Legoland Malaysia – waterpark

Day 2 in Malaysia saw us having a lazy start to the day, the boys had slept from about 5pm the night before (Master 1 from about 3pm) so were awake at about 8am. We mooched around until about 9.30, when we headed over to Legoland. As the parks only open at 10, we planned to grab a quick breakfast at Medini Mall, right opposite the entrance to the main park before heading in. Dinner the night before had been a few sweet rolls from a bakery near the hotel. The only food place within walking distance, so we decided good ol’ Burger King would fill the gap & guarantee the boys ate well. Their coffee was crap, but the food as you would expect from any Burger King anywhere!

KFC to the left, BK to the right…

Poser of note

This clown!

Master 1 discovered coke zero!! Oops

Before entering the park, I made a stop at the ticket counter to pay for Master 1. 11 ringgit to get in to the water park, but it did include 2 swimming nappies. The change rooms/locker area was large. We got away with using a small locker & just stuck the pram up on top of a row of lockers. I left my phone in there too so not a lot of photos while in the park. The floor was tiled but they did have numerous dryers blowing across them to keep them from getting too wet. But you have to watch your step as it was extremely slippery if you happened to follow someone in who was dripping wet. We hired 2 towels for 30 ringgit each, plus a 30ringgit deposit per towel. Make sure you keep the receipt, otherwise you will be going home with 2 boring white towels!

Once we were all changed, we headed over to the Build a raft river. The older boys left us in their wake as they charged off down the slow flowing river. They didn’t bother trying to build a raft! Master 1 loved the big building blocks and continued to enjoy these the whole day. Both my elder boys can swim, and there were numerous lifeguards on duty at all areas so we gave up trying to keep them with us & settled for keeping them within sight most of the time. There were also life jackets for anyone not comfortable in the water. They knew not to leave under any circumstance, and if they couldn’t find us at any point to just find a dry place outside to sit down & we would find them. Master 5 was in bright green & Master 6 bright orange, so were easy to spot! The park is relatively small too, and was relatively quiet. No queuing for the slides!

Build a raft river and Duplo Splash Safari, Master 1 & Hubby in front of the elephant

Wave pool. About 1.4m deep at the back wall. Very Gentle waves

Wear bright colours!

Loads of seating by the wave pool.

Joker Soaker in the background. Boys spent a little bit of time here

The Duplo Safari again. A couple of slides for those that couldn’t use the big slides. Master 1 with Hubby on the other side of the elephant. 

Joker Soaker,Master 5 in the green near the top of the structure

This was popular!

Master 6 tried every slide, Master 5 only the slower ones! A couple of them required a large tube to go down. Master 6 & I went down a few times on the Brick Blaster but needed a third person to go down the Splash & Swirl with us. We convinced Master 5, as it was a tube you climb into, with a bottom, and relatively gentle. He loved it so decided to try the Brick Blaster with us…this one involved a couple of sections where the tube goes quite high up the side of the ride, he DID.NOT like that one!

We spent about 4 hours there as we had to head back to Singapore for our flight the next morning. We wanted to get back into Singapore in order to get  decent nights sleep as we had to be up at 6am the net day. We easily could’ve spent another few hours there, but the boys were happy to leave as they had been on everything numerous times.

We didn’t stay at the hotel, but it was in between  the 2 parks so we got a few piccies on the way passed

We loved these signs!

So well done

These Lego figures were all through both parks

Lego is not cheap in Malaysia, apparently as there is one supplier who has monopoly over all Lego prices! We allowed the boys these, they could make their own minifigures…33ringgit for a set of 3, or 55ringgit for 2 sets of 3.

We left LLM at 3pm & headed for the Tuas checkpoint. I had read something about having to pick up entrance cards before hitting the toll counters by pulling over somewhere but I only remembered once we were AT the counter & handed entry cards to fill out! The same cards we had to fill out on the plane before landing in Singapore. If I had thought about it, I should’ve tried to get more cards while on the plane! It would’ve been quicker! But it wasn’t a problem, it just took about 10min to fill all of them out before we could get through. Then it was a quick peak in the boot before we were on our way. Despite what the traffic looks like in the photo below, it took us about 3min to get from here to a counter, 10 min at the counter itself, 2 min to get boot checked & then we were off.

heading back into Singapore

We stayed at Hotel 81, a chain of hotels that we have used before. Very simple but relatively well priced. Of course, the street was crazy busy due to the time of day we arrived, and the fact we were in quite a popular area! We dropped off our bags & headed back out to find dinner. The boys settled for McDs, while Hubby went out later looking for something more curry-like for us!

