Trip to Msia ~ cont. (Jul 21-25)

Our main intent of going to Malaysia sooner than intended was to visit my dad in the hospital.  He had already been in and out of the hospital a couple of times prior and looks like he will need surgery at some point during our visit.  We had quite a tough time getting the boys to visit Lau Ye (granddad) because the minimum age to enter the hospital is 13 years old.  And with Charlie being only 11, we had to tell a couple of white lies in order to get him into the ward during visiting hours. Shhhh!!

Thankfully the surgery went well, but then Lau Ye struggled with pneumonia and so it was rather iffy at some point - especially when the doctors called the family members in for a "family conference". Thankfully Dad has surpassed those moments now, but we are hoping he can regain some strength so he can leave the hospital soon!

There were quite a few trips that I was thinking about doing with the boys, but since Lau Ye was in the hospital, we stayed pretty local. And so there were just mostly eating adventures. Ha!  But first, a trip back to the beach.  Selfie from Graham :-)

The waves were so rough today!  It had been raining pretty hard since we arrived:

We're at one of my old stomping grounds - the golf club that I used to hang out at when I was a kid, but the restaurant here is new to me.  Mommy is already starting to order all the local cuisines - this one is a curry laksa/noodles. Yummm!

Ha ha, Charlie trying to climb the coconut tree:

Charlie loves coconut!  We paid waaaay to much for this one though, as we bought it at the resort not too far from the golf club:

Pineapple juice for Graham - I'm not sure why he's not happy here. Ha!

I'm trying to watch the British Open on TV but somehow it's not working.  This huge banner just won't go away!  Urgh!!

The next day, we head out to a park.  The boys have been here before 7 years ago - doing the same thing, playing with bubbles:

I met up with some old high school friends:

And their kids - everyone is so sweaty.  It's so hot and humid! And I think Charlie did about 4 or 5 rounds around the track/water fountain:

How is it the boys managed to watch their shows on TV??!

Auntie Corina just showed up!  And we are having a seafood dinner:

There are snails, which the boys and I totally passed on those.  Graham just loves playing with the claws of the crabs.  Ha ha!

The next morning, we are having breakfast with all of my aunt's:

Yuummmm, noodles with beef tendons:

Charlie discovers an isotonic drink called 100+ but this one is strawberry flavored. I think the original flavor is still best:

At night, we head over to my uncle's for a family meal.  Yummy meat buns (bao).  We are definitely not counting calories here!

The kids have found a common game to play with - beyblades:

My poor cousin's kid (the younger one) was so upset when we were all leaving.  Had to convince him that we were all going to be back again to play with him!

Charlie is challenging my brother to some chess before the end of the night:

My brother mentioned if he should play nice and let him win, but after a few more moves, he legitimately lost to Charlie.  Too funny!!

The next day, meeting up with my uncle (mom's side) and his family for breakfast.  We spotted a little cage for cellphones in a nearby store.   I really should have bought one for the house!  

Dim sum brunch!! So much food!

Surprisingly, Graham and Charlie have been doing quite well with the local food.  I'm glad Graham is opening up a bit to trying a few new things and also learning how to eat around bones :-D

And we love roti!  This guy at the hospital cafeteria makes it fresh.  And Graham and I will normally have it with kaya - a coconut jam.  Did I say "yummm" yet??!

Okay, did I mention how bad the parking situation is yet in my hometown??!  My brother was in a hurry to get to the hospital and just parked the truck on the side of the road, slightly up on the curb. No parking ticket. Lucky him!

Me, on the other hand, did get a parking ticket!  It was during that dim sum brunch with my uncle and his family.  I totally forgot that we are suppose to scratch these "tickets" and leave them on the dashboard.  My brother didn't remind me about it!  Thankfully it wasn't too much (in USD terms) but it would have been 2 good bowls of noodles!

More food - dinner was yummy at this spot.  Graham and Charlie really enjoyed the sweet pork chops here:

My poor sister has been spending the night at the hospital - keeping my dad company:

Once she left, I assumed it was my turn to stay overnight at the hospital.  But my dad was transferred to HDU (High Dependency Unit) and they do not allow visitors except during visiting hours.  So looks like I got out of hospital duty there!

Some local snacks that I haven't had in a long time.  Graham wasn't too keen but Charlie is just like me, tucking into everything.  Ha ha!

Oh, here's the parking situation by the hospital - 2 lanes have become 1.  Cars are parked on both sides of the lane and there's not a lot of parking by the structure that you see to the right either.  So whatever you can find, go ahead and take it!

Hanging out with my brother and more food, of course.  Noodle soup in beef broth with meatballs. We used to eat this so often because there was a restaurant right next door to my dad's office. If it's any consolation, there isn't anything too fatty or oily but I'm really not sure how my cholesterol is at this point. Ha!

Dinner at my brother's place.  I actually grew up in this house and yup, we used to sit on the floor back then too! I don't know why but that's what we did:

Bobby is actually on his flight to Malaysia so we will be moving out of the house and staying at a hotel next week while he is around.  More photos to follow :-)