That Delete Button: adventures

2019

Travelling Mama: The Journey (2019)

August 03, 2019

In April this year, I did something I've never done before - I solo travelled with a baby. That's right, I went on a plane with baba and we flew all the way to Canada for my best cousins wedding. It was simultaneously amazing, terrifyingly frightening and a tiny bit liberating - that small sense of achievement and independence.

We got to the airport with plenty of time to spare but spent so much time trying to get a different seat (one more suitable for myself and baby) that when I went through security they said if I didn't go now, I'd miss my flight. The woman checking my flight details demanded to know what time I had arrived and why I was there so late... I told her we've been here for ages. I explained that I was with the airline people, not just lounging about killing time!

I sailed across a sea of marshmallows!

That moment I heard the words 'miss your flight' was horrible and I began to panic a little. It was probably apparent on my face as I'm not too good at hiding my feelings - but I felt that this made people more helpful. From that moment on, we did everything with triple the speed. They let the people at the gate know we were coming and I ran - actually ran through two buildings - to the gate. Obviously Baby B screamed the whole time as she didn't want to be in the pushchair but I continued to run. I just knew I couldn't miss the flight - I had come so far to give up now.

I got to the gate and they were waiting for me. They knew our names! Luckily I wasn't the last one ... there were people behind me.

I was a little worried before the trip... who wouldn't be?! I wondered what I'd do if she screamed the whole time, how would I do it alone? I could just imagine the look on peoples faces, annoyance and disgust, that 'she can't control her child' look. But it didn't go like that, Alhamdulillah!

I took a night flight there and back - super useful if travelling with kids! I think this helped me a lot as we both slept most the journey there and back. On the way we started off next to some lovely people but were moved because there were two spare seats together. As we got up to go there, the person I swapped with warned me about a woman there - he was right. So we ended up sitting near a lady who kept sighing when she looked at me and tutted when I got up to change Baby B's nappy. She spent most the flight huffing and puffing, drinking the hours away and disapprovingly watching people. I did contemplate complaining but I couldn't be bothered. I'd had enough drama for the day. I was just about recovering from having nearly missing my flight and upset that we'd be away from Mr B for so long - I'm not sure I'd have handled complaining very well. Baby B didn't seem to notice - she played peekaboo with the people in front and behind - who were lovely - and then went to sleep. I also fell asleep for a while and I think this helped.

What's important to note here is that we got there. I actually made it!!

If you're thinking of doing it, my advice - just do it. Deal with things as they come, for me that's the best way. And try and stay calm. It'll work out - that's what I keep telling myself!

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adventures

Holiday and Travel Advice

January 10, 2019

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2018

Trimester Four - The Deep End

August 10, 2018

So turns out trimester three is not the last hurdle ... there is actually something called trimester 4. Trimester 4 is the first three months after your baby is born. The same amount of time a baby is classed as a newborn!

Baby B arrived exactly on the day the midwife told us she would. The due date. Her due date. Our little girl seemed to have no interest in coming out and waited patiently the whole time. Finally when she did arrive, it was surreal. I remember looking at her during the night and thinking 'she's mine, oh my!' She slept so quietly the first few days, waking up to feed and then slipping straight back into a deep sleep. That's how the first week has was, and for a very short while she stayed like that, eating and sleeping.

Having a newborn is exhausting. The lack of sleep and time to oneself is draining and I had so many questions! Why could I not stop my baby when she cried? Why was she crying? Am I supposed to recognise her cry? Is she too hot? Too cold? Why won't she sleep? Why is she sleeping for so long? Is she hungry? Is this supposed to happen?! So many! Google can help but I wouldn't advise too much time on Google as you'll terminally diagnosing yourself or your baby.

I also felt a sense of insecurity where I doubted myself and my abilities but then you look at your beautiful baby and those feelings of exhaustion and insecurity just disappear.

Let me tell you something, it's hard. I doubted myself so many times and as Baby B got older, she developed colic. That meant she cried and cried and cried and because of this, I was too afraid to take her out. I'd think that what happens if she cries when we go out and I can't comfort her enough to calm down? But it did get better. I went to a few baby massage classes and the first few weren't good. Having to rock your baby in an effort to calm them down in front of a group of mums whose babies aren't screaming is hard. In fact, it almost shattered my confidence, but we carried on and eventually we had a full session with no crying!

