of Hindu gods and goddesses displaying their special powers. Tourists cannot go inside the prayer hall so after making a quick round around the building, we headed out.

We turned left from the temple and were on the Main Street of Chinatown. We walked along the road, passing by souvenir and merchandise shops on both sides that were extending on to the street, making the walkable area narrower than the actual width of the street. We bought a few things and then reached the Chinatown Heritage Center. The Singaporean government has taken steps in the last few years to showcase the heritage of its people and the Chinatown Heritage Center is a result of that, similar to the Malay Heritage Center that we visited a couple of days earlier.

The Chinatown Heritage Center walks visitors through life in Chinatown as it was for the early immigrants from China. The ground floor used to be a tailor shop so the audio guide explains the day to day business of the shop, complete with audio effects to make it sound like you've been transported back in time. We walked through the front of the shop where measurements and new orders were taken and then explored the back of the shop where workers and apprentices not only worked but also lived. The master tailor who was the owner of the business and the house lived on the same in a small room and solid wood furniture was the only indication that the occupant was more affluent than the apprentices. In the back of the building was the kitchen and toilet. The life of these hard working immigrants was quite tough and the living conditions very humble.

The second floor has rooms that were rented to other Chinese immigrants. The rooms are small and the kitchen and toilet were shared by 40 people. The Heritage Center showcases lives and challenges of people who lived in each of the 8 rooms including a Chinese herbal medicine physician who used his room as his clinic and a family of 8 that lived in one small room. The audio guide is quite detailed so we spent almost almost an hour exploring the tailor shop and the residential quarters of the second floor. Then the audio guided portion of the Heritage Center ended and we were in a regular museum style section that chronicled other aspects of the lives of Chinese immigrants with displays and charts. There were displays about the differences in customs and traditions of immigrants who came from different parts of China and the widespread opium addiction among immigrants who had tough lives. Another section was dedicated to the funeral customs of Chinatown inhabitants of Singapore. The Heritage Center gives an excellent account of the Chinese community and its roots.

When we were done with our tour, Sereen needed a diaper change but there were no change tables in the restrooms of the Heritage Center and it was raining outside. We walked under the covered area in front of the shops and made our way to the main road where we flagged down a taxi and headed back to our hotel. We relaxed in our room for a couple of hours and then headed out for dinner. We took a taxi to Clarke Quay (pronounced 'key') which is a pier along the Singapore River lined with restaurants and cafes. It was rush hour so the taxi ride took almost half an hour.

We had chicken and lamb shawarma at a food stall. The quality of food was great, as it has been on the entire trip. Then we walked along the river for almost an hour, taking a break in the middle to sit on a bench to admire the scene in front of us - skyscrapers with their neon signs and lights lining the skyline and cruise boats transporting tourists in the calm Singapore river. The weather was perfect so we could have walked more but it was getting late. We walked to the Fullerton Hotel and took a taxi from there back to our hotel. We ended up getting a limousine with a chatty driver so the ride back was interesting. After getting back to our room, we went to bed since we had to start our journey back the next day. Singapore is a great place to live and we wouldn't mind moving there - it's one of the main financial hubs of Asia with English as their official language, food and weather is great, amenities are top notch, it's very child friendly and not too far from Pakistan. For now though, we are glad to be going back to our home, Canada. Till the final update that will combine a couple of days into a single update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 11 - Samia's birthday and Singapore Part Two

We slept in and woke up around 9 am. Sereen and I wished Samia a very happy birthday, her first as the mother of our cute chunky monkey by cuddling with Samia. We went down for breakfast around 9:30 am and had cereal, omelettes, choley bhaturay and fruits. After breakfast, we came back to the room to relax. Samia and Sereen took a nap while I caught up on previous updates. With Sereen as a new member of our travel party, writing updates daily is a challenge so I have been a couple of days behind on the entire trip. We gave Sereen a bath and were getting ready when Saim called to wish Samia. Our doll Sereen reached the 5 month milestone and dressed up in a new chambray outfit to celebrate her mom's birthday. Then we left our room around 1:45 pm. We had a dinner reservation for Samia's birthday at 7 pm which was a few hours away so we decided to grab something to eat before sightseeing.

Our hotel is connected to a mall with its back entrance opening into the mall. We had a little difficulty in finding the food court at the mall but eventually found it. It had a lot of variety but we decided to stick to familiar items and had Nasi Goreng (fried rice with chicken) and Nasi Biryani. We also tried the special coffee variant of this region called the Kopi. It's sweeter than regular coffee and was a bit too sweet for our taste buds. We also had iced Milo. Yes, it's the same chocolate mix Milo that we have in Pakistan too. By the time we got back to our hotel lobby, it was almost 3 pm since maneuvering the stroller at the mall through handicap accessible ramps (and a short flight of stairs) took a bit of time. On that note, to get to our hotel room from the lobby, we also have to take the stroller up and down a short flight of stairs every time. On our first day, we initially thought about requesting for a different room but when we were checking in, the hotel representative had told us that this was one of the biggest rooms that they have and with Sereen's stuff, we need the extra space so we decided to just brave the short flight of stairs for a few days. Every time we have to go past those stairs, Samia holds Sereen and I take the stroller up/down the stairs.

It had started raining quite heavily so we had to change our plan. We had originally thought about going to Chinatown to walk around and explore the area but our hotel concierge told us that it won't be a great idea with a baby in a stroller. We had short listed a couple of museums and asked the hotel concierge for a recommendation between them. Without hesitation, he recommended the National Museum of Singapore. The heavy rain meant that taxis were in great demand so we had to wait for 15 minutes before we got one. The National Museum of Singapore was less than a kilometer away and if the weather had been better, we could have walked. The taxi ride took about 15 minutes because of rain and rush hour induced traffic congestion. We reached the museum a little after 3:30 pm. After changing Sereen's diaper and buying our tickets, we started exploring the museum around 4 pm.

Sereen was sleepy but the first exhibit was a colorful educational display of the natural ecology of Singapore so I held her in my arms so that she could see it. She was mesmerized by the screens displaying trees, animals, rain and falling leaves. By the time we got to the next exhibit, she was really sleepy so we rocked her to sleep in her stroller and continued exploring the museum. The history section was very extensive and extremely well done. It chronicled the history of Singapore from the time it was named Singapura in the 14th Century to all the way to the present day. The colonial influence, the Japanese invasion, union with Malaysia for a couple of years and eventually the formation of an independent nation in 1965, it was all covered with concise and apt displays. The ascent of Singapore as a technologically advanced city-state since 1965 powered by industrial manufacturing was also documented. Focus on family planning, urban housing development projects and green spaces was emphasized.