And before I knew it, it was time to get up & head back to the airport! We loved visiting Legoland & I cannot recommend it enough…but wait until the kids are tall enough!

 

 

 

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Legoland Malaysia!!

We recently took a trip to South Africa to visit family and friends and decided it would be great if we could stop over in Singapore, head across the border into Malaysia and take the boys to Legoland. As we only had a 2 day stopover, I knew it would be tight but I was determined to make it work. I took to the “blogisphere”* and read all the reviews from families with young kids that I could find. All very helpful, knowing kind of what to expect & to look out for. Although, admittedly, I did forget a lot of the tips until I experienced the situations for myself, and then I was “ohhh, yeah now I remember someone said this or that about this”.

So, without further ado, here is our experience of Legoland Malaysia aka LLM(& maybe a tip or two if you are planning a visit).

As we were going to RSA for my father’s birthday, the timing of our LLM trip was not something we could control,if you like. Thinks like day of the week/weather/tourist seasons etc etc didn’t even come into play. We were flying back to NZ on a specific date so that was when we were going to LLM. When I later went to look into weather & what not, I realised that we would be visiting during Singapore’s school holidays, albeit the last few days (not the Malaysian ones though, so that was a relief) and everything I read about the best time to go said to avoid school holidays and high season! Which I assume to be Nov/Dec/Jan but don’t quote me on that.

Anyway, we arrived in Singapore from Cape Town at 06.10am on a wed, after an almost 14 hour flight, Master 6 slept about an hour on the shoulder of the stranger next to him, while Master 1 dozed here & there and Master 5 slept exactly 0 seconds the whole way! Needless to say we were all a little tired when we landed! After working out that we had landed at terminal 3 and had to make our way to terminal 2 to fetch our hire car, we strolled between the 2 easily. Only about 10min or so, we didn’t bother with the skytrain.

After picking up the car, working out that the GPS they gave us was faulty, replacing said GPS we were on our way. I chose the self drive option as it just made sense when lugging around 3 kids, 2 backpacks,1 large tog bag and 3 carry on packs! Oh, and a stroller. It meant that we could come and go as we pleased, not having to wait around for buses/taxis. I had planned on driving but Hubby basically said “good luck”, so I made him drive! It was pretty busy in Singapore itself, but the drivers were strict rule followers, and once we got onto the highway, it was easy going. I had expected the border check point to be busy, as I had seen & read some horrifying accounts of how busy it was. We went the Tuas check point way as it is supposedly less conjested than the main Woodlands one. It took us all of 10min to clear both sides! We had a singapore cash card already loaded with cash, from the car hire place, to pay the toll & then just purchased a Malaysian touch & go one on the Malaysian side. Both can be topped up easily. Everything is very well sign posted so it was very simple! They do make you open the back window to check passengers, but you don’t have to leave your car until the return journey, where the driver has to open the boot for a quick inspection when entering Singapore. Presumably to check you aren’t bring ciggies & alcohol over the border.  Also, on entering Malaysia your car needs to have the tank 3/4s full to avoid a $500 fine. LLM exit is well sign posted so no hassles there either. All in all, it took just over an hour from Singapore airport to the car park at LLM.

1 down…

2 down…

3 down…bliss

As we refused to pay the almost NZ$400 per night to stay at the Legoland Hotel, I had booked us into a 3 bedroom apartment for a mere NZ$89! Albeit a 10min drive from the park, KSL resort. Comfy beds & lots of space for the 5 of us, although no wifi or eating places within walking distance. And we were on the 20th floor, with windows that swung right open! Luckily, the kids were too tired to do anything but sleep from the time we arrived until the morning!

eeeeeek

Great views though

Lounge…no wifi 😦

Anyway, back to LLM, we arrived just as the park opened at 10am. I had purchased our tickets the week before, online. They seem to always have some special going on so I got ours for buy one get one 50% off. And Master 1 was free into the main park and 11ringgit to get into the waterpark (which included 2 swim nappies, which are compulsory) Because of the special, I bought separate 1 day tickets into the main park & waterpark. I thought it would be better to go into the main park on our first day, due to being so tired, keeping us more alert on the second day when water would be involved! When using these tickets, it has to be booked for a certain date, with no refunds if the parks close due to bad weather. I believe they close the water park completely if there’s thunder, but again, don’t quote me. It did indeed rain around lunch time on our first day but the rides carried on & it was a welcome relief from the relentless humidity! The combo tickets didn’t fall within the promotion so they worked out a bit more expensive but I would go for those if we ever found our way back to Malaysia again. They allow multiple entry into both parks & to move freely between the two. Our single day ones only allowed one entry into whichever side we had booked for the day.