One thing I can tell you is that nobody has all the answers as each baby is different. There are guidelines but no one can tell you exactly why a baby is crying if you haven't figured it out yourself. There are so many new things to learn. You'll learn new things about yourself too!

Find a good support group - online or otherwise. I'm lucky that I have family close by and friends who keep in touch.

It took me a while but I’ve finally decided to try my best and we’ll deal with anything that comes up as it does.

Have you had a baby? Are you expecting or know anyone who is?

Update: It get's better! Baby B doesn't cry as much anymore and we have so much more confidence now. I've even been out and about on my own with Baby B and we've even started socialising!

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Trimester Three: The Last Hurdle

May 28, 2018

Trimester Two passed by nearly as quickly as trimester one and I was busy at work and getting to grips with my growing bump. In set trimester three. Trimester three was the last trimester before we met baby - one I spent growing even more, feeling stronger kicks and nudges and pokes and prods.

In the third trimester, the thing I heard the most was how big I was getting - I was well aware of my bump but for some reason, people felt it necessary to mention this to me. This included random people, STRANGERS, asking me how far along I was. After hearing my answer they'd respond with "are you sure it's not twins?! You're HUGE". I was almost certain that I was not having twins but still kept having to remind others that I wasn't.

Another reminder that I was getting bigger was the fact that most of my clothes didn't fit me. Things stopped fitting me in the space of weeks and I found myself wearing the same few tops over and over as I was reluctant to buy new ones. I decided not to buy too many new clothes - I wouldn’t be wearing them for that long anyway and so I kept on going with the few things that I did have. It worked for me. It wasn't too bad, not as bad as I make it sound anyway.

I waddled already but my cankles teamed with my growing bump made my waddling walk more prominent, much more noticeable. One may have compared it to that of a penguin.

This aside, I didn’t mind it so much. The third trimester was one where I felt bigger, stronger movements, I watched my baby grow through my bump growth and listened to the heart beat at every appointment. The arrival of Baby B was drawing closer and I kept thinking of what it would be like once baby did arrive. It was actually quite exciting!!

My lovely friends even threw me a surprise baby shower and I felt very loved!

I looked more at baby clothes and things for the baby but we decided to buy as we needed when the time came, and therefore bought only the essentials. We’d buy other stuff when the time came and we knew if baby was a boy or a girl. I found that the gender neutral clothes weren't that exciting so that didn't really help.

There were times I wanted to speed things up but I knew that baby would come when baby was ready, and so I carried on going. The worries I had initially were slowly pushed back, still there but now they were mixed with feeings of excitement and job, and tiredness!

A few weeks into my third trimester, I met a lovely lady who gave me an eye opening reminder. It’s one I’d like to share with you all. I mentioned to her that I thought I was unprepared, scared of the immense responsibility this baby would bring and she said it’s completely normal to feel that way. That’s why we have nine months to get used to the idea. Nine months. Nine. It could have been weeks or a few months but it wasn’t, it was nine months. And that’s the perfect amount of time to process the information and prepare for baby. This made so much sense and really did make me feel better.

And just like trimester one and two, trimester three flew by!! And soon enough we would be able to meet our baby! That made everything worth it.

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2018

Trimester Two: The Bump

March 29, 2018

Trimester one quickly merged in with trimester two as once I had gotten my head round everything, time had passed. We were also super busy with things at home and work.

So in came trimester two of three. In this trimester bump grew - pretty fast and baby continued to develop. At the beginning of our second twelve weeks we had our first scan and slowly, very slowly, we began to tell people. We started off with close (as in immediate) family and very close friends and stopped there. Well I stopped there but I think Mr B told a few more people - such as his whole office! There are still people to this day that don't know I'm expecting! You see, I didn't hide it, but I didn't actually tell people either. I figured it'd be obvious when my bump grew big enough anyway. And it did grow quite fast during this short time. It became more and more obvious that I hadn't over-eaten and wasn't suffering from a severe case of wind, I was indeed pregnant.

