We’ve recently returned from a holiday in Kota Kinabalu (or KK) to celebrate the Mister’s birthday. To be honest, when we were first talking about booking this holiday, I had no idea where Kota Kinabalu was! Now I know that it’s the capital city of Sabah, which is a state of Malaysia, but is located on the island of Borneo.

41,000 feet above the South China Sea

Flight time from HK was just 2-and-a-half hours.  As expected, the weather at this time of the year in KK is very warm and humid, but more comfortable than HK. We stayed at the Shang-ri La Rasa Ria resort, which is a 45-minute drive from the airport. The resort is absolutely gorgeous with lots of lush vegetation, a huge pool (made up of 5 pools with varying depths and water slides), a short walk from the rooms to the beach, and a great selection of activities, and places to eat.

The view from our room

The main reason we chose the Rasa Ria was that it had an Orangutan Reserve located on resort grounds. At the reserve, they care for orphaned/abandoned orangutans up to the age of about 5 years old. This is where their rehabilitation journey begins. After this age, they move on to another, larger reserve where they are further re-habiltated and then released back into the wild. From inside the resort, we undertook a short hike through the forest up to a feeding platform, where two of the younger orangutans soon appeared for feeding time (and some comedic playfulness with the handlers!). The girls loved seeing them in action. It was a treat to see the orangutans up close and in their natural habitat.

Mulan the Orangutan at the feeding platform

Tan-Tan the Orangutan – she’s only 1 year old

Apart from seeing the Orangutans and learning about their conservation, we ended up spending most of our holiday in the pool and by the beach :-)

The girls writing their names in the sand

Loving the powdery, soft sand under their feet

KK put on some amazing sunsets

Spending our last sunset in KK in the pool

I cannot recommend the Shangri-la Rasa Ria highly enough. We were greeted by the bang of a gong, a round of cooling drinks, and refreshing face towels. The staff were incredibly helpful, responsive, and friendly – the best service we’ve received at any hotel. The room we had was perfect for a family of four with two small kids. We’ve never allowed the girls to go to a kids club before but we dropped them off for a few hours on one of the days we were there and they absolutely loved it – especially since they got to do some batik painting. Also, the food? So good. So, so good. In fact, the sudden tightness of my clothes attest to how good it was. And as I mentioned, the resort itself is just a fantastic place to relax.

Golden sunset by the beach

The Shangri-La Rasa Ria Resort
Pantai Dalit Beach
Sabah, Malaysia

Waiting at the bus stop, lost in a daydream.

This is the first sketch I did in my sketchbook last week. My intention was to quickly draw her in pencil and then add colour with watercolour paint. But I think I like her better in grey and white :-)

Sketchbook Project 2012

From the sketchbook these past few days. I’ve never really tried watercolours before so was itching to give it a go after picking up some watercolour paint from a local stationery store. I decided that I was going to time box my drawings/illustrations to 2 hours – that way, it would keep the momentum going (and ensure I don’t get stuck in a rut continually working on the same thing). Also, it would be interesting to see what state they would be at after two hours :-)

I usually sketch the drawing out in pencil (and/or black pen) and if I know I’m going to paint it, I keep it pretty bare.

Haha, that quote made me laugh – I just had to add it :-)

I also had a laugh with this next one – when I start out I only draw the shell and then just kinda go with the flow. I don’t plan the colours or the detail beforehand. Which makes for good fun! Because this lady didn’t turn out the way I was thinking it would – I’m thinking she looks like a cross between Cleopatra and Katy Perry?! :-)

Still a lot to improve on but I’m definitely enjoying playing with watercolours!

Sketchbook Project 2012

Quick sketch: Just another bulldog. At another party :-)

Back to one of my first creative loves – drawing and sketching! I’ve always had a sketchbook close by, but in the last few years, I’ve been using it to scribble down ideas and draft up softie patterns – using it as a means to an end. This time, I’m using it simply to sketch whatever I want, and experiment with coloured pencils, markers, paint and collage.  And since I’m not able to sew at the moment, this has been a satisfying, fun, and happy creative release.

