Betel Nut Buzz

• There seems to be an outbreak of burger restaurants on the island.  Marshall’s on Burma, New York Burger Time newly opened on Irrawaddy st, Woody’s on Kapitan Keling before Stewart Ln, and a Yus Burger out in front of Gurney ABC.  Fries, anyone?
• I am constantly impressed by the consistent quality and excellent service I receive at Crown Jewellers.  Check them out if you are looking for something special or need a repair. 101 King Street. Tel 04 264 3101 or 012 460 2436
• Only one week left of the Georgetown Festival, and still lots to do and see.
• ZOMBIES!  Final days to sign up for this run – looks super fun!
• Thanks to the shifting tides and currents due to certain reclaimed land, and the clean up crew hired by the new super condo, the beach in front of Gurney 8 (the non-stinky side of Gurney) is one of the nicest stretches of sand on the island right now.  Not for swimming persay, but for a sandy stroll or bucket and shovel play time, definitely yes.
• Everyone has their fingers crossed about the haze.  Keep up to date with your API here.
• Not much beats a morning cruising Georgetown by bicycle.  Efficient, no stress about parking, and turns an errands morning into a fun outing. If you don’t have your own, you can rent one, complete with baby seat, on Armenian St.

How to Travel with Kids: Jetlag

You survived the flight(s), and are now happily in your dream vacation location, with a toddler up and ready to play at 3am.  Not exactly what you had in mind?  Read on to make it through, and yes, even enjoy yourself.

Dealing with Jetlag:

• Preparation.  I’ve never been a fan of trying to shift clocks by keeping kids awake or putting them to bed early.  I do, however, recommend getting everyone as well rested as possible before the trip.  This includes mom and dad, so make sure you pack early.
• On vacation. Just roll with it.  Enjoy your location at dawn, catch a gorgeous sunrise.  Siesta all afternoon.  Go out late, dine like a European.  It is vacation after all.
• When you get home.  Ugh, not the time you want to deal, this time is about managing expectations.  Spend as much time in the sunlight as possible to reset internal clocks, get back on schedule with school and playdates ASAP, and remember the golden rules.

Golden Rule #1 of Jetlag. One day per time zone to complete normalcy.  Even a slight change will take a night or two to get through.

Golden Rule #2.  1st night ok, nights 2-3 are horrid, 4th night is OK.  We regularly transplant our littles 13 timezones back and forth to the US, and I have found this 4-day format to be the case in almost every trip.  If you can make it through the 3rd night, you’ll be fine!

Golden Rule #3.  Moms expect double.  As a mom, I always get double jetlag.  That means I am up helping the kids get through theirs and once they are finally sleeping, I need to work off the time I spent awake in the middle of the night through another round of jetlag!  Oh well, this is when I get to update my blog and write my trip reports.

Triplag.  Never heard this term?  That’s cause I just made it up, but every mother will promise it’s a real thing. Even if you go somewhere with NO time difference, kids get triplag. Either your kid won’t go to bed at night (maybe you didn’t go down the waterslide enough times?) or they’re up at 4am raring to go.  Can you blame them? Vacation is exciting!  I am still completing the final edits on my list of “Things to do Quietly in a Hotel Room with a 16-mo-old while Other People Sleep”, it currently has pitifully few entries.  My best one so far: Spend time playing quietly, outside if possible and near the sea, remind myself how fleeting this time is, and revel in the bonus time I was granted to enjoy it.

Betel Nut Buzz

I’m introducing this column for all the random stuff I note around town, but can’t work into a full blog post.  Also, I can’t resist a corny column name.  The Betel Nut, or pinang, as you know, is the state tree of Penang.

• I’ve posted about them before, and can add that La Boheme is likely the most kid-friendly cafe on the island!  They have a basket of toys, stuffed animals and multiple high chairs PLUS a built in playmate in owners’ daughter Loaune.  The open air atmosphere makes it perfect for a momma-and-baby coffee morning.
• If you’re in the habit of making a quick right from Kelawai to loop around to the east end of Gurney, be aware of the new No Right Turn sign and the cops that are sometimes posted on that temple/chicken lane.  It’s a 150RM fine.
• Kapitan is open!
• Did a little digging to see what will be opening up at the Paragon Mall later this year and happy with the findings.  Official opening date is July 23.
• Keep tabs on the air quality index as haze from Sumatra slash and burn season may reach Penang soon.  This website gives updates (be sure to select the correct date).
• Temple Tree and Bon Ton Resort in Langkawi are offering their low-season discounts with 50% and 40% off in June and July respectively.  Kid Free Getaway?
• What a storm last week!  We watched as a tree crashed the terrace at Beach Blanket Babylon and found the Botanical Gardens still shut on Saturday morning.  Unfortunately, one of the massive shade trees over the Youth Park was one of the victims.  The beautiful and terrifying force of nature.

Parasitic Worms

This is a nice post on the tails of my bathroom musings; search the archives for articles not related to gastrointestinal issues.

All joking aside, a few weeks ago we had the opportunity to learn a lot about parasitic worm infestations.  Turns out, it’s a pretty common issue to be afflicted with an intestinal parasite in Malaysia.  The CDC reports that hookworm and it’s cousin whipworm are responsible for disease (including iron deficiency anemia)  all over the world.  Warm regions with stray animals and sewage openings are more susceptible to being a hot bed for infestation.  Veteran expats have stories of poking through their poo and de-worming treatments, and seems that is the way I will be thinking in the future.  There are often no outward signs or symptoms, especially in a repeat infestation.  Talk with locals reveals many people treat regularly for worms, annually seems to be common.  A one-time, over the counter oral de-worming dose is available through recommendation from a pediatrician.

Nothing to be scared of, this post is all about increasing awareness.

Georgetown Festival June 7-July 7

 

This is a great time to be in Penang.  The Georgetown Festival kicks off tomorrow, and with it come lots of cultural, art and interactive events to attend.  We’re planning to enjoy the kite flying opening ceremony at Esplanade this weekend, and already have tickets to Sutra.  I think my boat-loving boy will enjoy the Theater of Ships going on at Town Hall.  Check out the website, or look for one of the booklets being distributed around the city to celebrate the very cool place we call home.