Getting tanned in Cherating

Isabel was so excited when she learned that her favourite Aunty (aka Tai Yi Ma - a term which my dear sister simply dislikes but I don't care) will be back to Malaysia for a holiday. She was also very excited to meet up with Cousin Krista and Uncle Stefan again after not seeing them for more than 2 years. It surprised me that she could still remember all of them so well considering that she was only 5 years old when she last saw them.

So when we told her that we will be going on a family trip to Cherating together, she was simply thrilled. What's more, it's a holiday by the beach, her favourite kind of holiday.


Knowing how much the kids love the beach, Daddy thought it would be a great idea to leave on Friday night after school and work so that the kids could have 2 full days at the beach on Saturday and Sunday. By the time we had dinner and was ready to leave, it was 10pm. And so we reached at 2am at Holiday Villa Cherating.

The next morning, the kids got up bright and early despite not getting enough rest the night before. The call of the beach and pool was too much to resist. The weather was great and the kids went to the beach while waiting for the rest of the family members to arrive later in the afternoon.

Yay, everyone is finally here! Uncle Azdee looks excited too!

Time to get adventurous on the ATVs!

Taking a stroll on the lovely beach.

Dinner with the family including close family friends who came along for the trip - Uncle Amir, Aunty Iris and Azdee.

On the second day, the big boys and girls wanted to have a more exciting ATV ride which will take them around 3 hours to complete. I thought it would be a good time for the 'ladies' to relax with a spa session and massage. Unfortunately, the spa at the hotel was closed for renovations. And the one at the next door hotel was full. So the 'ladies' were left to take care of the kids while the big boys and girls went for their ATV rides.

Photos courtesy of Uncle Azdee:

Meanwhile, it was another day under the blazing hot sun for the kids.

Night time was reserved for the turtles. We reached Pantai Mak Nik, which was about 20 mins away from the hotel, at 9pm. Pak Su was our guide for our night adventure. Working with turtle conservationists (I can't remember if this is the right term for them), he holds nightly sessions for tourists to watch turtles lay eggs, with fees of RM35 per adult and RM20 per child.

The first turtle that came up to the beach was at a spot nearby where we gathered. It took us 5 minutes to walk down to the area but it took us more than one hour waiting for the turtle to find a comfortable location to lay her eggs. After making us wait so long, the turtle decided it wasn't time yet and went back to the sea.

Fortunately, there was another turtle that came up to the beach. Isabel was too tired by then and fell asleep with Daddy carrying her while walking to the other location which was 15 minutes away.

All eggs collected would be sent to the hatchery where the baby turtles could hatch safely, away from predators, both animals and humans. The baby turtles would then be released back into the sea.

It was such a beautiful night with a full moon....

Time to fly a kite before leaving on Monday afternoon.

Isabel couldn't resist doing some cartwheels.

Everyone had such a great time! The kids enjoyed the trip thoroughly, spending time under the hot sun and getting tanned. Isabel was so tanned she looked like chocolate candy.

Famous keropok lekor - yummy!

And here's my 'souvenir' from the trip - courtesy of the sand flies

Now we can't wait to have another trip with Tai Yee Ma and the rest of the family, or it would be even better if we could visit them in Switzerland!