Memories of family holidays

Have you ever talked or think back on your family holidays taken a what it seems like not that long time ago, either during your childhood or teen years? Recent conversation with my mum over the phone some how lead to us back to memory lane on our family holiday trips we've taken during our school holidays.

I remembered the time before we took that 5th (or was it the 6th?) trip to Tioman Island.... I was going on and on about why we shouldn't take that trip to the same place (again) and that we should be going to places anywhere besides the beach! Back then, my dad loves the sea (and still do) so hence our holidays photo albums will be full of pictures either on a fishing boat, in the sea swimming or on the beach building sand castles (looked more like sand huts to me). But we did make that trip any ways, despite my complaining, we did had fun and that's just coz we had other kids to play with. I still can not imagine a 9 year old kid would sit still for hours, waiting for the fishing rod to move..... Hmmmm still can't do that now! But I did catch my first fish with my dad on one of our Tioman trips and I remembered how I puked after that on the smallish fishing boat we rented... YUCK! Not a pretty sight for those fishes looking up from below, I know. Still get seasick now.

Then there was trips to Kota Tinggi, Taman Negara, Kenyir Dam, Redang Island etc.... I can still remember there's this place called Mimaland or was it Minaland? Then there was this driving trip to Penang with my dad's friend and his family in our Toyota station wagon. The trip was a long one as we stop by at various places namely Cameron Highlands, Ipoh, Maxwell Hill etc before reaching Penang. It was especially long one for 4 adults rather than the 4 kids! Back then, the back seat belts did not exists yet and road safety rules aren't that strict. But then again, road safety rules still isn't that strict in Malaysia coz we still see kids jumping up and down on the back seat and mums holding their babies in the front seat!! Call me a safety fanatics if you will, but just look at the way people are driving these days and plus with their selfish attitude on the road, no wonder road accidents are on the rise these few years.

Now where was I? Ah yes, family holidays. I remembered the look on my sisters' face when she saw pacat for the first time when we're on the Taman Negara trip! hehehehe... Lucky never run around screaming like gila.... Otherwise it'll be difficult to look for her amongst the tress and bushes, jot to mentioned tigers and gibbons! We hiked up and down hills, trekked in the jungle, crawled into a cave (Gua Telinga) and swam in the rivers. It was so much fun running for shelter before the rain could reach us even though we're soaked through in the end and were shivering from cold! I never knew the jungle belalang and even nyamuk was much bigger than town varieties.... That trip we took taught me the importance nature, to respect it and to protect it. It somehow changed me; from the products I buy/use to deciding if walking 2 blocks to the shops would be a better idea than driving.

But we did enjoy al of our trips together as family despite the arguments at times before, during and after those trips... Now when I look back I really think that its not the destination that matters most, but its the company that make that trip special. I really think that its great to be able to bond with them and be able to see them in a different light, away from day to day stressful situations. Now my hope and wish is that, I am able to revive those special moments with my children. To teach them the importance of being a family, of respecting places/people they visit and protecting them. But then again, will my future children able to see real life pacat in the jungle still?....