Possible Weekend Trips

Typical Georgetown architecture

Lately I have been feeling very restive. One of the things I find most challenging about motherhood is how mundane it is. Every single day follows the same routine: little R wakes up, I feed her, we play, she eats breakfast, nap, play, lunch, nap, play, dinner, bed. On any single day, this is fine, but as the days and weeks go by, each exactly the same, I feel like I am going crazy. I want to get out and do something different and have adventures!

200-year-old mosque

 So I've been thinking a lot lately about taking some weekend trips. The two places I have in mind right now are Georgetown (on Penang Island in Malaysia) and Tioman Island, off the eastern coast of Malaysia. Georgetown is a UNESCO world heritage site with a fascinating mix of colonial architecture and medley of cultures, including Malay, Chinese, and British. It was founded in 1786 so is very historic. I want to stay here, at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, which is the old colonial luxury hotel, complete with doormen in topi hats. Penang is also supposed to have the best food in Malaysia (and perhaps southeast Asia).

Typical beach in Tioman

For a more nature-focused vacation, I want to journey to Tioman Island (it starred in South Pacific as Bali Hai). It has some of the region's best diving/snorkeling and most beautiful beaches. It's also a nature reserve, with hikable, mostly untouched rainforest jungle covering the entire interior. An awesome splurge would be to stay here, named one of the world's 500 best hotels, but they don't allow children under 12. So instead I am thinking of this place, an eco-resort with its own private beach; or maybe here, for a more simple, down-home experience in the remote kampong (village) of Juara.

Typical coral reef life

Both destinations are a short (1 hour) flight from Singapore.

Now I just have to talk B into it!