This trimester went slightly better than the first (the first was a blur)- although it was just as fast. My sickness began to ease off and I started to accept the idea of being pregnant a bit more. We began talking about the baby a little more and slowly slowly, the baby began to become a part of our lives.
I felt little flutters - and at first I was uncertain about what it was - was it butterflies of the baby?! How do I know?! Eventually I realised that it was indeed the baby as the movements got stronger and the baby grew.

The whole idea started to become more and more real. It really kicked in when we went to a family get together where I saw family members I hadn't seen in a while - and the fact that I was pregnant became known to pretty much everyone in the room on that day - there were a lot of people. At least I didn't have to announce! It went round the room like Chinese whispers and that was that, the word was officially out.

Another big hint that I was pregnant, according to one of my best friends who also happened to be working in the same office as me at that time, were my eating habits. I've always liked food and eating but apparently my snacking little and very often was big indicator of the fact that I was pregnant. I should have known really but I couldn't help but eating little and often - I was hungry and my stomach was squished! It was, however what the midwife had recommended and therefore I didn't even try to stop. Luckily for me I began to tell people not long after this anyway!

This trimester was one of acceptance, learning to deal with being pregnant but also watching my bump as it grew and feeling movements become stronger. I began to change my work outs in the gym to make sure bump was ok and that my body could handle the changes, and also grew out of clothes very fast. I could buy a new, bigger top and it would no longer button up two weeks later! Baby was growing fast!

My growing bump

One more important thing I'd like to share with you all is some advice I got towards the end of my second trimester. This advice came from a complete stranger at the gym after I'd been for a swim one morning. She told me that everyone would be full of advice, of stories and telling me how it happened for them, or didn't happen for them. But the truth is, everyone is different. You have to do things in your own way. Maybe the end result will be the same but the process of getting there isn't. Our bodies are all unique and therefore so our are experiences. And this, she told me, was nothing to be afraid of. Don't worry if it doesn't work the way people say it should.

I wish someone had told me that earlier in my life - about life - as this would have helped a lot for any different things!

How do you feel about it? Have you had a baby, is pregnant or know someone who has/is?

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2017

Trimester One - Finding Out

February 25, 2018

We were so busy when I fell pregnant that I didn’t actually notice at first. We had a family wedding, a funeral, Eid - as well as other things and I’d just started working for a different department at work. In fact, when I did realise I was in denial – I was so sure that I was just feeling under the weather that my other half went out and bought a pregnancy test. Yes he did. I guess he was convinced that my ‘bug’ should have disappeared – and right he was.

I still wasn’t so sure, even after taking a test. A test didn't prove anything to me. I insisted that he took a test just to prove that the test was right. I figured that if it read positive for him then there was definitely a mistake and I really was just recovering from a bug. He wouldn’t do it, no matter how much I insisted, and I really did insist.

So yep, that was that. The test came out positive and I didn't take another one because I thought I'd wait to see how I felt first - not much changed. I kept feeling nauseous all day long for what felt like eons, and was occasionally sick. I then fell into a routine of being sick and then feeling like I was going to be sick every other minute of the day. It was not pleasant at all having a lingering sick feeling.

I sat on the news for a while, told no one and said nothing and my other half patiently waited whilst I got my head round it. I think it was more real for him right from the minute the result came out positive - where as I take time to process things and think them through. And boy did I think - good thoughts and then worries about the immense responsibility a child is. I needed to get my pregnancy confirmed so I booked an appointment and tada - we were told we were expecting a baby child! Baby B was officially official. (Baby 'B' because of our surname.)

It was slightly surreal because when I had my first appointment with the midwife I didn't have to do any tests - no blood test or anything so when I came home I was still in that 'I'm not so sure' stage - going to the doctors didn't make me believe it any more! But then soon after I did have blood tests, and after that a scan and very quickly things in my mind adjusted themselves. We became more used to the idea - there really was a tiny human growing inside me that would need to come out at some point.

