This was the most fabulous trip I have ever taken and it may stay that way depending on when I want to travel again. I have never been on so many buses, trains, planes, boats, nor walked so much in my life. (OK actually I have walked a lot in my life so that may not be true!) But it was all worth it. From Singapore to Malaysia and back to Singapore again.
We ate so many different kinds of food . My favorites were the Chinese breakfast they took us to in Penang. The Chinese food there is so much more authentic there than you get in the US: not near as greasy and much healthier. I also loved the lime and mango drinks we had while traveling.
We arrived in Singapore after a 17 and 1/2 hour flight from Vancouver, Canada. This is what you do on a long flight like that:
Read a little
Watch a movie or two
Sleep a little
They feed you or bring you a snack.
Get up move around a little
Visit the restroom
Do it all over again and again until your flight is finally over.
It was Sunday morning early when we arrived so I took the opportunity to go to the Young Single Adult ward with Vivian and Sean. It was great to meet the missionaries that were there, some from Utah (just like we have here in Kansas City). Seems like Utah sends out more missionaries than anyone. Going to such a diverse ward it was a joy to see all the happy faces there.
From Singapore we traveled to Malaysia and spent a few days in Penang visiting many different temples and seeing many mosques. They were all beautiful and very ornate. Our guide there took us to many places to try different foods. Because of my food allergies I wasn't able to try as many as others in my family did, but what I did try I mostly liked. The only thing I could not bring myself to eat was raw fish. I am sure it may not be that bad but the thought of it just turns my stomach.
From Penang we went to the beach on Gaya Island for a couple of days of relaxation. It WAS very relaxing. I went snorkeling and saw many different varieties of beautiful fish. I swam in their lovely pool and just relaxed. I also made a bracelet out of beads, though sadly I lost it before I got home. When we rode over to the Island on the boat it was very windy and the water was very choppy but the rest of the time it was nice. Vivian and Sean joined us there for a couple of days and celebrated their anniversary.
It was Sunday again so I joined them for church in a branch in Kota Kinabalu Malaysia. I found they run on what we used to call "Mormon Standard time" (not sure how to express it now since we don't use Mormon any more...maybe "standard LDS time?"). At first I thought it was a very small congregation but after the meeting started I looked around and the room was much fuller. Very friendly people there! We met another senior missionary couple plus lots of missionaries. Everyone was giving out Christmas treats and cards and I got some nuts and sweet potato crisps and also a brownie that I was told was the Asian version. They do not eat sweets like we do here...much less sugar than we eat! The brownie was very good - I think we need to take a lesson from them.
Then we went on to the rain forest where we saw so much wildlife. It was awesome being there in nature and seeing so many animals and birds in their natural habitat. We traveled by boat all the time we were there, down rivers and on lakes. We saw several species of monkeys. small elephants, many varieties of birds, crocodiles, and an orangutan out in the wild. We also went to an orangutan sanctuary where we saw several that they were taking care of and hoping to send back out into the wild. This was the highlight of the trip for me.
Also I want to mention the sunset cruise we went on. Even though it was cloudy so we couldn't see the sunset through the clouds, it was so peaceful sitting out on the front of the boat and eating snacks with a drink. It was just so peaceful and perfect for the end of the day before dinner that night.
We returned on Christmas day to Singapore after several hours on a boat, bus and two plane flights. When we got back Vivian and Sean had a Christmas dinner they had prepared for the missionaries and for our return. It was so good to eat a home prepared meal after eating out day after day! (Although on Christmas Eve they did have a very special dinner at the lodge we were at.)
The next few days we explored Singapore and found out about the beginning of the city and how it came to be built up. It is an amazing city, one that a lot of planning has gone into. There is not much crime and it is very clean. We saw some museums, did some shopping, ate a lot and just enjoyed each other's company.
On this trip I found out that jet lag is a very real thing. My days got mixed up and I had no idea what meal I should be eating. It took awhile to get adjusted in Asia and then I had to do it all over again when I got back home. But now I am home again, already missing my family, but just feeling blessed to have such a wonderful family.
I am so grateful for this opportunity. Thanks to my family! If Vivian and Sean had not been called there on a mission we probably never would have taken such a fantastic trip. I am so grateful for that blessing!
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