Holiday Adventurers: A Parent’s Perspective

Once upon a time, there lived a lady with her two young children and husband, in the concrete jungle of Kuala Lumpur. Every morning, as the sun rose and the lady would go about the nitty gritty of performing her daily chores, she would yearn for the day that she could escape the hustle and bustle of her daily life by going on a lovely holiday with her beloved family. One night, at the dinner table, the lady asked her husband and children if they would be delighted in going on a road trip to the seaside. Her suggestion was met with much glee and whoops of joy from her daughter and snorts of laughter from her baby.

Her hubby agreed and thus, the plan for a seaside holiday was hatched.

On a fine Saturday morning a few weeks ago, I, the said lady, had the pleasure of yanking out my luggage bag from the cupboard. I had long given up any hope of going on a holiday this year, given my husband’s erratic work commitments and the general mood of my baby who was either down with a flu of sorts or teething ever since he turned 8 months. So when the opportunity presented itself, I literally pounced at the chance. After making a comprehensive checklist that included half the kitchenware and almost all the children’s’ clothes (one can never pack too many clothes or diapers for young children!) I began happily packing and unpacking, packing and re-checking for the next few days before our trip.

Kirtu, my two and a half year old, had never been to the beach so I duly exposed her to dozens of videos of waves lapping on white sandy beaches and azure waters on a sunny day. She was excited and raring to go.

As for my baby, I gave him a last minute crash course on assisted buoyancy in where else but his baby bathtub! I had packed dear hubby’s clothes as well lest he forget anything! We were all set to go!

Destination Port Dickson, here we come!

A road trip that would normally take 2 hours set us back by 5 hours as we got lost! We reached the hotel at almost sunset, weary from our travel and hungry. Upon checking into our room, all exhaustion and pangs of hunger dissipated at the sight of our glorious accommodation! The room itself was exquisite but the wow element was the pool at our veranda. Our very own pool!What a luxury!

All four of us wasted no time in getting into the pool and wading around. It was an experience of sorts for baby Kylash and he immensely enjoyed dipping in the pool. As night fell, the kids dozed off early and my husband and I lounged on deckchairs in front of the beautifully lighted up pool. Such a visual treat!

The next day, we filled our stomachs with the delectable Malaysian cuisine that the hotel’s cafe had to offer and even packed a picnic basket for our trip to the beach. The order of the day was fun, fun and more fun in the scorching sun and powdery sand. The children were mesmerized by the sea and waves and getting them out many, many hours later was no mean feat!

We got back to the room tired but the inviting pool had other plans for us so into the pool we went for another hour or so until the sun bade farewell for the day.

After a blissful three day getaway, it was time to return to the daily grind of everyday life. However, after the glorious holiday, we were all recharged, rejuvenated and refreshed with large doses of fresh, sea-salt air!

Although a little melancholic that the holiday had ended so quickly, I was happy that we had pulled off this family holiday. As a good friend always said…”Don’t feel bad about coming home from a holiday. Only when a holiday ends can a new one begin.”