We shuffled our baggage around so that I had all the valuables in one of our carry on packs, which came into the park with us, and left the rest in the boot of the car. If anything was stolen from the car, it wouldn’t be a disaster as everything important was in a secured locker within the park.(40 ringgit for the day) We took in our own stroller but I believe you can hire one inside the park. It came in handy for a tired Master 1 as there wasn’t much for him to do that first day. Parking was 10ringgit and a 2 min walk to the entrance

No queues when we were there, but I bet it gets busy during peak season! 

While it was raining, Master 1 got to play here…not much else for him to do during the day as he didn’t meet age/height restrictions

Hubby & I took turns riding with the older two boys, Master 6 was far more adventurous than Master 5 so he got to ride twice on most of the faster rides.I think the longest we waited to ride anything was 5 min. Most of them we walked right onto! I read a lot of reviews, with most people saying that the roller coasters were pretty tame & more geared towards the kids. Well, duh, it IS Legoland! But we found the faster rides quite hair-raising! Hubby refused to go on The Dragon as well as the Adventure Island water ride…admittedly he made his decision after seeing Master 5 & I completely soaked at the end! I’m glad we kept that til near the end as it’s no fun walking around with soggy underwear, despite using one of the body dryers!

The Dino Island water ride

The roller coasters were just enough to make us scream, but not to lose our lunch.

A view of the biggest of the rollercoasters, with the waterpark and hotel in the distance. Taken from the Observation Tower

The Aquazone WaveRacers were a hit with the boys, great to cool down too as you get a bit of water sprayed on you. Most rides had a height &/or age restrictions. Both my older boys could ride everything, although a couple had to be with an adult, and a couple we said that Master 5 was actually 6 as he will be 6 in 4 months and is practically the same height as his brother. I have lost count of the number of times I was asked if they were twins! He didn’t go on the big roller coaster so I didn’t feel the need to not allow him on the “lesser” rides because of 4 months.

Master 5 taking things very seriously

The regal Master 6

Hubby indulged in a curry while in the park, which was apparently delicious, but the kids & I stuck to drinks and then icecream as it was just too hot! We didn’t get to any of the 4D shows as it wasn’t really something the kids were interested in.

A very peeved Master 1

Master 5 enjoyed Merlin’s Challenge with Hubby, very tame fastish train like ride. And the older two had a go on the Dublo train but apparently it was boring (although I secretly think Master 5 enjoyed it immensely!) We skipped the Lost Kingdom as the ride didn’t appeal to any of us! We ended with the Rescue Academy & Driving School, with Master 1 napping, and Hubby helping the boys “put out a fire”. This one made Hubby work hard, moving a fire track & then pumping water for the kids to squirt the fire! My camera had dies by this point so no pictures, which I am gutted about as it was great fun! The Driving School was hilarious. Master 6 was so serious & followed all the road rules, Master 5…not so much! I am pretty sure you would fail your license for ramming cars purposefully! You could purchase a drivers license afterwards but we didn’t bother.

About half way through the day, we stopped in to see the Star Wars miniland… O.M.G…blown away! It was incredible. Room after room of large displays of Star Wars lego, with moving bits and all! This was by far Hubby’s favourite park of the day (it was airconned too, which helped!) Master 6 refused to have his picture taken, I’ve forgotten why!

The pictures don’t do it justice really, this is just a sample of what was on display!

As it was still raining after the driving school, and the older two were starting to unravel, we skipped miniland. Which was just as well as Master 6 had a complete meltdown on the walk to the car, I forget why exactly!

Of course, our GPS was not equipped with Malaysian addresses so we got lost, returned to the Legoland Hotel and got a taxi to lead us to the resort we were staying at…well worth the 32ringgit! Note to self, make sure directions are printed off & don’t rely on just reading the email on your phone when it’s time to drive, especially if your battery dies….

