Pangkor - Carol and Gemma

Carol and Gemma planned their visit to co-inside with the Equestrian Grand Prix, which was held in KL at the end of November. All the Whitakers were there and the girls managed to get to speak to Ellan and get her autograph!

We took them to all the usual touristy places in KL, including the Twin Towers and Minara Tower and of course they couldn't get away without visiting "some" of the Mega Shopping Malls here. Sara was on crutches after fracturing her big toe playing football, so we hired a wheelchair and caused mayhem in the Megamall with it. We also managed to fit in a trip to the Craft Centre and painted some Batik pictures, that we got to take home.

A trip to China Town, saw us buying loads of bargains, Sara, Gemma and Charlotte were having a great time bartering prices down on purses, t-shirts, handbags and watches.

I thought, with Carol being a Cook that she might like to see how the locals do their cooking down the wet market street (hee hee)....Most stalls were closed, but a few still had pens with live Chickens ready waiting for the chop. Sara went into great detail about how they kill them (I wont) and a few people were tidying up and washing dishes, when I say washing dishes, the water was dirty and cold, no soap and the lane was filthy...we had only gone about 30feet down the narrow lane when I saw a big rat come out from the side. I stopped everyone behind me and said "look a rat!" to which they all screamed and legged it back to the main street....

At the weekend, we took them horse riding, down at our local. Carol had 45mins in overcast weather, and nearly fainted with the heat, she swore that she would never ever complain about the cold and wet weather back in Scotland again!

Sunday 2nd December was Hamish's Birthday, we celebrated it with Graham on the Saturday night at Gills Indian, as I had booked the Pangkor Beach Resort for two nights leaving on Sunday morning at 8am. Graham stayed behind and looked after the house and the office whilst I drove everyone up to the ferry which would take us across to the Island.

We were sitting by the pool by 12.30! and we couldn't have asked for better weather! The sea was sooo clear and still and the hotel only half full, so the beach and pool were very quiet.

In the sea, it was so clear. Hamish spent most of his time with his goggles on snorkeling, looking at the fish and finding things of interest. The girls were flitting between the pool and the sea. Monkeys in the trees and Tookins flying overhead...Carol turned to me and said with a big sigh "This is just like being on a tropical island".........???!!!

Carol and I decided to treat ourselves at the Spa. The kids wanted a foot massage, and the receptionist said that because they were small, they could have a full body massage for the same price...so there they were lying out on the deck, draped round with white net curtains, by the sea, whilst Carol and I sat and had Honey and Ginger Tea, before it was our turn. (I will skip the bit, where we were presented with the Honey tea, not realizing it had so much ginger in it, that when we took a sip, it half choked us!!...we fell about laughing and nearly gave ourselves a hernior!!).

The nights entertainment was interesting.....4 phillipino girls called "four play" singing cover versions. I think we probably watched them for about 20 minutes before we had had enough and went to our rooms to watch a good movie instead.

The trip home didn't go without its highlights either. Carol and Gemma's flight back to the UK was in the evening, so to give us a bit of time back in KL, we checked out at 12.00 and caught the 1.30 ferry back to the mainland. Once we were all in the car and heading out of town. Sara asked where the DVD player was? Noboby had seen it and we came to the conclusion that it was still in one of the safes, back in the hotel room. Never mind, Sara knows the Owners daughter, so if I phoned them later, we would get it back one way or another.

I stopped for petrol, and Gemma shouted from the back "Mum, have you got the Passports?" Carol replied "Don't start that Gem, there here in my handbag".......maybe NOT in the hand bag, not in the suit case....must be in the safe back in the hotel room! I then did a U-turn and phoned the hotel. They managed to track out things down for us and they were good enough to send them on the next ferry, which got in at 3pm. When I got the bag, it contained not only the DVD player, Carol and Gemma's passports, but my passport as well. Whoops!

Its a three hour drive back from the ferry, on a highway that runs straight threw the jungle that runs as far as the eye can see. The road was mostly taken up with roadworks. I don't know if you have seen them, but roads department here have these automated robotic workmen, wearing the orange and white jacket and trousers and a safety hat, they sit by the road waving a red flag up and down to warn traffic. Carol wanted a picture of one, we must have passed about 6 and she got some great pictures of lorries......, cones,...... countryside and no robotic workmen.

We had a great time, and as the holiday went on we had some great laughs. Hence I have written them down, as we wouldn't want to forget them..