Do you think a vacation is a must for every family? For me...definitely yes! but it depends on your financial budget :) The most important thing is the quality time spend together and it is a bonus if it is spent at a nice vacation places. My kids love to go for a holiday especially when we stay at a nice hotel..I guess everybody does ;)
I've planned for this year end vacation about 2 months ago after I read someone's blog and saw a very nice pics of a few interesting places in Sabah. Luckily hubby agreed with my suggestion...so we went to Sabah on 26th November 2008. We stayed at Le Meridien Hotel and I think that's the right decision. It is a nice hotel and very convenient because everything is within walking distance..shopping mall, ATM, the famous Filipino market, the jetty to
Tunku Abdul rahman Park and seafood restaurant! Yummm.....Oh I should mention here...a staff at concierge counter at Le Meridien Hotel named Ash...he is very helpful and even give us his handphone number for us to contact him if we cannot find a way to Kinabalu Park. Thank you Ash :)
On our first night there, we were recommended a famous seafood restaurant at Bukit Padang...but for me it was a bit expensive. RM280 for a dinner (2 adults and 2 children)is expensive right? Do you think so? Or I'm stingy??hhahahhaaaaa..the food was OK but not up to my expectation :P and we went there by taxi which cost us RM40 return. Whatever it was,we slept that night with a very full stomach :)
The second day in KK we rent a car which cost us RM170 and went to kinabalu Park, Kundasang, Ranau, Poring Hotspring and Sabah Tea Plantation. It is better to rent a car to go there because I was told that if you go by taxi they want RM300 for a day trip!
We were not so lucky because the tip of Kinabalu mountain was covered by mist when we got there :(
We didn't explore much of Kinabalu National Park..just took few pics and went up to Kundasang and Ranau for lunch. Guess what we had for our lunch that day? KFC! As me and Aiman a bit fussy about what and where we eat, hubby suggested to have lunch at KFC. Unfortunately, the water supply to the town of Ranau was cut off at that time and no air condition in KFC, we decided to have our KFC in the car :)
Kundasang is a very nice mountainous small town with a lot of fruits and veggies being sell along the road..when we were there it was covered with dark clouds and very cold air...refreshing! until I forgot to snap a pic of Kundasang :( but i still remember the nice view of it.
After lunch we headed to Poring hot spring not because to take a warm bath but we wanted to try a canopy walk. What I can say is that you have to experience it then you know..hehhehee. I'm not an adventurous person but walking in the jungle with my kids and had the chance to teach them a few things about our nature is one of the best moment in my life. Walking on a canopy walk with one hand carrying my little Afiq was quite a challenge mentally and physically for me..but Alhamdulillah everything went on smoothly. Later that day we headed to Sabah Tea Plantation hoping to get a cheaper Sabah Tea but the shop there was closed already at the time we were there but we were offered a nice view of Sabah Tea Plantation.
The third day in KK, we went to Manukan Island. I love it...a crystal clear water really calming. Hubby and kids had a great time there, me and Afiq just enjoyed a nice view of Manukan Island. I didn't do much shopping in KK, just a few crystal bracelet for souvenirs and salted fish ;)
Ok lets enjoy the pics...
Me and the kids beside the hotel swimming pool..
Le meridien KK
The view in front of the hotel
The famous Filipino Market..
Jetty at Manukan Island
The view at one spot in Manukan Island..
Afiq is so happy enjoying the beach view..
My heroes :)
The boys at the beach..
crystal clear water
At the jetty..
This the view from the jetty..the water is so crystal clear..you can see the fish swimming down there
That is Kinabalu mountain..
Oh did I mention that we had to change the boat right in the middle of the sea???...scary weh..
In the boat to Manukan Island
Ticket counter at Jesselton point..jetty to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park.
The entrance to the jetty
On the way to Kinabalu National Park
Poring Hotspring..
canopy walk..
At the start of canopy walk..
Jungle tracking..
KFC in the car :)
Close up of 'pokok padi'..
Aiman with his cousins 
My sister in law who has a great passion on fishing! and her daughter too...(pssst:Kak Yam if you read this..Yes,I've blog about it! and ppl around the globe can see you fishing!..if they come across my blog lah.. hehehhee)
Cousins...I actually have 14 nephews and nieces at the moment and 11 of them were there at my parent's hse during last raya..
Thinking of having a lot of beef during raya haji..my brother bought a lot of fishes, prawns and squids and Kak Yam (my sister in law) and me planned a bbq night. She went out to buy those essential things like the charcoal grill, chicken franks, the 'satay sticks' and things to make the gravy. Then by 6pm the grilling started...
See..aiman is trying to swallow a hot grilled chicken franks! and another one is in his right hand! and finally the chicken franks finished before the actual eating session started..LOL
And the girls preparing it..dah besar-besar anak sedara Acu ni..hehehehe
After about an hour..tadaaaa...everything is ready to be eaten..
The kids had theirs' first..
The girls eat inside the house..
I felt like I was just unpacking my things yesterday (when we came back from Sabah last week) ..and today I'm doing packing things again...LOL.. I'm sure most of muslims in Malaysia would do the same...packing things to go back to celebrate AidilAdha. I'm going back to my parents house in Alor Star Kedah, about 120km from here. During the last Aidilfitri we celebrated at my in laws house, therefore this raya is going to be my turn.. yeay! ;)
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