In a bid to cheer myself up, I figured I would blog about our recent family vacay. Maybe it will chase away my blues - or make me miss ZX even more (he's away the entire month for work boohoo). Let's see.
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Our 2D1N trip to JB last week marked The Chennies' very first family vacay. I was quite nervous since it was the first time having two little ones in tow. Bielet was super during her past few vacays to Japan, NZ and HK while Bieny is really good natured. But you just never know with kids.
Some background: There was a TV ad that kept looping every 30mins last December on The Little Big Club (part of the Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park in JB, along with Hello Kitty Town). Everytime the commercial came on, Bielet would stop everything and jump in front of the goggle box to dance and sing with Barney !!! So we promised Bielet that she could finally go hug Barney in February (before ZX's work trip in March).
He managed to squeeze in 2 days of leave so off to Malaysia we went! For noobs, here's a really detailed blog post he found on driving directions/instructions to Legoland and Puteri Harbour Family Theme Park. The only part lacking in the instructions was the pitstop for petrol on our way back to Singapore (look out for the rest stop 1km away sign and keep left to exit) because by the time we saw the petrol stations, it was impossible to filter out.
Back to the vacay, I planned a joint Legoland and Puteri Harbour Theme Park holiday so we could kill every bird with one stone (save Mickey Mouse, but that's another story). And since we could stay a night, we agreed on Legoland Malaysia Resort. It is rather pricey but since the Sing dollar is so strong, it's now or never.
{Legoland Theme Park}
I've been wanting to come here ever since it opened. Just like USS at Sentosa, which yes, I still haven't gone to. (At least, I've been to the one in Osaka so that counts, right?)
I've been wanting to come here ever since it opened. Just like USS at Sentosa, which yes, I still haven't gone to. (At least, I've been to the one in Osaka so that counts, right?)
3B all ready to get into Legoland!
Anyway, with the two girls, I wasn't planning on sitting any rides but my sweet hubby babysat them while I got my rollercoaster fix. Omg. I WAS SO CHUFFED! The last time I sat on one was the said Osaka trip ~ I wasn't even married then. Oh, motherhood, what have you done to me. The castle ride, The Dragon, was booooring because it was so dark within the castle that I could hardly see anything, then the outdoor part of the ride was so fast that it was literally over in a blink of an eye. Project X, which mimics a test rollercoaster driver, was much more intense because the movements were bigger/jerkier and its turns were more forceful. And it sure took its time up then plunges you down at breakneck speed. Love. ZX isn't one for rollercoasters so the arrangement was perfect, I tell you.
One of the lego props leading up to the ride. Love.
A snap of ZX with the girls just before I left for my ride!
As for Bielet, she totally loved the rides where she could go by herself - Junior Driving School and Royal Joust.
The Junior Driving School is for younger children between 3 and 5 (the older ones go for the more advanced course). I felt the car was a bit tough to operate for the young one because miss-cannot-multitask could either press on the pedal or turn the steering wheel. Not together. So at the turns, she was going around in circles while Papa laughed his head off and Mama was barking instructions "Turn sweetheart, turn. Now press the pedal and straighten the wheel....." My gosh. I felt like I was telling my dad how to park. (My dad is so gonna kill me for blogging this.) Anyway, Bielet made it to the end of the course despite saying "it was so difficult". And, she asked to try round two the next day. (It was the same story although she could press the pedal for a longer time.)
ZX was a tad disappointed that he couldn't drive a Lego car, so this was the closest he could get to a driving experience...
One of Bielet's favourite things to do: pump petrol!
As for Royal Joust, it's supposed to be a classic medieval joust ala A Knight's Tale. It was an automated ride on a horse (similar to the coin-operated horses back home) which rode around the track. I was so afraid she would be scared as she was alone on the course (no other kids on the other horses) and it was right next to the rollercoaster, which was damn loud when it twisted up and down. Surprisingly, she loved it so much that she asked to go again! Guess she really likes horseriding like her Papa. (See her other two horseriding experiences here and here.)