It was such an engrossing display that we were only able to see one level of the museum by 6 pm and then it was time for us to leave. It was still raining heavily and everyone leaving the museum was getting a taxi so they were in high demand. Our hotel has provided a smartphone device called Handy with data and local calling to aid our touristy ventures in the city. A security guard at the museum used the Handy device to help us call a taxi. While chatting with her, Samia found out that she was a law school student and had previously worked in the hotel industry. She pointed out a few buildings of the Singapore Management University and a few top hotels in the city skyline. She also mentioned that if our hotel check-in person was paying attention, there might be a small cake waiting for Samia when we get back.

The restaurant where we had made a reservation for dinner to celebrate Samia's birthday is called Colony and located inside the Ritz-Carlton hotel. It's a very nice hotel and after reaching there, we first attended to Sereen and then headed to the restaurant for our 7 pm reservation. It was a dinner buffet with 7 different varieties available - Chinese, Indian, Indonesian, Malaysian, Western, local Singaporean and desserts. We tried Asian salads, English lamb chops, Indian tikkas, Malaysian satay skewers, sushi and a few different types of desserts. The winner were the succulent lamb chops. In retrospect though, instead of a buffet, a sit-down dinner with table service would have been better since choosing from a buffet is tough plus we've been spoiled by the world's best buffet in Las Vegas which is hard to match. When we asked for the bill, the servers brought a small piece of cake out for Samia with a candle and a piece of chocolate that read "Happy Birthday". That was a nice gesture to cap off the birthday dinner, Samia's first with Sereen.

After dinner, we took a taxi back to our hotel. When we entered the room, a small chocolate cake was waiting for Samia. It wished her Happy Birthday but got the gender wrong and read "Happy Birthday, Mr Siddiqui". Nonetheless it was still nice of the hotel to pay attention and try to lend a personal touch to our stay. We were too full from dinner so decided to save the cake as a brunch treat for the next day. We relaxed for a couple of hours and then went to bed. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 10 - Singapore Part One

On our first full day in Singapore, we woke up around 7 am and went down to have breakfast. Like the lavish breakfast spreads of our Malaysian hotels, the buffet at InterContinental Singapore offers a wide range of options too. Perhaps the fact that the Malay peninsula, home to both Malaysia and Singapore is dominated by three main groups of people (the Malays, the Chinese and the Indians) means that to cater to them, the range of options in a buffet has to be extensive. Whatever the reason, we are not complaining! We had omelettes, cereal, a variation of Indian potato cutlets called bonda, yogurt and fruits.

Then we came back to our room and relaxed while Sereen took a nap. We left the hotel around 1 pm and took a taxi to the Malay Heritage Center. It's a cultural center with a museum that celebrates Malay history, culture and arts. There were galleries that outlined the growth of Singapore and the contribution of the Malay people towards that growth. Singapore is an island south of the Malay peninsula. It's strategic location meant that it became a trading hub quite early on in the 14th century and connected traders from Arabia, India, China and Europe. When Singapore reemerged as a major port in the 19th and 20th centuries, that brought in an influx of migrants from the nearby islands that today form the countries of Indonesia, Malaysia, southern Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei and the Philippines. The shared religious and cultural values led to close interactions between these migrants and eventually they came to be collectively known as the "Malays".

We also saw a royal family tree that showed conversion of Parameswara from Hinduism to Islam with his new name Iskandar Shah and the journey from Singapura to Melaka kingdom to the Johor-Riau kingdom. We also learnt about a family spat between two brothers that was exploited by the colonial powers that eventually resulted in Singapore forming its own identity, separate from Malaysia. The contribution of the Malay people in the city of Singapore towards commerce, film, literature, politics and education is very well documented in this cultural heritage center that's located in a building that used to be a palace of the Sultan.

After that we walked to the adjacent Sultan Mosque which is Singapore's largest mosque that was founded in 1824 and can accommodate up to 5000 people for prayers. It incorporates architectural elements from different parts of the world with golden colored onion domes, balustrades, arches and minarets. We took turns to check out the interior since Sereen's stroller couldn't go inside. We then walked on the nearby Arab Street which has clothing and handicrafts stores. For lunch, we stopped at a highly rated restaurant called Zam Zam that was founded in 1908. It's a hole in the wall place but the food is great. We tried their specialty Martabak which is essentially a paratha with a filling of omelette and the meat of your choice. We chose mutton. We also had noodles with beef and boneless chicken bites. Samia tried a local variant of the fizzy drink Fanta. After lunch, we walked back to the Malay Heritage Center to quickly check out their temporary exhibitions.

Then we took a taxi to Gardens by the Bay. Covering a vast areas alongside the waterfront, this horticultural attraction features thousands of rare plants in landscapes gardens. We first explored the Flower Dome which has flowers and plants from all over the world. Sereen loved all the brightly colored flowers. In the center of the Flower Dome, there was a special display for Chinese New Year. Then we went to the Cloud Dome which has the world's largest man made waterfall. We spent almost two hours exploring these two domes. Then at 7:45 pm, we saw the dazzling light and sound show in the Supertree Grove which are 16-story high vertical gardens that collect rainwater, generate solar power, act as venting ducts for the conservatories and look like giant trees. Suspended between two supertrees is a walkway. In the sound and light show, different songs from various Asian cultures were played and the lights changed colors based on the music. The famous Indian song Chayyan Chayyan was also part of the show.

