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!
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!
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