This thought scared me silly. Not that it'd have to come out, that was far away and I wasn't thinking too much about it, but that it would depend on us. That tiny human would be our responsibility, to clothe, feed, help to provide opportunities and do the best we can and that was it - there was no turning back. No refunds or exchanges. Although I'm sure we'd never want to do that but still, the idea is perfectly feasible. It wasn't only about us anymore - we had another human to consider. A whole other human.

It's ok to be happy and scared all at the same time right?! But as scary as it may seem, we were over the moon! A baby!!!!

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2017

Rome 2017 - The Sights

January 29, 2018

In Rome, as mentioned here, there is a lot to explore. Here are but a few places we visited:

Trevi Fountains

That view :)

If you're going to Rome you must, absolutely must, visit this hidden gem - you'd be crazy not to. we found the fountains at the end of a long day - the way we had planned to. We spent the day walking and exploring Rome and the fountains were our last stop for the day. That was day two of or stay in Rome and from that day on, we somehow ended up by the steps of the fountains every night after.

I'm not sure why but I expected the fountains to be in a park, or a garden or some huge courtyard (somewhere spacious), much like fountains in the UK but this was quite the opposite. The Trevi Fountains are situated in a small side street, surrounded by hotels, shops, a basilica and people, lots of people. We took a turn from the main street into a side street and bam - there they were, hidden within the business of Rome. It's so obvious that the area grew around the fountains and that's what added to the splendour of them. Definitely go and see them!!

Spanish Steps

This, as the name implies, is a set of steps leading up to a Church. If you go down the steps, you'll come to a small yet beautiful fountain and lots of shops, a few street sellers and a few horse drawn carriages. The steps were really lovely to look at and walk down and the view from the top was quite something. As is the view from the bottom when you see the full extent of the Spanish Steps.

The Spanish Steps

Vatican City

Look Up!!

Right, so on the last Sunday of every month Vatican City opens for a few hours and entry is free - that's right, free. We were, conveniently there, in Rome, on the last Sunday of the month and we had planned to go then, but we asked around and were told that if we wanted to go, we'd have to be there for 8am in order to get in around 12pm when they opened....that was so not happening. Also, the Pope was going to visit so as a bonus, we could have seen the Pope. But apparently it gets so so so busy that we decided to pay the entry fee and take a look another day. We took a bus to Vatican City - one of the few times we actually took public transport. We walked everywhere else! As soon as we got there we were mildly accosted by tour guides, claiming that but going with them we could skip the hour long line to get in and see things much faster. But we decided to stand in line - experience it all! It was about an hours wait, maybe less but the line of people behind us didn't reduce at any time - there were times where it got longer but never shorter than where we started!

Was it worth the wait - yes.

St Peters Square is beautiful, the amount of time and work that must have gone into making it - one thing I'd tell you to do is to look up when you are there. Look up at the buildings and how they're made, the detail and their finishing, the angels on the ends, standing and watching.

Inside, it's beautiful - as one would expect. The walls are decorated from top to bottom and there is so much to see - so much to soak up. This goes for everything there - the paintings, the sculptures, all the artwork is phenomenal and worth seeing, from the works of Michelangelo to Raphael.

The Sistine Chapel was in the Vatican City Museum at the end and there I found the atmosphere to be serene, peaceful and we spent a lot of time looking at the walls and ceiling. They also must pay someone to 'shhhhh' very loudly because that persons ever so slightly annoying.

If you're in Rome - go.

Coliseum and the Roman Forum

Inside the Coliseum

One of last things we did was to visit the Coliseum. We could see glimpses of the Coliseum from our hotel and the side streets - it's a view I'll never forget. The Coliseum lit up at night is beautiful - and I think it's beautiful in the day time too. My personal opinion - I didn't find it as jaw dropping as I had expected - I had gone in with images from the Gladiator film expecting it to be huge on the inside and it wasn't as big as I had thought - in reality it's much smaller. It was worth a look because not seeing it would have been silly, but I wasn't that impressed. I think maybe next time I'd take a tour which takes us underneath the Coliseum - where the Gladiators and animals actually lived.

Outside

We had walked past the Forum every day since our arrival and so we knew what to expect before we visited it properly - ruins, a lot of ruins and Palatine Hill which overlooked the Coliseum and the Forum.