I will blog about the Waterpark tomorrow…

*that’s a word now,right??

 

Hong Kong Disneyland

As promised, I’ll attempt to remember the details of our 2 night stopover in Hong Kong where we took the boys to Disneyland. At the time, I thought I’d have no problems remembering everything without having to write it all down immediately, turns out I should’ve written it down immediately! I swear, the minute you have kids it’s like permission for all other mental faculties to shut down (I refuse to believe it’s age, 32 is the new 25 is it not??)

We landed in HK at about 7.10am, 20min ahead of schedule. We had the bright idea to drop off some of our luggage at the Left Luggage counter so as not to have so much to lug around on the Metro. This included Hubby’s mirror I mentioned in the previous post, and the boys backpacks. I emptied one bag into the other so we only had to pay for 1…and the damn mirror of course.

We passed a Tourist Info counter on the way back towards the Metro station and I thought it would be a good idea to ask about which train we would have to take etc which I’m glad I did as she recommended we take a taxi instead. Cheaper for 4 people and alot less hassle (we would’ve had to change trains twice and then caught the free shuttle from the train station to the hotel) It cost less than NZ$20 for about half an hour taxi ride. Well worth it when the Metro was apparently NZ$9 per person. The boys were disappointed that they didn’t get to go on the train but we were soon distracted with not having to be in a car seat in the taxi!

Having reached the hotel by 9am, we were hoping to have an early check in but it was not to be. We could indeed check in, but the room would only be available from 3pm. We left our bags and grabbed a bite to eat at one of the hotels restaurants. Hubby indulged in some Asian breakfast dishes and I found the all important caffeine. And the boys had a muffin…very adventurous eaters these two!

We debated whether or not we would get a 2 day pass for the park now that we had such a long wait for our room, instead of our original plan of a 1 day pass with some other touristy things thrown in too. Green light for the 2 day pass so off we trotted to buy them (conveniently at the hotel’s reception) before jumping on the free shuttle bus from the hotel doors to the parking lot at the park. We had no idea that the park only opens at 10am – can you tell how much research we did – but by lucky coincidence, we arrived at 0940. Which allowed a slow meander towards the entrance gates, through security turnstiles & a look at “Main Street”.

Main Street

Awesome fountain

 

We waited outside the gates for about 5min before they actually opened. And you wouldn’t believe how fascinated people were with our 2 little blondies. We felt like celebrities, and we are definitely a part of a number of Asian families holiday pics!

The surge through the gates at opening was unbelievable! People were running flat out to get to the rides! Although we had seen a map of the park on the internet and had a paper one from the hotel, we didn’t really have any idea where we should head to first. We naively thought that we’d wing-it on the day. We had no idea what lay ahead!

The boys were intrigued by it all, but Master 3 only wanted to go on the train…which only goes in one direction, with one stop along the way. So if you want to see the whole park, you have to Q up at the main station…with everyone else. Or you can see half the park by catching it at the only other stop it makes, about half way around. But you then can’t stay on when you get back to Main Station so as to see the half you missed, you have to get off and line up again. So we managed to avoid a mega-meltdown 2min after entering the park by spotting the Dumbo ride! Yay for Dumbo!! The wait time was about 5min and the boys were enthralled…as were we. Dumbo was an awesome, classic ride. The rides themselves only last maybe 2-3min (this is just a guess as I didn’t actually time anything, but it felt no longer.) Which allowed the droves of people to get a turn on many of the rides.

 

By the time we were done on Dumbo & the Teacups(yay for the classics!), the lines were ridiculous! We were glad to have 2 days in the park. It allowed us to meander through the whole park, taking it all in. When we found Buzz Lightyear, the boys were ecstatic! A 25min wait for the Buzz ride, in which the boys were so good, although they were not too thrilled by some overly friendly old lady who wanted to touch their skin! This ride was awesome. Some of the wait time was winding around inside the building where they had lots or the kids to look at and keep them amused. The ride was one of those continuous ones in which you get on & off while it is still moving. Laser gun shooting at targets as the little spacecraft we were in wound around the track. We ended up going on this ride again the next day, although Master 4 was scared of the massive Zurg they had at the end of the ride for you to shoot.