After the show, we walked to Satay by the Bay that's a collection of street food stalls in the premises of the gardens. It was a refreshing ten minute walk along the waterfront. We had chicken satay skewers with customary mouth watering peanut sauce, Turkish Kababs and Malaysian fried rice (Nasi Goreng). We also tried the chendol dessert that has coconut milk, ice shavings, red beans, rice flour jelly with pandaan leaves juice and Palm sugar. It had an interesting taste but the concept of beans in a dessert was quite funny. Then we walked back along the water to the entrance and took a taxi back to our hotel. We reached back around 11 pm and went to bed. It was going to be Samia's birthday in a few hours and I had planned to stay up till midnight to wish her but fell asleep. However with our new parenthood sleep routine, I was able to wish her at 4 am. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 9 - Langkawi to Singapore

Our wake up call in Langkawi was at 6 am but Sereen was up at 3:30 am so we didn't need any additional help in waking up. We finished packing and left our room at 6:30 am. At checkout, we were given packed breakfast to go so that we could eat on our way to the airport. We had the chicken sandwiches and croissants in the taxi after leaving the hotel at 7 am. Then we had our packed fruit platter while sitting at the gate. The flight departed a few minutes late but after a flying time of almost one and half hours during which we ate hot chicken pockets and changed Sereen's diaper, the pilot made up for the delay and we landed in Singapore a few minutes earlier than the scheduled arrival time. Our pilot was the same one who had flown our flight from Kuala Lumpur to Penang a few days ago as well. He gave us a tour of the islands as we passed by them. We knew he was the same pilot because of his unmistakable American accent and a local name.

The Changi airport of Singapore is super organized and thoroughly impressed us. From baby change tables in the male washroom to super fast ATM machines to organized taxi dispatching system, this has to be the most advanced and baby friendly airport we've seen. We took a taxi to our hotel InterContinental and after checking in, reached our room a little after noon. We had the remaining croissants, chicken sandwiches and pastries and then decided to relax and took a nap for a few hours. After we woke up, Samia was starting to get a migraine from not having had a proper meal so we ordered room service. We shared chicken satay skewers and fried rice with chicken and both were delicious. Then we gave Sereen a bath and got ready.

We left the hotel at 8:30 pm and took a taxi to the Singapore Zoo for the famous Night Safari. The taxi ride was almost half an hour as we were traveling to the other end of this small city-state/country. We reached the safari around 9 pm and decided to have dinner at a burger cafe before the two main things we wanted to do. The burgers were quite good for a tourist attraction food joint but on the pricey side. We saw a fire dancers show while having our dinner. Then at 9:30 pm, we saw the "Creatures of the Night" show. It was way past Sereen's self-appointed bedtime but she was refusing to sleep and was in great spirits. She really enjoyed the outdoor setting with a decent level of humidity in the air and perfect Goldilocks temperature of not too warm, not too hot, just right.

In the creatures of the night show, we saw owls, raccoons, an otter, a spotted hyena, African serval and a giant python. It was a captivating twenty minute show with great messages of conservation and recycling for the kids and adults alike. The highlight perhaps was the African serval (that looks like a Cheetah) jumping almost 15 feet high to catch its prey. After the show, we got on the safari tram that was a 45 minute ride through the park with scores of animals on display in habitats closely resembling their natural environments. The most notable ones were elephants, lions, Malay tigers, several species of deer, hyenas, wolves, zebras and hippopotamuses. It was past 10 pm but Sereen was still awake and chattering away.

If we had more time, we would've done the walking trails but it was quite late for our little queen so we decided to head back to the hotel. We took a taxi back to our hotel. Before leaving, we had applied a smidgen of mosquito repellent on Sereen's cheeks and arms so we didn't want her to sleep like that. We gave her another bath and to make sure that we didn't have any traces of the mosquito repellent on our bodies, we also took turns taking showers. We went to bed around 1 am after a tiring travel day. The temperatures in our four days in Singapore are forecast to be the highest of our trip with thundershowers expected as well so we will coordinate our sightseeing such that during the daytime we are indoors. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 8 - Langkawi

On our only full day in Langkawi, we had breakfast at the same restaurant where we had dinner the previous night. We chose the best resort on the island so that we could dine at the hotel and minimize the planning and travel time required to choose a restaurant. The spread was quite elaborate, not as extensive as the ones in Kuala Lumpur or Penang but it made up for that in quality. The service was again splendid, the best of our trip so far. The server even remembered that Sereen was sleeping when we were there the previous night for dinner. We had omelettes, Samia had pancakes and I had waffles. Sereen woke up when we were finishing breakfast so we decided to go to the swimming pool.

We went up to the room to change Sereen into her swimming costume. The idea was to dip her in the pool but Samia heard a kid tell his mom that the water was so cold that he couldn't hold in his pee and then we decided to not take Sereen in the contaminated water. We chilled by the pool in a shaded cabana with a view of lush green hills and the bright blue ocean sparkling in the blazing tropical sun. A server brought us cold water which was perfect for the weather. When it started getting too hot, we decided to escape back to the comfort of our air conditioned room and relaxed there for a couple of hours.

Having recharged our batteries, we decided to head out for the most popular attraction of the island, the cable car ride up to the tallest peak of the island. We took a taxi there and it was only when I got on the cable car that I realized that it wasn't going to be a pleasant ride for me. The cable car ride was almost 15 minutes and covered a distance of 2 kilometers but to a person like me with a fear of heights, the ride seemed like it went on for eternity. I made the mistake of sitting on the wrong side of the cable car where I could see how much higher we had left to go. Samia tried her best to calm me down but I couldn't take off my eyes from our destination. It was a terrifying ride for me and seeing me that afraid, Samia also froze and didn't look outside. Sereen was in my arms and every time she moved, I pleaded with her to stop moving.

We got off at the first stop which was a vista point with wooden floor. Samia took some pictures while I sat on a bench with Sereen, trying to mentally prepare myself for the ride down. Then Samia gave me bad news that we had another short segment of upward climb before we could head down. This segment wasn't as scary since there wasn't much of an upward climb. Once we reached the second and final stop, we had the option of going to the so-called sky bridge that's a bridge between two peaks and definitely not meant for a person afraid of heights. I declined to go and Samia didn't want to leave us. She told me later that she actually really wanted to go on the bridge but my fear had guilted her so much that she decided to not go because she was scared that I would get upset again. This stop comprised concrete structures surrounded by bushes and even had a restaurant. I was comfortable walking around on this stop unlike the previous vista point. We took some photos on the top level that was above the restaurant. We had magnificent views of the ocean and the beaches but it was too hot so we had to get back down to the shaded area after a few minutes. Then we headed back down on the cable car and the ride back wasn't scary for me for two reasons - psychologically, I knew we were getting closer to the ground; and there were two other gentlemen in our cable car and the extra weight helped stabilize the cable car, as opposed to our ride up where to my horror, even the slightest wind would move the cable car. Sereen was chattering on the ride back down too whereas she had been quiet on the ride up. Maybe she shares the fear of heights with her dad!