Other than that, she really enjoyed building her own lego car and racing it at the Lego Academy. The other kids had really fantastic looking vehicles (because you could build any sized car as long as it fit the 'racing lane' and was supported by the wheels) but Bielet was content with her small car - as long as it was blue. Simple pleasures :))
And if you were wondering, ZX was super with Bielet the entire time! He cajoled her as she whined away the entire 4D movie (expected as it was so loud), led her to Rescue Academy where they had to race against three other 'vehicles' and singlehandedly completed the route (even beating a young couple to the finish line), and brought her to all the playgrounds she wanted to.
As for me, I was happily carrying Bieny in my newly purchased baby carrier. But it was really hot and we got clammy after some time. So it was a godsend when I stumbled onto a baby care room. I just wanted to change Bieny's diaper, but when the door opened, MAN it was really like the movies when you reach an oasis in the desert. I swear there was accompaniment music chiming in the background at that instant. There were rocking chairs for parents, high chairs for kids, comfy nursing chairs behind curtains for mummies, a cot for sleeping bub, water dispenser, bottle warmers, toilets, lego sets for leisure *but of course* etc. And did I mention the air conditioning? I went in and didn't want to go out. (Of course I did and brought the hubby and Bielet in. Then, we spent half an hour there just enjoying the aircon. Haha.)
We managed to finish the theme park in four hours, with a note to go back the next morning for Miniland (lego structures built in the likeness of iconic landmarks). We were so lucky that we went on a weekday because there was absolutely no queue and we could finish playing in double quick time. Of course, Bielet doesn't meet the height restriction for a third of the rides so we skipped all those too. Tip: Plan your rides using the online activities map before going so you don't waste any time wondering around.
Recognise Singapore? Coincidentally, we had our last staycation at Fullerton!
ZX and I taking a couple shot. The kids don't appreciate being treated as calefares.
{Legoland Water Park}
Next up, the water park. By this time, Bieny had already napped once (she usually does two power naps in the day) while Bielet hadn't had hers. It looked like they were gonna get all grouchy on us but our little angels let Papa and Mama play for what it was worth.
On the Build-A-Raft River, I took Bieny on the only kid float (where the kid could sit on the float instead of dangling/perching in the hole of the doughnut) because they didn't allow us to use our own baby float. Gah. Bieny was really sleepy at this stage so she was all shocked and wide-eyed when the water splashed on her. So cute, my heart melted. And of course, this evil mama couldn't stop laughing as I tried to protect her from the overhead trickles and wipe away the water from her face. ZX wasn't any better because I could hear Bielet screaming "Papa don't go to the water" and next thing, she was like "Papa why you go to the water?!?!?!" with ZX's hysterical laughter. Crazy parents.
My absolute favouritest photo of the entire vacay :)) Don't you love their bright grins?
Bielet really liked the Duplo Splash Safari because of the mini slides and animal structures in it which were life-sized versions of her duplo playsets. Pity the Joker Soaker, a huge water playground, was closed otherwise Bielet would have gone WILD. And then it was my turn to play sitter while ZX went all out on the fun water rides (which the girls couldn't join us on). The three of us just sat at the edge of Lego Wave Pool and got pushed around gently. It would have been more fun if we could just lounge on floats in the pool (like at Downtown East). Anyway, ZX came back and said I had to try Lego Slide Racers, where you poise yourself on a mat and slide down a super long tube. Well, neither of us have tried the old Big Splash before so this was really thrilling to plunge down head first into the long, dark tube. Would have been better if I didn't have to lug the mat up myself and slide down alone, but fun nevertheless! The rest of the water rides looked awesome so if you go there sans kids, you'll probably enjoy yourself MUCH more. Heh.
But I had a blast too, Mama! (Bieny at dinner after having 2 naps in the day. This is my second favouritest pic of the holiday. Hehh.)
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Yes, that was just Legoland. If you're wondering how come the girls have so many clothing changes, we did Legoland Theme and Water Parks on the first day, then sneaked in another 2 hours at the Legoland Theme Park for Miniland, last rides and shopping before heading to Puteri Harbour.
I haven't even gotten to the hotel stay and the other theme park, but I'm feeling much better. Woohoo ~ Hope you enjoyed the post! Will update on the rest in a separate post!
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