Emergency Overseas

Our recent trip to WA in December 2022 can be described as a mixture of both happy as well as some anxious moments. 

We had incredibly great times visiting places and eating nice food with Serene's family. But after spending a week in WA, my wife started feeling severe back pain. The pain was particularly apparent at night when she laid down to sleep. To relieve or minimize the pain, she had to partially sit up and lean against the head rail of the bed. Thinking that it could be a recurrence of kidney stone, she was contemplating cutting short the holidays and flying back to KK for treatment.

By the early morning of 30 December 2022, the pain was so unbearable that she asked Serene to send her to the nearest hospital for treatment.

To cut the story short, it was finally diagnosed by the attending Doctor that she was suffering from Shingle. With the case known and the subsequent treatment, the pain gradually subsided and we were on track to enjoy the rest of the holidays.

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As a matter of fact, that was not the first emergency that I had to go through. Just a week shy of four years ago in early January 2019, I had to call the hospital for an ambulance because of an unexpected accident (Read here). Life is indeed unpredictable and is full of surprises!

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As a side note, other then the cost for Covid test which is mandatory for admission to the hospital which was not reimbursed by the Insurance Company, all the other medical expenses incurred were all settled by the Travel Insurance which we purchased before the trip. 

Saying Goodbye

For some, saying goodbye after spending incredible time together is never easy. As time passes, we realize that handling separations and saying goodbyes are part and parcel of life. Ultimately, farewells are inevitable part of life.

For my granddaughter Gracie, parting and saying goodbyes is emotional moment. Her mom told us as soon as she returned home immediately after sending us off at the airport on 2 January 2023, she went straight to the bedroom where we have stayed. That night, both Gracie and Nathan went to bed early which I believe was to cherish those happy moments spent with their grandparents.

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Gracie and Nathan have always unreservedly express their fondness for their grandparents. On transit in Singapore before flying back to WA in mid-July 2022, their mom posted this short video which we often replay to enjoy and reminisce.

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For the grandparents, we do miss our grandchildren. Fortunately, we have little things left behind that remind us of the good time we have had with them. Each morning, we smile as we look up of our breakfast table to see the Origami flapping bird made by Gracie just before she left for home in mid-July 2022. After a couple of months, the written words on the flapping bird are slowly fading with time, but fond memories always remain (Read here).

Ushering in 2023

We were glad to have the chance to spend the New Year Eve and to usher in the new year 2023 with Serene's family before we left for Singapore on 2 January 2023.

We arrived at Elizabeth Quay just before 5.30pm, well before the midnight of 31 December 2022. We walked and walked for a very substantial distance, exploring iconic spots and places ending at Hay Street. We eventually stopped at Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King just past 6.30pm for dinner.

Before we moved back to Elizabeth Quay to watch the fire work, we had our dinner at Ramen Keisuke Tonkotsu King to savour one of the most acclaimed ramen in Perth. Their ramen served in the creamy pork bone broth is indeed delicious and one of the kinds!

The outing ended with watching a display of firework at Elizabeth Quay.

North Dandalup Dam

In Malaysia, dams are restricted areas and are off limit to the public. But in Western Australia, dams built to provide portable water are opened to the public for recreation, picnic and leisure. Part of the vicinity of the dam are fabulously landscaped and provided with recreation facilities. 

We visited the North Dandalup Dam on Boxing Day, 26 December 2022 and spent a wonderful time from late morning to early afternoon exploring the dam and had a barbequed lunch at the picnic site. At the time of our visit, we saw two police officers who patrolled using mobile vehicle at the dam site. This is probably a better way to enhance the security of the area while making it accessible to the public.

From the access road built at crest of the dam, one can have a panoramic view of the downstream of the dam. Another access road is built mid-way along the side of the dam. Beyond the tailwater, it is dammed up to create a beautiful shallow lake.

By the access road at the crest of the dam.

Draw-off tower.

Artificial beach by the lake side.

Grandchildren Wish List - Part 4

Looking at antiques and old stuff are normally not one of the favourites among young school boys and school girls. But for Nathan and Gracie, they were happy to spend a morning at the WA Museum Boola Bardip in Perth City. The exclusive time to spend solely with the grandparents was definitely an added incentive.

Outside the Museum.

After lunch at the Museum Canteen, we walked all the way to Dymocks, a favorite book shop of the two avid book readers.

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We would love to have visited all the places in the Wish Lists. Unfortunately, time and distance did not allow us to cover all such places. Gnomeville was one place the grandchildren would love to revisit. We were there in 2016 when Gracie was only 3 years old then (Read here). Hopefully, we can drop by at this place in our next trip!

Grandchildren's Wish Lists - Part 3

We always enjoyed cycling with the grandchildren around the home's neighbourhood. In the recent trip, we knew the two fast growing up young teenagers would have wanted very much to cycle with the grandpa and grandma together. Unfortunately, the only three working bikes available could only allow three cyclists to cycle together at a time. Hence, grandpa and grandma had to cycle in separate days to fulfill the wish of the grandchildren to cycle with both grandpa and grandma. Notwithstanding this arrangement, it was great fun time cycling with the fast growing up young teenagers. We wonder how long such time will last............

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Besides cycling, another item in the Wish Lists is tennis. This is another sport the grandchildren wanted the grandparents to join in.

The final session of tennis on Christmas Day, 25 December 2022 ended with an ice-cream treat at the nearby Baskin Robbins. It was an outing we would remember for a very long time.