It is quite obvious that Sasha is half-Canadian. She loves the snow. She loves stepping in it, playing with it, rolling around in it. Good thing she does as a favourite pastime of Wpg-ers is tobogganing. Instead of ordinary slides in park playgrounds, they have toboggan runs. These pics were taken by Sasha's Aunt K as her Daddy would not have missed the action for anything. I was at home, warm and cozy. Didn't see the need for the whole family to freeze.



Although it must be said that it is quite obvious that one specific family member actually enjoys being frozen....


I have been busy online checking on flights, hotels, resorts etc for a holiday (or rather a visit) in KL in April. We as a family have done this many times but this time FIL is tagging along. So it has become slightly more complicated. Due to his recent surgery we felt it best to travel together so we can help him along the way. So instead of flying from TO, we are flying out of North America via Vancouver. What was initially planned to be a direct flight has taken a slight turn as there is a conference he would like to attend in HK. He would also like to experience the Malaysian beaches his son raves about...but he is not really a beach-y person and not overly mobile so it cant be an island with nothing else to do but laze. He might also want to check out the night safari in Singapore. Did I mention that this is to be done over 2 weeks? I have come to the conclusion that I will never ever wish to be a travel agent.

So I am looking at Langkawi, or Penang. And I am quickly realizing that since I left KL in 2003, either Malaysians are becoming very rich or the resorts are now way beyond the reach of ordinary working folks. Seriously. I am not even looking at the Four Seasons. The nicer hotels on Feringhi Beach in Penang which I fondly remember during those girly summer breaks in Uni days are now in the four figure range. And you cant even swim in the sea water there. The nicer hotels on Langkawi also start in the four figure range. Some do have decent deals, but only for the cheapest (ie no view, next to karaoke lounge) rooms. Which leads me to think that a normal middle class family in KL could either save for a couple of years to have a nice holiday or settle for a run down 3 star and below hotel, like the back-packers do. A friend recommended that I just take my FIL to Bali or Phuket as it is cheaper and they also cater for Asians, and not only for Europeans/North Americans. But I cant, can I? He wants to see where his dot-in-law was raised, to meet her family. He wants to see where his grand-dot spends her time every year. He wants to experience what his son has experienced. Now, if I had been a Thai foot masseuse I would not have this problem...