Annie’s mum is from Singapore, and we haven’t seen the Singapore side of the family in over 4 years. With the long weekend created by the Wesak Day and Gawai holidays in Sarawak, we had a great excuse to book a trip over to see the relatives. On the first day we arrived, Annie’s aunt invited all the cousins over to her house for some popiah and other good food.
We had a good time hanging out at Aunty’s house and catching up with all the relatives. In the late afternoon, we had to catch a taxi to our next destination. Here’s Esther and Daniel’s reactions to what they saw:
We’ve been in Kuching, Sarawak for about 4 months now, but aside from a trip to the Damai Beach in North Kuching, we’ve not gone outside of the South Kuching metro area at all. Today was a public holiday in Malaysia (Awal Muharram – the Islamic New Year) so we decided to get out of town and take a drive to Serian, visit the market there, and see what we could see.
Serian Town is less than 60 km (about an hour’s leisurely drive) from Kuching. You drive south, away from the coast and towards the highlands and the Malaysia-Indonesia border. It’s an easy drive with lots of open space and open sky to encourage your mind to wander. Next thing you know, you see a roundabout up ahead with a big, durian-shaped monument welcoming you to Serian. (Apparently, Serian has a reputation for the best durian in Sarawak.)
Today we attended the “Made in Hawaii” Festival at the Blaisdell Center. This three-day festival showcases all sorts of products that are locally produced, including clothes, artwork, crafts, and of course FOOD.
I think the kids were more excited about coming home to Hawaii than I was. Don’t get me wrong – I love Hawaii and miss a lot of the things that make this place so unique (especially the Aloha Spirit). But living in the Bay Area so many years has changed me, and I couldn’t generate the same level of excitement, anticipation and eagerness about coming back as the kids.