I was glad that we reached back to the safety of the ground. We decided to check out the 3D center. It's a very interesting concept where the walls and the floors are painted such that if you take photos, the people standing in front of them blend in as part of the scene which makes for some splendid pictures. We spent almost an hour in there and took lots of fun photos. The best one was an accidental shot where Sereen cried for an instant while I was holding her in front of a scene of the jungle with a tiger ready to pounce. In the photo, it appears that she spotted the tiger and was screaming whereas I was oblivious to the tiger's presence. Sereen was getting tired so we decided to head back to our hotel. She fell asleep while we were walking to the taxi and kept sleeping even when we reached our hotel.

It had been an exhausting afternoon so we took a nap in our air conditioned room. When it was dinner time, we didn't feel like going out of our room so decided to order room service. We had vegetarian spring rolls and chicken soup for appetizer. I had the chicken karahi and Samia had a trio of rendang - beef, chicken and lamb. The food was amazing and it was our first experience of fine dining in the comfort of our night suits. After dinner, we stayed up for a little while and then went back to sleep.

Langkawi was the relaxing leg of our journey but the tourism resumes in the last leg of the trip, in Singapore. The tropical weather in Malaysia has been a great respite from the cold weather of Calgary albeit too hot at times. Our impression of Malaysia is that it is like Hawaii but with exotic food and colonial history. It's family friendly, has great weather and welcoming people. It's quite advanced and is similar to Turkey in that respect. We will head to the city-state of Singapore next. Till the next update from the lion city, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 7 - Penang to Langkawi

After waking up early, we finished packing and then checked out of our hotel in Penang. We got a seafront lawn table for breakfast and enjoyed our food with the splendid views of the Strait of Malacca. The taxi driver from the previous day, Mister Hussain, picked us up at 8:45 am for a ride to the airport. The flight took off on time at 11 am and after a very short flight of 25 minutes, we touched down in Langkawi. The flight was so short that our prepaid chicken hot pocket meal was packed to go since the flight attendants realized that there would be no time to eat.

Langkawi airport is small, like the island, and there was no bridge so we had to walk to the terminal. We took a taxi to our hotel The Danna and reached the hotel by 12:30 pm. The check-in process was very comprehensive and the staff even arranged for our Langkawi departure taxi to the airport. As part of the check-in process, we were offered a complimentary drink, a two minute shoulder massage and a tour of the amenities offered by the hotel - the island's largest infinity pool, a library, a kids lounge, a spa, an adult bar with live music and three restaurants. Our hotel has a private beach and a central courtyard that looks like a part of the rain-forest jungle with thick foliage, a waterfall and a fish pond. It's another colonial hotel with high ceilings and spacious verandas.

Our room wasn't ready but upon our request, they were able to give us a different room right away. We were in our room at 1 pm, had the hot chicken pocket which was actually lukewarm now and gave Sereen her usual post-flight bath. The room had a huge balcony similar to our hotel room in Penang with views of the ocean and green hills. Sereen was tired and fell asleep. After relaxing in the room for a couple of hours, we got ready and headed down at 5 pm for afternoon tea at one of the restaurants.

It was a very hot day so instead of tea, we opted for iced drinks - caramel coffee for me and chocolate for Samia. The spread included smoked salmon and tuna sandwiches, chicken curry patty, scones with clotted cream and jam and a selection of desserts - pandaan flavored cheesecake, mango pastry, raspberry tart and coconut panna cotta. The scones were fresh and absolutely delicious. Sereen was still sleeping so we sat in the veranda for about half an hour and once she woke up, we decided to check out the infinity pool and the beach.

We got a cabana next to the beach with the pool behind us and lay down to soak in the warm weather. It was too hot for Sereen initially but when the sun started going down, she was her usual chattering playful self. We chilled in the cabana for about an hour and then went back to our room to relax for an hour in the air conditioning. For dinner, we came down to another hotel restaurant where the food turned out to be exceptional. By this time, Sereen had fallen asleep again so we were able to fully appreciate the fine dining experience. I had murgh makhni and Samia had sliced braised beef in coconut curry. The food was superb and the service was even better. After dinner, we headed back to the room and went to bed. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 6 - Penang Part Two

On our second day in Penang, after having breakfast, we came back to our room and relaxed. We spent time playing with Sereen and made her laugh. We were also able to preserve the memory of Sereen's baby laughter by capturing that on video. We took our time getting ready and left the room around 1 pm. Our hotel concierge was able to arrange a taxi for us that was going to stay with us the entire day and whose driver was trusted by the hotel. The driver was a fellow named Mohammad Hussain but our concierge introduced him to us as Mister Hussain. He was a very polite person and pointed out things of interest as we drove by them.

Our first stop of the day was the Khoo Kongsi Temple which is an ornate temple built by the Khoo clan. Unfortunately, the temple was not going to open for another two hours because of Chinese New Year schedule so we couldn't go inside. We saw some street art while walking to the temple and took some photos on the way back. Then we drove by the Kapitan Keling Mosque which was built around 1800 by a Tamil Muslim named Caudeer Mohudeen. Tamils were known as Kelings and he was their leader. The mosque has Indian styled copper domes, turrets and a minaret.

Our next stop of the day was the Kek Lok Si Temple. It's the largest and most celebrated Buddhist temple in Malaysia, spread across a hilltop. The most striking feature of Kek Lok Si is the giant bronze statue of Kuan Yin, the goddess of mercy. The temple has multiple prayer halls and a fish pond. The temple complex reminded us of Japan's Kiyomizu-dera in Kyoto. The bright tropical sun was blazing down so it was a challenge to move around while trying to protect Sereen from direct sunlight. There were stairs to go up and see the giant bronze statue up close. Usually that area is closed but it was open for Chinese New Year and our driver encouraged us to make use of this rare opportunity. He watched over the stroller while we explored the statue and took some pictures in the shade.