 

We then headed for Space Mountain…a roller coaster. The boys met the height requirement so we weren’t worried that it would be too bad. Rookie mistake! It was the fastest roller coaster I have ever been on IN THE PITCH DARK!! Couldn’t even see my fingers held up to my eyes! Hubby & I screamed like school girls & my poor boys were petrified!!!! Not a word was uttered by either one of them. I had Master 4 with me & I clung on to his leg so he knew I was there (although he could hardly miss the screaming!) and Hubby had Master 3 tucked under his arm as he was getting thrown around so much! Needless to say they were very meak when we got off & politely asked not to go on that one again!

 

We eventually got on the train, but only from the halfway mark as it so was NOT worth waiting at Main Station for the extra 5 min worth of time on the train. We did this about 3-4 times over the 2 days.

We were lucky enough to step off the train & straight onto the historical bus…that travelled all off about 500m. But the boys were entertained. We wandered around after that and ended up being in time for the Lion King musical show. We all enjoyed that. It must have been about half an hour long. It was good to be able to sit & just relax without feeling like we were missing out. We didn’t bother going on anymore rides after that but walked around the places we hadn’t been to yet, eyeing up our plan for the next day!

Back at the hotel, we grabbed something to eat (not alot on offer if you are a fussy eater! So the boys had to be happy with chips while Hubby & I got something a little more authentic)

The hotel was great, except that their pool was undergoing maintenance while we were there! Really geared up for families, with staff handing out an unless amount of Disney stickers whenever they came across a child! The lounge we had this meal in even had a large screen tv with a daily Disney movie playing to entertain any kids in the hotel. They also had a small arcade that allowed for free games between certain times. Master 4 got lucky as he was with me while Master 3 was with Hubby upstairs when we happened upon it. Score! Hubby then had to take both of them there after we got back to the room. I got a few minutes of peace & quiet!

 

 

At night, if you are lucky enough to have the right room (which we did as I was at least organised in that respect. When booking the room I requested a room overlooking the park for this very reason)there are fireworks over the park, accompanied by music over the hotel TV! The first night, Hubby & I set our alarm so we wouldn’t miss it but couldn’t bring ourselves to wake the boys. We let them watch the next night instead. Amazing! And went on for ages! No photos though, you will just have to use your imagination.

The next morning we made a major blunder…thinking that the craziness would be less due to the fact that it was Sunday. Wrong!!! The line for the free shuttle was never ending & just kept getting longer. So we just bit the bullet & went to stand in in.You can see all the people in this picture!

 

Yes, they had Smarties for breakfast! Fussy eaters + PACKED restaurant = improvising! We had breakfast proper at the park. Yes, you guessed it…chips! It’s all part of the holiday experience, right?

We were better prepared for the mayhem, and managed to get on a few more rides.

 

Kids were able to drive the cars by themselves (accompanied by an adult of course)

 

 

Hubby wanted to go on one of the rides that the kids couldn’t go on so we had a drink & watched  while he had his go. Being a single rider, get got to stand in a special line & fit in when there was a single seat somewhere for him. We waited about 20min before we happened to see him on the ride. It was a crazy fast one! The came shooting out of that tunnel like a rocket!

 

Toy Story World was a hit. We went on a couple of rides here. Slinky the dog, a really tame roller coaster especially for kids. And the parachute troopers ride. One of those that go up about 5 stories & then drop. But it wasn’t a fast drop, but one to emulate parachutes dropping. Master 4 wanted to get off before we had even reached the top of the first ascent! Master 3 was hilarious! The look on his face had everyone watching in hysterics…his mother included!

 

And we saw another show, this time Magic Mickey. It was in 3D. Very entertaining

 

Enough photos, mum!

 

Another trip on the train & then treat time!

 

Yes, we sat on the sidewalk, watching the hordes stream passed!

 

And yes, you guessed it…chips for dinner again at the hotel (although Hubby and I had some sort of burger) The boys watched the fireworks & still talk about them…2 months later! Definitely worth a visit…just be prepared (unlike we were!) and take a 2 day pass if at all possible, you will need it. The hotel was great too…just don’t bother even trying to get into the buffet restaurant!

 

Kids on a plane…

I’m eventually starting to write up a few things about our recent trip to South Africa. I don’t know how long it will take so it could be days/weeks/months before I actually post this. Or it could be later today if the boys are as happy to see each other as I hope! After Master 4 having his first full day at Kindy, Master 3 is eager to have him back home. Master 3 has been an angel today, probably because he hasn’t had to compete for my undivided attention. He’s now happily playing with his toys while I get a few minutes to myself before picking up Master 4.

