Homework

I wish I could always do my homework in a place like this:

On a beach!

At a restaurant!

 In the heat!

Almost hit!

I was sitting down and reading one of my books when all of a sudden--CRASH!  A huge coconut leaf had fallen off the tree and lightly hit my head!  Luckily, I wasn't sitting any farther to the left!

When you are walking underneath a coconut tree, you have to be exceptionally careful when you see a brown branch.  They are the ones that are going to fall soon!  And they are huge and heavy!

Perhentian Besar, Malaysia

We spent a week in the Perhentian Islands.  The island that we stayed on was called Perhentian Besar.  It was the biggest island.  This was the view we had every single day for a whole week!  We went snorkling, we read books, we hung around, we played with some people that we met.

When we were snorkling we saw many different kinds of fish.  There were parrot fish, which are very colorful, and there were clown fish (like Nemo!) who were always inside sea anemones.  The clown fish were my favorite kind of fish that I saw.  The coral reef was very near the shore and very big.  Even the sand was covered with coral.

At night there was always a beautiful sunset.  Here is one of the sunsets that we saw:

We saw lots of crabs on Perhentian Besar.  The crabs are very different from the crabs in Rockport.  Some of the crabs live in holes they dig in the sand.  You can see the holes all over the beach.  Here is a picture of a crab:

In the harbor there are lots and lots of fishing boats.   The fishing boats are very colorful and each one has at least 3 different colors.  Here is a picture of a fishing boat:

Our week on the Perhentian Island was super duper fun!

Arriving and Departing

We got on an airplane in Kuala Lumpur.  The flight took only 45 minutes to get to Kota Bharu.  When we were getting off the plane we got all of our carry-ons and walked over to the doors.  The doors were open but there was no long gateway connecting us to the airport.  Instead, there was a set of stairs leading down to the runway.  I was carrying my backpack so it was very easy for me to go down the stairs.  Mom and Dad took a little bit longer because they were taking the rolling suitcases down the stairs.

When we got down to the runway, we went with the rest of the people into the airport.  In the airport we found a man with a sign saying, Mr. Kevin Merz.  We went over to him and he put our luggage in his car.  He let us into his car, Dad in front, Mom, Daniel, Edward and me in back.  We were all very squished.  The ride took an hour--more than the plane ride!  But we weren't there yet.  We still had to take an hour long boat ride to get to Perhentian Besar (Big Island).

After our week on Perhentian Besar we had to do the arriving process backwards.  The day we were leaving there was a rain storm and the water was very rough.  When we got on the boat at noon, there were already about 6 people on it.  The driver put all our luggage in front and we sat in the back.  Since the boat was so full already we hoped that we would not go to any other stops to pick up more people.  Too bad for us--the driver drove the boat around the island and stopped at another hotel.  About 6 more people got on and put their luggage in the front and sat down.  This was a problem because now the boat was too full and the waves were to rough.

We started heading to the mainland and it was the WORST part of the whole vacation!!!!  Since the boat was overloaded, the driver had to drive extremely slow through the water.  Plus, the waves were so BIG that we got sooooooooo wet!  Our half an hour journey turned into an hour and a half on the boat!  By the time we got to the mainland, we were soaked, our luggage was soaked and it had started to rain.  Dad was really upset because we only had about an hour to get to the airport and get on our flight.

We quickly changed into dry clothes and got into a taxi.  The taxi ride takes an hour to get to the airport. We really thought we were going to miss our flight.  Lucky for us, the taxi driver was able to call the airline and tell them that we were going to be late.  When we got to the airport a woman from the airline was waiting to meet our car with our boarding passes!  We had 5 minutes to get to our gate.  We were so happy when we sat down on that plane!

By the time we got to our hotel in Kuala Lumpur that night, we had traveled by:
Boat
Taxi
Plane
Bus
Train
Taxi again
Our feet!

Daniel lost another tooth!

At the airport on the day after the elephant sanctuary Daniel lost another tooth!

This time the tooth fairy gave him 5 Malaysian Ringgits.

Mr. Yo!

Just outside the elephant sanctuary there was a small restaurant where Razali kept a pet monkey.  The monkey’s name was Mr. Yo.  We got to go into the back of the restaurant and see Mr. Yo.  We got to pet him and feed him and he jumped on my dress about 6 times!  Every time Razali called his name, the monkey would answer, “Yo!”  We got to feed him bread with frosting in the middle.  Here is a picture of Mr. Yo:

Elephant Sanctuary, part 3: Taking a Bath

While we were feeding the elephants, the park opened and many other people came in.   They had all been riding an elephant  on an extremely small loop which they were only able to go on once.  When we’d finished the feeding, Razali asked us if we wanted to take the ride, but we said no.  Then he said we could ride an elephant into the water.  Everybody else got to do it, too.  Razali told us to go to platform 3 and wait for it to start, which would be in about 10 minutes.  When we got to platform 3, two women were already there waiting.  Mom, Dad, Daniel, Edward and I  were all going to go in.  Dad said he wanted to stay behind and take a picture.  The women let us cut in front of them in line because we were not sure how many people were allowed on an elephant at a time.  Finally, it was time to swim.   We were all swimming with our clothes on.  The workers let 6 people get on the elephant at a time, so us and the 2 women were able to go on together.  I was in the front of the elephant.  The elephant took 2 steps in the water, then tipped over!  Mom, Daniel, Edward, me and the 2 women fell into the water!  Even though the water was very shallow, we all dunked.  Some other workers were keeping 2 baby elephants on their sides in the water.  The workers told us to pick up sand from the bottom of the river and spread it on the elephants skin.  By doing so, the sand would scratch the elephants.  The elephants liked it when you scratched them because it probably felt like when your Mom gives you a back-scratch!  The river was very shallow and cool and it felt very good and refreshing on a hot day like that!