Our next stop was Penang Hill. It is Malaysia's oldest hill station and was built by the British as an escape from the heat of Georgetown, the main city on Penang Island. Our hotel and the attractions that we explored the previous day are all in Georgetown. To go to the top of the hill, we rode a 7 minute long steep funicular line that was built in 1923. Before the railway was built, a horse track was used to go to the top. It was a challenge getting Sereen's stroller on the funicular since the boarding platform didn't have a ramp, only stairs. The best our express ticket could do was that it got us to the head of the queue. The hill summit offers panoramic views of the Strait of Malacca, the mainland and the island of Penang.

Our original plan was to have afternoon tea at David Brown's restaurant but due to lack of stroller access, we abandoned the idea and instead decided to eat at the food court. Samia had Nasi Goreng (fried rice) with black pepper chicken whereas I had fried rice with grilled chicken. We also got a couple of popiah spring rolls and samosas from another stall. Sereen was taking a nap till that time but then she woke up because of the heat and was very restless. Another perk of the express ticket was that while waiting for the return funicular ride, we could wait in an air conditioned room. That cool break calmed her down so she was fine during the ride down. Our taxi driver was waiting for us when we got to the base of Penang Hill and then he drove us back to our hotel. We liked the service provided by Mister Hussain so we asked him to pick us up the next morning for our ride to the airport as well.

After reaching our hotel, we freshened up and then headed for our hotel's infinity pool. When the pool is built such that it gives the appearance of continuing on into the sea or ocean, it's called an infinity pool. Sereen dressed up in her sunhat, swimming suit and swimming diaper and I helped her take a dip in a swimming pool for the first time. The water was colder than her usual bath water so the experience was novel for her but she seemed to enjoy it. After chilling by the pool for about an hour, we came back to our room and relaxed before dinner.

We had dinner at the same restaurant where we had dinner the night before. This time we put the mosquito net on Sereen's stroller and got a table outside by the ocean. It wasn't too busy so Sereen didn't get disturbed and kept sleeping. We had an appetizer basket comprising fried items - spring rolls, samosas, moneybags (they look like moneybags and the filling is where the money would have been) and batter fried shrimp. For our main course, I had the beef rendang and Samia had the nasi goreng (fried rice) with chicken satay skewers. It was a quiet night. The soothing splashing of ocean water against the shore rocks and the warm tropical night created the perfect setting for a relaxing meal. After the delicious dinner, we walked along the seafront lawn of our hotel under the moonlit sky. It's the largest seafront lawn in the world and boasts manicured lawns and lush gardens overlooking the Strait of Malacca. It had been another tiring day so we fell asleep almost immediately after reaching our room. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 5 - Penang Part One

On our first full day in Penang, we woke up early, having slept a lot on the previous night. We went down for breakfast to the restaurant called Sarkies, named after the brothers who built the hotel. The spread was quite impressive. The service wasn't as attentive as it was at our Kuala Lumpur hotel but to compensate for that, they were making fresh parathas on order. We had omelette and paratha with daal and curry. The lattes in Malaysia have been great and have been our preferred breakfast beverage. We went back to our room to relax for a bit and then headed out for the day.

We walked a few blocks to the nearby Cheong Fatt Tze mansion, also called the Blue Mansion. It gets that name from its blue colored outer facade. Our guided tour started at 11 am and went on for almost an hour. The mansion was built by a Chinese businessman who was called Cheong Fatt Tze. He had ventures all over Southeast Asia and was a rich man. He built the house to showcase his wealth and it originally stood in the center of his estate, of which only the mansion now remains intact. The mansion is a traditional Chinese house with a central courtyard but as its owner was an international businessman, he also wanted to use the latest trends of the day so he used English tiles and stained glass windows. The mansion also features Qing dynasty latticework and cast-iron balusters. Cheong Fatt Tze wanted the house to serve his family for eternity so there is a lot of symbolism based on Chinese beliefs. For instance, the central courtyard has 8 pillars as 8 is considered a lucky number. There are enough rooms to house 9 generations and 9 signifies eternity. Cheong Fatt Tze had 8 wives but only three of them lived in this mansion including his favorite one. She was the mother of his last son and according to his will, the house could not be sold until his last son died. The house was put up for auction in 1988 after the death of the last son and that's when its current owners purchased it. They are a husband and wife team of architects who took it upon themselves to restore the house to its original splendor, with minor adjustments to fit in electric wires and indoor plumbing. The house opened to the public in 1998 and also serves as a hotel with 18 rooms. The mansion doesn't have air conditioning so I had to make sure I kept Sereen cool by keeping her in the range of fans.

After visiting the mansion, we got a strawberry flavored bubble tea from a stand outside the mansion and then walked a few more blocks to our next stop of the day, the Penang State Museum and Art Gallery. Located next to Saint George's Church, this small museum gives an excellent account of the history of Penang. It has maps and records chronicling the growth of Penang since the arrival of the British. The first floor showcases the various ethnic groups that constitute Penang's population, with exhibits of clothing, photographs, household items and artifacts associated with Penang island's Malay, Chinese and Indian communities. The second floor is devoted to Penang's history with special emphasis on the colonial era, the Japanese occupation, the Chinese and Indian settlements and the gaining of independence. There were two different couples at the museum who took pictures with Sereen after asking us. This baby is a hit wherever she goes! The museum was air conditioned so Sereen was her usual playful self and gave both couples lots of smiles.

After that we walked to Little India and stopped at a vegetarian South Indian restaurant for lunch. We had Mushroom 65 and samosas for appetizer and I had a sweet lassi. For our main course, we had an aloo paratha, paneer manchurian and Szechuan fried rice. Then we walked by clothing stores, jewelry stores and music shops blaring Bollywood music before taking a taxi back to our hotel. We rested for an hour and then took our hotel shuttle to the other end of the island, the beach town of Batu Ferrenghi. The shuttle took about an hour during which time Sereen took a nap in my arms. We were dropped off at a sister hotel of the Eastern and Oriental hotel. We had thought that the beach would be nice but perhaps because of too much commercialization, it was crowded and didn't look too appealing so we decided to not go near the water. We had a banana milkshake at the hotel cafe and then walked along the patch between the hotel and the beach that had very old and tall shady trees. Originally the plan was to relax at the beach and then take the shuttle back at 9:45 pm but since we were done earlier than that, we decided to take a taxi back to our hotel. It was a nice drive along the beach. Sereen started crying so we had to keep her distracted by playing her favorite Coke Studio songs. When we reached the hotel, we rested in our room for a little while and Sereen fell asleep.

