Malaysia reflections

It's hard to believe that I started off the month worrying if we'd have enough resources to fill up our month with activities. The last few days have been a mad dash to try to cram in as many ideas as possible before we move on to the next country, with a few that didn't quite get done.

It didn't hurt that we had a fantastic time visiting Malaysia. This was our fourth trip there as a family. We've been to Malacca, Langkawi, Palau Pangkor, and now Kuching in Borneo. Each trip has revealed a different side of the country, and each time we've left impressed by the genuine friendliness that we've received. It's a place that I knew very little about before moving to it's southern neighbor and I probably would not have ventured there if it hadn't been so accessible. But I'm so thankful that we have had the opportunity!

I'm not sure how much The Whirl Girl made the connection between "the Malaysia project" and "the Malaysia trip" but I think it must have sunk in there somewhere. I found it hard to integrate the project into the trip while we were traveling because it was just plain hard enough to be traveling with a 3 1/2-year-old. Free time was spent planning activities, making sure we were all fed enough, and resting. And we were cramming enough into one day without trying to add any crafts or other projects. But I found that making some of the connections after we returned - proboscis monkey puppet, orangutan donation - helped bring the project and the trip together. Plus part of the joy of travel is just taking it all in as it comes, and processing it later. No different for a little one than us bigger ones. Something to remember for future travels.

Also, this month I've been reading about other families who are traveling. Some blogs I've been following, in case you want a taste, are Almost Fearless, Four Dots on the Map, and Our Travel Lifestyle. I love that they share the highs and the lows, and the frustrations and the fantastics, of being on the road with kids. Be careful - they may just inspire you to drop everything and hit the road!

We seem to be settling into a Whirls and Twirls groove. The Whirl Girl understood that it was time to trade in the Malaysia books for the next set, as we travel to...

PERU!