Desaru

Perfect combination - azure skies, mocha sands and tenacious waves

We went to Desaru over the long Easter weekend and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, despite all the bad reviews online. I guess so long as we all spent bonding time as a family, a holiday anywhere in the world would be nothing short of fantastic. 

Some pivotal moments that are so memorable to us:

1) There's always something magical about the beginning of any odyssey. The sense of anticipation. Wondering about the unknown. The ecstatic expressions on the Bees' faces. Departing in a ferry on a sea of sparkling emerald green with glowing sunrays on our faces. The wind tinged with sea salt on our faces.

 

Ahoy, mate! Setting sail for Desaru! 

2) We all love the beach and spent hours in the windswept seafront with tempestuous waves. We held on tight to the Bees and played thrilling catch with the furiously crashing waves. The Bees always shrieked with pure excitement with every surge of wave. We combed miles of the beach, amazed by the gorgeous remnants of the mighty waves - smooth, round pebbles in all sizes, colours and textures! The pure beauty and power of nature's creative hands is so evident in the pebbles...you can literally glance at it and see the world in that singular granule.

Footprints in the sand...Papa's and Big Bee's footprints (top) with Little Bee eagerly following their footsteps, literally (bottom)

Romantic, isn't it? Papa and Big Bee spending quality time together, staring into the horizon...

3) Big Bee playing a vigorous game of beach soccer with Papa. It was exhilarating to see her take to the game so well. According to Papa, the score was 10-8 with Big Bee emerging as the champion!! Hmm...women's soccer team next? Little Bee also had fun dribbling the ball on the sand! 

4) Showing the girls how fruits look like in their natural state in the sweltering fruit farm tour. They were surprised (so was I!) to see that the dragonfruit plant consists of mere meandering vines, and loved drinking the ruby red Ribena-like roselle drink.

 

5) Venturing into an animal farm of sorts with an eclectic mix of animals - ostriches, owls, chickens, monkeys and rabbits. Nevertheless, the Bees were thrilled by the display of animals. 

6) The highlight of the getaway for me would be the fireflies tour, where we were plunged into complete darkness in a mysterious, dense mangrove swamp with the luminous full moon as a bewitching backdrop. The Lilliputian twinkling lights of the fireflies completed the magic. The Bees observed the ritual of nature in hushed apotheosis. 

7) I also love the fact that this was such a relaxing getaway that we had infinite opportunities to try many things....Big Bee learning table tennis, Little Bee eating all kinds of buffet foods, Big Bee winning the prize for the hotel's hula hoop contest.

The Bees chomping on their breakfasts

Although this was a mere getaway in a neighbouring country, nothing beats quality family time spent in long, languid hours of pure relaxation.

Happy babes!