First up, I thought I’d share our experiences on the numerous plane rides our trip entailed..SIX! As you can imagine, I was pooping bricks a little worried about how the boys would handle the long stretches cooped up. My prep started weeks in advance…both mentally and physically! I trawled the internet (any excuse to use pinterest) for ideas to keep kids busy on a plane and  I prepared the boys by talking quite a bit about what it would be like on the plane and what behaviour we would expect from them. (You’ll laugh, but I did the same for Hubby! I subtly reminded him a number of times that we would need to be cool, calm and collected no matter what the boys threw at us..literally and figuratively!)

I bought the boys each their own special backpacks (and by special I mean cheap!) to carry on board & I filled them with a few things. And by “filled” I mean I didn’t fill them much at all as I didn’t want them to end up too heavy, with the result of us having to lug them around! I put all the heavyish stuff in my carry on bag! My Mother-in-law put together a little pack of things as part of the kids Christmas presents, which they opened at our Christmas get together a few days before our flight. Things like their own drink bottle, a pack of kids “snap” cards, a book that comes with a paintbrush that only needs water to paint on the pictures and a few other bits and pieces. Some new matchbox cars too that went perfectly with the car caddy I had made.

This kept Master 3 busy for awhile

I also told them that Santa would be leaving some presents for them on the plane and that, when they showed me good listening and calm playing, they could chose one.

The stamps I divided between them. The ninja men I kept unwrapped to use on the windows in the airports

I had 4 small gifts each from the $2 shop that I wrapped and carried in my bag. A pack on stamps ,the ink ones not the posting letter ones of course, which got about 5min of manic stamping before lids were dropped under chairs and ink leaked everywhere (sigh). A transformer toy that changed from robot to car; this was a hit but being cheap crap, died a limbless/headless death sometime before we landed. The Dora books got a very unenthusiastic reception, despite being read ad nauseum while we were in SA itself! The Ben 10 watch thingy I still have, wrapped, in the cupboard after deciding it wouldn’t be a good idea to unleash this on the plane where I wanted the kids calm & quiet(it was more of an impulse buy than a well thought out one!) I also took my Galaxy Tablet loaded with a few kids games and fave movies.

I had some snacks/treats too as Master 4 is a pain in the arse  bit of a fussy eater and I knew he would probably turn his nose to the meals on the plane. I was right! I think he had a plain dinner roll and a cookie off his dinner tray. Luckily he’s not what you would call skinny, so he survived on built up stores I’m sure. Master 3 was enthralled with the butter containers, and yes, I allowed him to eat it…I wasn’t about to start a war over that. And yes, that’s a plastic knife too.

Who needs dinner when you can just eat butter?

We had a pretty good flight time for our Auckland to Hong Kong leg. 1430 take off so I figured that by the time the excitement wore off, it would be sleep time for their little body clocks. As much as I would’ve like for them to have slept longer, they did manage about 4 hours(total flight time was 11.5hrs). I, on the other hand got zero sleep, but watching endless mindless tv was the second best option. I think Hubby said he got about an hour, I’m pretty sure it was more though but I digress…Master 3 had a bit of a meltdown on this flight, but I probably would’ve done the same if I were him. He had fallen asleep on the floor under our feet & the seatbelt sign went on so we had to pick him up & strap him in. Oh boy, was he annoyed!And the most frustrating thing was the sign was on for no more than 5min! Grrrr. As soon as the sign went off I hauled him into the toilet to try & contain the noise. We were in there for about 20min before he calmed down. He also didn’t like being strapped in for landing, but we survived.

We had a 2.5 hr layover in Hong Kong so we had enough time to get a coffee (for me) and something substantial for the boys (read “substantial” as a bag of potato chips!) We found a quiet little nook by a window so we could lie down and rest our tale bones while the boys played with their ninja window men! Sticky hands and feet and they tumble slowly down the wall. Boys loved them! We also had “Cars” movie for them to watch but it didn’t occupy them for more than 10min. I don’t blame them really, after all the screen time on the plane. They had space to run a little to stretch their legs and burn off some energy.