In fact, I’m enjoying it so much that I’ve joined the Sketchbook Project for 2012!

From the Sketchbook Project website:

“Thousands of sketchbooks will be exhibited at galleries and museums as they make their way on tour across the world.

After the tour, all sketchbooks will enter into the permanent collection of The Brooklyn Art Library, where they will be barcoded and available for the public to view.

Anyone – from anywhere in the world – can be a part of the project. To participate and have us send you a sketchbook that will go on tour, start by choosing a theme….”

If you like to doodle/sketch/draw/illustrate, perhaps this is something you’d like to be involved in too? Sign up by October 31st!

I have fond memories of my first teddy bear – I had it for almost ten years and then had to throw it away as it had basically completely fallen apart from the years of cuddles and being dragged everywhere! But there is something very special about Teddy Bears. And I love the how they come in all kinds of different styles, shapes and forms on etsy.

Here are a few of my recent favourite teddy bears on etsy – some handmade and ready for a new home, and some that you can make yourself!

1. Sweet Amigurumi Teddy Crochet pattern by Anapaulaoll
2. Teddy Bear Softie Stuffed Toy PDF Sewing Pattern by DollsandDaydreams
3. Limited Edition Peony the Woodland Bear by SleepyKing
4. Green Polka Dotted Pocket Bear by Gabrielefelt
5. 4-inch Miniature Artist Bear Winston by TippyandTeddy
6. Gilbert Teddy Bear Plushie by KnittingDreams

A few weeks ago we had the opportunity to spend the weekend in Bangkok as a family. It was a very last minute decision, taking advantage of a very good deal. I have to admit that one of the great things about living in Hong Kong is that it IS possible to visit a number of Asian countries over a weekend. The flight to Bangkok was just over 2 hours long – which is great when travelling with two little kids :-)

We stayed at the Banyan Tree hotel in Sathorn – a gorgeous hotel with the most friendly and helpful staff. It has an alfresco rooftop restaurant on the 60th floor aptly named ‘Vertigo‘. There’s a fantastic photo of it here. The forecast for that weekend was thunderstorms but thank God we had clear skies for most of our stay, including that night, so we were able to enjoy a hearty dinner there and took in the awesome view.

On Saturday we made the long trip up to Kanchanaburi, north of Bangkok. We stopped at the Damnoen Saduak floating market on the way, and hopped into a long boat, which took us through the myriad of khlongs (canals) that make up the market. It was super busy!

I have to say, it’s a total tourist go-to but what the heck, we were tourists!! We managed to try a few local Thai treats and pick up a few knick knacks. Most sellers were selling Thai decor and souvenirs but to be honest, we were more interested in the food!

After the market, we travelled to the bridge over the river Kwai. Next to the bridge is a floating restaurant and we happily spent an hour there enjoying a Thai lunch.

For the remainder of the afternoon we were in Kanchanaburi, petting tiger cubs, feeding deer, and riding elephants. It was surreal! But an experience we (especially the girls) will not soon forget :-)

Sunday was spent enjoying a buffet breakfast (where they served buffet ice cream! I know, I’m such a child sometimes…) and enjoying the rooftop pool. We made a quick detour to the Chatuchak market, which is apparently one of the world’s biggest markets spread out over an impressive 35 acres. We only managed to see a tiny portion due to needing to catch our flight home, but you could easily spend the whole day checking out all the stalls.

And before we knew it, we were back at the airport, ready for the flight back home. What a whirlwind trip! But the kind of short stay that makes you want to come back again and do heaps more exploring! The only thing on my to-do list that I didn’t get to try was to eat a crunchy scorpion – perhaps next time! ;-)

Recommendations for a short holiday in Bangkok, Thailand:

• Banyan Tree hotel, Sathorn: Lovely rooms, super-friendly staff, excellent dining options and their spa-products are my new favourites!
• Thailand Tour Center: Book one of their tours or make up your own tour. Some fantastic options to choose from.
• Chatuchak Weekend Market: So much to see – make a day out of it!