These are but a few places we visited in Rome - I haven't even mentioned the Pantheon, the numerous Basilicas and monuments we came across. There was just so much to see. And the food. Oh the food - delicious!

Have you been to Rome? Is it somewhere you'd like to go?

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2017

2017: A Reflection

December 31, 2017

My mandatory foot photo

This year has gone both fast and slow. There have been times where I've waited for the weeks to pass and others have gone too fast - so a mixture I'd say - good nonetheless. There haven't been many blog posts this year - you'll have noticed that I've been on and off with the posts, less consistent, sporadic and slightly annoying, both for myself and for you as my readers. But I have tried to post wherever I can - honest! I'm hoping that I'll get better with consistency and timing - in both life and blogging :).

2017 has been a big year in the life of F, maybe not so much for That Delete Button but definitely for me personally. Some of these events, milestones, whatever you may want to call them have been blog worthy but because I haven't had much time, I've not always been able to blog about them. So, I'm going to do a mini reflection of the past year instead so you can know what the heck I'm rambling on about!

If I had blogged about a few of these reasons, I think my blog would have been doing a little better. Maybe I'll blog about these things soon!

Things I've done in 2017:

Tied the knot: So I got engaged and religiously married in 2016 but had a bigger, more formal-ish wedding in 2017. That's right, we had a few too many parties - too many dates to remember - but I wouldn't change it. That was the highlight of my year - our wedding. It went fast but I loved how family and friends all came together and had fun! I'm contemplating making a blog post with photos of it...thoughts?

Malaysia: We travelled to Malaysia and it was soooo good, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur - I have blogged about this so go read it if you want to know more!

Rome: another place we explored was Rome. More posts about Rome to come!

Teaching: After doing the CELTA I didn't get a job abroad - the timing wasn't right - but I did manage to do some teaching here in the UK. I taught in two different places and both were different. It's weird how different educational establishments can be so varied in their approach - also the backgrounds of the students matter too! The first time round the students were very talkative and the second time, they were focused but made things fun for themselves! People are quite amazing!

Oh and one final thing - my blog turned five this month! Yes, that's right, That Delete Button is five years old!! FIVE!!!

I promise I'll try to blog about some of the things mentioned above soon - let me know if there's anything in particular you'd like to know more about!!

What have you done over the last year? What are you particularly proud of?

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2017

Rome 2017

December 14, 2017

The Colosseum

Mr F has always wanted to go to Rome – I want to go everywhere and as long as we go somewhere I’m perfectly happy!

Anyway, we went very recently. It was awesome – we were lucky the weather was mild – not too hot and not too cold. Mornings were slightly cold but warmed up nicely as the afternoon came and then it cooled back down a little in the evening – not coat cold, jacket cold. There were a few people with coats on but we wore our jackets – which were quite hastily discarded as the day went on. Put it this way, we enjoyed the gelato!

Rome is rich in history and architecture, full of marvellous things to look at. Lots of ruins, the Spanish Steps, Pantheon, Colosseum, Palatine Hill and the Roman Forum. There's Vatican City with St Peters Basilica and the Sistine Chapel as well as many many other basilicas. Basilicas on every corner and often more than one in a street! So much to see!

One assumes that given the amount of basilicas there were in Rome, and the Pope, it would be quite a religious environment - yet religion wasn't imposed on anyone. There was no time during the trip where I felt uncomfortable - even among a congregation of Priests hosting a concert! They were really welcoming. Of course each Basilica had a few rules such as being covered up and not taking photos - but these sorts of things have been requested in many buildings I have been to before. It's not something new or unexpected.

I'll do another post with more information about the places we visited but on the whole, if you haven't already, add Rome to your travel list. And whilst your at it, make sure you spend a few days extra there - so if you are thinking of going for 4 days, add an extra one/two days - I don't think there can every be enough days in Rome!

So I leave you now with five tips for exploring Rome - in the mean time I'll be sorting my Rome photos out before writing a bit more about the places we visited!

5 Tips for Exploring Rome:

comfortable shoes - the streets are cobbled
be open to exploring - there are things to see everywhere!
get your walking feet on - if you're going to do a lot of things by foot, your feet will ache after - mine did!
be prepared to fall in love with the Trevi Fountains!
Eat! Eat their delicious food and Gelato! Super yummy!!