Mom got out first, but us kids got to stay in about 10 minutes longer.  When it was time to get out we saw Dad sitting on an elephant, waiting for his turn in the river.  I got out just in time to see Dad tip over off the elephant.  That was a very, very, very funny sight to see!  Dad got out and told us that he had almost got stuck because his leg was caught in the elephant’s ear when he was underwater!  We all laughed at this!  We quickly went back over to Razali who was leading the elephants out of the river.  He had a bottle filled with the last bit of elephant food.  He gave the bottle to one of the elephants as her reward for swimming in the river.  She held the bottle with her trunk while we got to pat her cheeks.  

That was an outstanding day and our elephant adventure was over.

Elephant Sanctuary, part 2: Hungry Elephants

After lunch, Razali told us to be very quiet and come to a place where visitors were not allowed.  He told us to wash our hands, all the way up to the elbows.  We were all wondering why until Razali asked us to come into a small room with a sign on it reading:

EMPLOYEES ONLY

At first we thought that we were going to get in trouble if we got caught, but Razali told us that we were going to be feeding elephants, and soon our worries were gone.  We started by putting a 5 gallon bucket in the middle of the room.  Razali gave us 4 loaves of bread and we opened the bags and dumped the bread into the bucket.  

Then Razali gave us cup after cup of sticky rice and we added that to the bucket.  After the sticky rice we put in some protein powder and then about 6 big handfuls of brown sugar.  

Razali poured hot and cold water on the elephants food.  Then Mom pulled up her sleeves, put one of her hands into the food, and began to stir it.  The food looked like a bucket of disgusting bready soup.  Mom said it felt hot and cold and a little slimey.  We brought the bucket outside and Razali told us kids that we had to stir it or we would not be able to feed the elephant.  Reluctantly, we pulled up our sleeves, dipped a hand in the food and began to stir it, too.  Mom was right--it felt gooey and yucky!

We were supposed to mix it until it was soft and mushy and able to fit through an elephant’s baby bottle.  But even with 4 people mixing it, it took a very long time.  Razali finally said that it was ready.  Then he took the bucket and brought it back into the kitchen.  When we asked him what we were supposed to do, he said to line up against the wall of the feeding station while he brought the elephants in.  First he brought in 2 baby elephants and attached their chains for safety.  He then brought a big mean, tough  one in and put him very far away from us with a warning of: “Do not go near him!”

Razali chained the big elephant up and gave all 3 of them bunches of sugar cane to eat.  

The babies used their trunks and brought the sugar cane to their feet.  They stomped on the sugar cane until only the middle--the sweetest part--was left.  Then they picked up the middle part with their trunks and put it into their mouths.  Once they had eaten the middle of the sugar cane then started the process all over again.  

Razali and another guide cut up a bunch of fruit and vegetables and put it into a bin.  He told us that we could feed the babies by holding out a piece of food and the elephant would take it with it’s trunk, if it wanted it.  

The elephant that I was feeding really liked cucumber.  

The elephant that Edward was feeding really liked papaya!  When I asked Razali when we were going to feed the elephants the food we’d made for the bottle, he said that we were feeding that to a different elephant.  While the elephants finished eating, we sat on little stone ledges that were right next to the elephants.  These elephants probably would not be done eating for a long time, so we took the bucket of food and a gigantic elephant baby bottle with a very long straw and headed over to an elephant stable.

Razali led us into a specific stall where a big elephant lay on the ground, breathing heavily.  (We were not allowed to take photos of this injured elephant).  It’s knees were bruised and one of it’s feet looked bloody.  Razali told us that this elephant had twisted it’s knee and was not able to stand up.  He said it would take many months for it’s knee to heal.  In the meantime, the people at the elephant sanctuary were giving it massages and water therapy to keep it active.  Razali said that there was a good chance it would make a full recovery.

Razali took the elephant bottle and filled it up to the brim with the food.  He put the cap on and gave the bottle to Mom.  He showed her how to feed the injured elephant.  You held the bottle in your left hand, used your right hand to support the bottle and pushed the straw as far as you could into it’s mouth.  Mom did as she was told and the elephant drank the whole thing!  Razali filled up the bottle again and gave it to me this time.  The bottle was very heavy but I managed to keep it in the air.  I walked over to the elephant and pushed the bottle into it’s mouth as far as I could.  It drank slowly and while it was drinking, it wrapped it’s trunk around my ankle.  The trunk tickled for a moment, then stopped.  It felt soft and warm and only a little bit wet.  It stopped drinking for a minute and burped.  I put the bottle back in it’s mouth and it soon finished it.  Razali kept filling and refilling the bottle up until finally everyone had had a turn feeding him.  