We went to the old wing of our hotel to dine at the Sarkies Corner restaurant. We decided to sit inside because all the people were sitting outside and we didn't want Sereen to get disturbed while she was sleeping. Usually when we go for dinner, Sereen is sleeping so we transfer her to her stroller where she keeps sleeping peacefully while we have dinner. We had chicken satay skewers with peanut sauce for appetizer. I had the beef rendang with rice and Samia had Kapitan chicken curry with rice. After dinner, we went back to our room and decided to call it a night. We aren't walking as much as we usually do on our vacations but still we end up walking around 10,000 steps or around 7-8 kilometers. In this heat and humidity with a stroller to manage as well, that's probably the most we can do. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 4 - Kuala Lumpur to Penang

Maybe it wasn't a great idea to go to bed early the night before. I was up at 2 am and couldn't sleep after that while Samia woke up at 4 am. It was an odd time since we couldn't go out for sightseeing and breakfast wasn't going to start till 6 am. We just lazed in bed, played with Sereen and then started packing at 5 am since we had a flight to Penang in a few hours. We left for breakfast at 6 am and took our sweet time, enjoying the marvelous spread on offer. We had their omelettes every day and also tried the roti canai which is very similar to our Pakistani paratha. The roti canai comes with either daal or chicken/fish curry. Everyday, I also had the cereal whereas Samia had yogurt with fresh fruits. One day we tried the middle eastern breakfast and one day we tried Singaporean fried noodles. The bar has been set really high for breakfast buffets now!

After yet another elaborate breakfast in Kuala Lumpur, we checked out of the hotel and took a taxi to the airport. The ride was almost 40 minutes long so we installed Sereen's car seat in the taxi and she enjoyed gazing outside the window from her comfortable seat. At the airport, we dropped off our check-in bags and changed Sereen's diaper before going to the gate. For all local flights in Malaysia and Singapore, we chose the budget airline Air Asia but then upgraded for a nominal fee to get seats in the first row and a meal. Sereen needed another diaper change after we got on the plane so we changed her on the floor at the base of the seat, thanks to the extra leg room. It was a short flight with a flying time of less than an hour. The meal was a chicken hot pocket that was quite delicious. We landed in Penang around noon.

We took a taxi to our hotel and due to traffic congestion, reached there by 1 pm. Our room wasn't ready so we were given the option of relaxing in a lounge. Our hotel is the historic Eastern and Oriental Hotel that was established in 1885 by the Armenian Sarkies brothers who also established the Raffles hotel in Singapore. A few years back, a new wing was constructed; our room was in that wing. The hotel backs on to the Strait of Malacca so the views of the water are spectacular. The waiting lounge had free drinks so we helped ourselves to lattes while Sereen stretched out on the couch. When our room was ready, we gave Sereen a bath and then showered and got ready for our afternoon tea reservation at the hotel's restaurant called 1885.

The afternoon tea had a two tiered stand with one tier for sandwiches that had 7 types of sandwiches - smoked salmon roll, egg salad croissant, smoked beef brisket, tuna sandwich, cucumber tomato cream cheese, chicken vol-au-vent and cheese tomato roll. The other tier was for dessert that included a cheesecake, a macaroon, a small piece of chocolate cake and panna cotta. There were also scones with clotted cream and jam. I got a tea called mint and fresh whereas Samia got a more exotic flowery black tea blend called Darjeeling Jungpana. To our surprise, Sereen didn't create any noise and we were able to finish our tea and snacks in peace. When we went back to the room, I was really tired and fell asleep almost immediately. Sereen fell asleep too but Samia stayed up for a few more hours, hoping that we would wake up. The cycle of sleeping early and waking in the middle of the night that had started the day before had happened again. The only difference this time is that after we woke up, we stayed up for a couple of hours but then forced ourselves back to sleep so that we could get back on track the next day. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 3 - Kuala Lumpur

There was rain forecast for the day so after waking up, getting ready and having breakfast, we took a taxi to Kuala Lumpur's Independence Square, locally called Merdeka Square. This large square is the colonial focal point of Kuala Lumpur. Located in the heart of the colonial district, this vast rectangular grassy square once hosted cricket matches and parades. Surrounded by the mock-Tudor Royal Selangor Club, the National Music Museum, Saint Mary's Cathedral, and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, the square offers a rare glimpse into the city's past. The building that stands out the most is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building with its Moorish architecture and red dome. It was in this square that the British Union Jack flag was lowered when Malaysia became an independent country in 1957.

After checking out Merdeka Square, we decided to walk to the nearby Jamak Mosque. Pedestrian sidewalks are already a bit difficult to manage with Sereen's strollers since they don't always have a ramp but due to some construction going on in the area, we had an even tougher time maneuvering our way. The rain got heavier which didn't help. Thankfully we have invested in a quality stroller that came with a rain cover so Sereen was well protected. Once we got closer to the mosque, we found out that it was closed for renovation. We continued walking to the nearby Central Market which is indoors so it was a much needed respite from the rain.

The Central Market used to be a fresh produce market but now it's a shopping mall where ethnic arts and crafts are sold. At the Central Market, we explored different shops with souvenirs and were close to buying some stuff when Sereen started crying so we had to abandon the deal and take care of her. We sat down at a Malaysian chain cafe called Old Town White Coffee and tried their specialty iced white coffee and Malaysia's national dish Nasi Lemak. After this break, we resumed shopping and bought some souvenirs. Then we took a taxi to the Petronas Twin Towers. Taxi drivers not turning on the meter and overcharging is an issue in Malaysia so to get a metered taxi, you usually have to pay a small fee to an agent who then hails a metered taxi for you. This time we didn't get a metered one so the taxi driver tried to sell us on additional stops on the way that we politely declined. He couldn't drop us off at the regular taxi entrance either and dropped us off in front of the side entrance. That worked to our advantage since we were in front of the Petronas Towers and decided to take some pictures before going inside.

