Saturday, June 4, 2011

Saturday's Adventures ...

This morning we set off early (well as early as we could!) and met up with a group of Lyndon's work colleagues at FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia) to walk a nature trail (I think it was the first one on that link). We got there around 8.30am and while we listened to the safety briefing etc. Maddison did some drawing in the sand!

We started off in the "easy" group which was a half hour walk. I had Samuel in the mountain buggy.
Soon after we started Lyndon took Aaron to the toilet (just normal kid behaviour I suppose!) and while we waited for them to come back I took some photos of flowers.

and tree roots.
15 minutes later they still weren't back and I couldn't reach him on his cell phone (which I found out later that mine wasn't actually working!). So we started into the forest slowly.
The track was fine for walking, but very rough going with the pram. And after another 20 minutes Lyndon still hadn't caught up and the others were being very patient, so I said I would go back and they should just go on without us. I got back to find Aaron VERY upset that we hadn't waited for him! We went back to the car, the kids had a snack and I put Samuel in the front pack, put the pram in the boot and off we went again!
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This forest is a man made one ... started in the 1920's I believe. It was really lovely, there were lots of mosquitoes though (thankfully they don't bother the kids and I! They just attack Lyndon instead!)
The kids had a lollipop to keep them going ... it was pretty hot! Though it was reasonably shady in amongst the trees.
After about 15 minutes walking steadily through the forest I was very glad I had gone back and got rid of the pram! The tree roots were all over the place.
Looking up ...

This tree was pretty cool - like a triangle at the base.
Looking up again.
A sweaty hug :-)
An even sweatier Mum with a sweaty little boy fast asleep in the front pack!
When we got to the end of the half hour track we met up with the group that had done the one and a half hour harder track ... they were heading on another 45 minutes to a waterfall so we decided to tag along. Not sure that this was a good thing or not! hahaa It was easy walking - a wide gravel road winding up a hill. But Aaron kept running ahead, Maddison wanted to be carried and I am unfit! Oh and did I mention it was hot?!!! (Can you tell we are the only pale faces in this group of nearly 50 hehee) ;-)


When we got to the waterfall we found it a very popular place - people everywhere! Wasn't even worth taking a photo because the waterfall was hidden by people!! So we decided to keep moving and since everyone else was taking this "shortcut" to the picnic ground we did too! Lets just say I have NO photos of that part of the track which was a shame because it was really beautiful - but it was steep, rocky and slippery with sand down this hillside alongside a little river. Samuel slept (how I don't know with me lurching here and there) until I stood on a stone that had sand on it and lost my balance and down I went! (How totally embarrassing!) I have grazes all down my right leg and arm ... thankfully though my arm protected Samuel's head from hitting the rock! By the time I had got myself and Samuel the right way up Aaron was long gone! Lucky for us Lyndon's work mates that were ahead of us looked out for him and kept him in check! ;-)
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When we got down the picnic area I got my grazes clean up a bit with dettol, the kids had a snack, we watched a big Daddy monkey eating a shrimp cracker, then we headed back to the car.

Of course by the time we had gone 5 minutes down the road the kids had had enough of walking, so I left Lyndon with Aaron & Maddison and I walked to the car and drove back to pick them up.
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After lunch I had a snooze :-) and Lyndon was a Super Dad and got Samuel to sleep, then he took Aaron & Maddison to the swimming pool. When Samuel woke up I took him down to have a swim too. I didn't get in ... thought my grazes would hurt even more!


Maddison jumped in Aaron's swim ring and took off hehee

Love Samuel's tongue poking out in this picture :-)
And this one of a certain young lady :-)
Look at Samuel having a taste of the water!

Ready to get out ... you can tell Lyndon had been in the water a long time - his fingers were all wrinkled!
Aaron and Maddison were in bed and asleep by 7.30pm tonight totally worn out! :-) :-) Samuel took a bit longer, but he's asleep now :-)
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Thanks for visiting.

6 comments:

Serene Ho said...

Wow Rachel, I see you've been busy. I only just managed to catch up with your blog and thoroughly enjoyed reading each one of them. Thanks for sharing your fun-filled days :)

Anonymous said...

ouch at the fall Rachel, hope those grazes don't hurt as much today. Sounds like you had a great walk though despite that wee hic cup. Awwww at the kids in the pool. I did have a wee giggle at the wrinkly hands....

Penny said...

Oh that's no good, falling down. Have done it myself with kids and you end up worse off than them since you're protecting them. Hope you heal soon. The walk looked great though!

Sasha Farina said...

wow.. glad you're not so badly hurt!! FRIM is popular with runners doing trail run.. although seeing your photos, i have no idea how do they run? Ha!! i wanna go there someday!

topkatnz said...

Wow, that was an energetic day! bugger about the fall - bruised pride for sure! Glad Samuel didn't get hurt! I would've been in that pool in a flash! But I sense you're not a water baby!heehee

Joyce said...

Thanks Rachel and Lyndon for the blog. Much appreciated of you folks joining us. Hope to see you for the next event- July 30th Tree Planting at Kota damansara and etc. Cheers, Joyce