Where have you been recently? Have you been to Rome?

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2017

Malaysia 2017 - Kuala Lumpur

October 06, 2017

Our Hotel View

KL was different to Langkawi - it was a busy bustling city wherever we went and there were people rushing around in every direction. You know London or downtown Toronto? That sort of busy.

China Town

mmmmmmm

The streets were filled with shoppers from all over the world and there was so much choice - designers from everywhere! There were shopping centres and food places that we thoroughly enjoyed exploring. it was busy, fast paced and exciting.

As well as shopping centres, there were many markets that we went to - including China Town and Central Market (Pasar Seni). So China Town was very similar to the markets in Alanya - where people sold replica goods at a discounted price. Mr F had a ball bargaining with the vendors and he was really in his element there - even when he full well knew we weren't going to buy anything, he loved chatting with the sellers and bargaining about price. It was a delight to watch! Everything was crammed in very close in Chain Town and this added to the atmosphere as we went from tent to tent looking at what was available to buy. I'd recommend that you go even if it was just to see it - it's an experience.

Central Market was different in that most of it was in doors in an actual building and the things they sold were different to China Town. They sold more traditional items including clothes, gifts and food. I actually really liked it in Central Market!

Masjid Jamek

Very close to Central Market is Jamek Mosque - one of the oldest mosques in KL. This mosque was majestic - I felt like Aladdin would have walked through any at minute. It was peaceful and calm, hidden in the midst of the hustle and bustle. It's built where two rivers meet and very well maintained. This was one of my favourite places to visit in KL because this mosque was hidden in the midst of the busy roads. Also, outside the train station, there was a market that sold scarves - ones that I liked and the type I wear - hooray!

Bukit Bintang

One view from the Petronas Towers

Bukit Bintang, a district in KL, contains numerous shopping malls and it was very busy - outside and inside! There were many different well know shops and designer shops there including Sephora and Coach and many many others!

On other thing we did when we were in KL was to have a 'blind massage' - a massage given to us by a person who was blind/partially sighted. My cousin had recommended this and it's probably one of the best I've ever had. The people were highly skilled and qualified and very very good. They knew exactly what they were doing and we really good at what they did.

Out and about

I don't have enough time or space to write about all the things we did and the few things I've talked about above are literally just a few. We went on a tour of KL and looked at the buildings, went to an Islamic Center/Museum and the National Mosque. We went into the Petronas Towers and saw the amazing views. We visited Little India - an area which was ripe in indian clothes, food and culture. We used the trains for everything and walked so much our feet ached - if only I'd had a fitness tracker with me then!

Have you been to KL? Do you live in KL? What are your thoughts? What's your next big adventure going to be? Let me know in the comments below!

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Malaysia 2017 - Langkawi

August 09, 2017

So I found out where we were going - the country - not specifics, and had a rough idea of what to expect.

This is what to expect: hot climate, friendly people and excellent food.

Our trip was split up into two different places, one was a more relaxed country side and the other was a busy bustling city, Langkawi and Kuala Lumpur.

Langkawi

Monkeys came to say Hello

Langkawi was beautiful. It was peaceful and calming and serene and just so lovely. I liked it because it wasn't too busy but equally, it wasn't too quiet. We stayed in a chalet and the feel of the whole place was welcoming and friendly.

The people in Langkawi were especially friendly and this definitely makes any stay more positive. The resort we stayed at was very accommodating. We were on the coast in a rainforest and that meant we got to see monkeys! Real life, wild and slightly intimidating, brave and also reckless and very greedy monkeys. Nevertheless, we didn't have any trouble/negative encounters with these monkeys. There was a time where I saw a monkey sat on a bin that was made of stone, legs wide open on the edges and then yanked the lid off, tossed it to the side and, well, the monkey rustled through the bin very happily.

There were so many things to do in Langkawi and we did mostly everything. There were a few things we were unable to do because of timings but we did manage to cover nearly everything that was available to us.

