Happy Valentine's Day 2011

With heart shaped cookies beside their cereal, I thought I was sure to bring a smile to our little ones' faces this morning. But alas, some of us were having trouble waking up! All the same, we love you NO MATTER WHAT!

I included another photo of the guys on the ATVs this past weekend in Bintan, Indonesia. It was fun to try yet another mode of transportation.

Bintan Fun with the Nonni

Happy Valentine's Day

The six of us arrived home last night from our Valentine's Weekend in Bintan, Indonesia, compliments of Nonna and Nonno. We were very fortunate to have some sunny days together at a lovely resort called Bintan Lagoon. We enjoyed body surfing in the clear waters, the ATVs on the beach and the water slides at the kids' pool. Papa, Frunty and Pit were hilarious in the "hamster balls"! What a fun time together and thanks so much to the Nonni. Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Borneo's Sipadan

The nonni and the four of us just returned from our scuba/snorkeling holiday at Mabul Island's Scuba Junkies. The Celebes Sea is touted as the most marine diverse on the planet now and it did not disappoint. In a word, the marine life was incredible and from our island's dock, we could see the abundant fish swimming around without even getting into the clear water. Huge turtles swam by and stuck their snouts out of the water to say "welcome to Sipadan!"

We visited Kapalai which is a resort on stilts but has a sand quay behind it surrounded by crystal, clear water. There is a sign nearby which states, "Beware of Stingrays". They can be hidden in the white sand and upon approach, rocket through the shallow waters. We saw blue spotted rays as well as different star fish.

Frunty enjoyed snorkeling from the boat and from the dock. Because of windy conditions, Pit was not comfortable on this trip and only snorkeled for two seconds! But because he could view sea creatures from the boat and from the dock, as I mentioned, he enjoyed the sea life at Sipadan all the same!

Papa and I spent the day at Sipadan, a dive/snorkel site which is second to none. Captain Jacques Cousteau wrote that he had not seen a place like this anywhere else in the world. I could not believe it when I was snorkeling and turtles were keeping me company. White tips swam by and I kept my calm. I did get absolutely terrified though when three Titon Trigger fish attacked me with their razor, sharp teeth. They got a fin in the face and I swam off unscathed. A huge school of barracuda and an even bigger school of jack fish impressed me and although I was the lone snorkeler, I had an excellent day while Papa and his dive mates explored the reef below.

The Scuba Junkies has backpacker accommodation where we stayed on Mabul Island. Cozy chalets, tastefully done. The food left something to be desired for some but all in all, it was a wonderful and affordable way to experience some of the best reef still left in the world. I am grateful for this amazing experience and know the kids feel the same as Frunty, in particular, can't wait to get back to visit new friends, like the dive master, Martin. Let's hope we'll be so lucky!

Mabul Resort: Scuba Junkies

Yesterday Pit, nonno, nonna and I met Papa and Frunty at the airport in Tawau and the six of us were driven to our private boat in Semporna. We traveled for about an hour to our resort on Mabul Island and when we looked in the clear waters, we could see sea life without even going snorkeling. It was truly gorgeous.

Normally it is sunny and hot in January but since we arrived in Asia, we seem to be experiencing "global cooling". It rained most of yesterday and today and although we got a short snorkel in today off the pier, we all ran home for cold showers! We could feel miserable but somehow, we are making the most of our time together and have no excuses to avoid doing the kids' homework!

Tomorrow we will go on a snorkel trip by boat around Mabul Island and we are hoping for sunny skies for good visibility so we can see "millions of fish" like we did for that brief time yesterday.

We did walk around this tiny island today which took about an hour and saw many villagers and even the local school. The small babies run around with no diapers and the really tiny ones are being held by their small brothers and sisters. Pit was not very comfortable with our village visit but I am proud of him for continuing to explore "whether he liked it or not". Frunty wanted to walk along the beach the entire way but there are many boats blocking that path. I am always impressed by his adventuresome spirit. Crossing our fingers for warmer and drier weather here on out as we explore this National Geographic, world-class diving area off the east coast of Borneo.

Teck Guan Cocoa Plantation

We had a great day trip today to the cocoa plantation near Tawau, Borneo. We saw the tiniest, unripe, brown cocoa pods and big, red, ripe ones as well as a special strain that were green. We learned that this particular Teck Guan company ferments and then sun dries their cocoa beans. We had hot chocolate, pieces of chocolate and fried spring rolls filled with banana and chocolate. Most interesting was the cocoa pasta for lunch! Delicious and decadent! We brought home boxes of chocolates to sustain us during our week of snorkeling on Mabul Island. It was really fascinating to see the whole process from pod to product and after six years of eating chocolate in Belgium (and all around the world!), it was intriguing to finally see the source. Great choice of day trips, Pit! Fun and yummy! Especially hilarious were the "cheerleaders" who performed a chocolate-pouring show before our very eyes while we tried not to salivate too much!

CNY: Borneo

An entire year has passed since Frunty and I took the bus to Cameron Highlands to celebrate Chinese New Year, 2010. This year we are so fortunate to have Nonna and Nonno with us on our family trip to Borneo which we are now enjoying together! The nonni, Pit and I decided to spend a few days before Papa and Frunty arrive by visiting Tawau on the southeast coast of Sabah, Borneo. We are staying in the small, non-touristy town of Tawau because it is near the Cocoa Plantation which we will visit today.

We asked Pit what he would like to do with his extra days with the nonni and gave him some choices. Pit, a self-professed Belgian-Canadian, said he wished to visit a cocoa plantation. In Belgium, we visited the cocoa museums in Brugges and in the center of Brussels and Pit sampled trays of fine chocolate while watching a movie on the origin of this delectable treat. He even shook a dried cocoa pod. Now we will see the process from start to finish but not on a movie screen, but for reals!

The following pictures include the nonni with Pit at the airport in Singapore, a picture of Nonno reading the Borneo Times at our "bird" hotel, the Sarangnova, in Kota Kinabalu, several islands from the air as we fly near Tawau, the beautiful, lush scenery from the Tawau airport to our hotel Emas and a picture of Pit at reception, holding a cocoa pod. But guess what!? That cocoa pod is not a dry one. It is fresh. And guess what else! The hotel sells, of course, chocolate in so many different forms! Last night we tried a delicious, homemade chocolate mint bar. We won't leave this hotel empty handed when we check-out tomorrow to take our transfer to Mabul Island to snorkel/scuba at the famou, NatGeo, Sipadan site! Until then, off to the plantation we go to learn more about chocolate and enjoy some more samples! C'est si bon!!!

A special message to Papa and Frunty: have a safe flight tonight and see you tomorrow at the Tawau airport where we'll meet to take our transfer to Mabul Island! Hope your Borneo Beach House will be fun tonight! Can't wait to see you! Love, Mama and Piteau