Not the best quality photos but you get the idea

Lots of fun with minimal effort on their parts

The all important lie down

30 second rule

We were a little apprehensive about the next 12.5 hr leg as we didn’t think that the boys would sleep much due to the fact they had had a sleep already, we were right. They stayed awake most of the trip, with a couple of light dozes, but nothing substantial. Luckily we had 3 hours in JHB as we had to collect our bags & trek all the way to domestic departures and recheck onto a different flight. I had done online check in before we left so avoided the long lines but it still took us a big chunk of those 3 hours to get through to the departures area. A play area for the kids right by our departure gate was a bonus too. The short 2 hour flight to CPT was uneventful. I sat with the boys while Hubby got to sit in front of us due to the 3-3-3 seat configuration. No inflight entertainment on this plane so it was a full on 2 hours for me!

Day 1 in CPT 3pm (Landed at 11am)

Shattered

The trip back to Auckland was broken up with a 2 night stay in Hong Kong, which I will blog about another time. The flight from CPT to JHB was at stupid o clock, which meant we had to be up before 5am. Not ideal when the next 16 hours or so was travelling, but it was better just to get started on the trip instead of a later flight which would’ve meant a lot of hanging around waiting to leave for the airport. We managed to book the bags straight through to Hong Kong so we didn’t have to worry about picking them up in JHB, much easier. The JHB to Hong Kong seemed to go quickly, despite being a smaller plane (3-3-3 configuration instead of the 3-4-3 we are used to for long haul flights) so yours truly got to be with the boys while Hubby got to be across the aisle from us. Master 4 didn’t last very long until he passed out…

I was in the middle with a boy on each side…good for them to rest, not for me

We were shocked at the amount of bags allowed on board. We had 1 small backpack with change of clothes,passports,wallet etc and 1 each for the boys but people were coming on with 2-3 small suitcases each! The advantage of being a young family is we got to board first, which meant we got first dibs on the overhead lockers. Hubby had quite a large rugby world cup mirror he was bringing back to NZ so we wanted to make sure that it was safe. We guarded that locker like a pack of rabid dogs I tell you! Hubby even pissed off one of the flight attendants by telling her she was not to touch that mirror or even think of putting other peoples shit in there. Hubby doesn’t worry about what he says most of the time but, in this case, it just made me laugh because I have never seen an obviously angry attendant on an Asian airline. They are usually over the top friendly & helpful, and never let you see them annoyed. Trust Hubby to crack that exterior. Needless to say I think she was a bit stressed trying to find space for all the endless onboard baggage. We did eventually get off the ground, albeit 10min late.

The boys slept quite a bit on this leg, which was good. I didn’t use presents or anything on this leg. I figured that they knew what they were in for and it was ‘only’ a 12 hour flight. They did get some more use out of the car caddies. With endless trips to the toilet, which was right 2 rows from where we were sitting. Amazing how much of a draw card that was! We didn’t mind too much though, as it kept them busy & whittled away the time. Hubby had a baby in front of him that screamed 8 of the 12 hours! No word of a lie, I timed it! I felt so sorry for the mother, a few of the other passengers even tried to take the baby off her to try their luck, which would work for about 10 min before he would start all over again. My boys weren’t perturbed at all, slept through most of it and we just stuck our earphones on to drown it out. One time she did manage to settle him in the bassinette, and he was quiet for about an hour before they made her take him out when the seatbelt sign went on! I remember that happening to me when I flew alone with Master 4 when he was 6 months old, and I felt her pain. No use in getting annoyed by it either because there was nothing else that could be done. I must say that the rest of the passengers around us handled it pretty well too. I think everyone just felt sorry for them.

After a short time awake, Master 3 fall back asleep about an hour before we landed & woke when I strapped the belt over him, despite my stealth mode. HE.WAS.NOT.HAPPY and screamed until we got off the plane(so about 20 min at least!). Nothing I could do but stay calm & carry on. Once we stood up to get off the plane he stopped screaming, but was still a grumpy little so-and-so until he realised we were off the plane & he was free to run. I will blog about our experience at Hong Kong Disneyland soon. We had a 2 night stopover before heading back to the airport for our last 11.5 hour leg.

We were quite early for our flight as hotel check out was 10am and our flight was only at 1530. We didn’t feel up to just hanging around the lobby so headed for the airport & dropped our bags off. A McDonald’s meal for Hubby, McCafe coffee for me & some chips for the kids was in order so at least Master 4 would have something in his tummy for the flight. Oh, and the last little shop for souvenirs of course. Some running around for the boys and then the long wait to get on the plane. No special treatment for families on THIS boarding, it was stand in the line & suck it up. Amazing how accustomed one gets to special treatment!