It was extremely humid and the temperature was 35 degrees Celsius. Our Canadian baby wasn't impressed and her usual smile was missing from the posing pictures. After a few minutes, Sereen started crying because of the heat so we decided to not push our luck and hurried inside in the air conditioned Suria mall located in the Petronas Towers. We picked up our tickets for going to the top of the Petronas Towers and then did window shopping since there was still some time to go before our slot. Strollers and bags were not allowed to go up so Sereen rested in her baby carrier facing outward in her daddy's lap. She loves being in the baby carrier and enjoys gnawing any parts of it that her mouth can reach. First we went up to the sky bridge which is a covered bridge connecting the two towers. We took in some great views of the Kuala Lumpur skyline and snapped a few pictures in our allotted 15 minutes. Great for me that the bridge is covered on all sides so my phobia of heights didn't set in too much. Then we took the elevator to the top of the first tower. The views were even more breath taking from the highest vantage point in the city but owing my fear of heights, I could only push myself to see a little bit. Samia enjoyed it more than I did, having no such fears.

Then we came down to the food court of the Suria Mall and tried some more of the local Malaysian specialties for dinner - Beef Rendang with rice and curry puff, a crispier version of the samosa. After dinner, we went down to the KLCC Park that's adjacent to the Petronas Towers. Originally, we had planned to stay till 8 pm to watch the fountain show but it was way too hot and we read a few reviews online that it's not an attraction for which you should wait. Having seen the spectacular fountain show outside the Bellagio hotel in Las Vegas, it wasn't going to be a novel experience for us anyway so we decided to leave around 7 pm. Then we took a taxi back to our hotel and called it a day and went to bed early. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 2 - Malacca

After waking up and getting ready, we went up to the breakfast lounge to have another heavy breakfast. The strategy had worked great on our first day so we decided to stick to it. After breakfast, we came down where our guide for the day was waiting. We were doing a day trip of Malacca which is a UNESCO World Heritage town two hours drive southeast of Kuala Lumpur. Our first stop in Malacca was a church called Saint Peter's Church which had a white outer facade. It was a little underwhelming for us after having seen numerous churches in Europe.

The next stop were the ruins of an old Portuguese fort that's at the top of a hill. The fort was taken over by the Dutch after they invaded Malacca. There used to be a secret passage from the top of the hill to the base that was closed after the Malaysian government took control. After seeing the ruins that included ten foot high tombstones, some with Dutch seals on them, we climbed down the stairs to the base of the hill which used to be the other end of the old secret passage. The building where the passage ended is now an iconic symbol of Malacca, much like the Petronas Towers are the icon of Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysia has seen five different invasions in the past - by the Portuguese, the Dutch, the British, briefly the Japanese and then the British again. The town of Malacca provides a glimpse into its old colonial past with red buildings from the Portuguese era, Dutch office buildings and British bungalows with verandas and balconies. We walked to our next stop and saw an entertaining tourist trap along the way - rickshaws decorated with popular cartoon characters that give you a tour of the main square and the adjacent area while blaring loud music. We saw Hello Kitty, Frozen, Minions and Pokémon to name a few.

We stopped at another set of ruins of a fort that still has the cannons from the Dutch times. Then we saw a plaque marking the place where Prince Parameswara sat down under a tree by the river. He had fled from Singapore and while he was sitting under the tree, he witnessed a tiny white mouse deer defeat his two big guard dogs. That's when he realized that if a small mouse deer can stand up to bigger opponents, he should stop running too so he decided to lay down roots in Malacca and start a new kingdom.

Then we walked back to the main square that has red buildings from the Portuguese time, including a church called Christ Church. From the main square, we turned towards the famous Jonker street which has temples and street food stalls. We passed through a street called Harmony street which gets its name from the fact that it has a Muslim mosque, a Hindu temple and a couple of Chinese Taoist temples, all within walking distance of each other. We stopped at the mosque and the two Taoist temples but the Hindu temple was closed. We continued walking on Jonker street and had our first taste of the Durian fruit. We got a puff that had Durian filling in it. It smelled like a mix of onion and garlic and was extremely sweet with a bitter after taste. I didn't mind the taste but Samia had to spit it out. We also had the Portuguese dessert Natas (custard egg tart) that we had first tried a couple of years back in Lisbon. We wanted to try the famous Malacca specialty chicken rice ball but the line up was long so we decided against it.

Then we drove to our next stop, the so-called floating mosque. It's a solid structure but the foundation pillars are in water so it looks like it's floating. It was an extremely hot day so we sat inside the mosque next to a fan and let Sereen stretch out on the floor. Like the mosque on Harmony street, Samia had to wear a head scarf before she could go inside the mosque. After visiting the mosque, we drove to our highlight of the day - our lunch. We had South Indian thali, served on a piece of banana leaf. We had chicken and mutton, with vegetables and rice and the best part was that we had to eat with our hands. It has been a long time since we ate rice with our hands but it was fun.

After this delicious lunch, we started heading back to Kuala Lumpur. It was the end of the Chinese New Year public holiday for some people so there was lots of traffic on our way back. Then it started raining which caused flooding on the highway so traffic moved extremely slowly. The drive that had taken us two hours in the morning took almost four and a half hours on the way back! Thankfully it was Sereen's bedtime so she slept most of the way in her car seat which allowed Samia and me some time to doze off as well. We were really tired by the time we got back to our hotel so we went to bed as soon as we could, after changing Sereen. In retrospect, we learnt another lesson for our future trips with our infant Sereen - never do day trips. If we had to do it again, we would've just gotten a hotel in Malacca for the night and driven back the next day. Till the next update, take care!

Malaysia Diaries - Day 1 - Calgary to Kuala Lumpur

So much has changed since our last international trip. We have a new travel companion - our four month old baby girl Sereen who melts our hearts with her toothless grins and shapes our days with her baby care needs. With Sereen in the picture, we had to think hard if we could still do international trips. In the end we decided that we shouldn't stop doing the things we love just because we are a family of three now. It does require more planning and thinking about different concerns but that challenge is part of what makes traveling to new cultures so alluring. We also want to instill in our daughter a love for travel and the appreciation of the human experience that comes with it. We had learnt a few travel tips from our trip to Southern California over the Christmas break so decided to put them to good use with a trans-Pacific vacation to Malaysia and Singapore.