That had been a great experience but the day was still not over...

Elephant Sanctuary, part 1: A Ride on an Elephant

We woke up at 7:30 and went to breakfast at 8 and then met Razali, our guide, at 8:45.  Razali, my family and I all went to the Elephant Sanctuary in Kuala Gandah.  The sanctuary was closed when we got there around 10:15 because it did not open until 1:00, but that didn't matter.  Razali let us in and we were able to do something nobody else got to do.  We got to ride on an elephant for about 1 mile!

When I got on the elephant it was very hairy and itchy.  The hair was about an inch an a half long and there was a lot of it!  Here is a picture of an elephant's head:

I clung onto the guide that was driving and steering the elephant.  While we were riding along Razali, who was walking, told us all about the jungle we were riding through.  Razali said that the jungle was an untouched jungle in some parts.  He also said that there were poisonous trees in the jungle.  They are called the ipoh tree.  We got to walk by and see some of them.  They have poisonous sap which people put on the ends of weapons.
While Razali was talking my shoe fell off!  My elephant, Mawar, picked it up and gave it to my guide!  I'd never thought that an elephant would pick up your shoe for you!
When the ride was halfway done we stopped to take a break and let the elephants eat.  The guides helped me, Daniel, Edward, Mommy and Daddy off the elephants and we got a chance to really look at them.  One of the elephants went to the bathroom and it peed SOOOOOOO much!  There was about 10 gallons of pee on the ground when it finished!  I wondered how much an elephant drinks in a day.  I asked one of the guides and he said about 100 liters.  Two of the elephants wandered off in the jungle to eat and it took the guides lots of patience to get them back into the clearing.

Then the guides took out some big water bottles and poured the water into the elephants trunks.  the elephants took their trunks and sprayed the water in their mouths to drink.  The guides let us hold the water bottles and give the elephants a drink.  We kept giving them drinks until they had drank about 3 liters.

Then it was time to head back to the main area.  For the way back, I was on the elephant called Abot with dad.  Since I had no leg room on the ride back, I lost my shoe again!  One of the guides picked it up and gave it back to me.  When we were almost done, my other shoe came off and Mommy's elephant picked it up and carried it all the way back.  The guide on the front of my elephant took my other shoe from me and put it on the top of our elephant's head!  I was  left with bare feet.  At the end of the ride, I got all my shoes back!  The ride was awesome but the day was not over...

Kuala Lumpur

We are in Kuala Lumpur for 2 days.  Here is our picture in front of the Petronas Towers.

The Petronas Towers are 88 stories high and are the tallest twin towers in the world.  On the 41st and 42nd floors there is a skybridge connecting the 2 towers.  They were built in 1998.  It was kind of a cloudy day so we did not go up to the top of these towers.

Last few days in Bali

Our week in Bali is over.  Now we're heading off to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  I'm really going to miss Bali and the people we met there, like Agung, our driver.  He is the best driver and guide!  He met us at the airport and we thought he was just going to drive us to our house.  But he turned out to be a wonderful person, going places with us, showing us places and telling us things about his country.  Here is Agung:

On one of our last nights Agung's mother and wife cooked us a special smoked duck dinner.  Everything we ate came from their land.  Even the duck.  The ducks are raised in the rice fields.  Since it was Edward's birthday this week, they prepared a special birthday dish for him.  The cone of yellow rice is something served on your birthday.

We got to learn a lot about Bali because of Agung.  I would like to back to Bali someday and learn more about this beautiful place.

On the Side of the Road

In Bali the sidewalks are very different from the sidewalks in the US.  The sidewalks here are made out of tiles that are red with flower designs on them.

The sidewalks are very uneven and they go up and down all the time.  Sometimes there are big holes in the sidewalks where you can see or hear the water from rain run-offs or maybe the sewer.

When you walk it is kind of hard to keep your balance, especially at night in the dark, because the sidewalks are so uneven.  When you walk you also have to watch out for animals roaming the sidewalks such as dogs and chickens.  Sometimes you see cows in fields right next to the road.  Once I even saw a man walking a pig down the sidewalk on a leash.

Another common sight in Bali are motorcycles.  There are about a million motorcycles in Bali!  People use their motorcycles as we would use our cars.  We've seen whole families on motorcycles--Mom, Dad, 2 kids.  We have seen babies, groceries, chickens, rice, vegetables and baskets full of fruit being carried on motorcycles.  If you see 2 caged roosters on the back of a motorcycle, they may be for cockfighting.  Cockfighting is a common sport in Bali.  It is part of their religious ceremonies and culture.  Cockfighting is when 2 roosters are put in a ring with knives attached to their claws.  They fight each other until one dies.

Some of the things we've seen growing on the side of the road have been coconuts, bananas, rice, peanuts, cabbage and tomatoes.  The side of the road in Bali is SOOOOO different from the side of the road in Rockport!