We were back to the 3-4-3 configuration so we could all sit together again. The boys tag-teamed their sleeping with only a very short time when they were both asleep. But it was better than having them not sleep at all. Master 3 spent most of his sleeping time ON Hubby, who made the most of that by sleeping himself. After he warmed up of course…

Feel free to laugh and/or ridicule! He hates draughts and didn’t put a beanie in the bag to bring on board.

One of the only times he put the earphones on

All in all not too bad actually. We all handled the flights well…mostly 🙂

 

Easter Weekend

We had quite a busy long weekend, unusually so as I managed to take off work the Sat & Sun. I know,right, having to work Easter Sunday!?! So we made the most of it!

We headed to Whakatane (Fuk-a-tah-nay, not wok-a-tane- for you non Kiwis) to catch up with some friends. The boys were in heaven…other people’s houses are always more fun than your own!

rest stop in Te Puke

The boys were awesome on the almost 3 hour trip. I had every number of treat packed to keep them occupied if need be but they were quite happy to watch everything out the windows & occasionally engage in some singing!

guess who learnt how to ride without training wheels!? He jumped on, told Hubby to push him & he was away! Hubby was so impressed he hasn’t stopped telling everyone he comes into contact with.

I’m so clever

and then there was the bike. Now calm yourself down,Master 3 wasn’t wearing a helmet as we were at the park & he was being taken slowly across from 1 side to the other by Mister 7, who was in full regalia from having ridden all the way from home. ‘Coz I know there are some people who don’t let their kids out of their site without a crash helmet on, we just do things differently(but safely!)

An afternoon at Ohope Beach….

just chillin’

water was a little fresh

refused to lie down

freedom

not happy with the cold water

I love it

hard at work

dig dig dig

eating sand is good too

my first soft serve…OMG mum this is amazing!!

Kawerau hot pools….free & the pools are all heated & clean!

After our swim, before heading the 3 hours home again…which involved little to no sleep

Easter morning…

chocolate = must eat

get in my belly

hmmm give me lollies over chocolate any day

Gardening a.k.a looking for the Easter Bunny

digging

no Easter Bunny but I found a worm

Easter Monday – Raglan

drawing in the sand with toitoi grass

getting them both to look at the camera at the same time = impossible!

sand, yum

where can I dig a hole?

a big weekend for us…

sleeping in the car is awesome!

All in all a great weekend spent together…if only all weekends were 4 days long!! Today we are recovering, with the boys tired & miserable and very clingy. And 4 cups of coffee later I have resorted to a DVD & popcorn to curb the whinging for a little while. Now for the rest of the afternoon….

Road Trip part 2….

Of course it rained,in summer, while we were on holiday heading to the Bay of Islands! At least we were on a “travel day”. Hubby was keen to go on the 10 min car ferry between Opua & Russell as a way to see Russell (the place not a person, in case you’re confused haha) As it was raining we didn’t bother actually getting out of the car but it was a good way to pass an hour or so…

On the ferry

Fascinating

View from the back of the car

We stayed in Kerikeri for 2 nights. A 4* motel with a warm pool…awesome! We booked a cruise to see the Hole In The Rock & hopefully a few dolphins. And we were spoilt! 10% off the price, TWO pods of dolphins, 1 BREACHING whale & actually sailing through the Hole in the Rock! Of course, being on a boat full of tourists had it’s drawbacks…read people with cameras ( I don’t know what happens but all of a sudden it’s pushing & shoving so they can get what they want with no regard for anyone else. An elderly man tried his best to literally push my mother out of the way, luckily she is well traveled & knew what to expect before he could finish his “maneuver, needless to say he was unsuccessful. One woman sitting near to us got smacked pretty hard on the shoulder by one man ‘coz she was “in his way & he couldn’t get a photo”!! A total disgrace to the human race really.) Other than that, it was a pleasant trip, the boys were well behaved & Master 2 even fall asleep on the way back.

When we picked up speed…

Windy…

people with cameras!

Dolphins!

The breaching whale…Hubby was the photographer with the good reflexes to catch this…

another Hubby special

this is what the majority of mine looked like!

Hole in the Rock

going through the rock

it was fun in the rock tunnel

crashed out

burning off some more energy after a swim

More soon……….