Sarim stayed over the night on Thursday so that he could give us a ride to the airport (and play with Sereen). She is a social baby and loves having people visit her, as demonstrated by the smiles she showers on them. We left home at 4 am. Our first flight from Calgary to Seattle took off at 7 am and landed a little early which gave us ample time to have a meal at the airport. Whenever we are transiting through Seattle, we somehow always end up eating at Wolfgang Puck and it was no different this time. We shared a chicken salad and a chicken sandwich. The next flight was from Seattle to Hong Kong and this almost 15 hour flight was going to be the real test of our endurance. We got lucky and got an entire row to ourselves so we placed Sereen's car seat in the middle which allowed her to sleep more comfortably. Another lucky break was that due to stronger than usual tail wind, the flying time was reduced by about half an hour. When Sereen was awake, we entertained her and took care of her but that was only for about 6 hours since she slept for a total of almost 8 hours in 3 naps. Samia and I were both able to get some sleep too and even sneaked in a 2 hour movie. One air hostess was so enamored with Sereen that she took her for a walk around the plane and we learnt later that she even got to meet the pilots. They said goodbye to her when we were leaving the plane and knew that we were traveling from Canada. It was a Delta airlines flight and the only blemish on an otherwise comfortable and well-serviced flight was the bland food. Sereen enjoyed her diaper changes in the airplane washroom because they allowed her much needed stretching breaks on the pull-down change table. Overall, the flight went well - more smoothly than we had expected.

After landing in Hong Kong, we had a couple of hours of layover which was just about sufficient to check-in with Cathay Pacific airlines for our next flight to Kuala Lumpur, stretch our legs, use the washroom, collect the baby stroller and gate-check it for the next flight along with the car seat. The flight from Hong Kong to Kuala Lumpur was only three and a half hours but it was the most challenging since by this time Sereen was tired, we were tired and there was no car seat to help either. Despite that, Sereen had a 15 minute spell of laughter which served as an energy boost for us. We finally landed in Kuala Lumpur past midnight just as Sunday was starting, thanks to the 15 hour time difference between Canada and Malaysia/Singapore. We passed through immigration, picked up our luggage, bought a local phone SIM card and then took a taxi to our hotel, Grand Hyatt, close to the Petronas Twin Towers. The airport is outside the city so the drive was about 45 minutes.

We reached our hotel room 31 hours after leaving home but still had a few things to do before we could sleep. After giving Sereen a bath, we showered and by the time we got in bed, it was almost 4 am. Technically, this update is for two days but the first day was a travel day. We had decided to not sleep for too long so that we could get over the jet lag and were up at 8:30 am and ready for breakfast. We made sure while booking our hotels for the entire trip that breakfast was included as part of all reservations. This was by far the most impressive breakfast spread that we have seen at any hotel. The breakfast lounge is on the 38th floor with great views of the city - you can see the Petronas Twin Towers and the KL Menara Tower gracing the city skyline. The multi-cultural breakfast included traditional western items such as cereal, croissants, omelettes, bread, yogurt, smoothies, fresh juices and also Malaysian, Chinese and Middle Eastern breakfast delicacies. We decided to have a heavy breakfast so that we could last longer and make the most of daytime.

Our first stop of the day was the Islamic Arts Museum. We took a taxi since it's quite difficult to take transit with Sereen's stroller and other stuff. After seeing a lot of churches and Christian history on our previous trips, it was the first time we were going to a museum which focused on Islamic history. The museum starts with a unique section housing detailed scale models of some of the most iconic mosques from around the world, including those from Saudi Arabia, Jerusalem, Central Asia, Pakistan, India, China, Western Africa and Asia Pacific. There was even a mosque from New Mexico State in the US. There was a guide on the design styles of mosques in each region that adapts the original style to incorporate distinctive local architectural elements. There were galleries displaying jewelry, arms, coins, metalwork, woodwork, ceramics and textiles from India, China and Malaysia. There was a Manuscript gallery displaying calligraphy and different scripts used for the Quran. A restored Ottoman room from a house built in Syria in the early 19th century is another highlight of the museum with its painted wood paneling and spectacular decorations. The history of all kingdoms and dynasties since the Prophet's time that have had Muslim rulers, including the history of the Mughal rulers of India was chronicled in different sections of the museum. Sereen slept in her stroller through our 2 hour exploration of the museum and only woke up towards the end.

Our next stop of the day was the KLCC Bird Park which is a 20 minute walk from the Islamic Arts Museum. The weather during our trip is going to be hot and humid with temperatures in the early to mid 30s. Sereen fell asleep again, probably helped by the high humidity and heat. Later when I checked my FitBit, I realized that the 20 minute walk had been categorized as riding a bicycle because I was pushing Sereen's stroller and the grip is similar! The bird park is the world's largest free-flight walk-in aviary with different sections for different birds. We saw over 200 species of birds. Lovebirds were very cute and the peacocks were magnificent. We even saw a monkey which Samia tried to scare away with the brochure in her hand. The "world of parrots" section dedicated to parrots of all kinds loudly chattering in flight was the most entertaining section but the highlight of the entire park was Samia getting her picture taken with two birds sitting on each of her hands. I'm always scared of such encounters so I decided to stand by Sereen's stroller on the pretense of protecting her. When Sereen woke up, her back was drenched in sweat so we sat down at the exit cafe under a fan to cool her down and had ice cream. Too bad Sereen can't eat solids yet otherwise she would've enjoyed the respite.

Our final stop of the day was the air conditioned Pavilion Mall. Sereen is a true Canadian and does not appreciate hot and humid weather but as soon as she sat in the air conditioned taxi, she was fine and kept babbling and playing even after we had reached the mall. It's an impressively organized mall so we went to the floor that has kids and maternity stores to shop for our little queen. In the center court of the mall, there was a special dragon dance show being put on to celebrate the Chinese New Year so we saw that at 6 pm. It was dinner time after shopping so we stopped at a Lebanese restaurant. The service was extremely slow but the food was good. We shared hummus for appetizer, I had beef and chicken shawarma platter and Samia had shish tawook. We took a taxi back to our hotel and then entertained our little emperor before going to bed. By the way, I'll be using the terms "sleeping" and "going to bed" quite loosely during this trip's updates. There is no such thing with a baby so waking up during the night to feed her, change her, put on a blanket, remove the blanket, blow her nose or even play with her to tire her out back to sleep are all part of the parenthood "sleep" routine. Till the next update, take care!