Crocodile Cave

Things to do whilst in Langkawi:

Go island hopping on a jet ski. This was amazing because - well we went fast but we could stop to appreciate the views whenever we wanted. It was also a lot of fun!

As well as island hopping, you can also go on a boat tour and also tour the islands.

Fish

Mangrove tour: Appreciate nature even more by going on a mangrove tour - we did meet some people who decided to give this a miss but I'm really glad we didn't. On the tour we got to see monkeys, coral fish, bats- we walked through a bat cave, crabs and many more that were in their natural habitat. We went Eagle feeding and that was exciting because see you to see the birds directly above you!

Bird in a bag

There was a wildlife park we went to which was fun and would be ideal for a family day out. There were areas where you could touch the animals and feed them, and at one point, a bird hijacked our food bag - I'm not kidding. The bird jumped onto Mr F's shoulders, and then fell, deliberately, head first into the food bag. He put the bag down and the bird climbed out with a full mouth. This was a little scary but also fascinating - the bird must have been scoping for the right moment!!

View from the Cable Car

Langkawi Cable Car/SkyCab: This is a major attraction in Langkawi and lucky for us we lived round the corner from it! It's in Oriental Village - a place with food and shopping and a few museum/exhibitions too. The views from the cable car were fantastic and we were lucky as the it was a clear day. It was windy as we got to the top!! The Sky Bridge is also with the cable cars and this, again, has amazing views!

Whilst we were in the cable car, we saw a beautiful waterfall! There are a few hidden waterfalls in Langkawi that are stunning.

Eagle Square

I would highly recommend going to the Night Market at least once whilst in Langkawi. We found out about the Night Market by looking at the map we were given! Each day, there is a market in a different part of town in the evening. Here, you can buy local food at super reasonable prices and also clothes. I was more into the food and let me tell you, it was delicious! I was so busy looking at everything that I only took one photo! Something I regret to this day. There was so much going on and the smells were amazing! They cook it right in front of you and everything was so fresh! You must take a look yourself and try the food.

Eagle Square and Pantai Cenang: Eagle Square houses the famous Langkawi Eagle about to take flight. Pantai Cenang is a beach and just behind the beach is a street, like a high street, where there are many food places and shopping areas.

One final thing I would recommend is going to the fruit farm. There, we saw fresh fruit growing and we also got to taste some too!

There are many other things that one can do whilst in Langkawi - including shopping in the local busy streets, going to the Batik museums, beaches and also visiting mosques! I just don't have enough blog space to write it all!

Have you been to Langkawi or planning to go?

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2017

Journey to Malaysia 2017

July 02, 2017

So one day after our wedding, my other-half and I got on the plane to Malaysia. We started off the journey absolutely knackered and that's the way we stayed for the next day or so. When I say absolutely knackered, I say it because we had a few days worth of mini events that happened before the wedding day(s). My family had come around mid-week before the wedding and people had been popping in during that time anyway. It was so good to have the family round. There aren't many times that we see everyone - weddings and funerals are the two main occasions that bring people together. I much prefer weddings.

Anyway, these days consisted of food, lots of laughter and late nights and alhamdulillah, everything went well.

Our journey started with an early morning start (like seriously early) and we made our way to the airport. How we even made it to the airport I still do not know but it turns out that, together, we aren't too bad at timings and making plans come together - even if they are at crazy times in the morning when people normally sleep. Alone, I'd definitely have made it to the airport but it would have been a struggle for me - I don't do mornings, not going to lie.

Foot Selfie in the Airport

We got to the airport in good time and were ready to board the flight that would get us to Malaysia...eventually, via Dubai. It was LONG but not as long as it could have been - if we were flying to Australia it would have been a whole lot worse.

The flight to Dubai was as one would expect. The plane had that slightly unpleasant plane food smell during meal times but otherwise, all was as it should have been. It took off later than planned and that meant that by the time we landed in Dubai and made our way to the next plane, it was time to board...perfect.

When we were boarding our next flight we actually met some people we knew - turned out they were on the same plane as we were the whole time! It was super weird seeing them sitting there on a different continent and even weirder when they told us they were on our flight. Freaky!

Oh well, all I could think was Malaysia here we come!!

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