Holiday mode

Sunday 19^th August 2018.

We enjoyed a lovely sleep in today, the block out curtains in the room are very effective. Breakfast was a bit more restrained, we didn’t stuff ourselves silly like yesterday. As it was raining when we were ready to go to breakfast and blowing a gale, we decided to walk the long way around, via the main reception building. 981 steps and approx the same on return, popping in to book our shuttle in to town at 1pm. I’m really hoping I’m working off all the food as I eat it!

We heard last night from the Indian chef that there was to be a big Indian wedding over the next 3 or 4 days and he was in charge of all their meals. So no more theme nights while we’re here which is a shame, we really enjoyed the one we went to. Bookings will be heavy at the other restaurants, so we planned and booked dinners through until next Thursday or Friday. We told the people that were on the shuttle bus in to town today about the wedding and they had no idea that it was happening. It pays to know people and get the inside goss!

Tomorrow night we’re going to a local restaurant nearby for Trevor’s birthday dinner, lobster! Pam’s Restaurant will send a tuk-tuk to collect us and return us afterwards. Apparently Pam’s runs a cooking class where you are taken to a market to shop before the cooking, and then you eat what you cook for lunch. I’m really keen to do this as opposed to the class run here at the Marriott, simply for 2 reasons. We’re supporting a small local business and we get to go to a local market. Love local wet markets.

After breakfast I prioritised the painting of the toenails, in preparation for the obligatory poolside cocktail photos.

Like yesterday, we planned to eat lunch in town as today we pay our last visit to Tony the tailor for my clothes. We arrived too early, my clothes weren’t quite ready. They had a blackout for 3 hours yesterday so he was running behind. We went to Lauman Seafood Restaurant for lunch while we waited and I ended up buying a cheap pair of sandals from the lady I bought the scarf from yesterday. When we went back, even the top I ordered yesterday was ready, but then I did say to him if you make it exactly like the one I left with him, it would be exactly right! We mentioned that we had come to KL to celebrate our birthdays and bless him, he gave us a ‘souvenir’. He pulled out 2 big boxes full of ties that Trevor could have his pick of and for me, a pile of scarves to choose from. How nice of him.

A routine is developing but I don’t know how we’re going to fill the 2 ½ hours tomorrow that we have used to go into town and visit Tony! Hopefully, we’ll think of something! I might even get to start reading the book that I brought with me! When we got back from town, there was a letter under our door informing us of the wedding and the potential for disruption. But on the upside, at some point, there will be fireworks! They can’t keep us from seeing those.

It’s Happy Hour now, so that must mean we’ve been for our swim! We had planned to swim around until Happy Hour started at 5pm, but by 4.30 we’d had enough and it was actually a bit cool, even for us, so we bailed and went and got dried and dressed. Don’t know where all the people are today, yesterday the Infinity Bar was so packed we couldn’t get a seat. Suffering for my (photographic) art, I sat on the edge of the pool to take my cocktail, toes, pool shot and got a wet arse for my trouble. 

The pool towel station isn’t far but I couldn’t see anyone in attendance but I thought there might be some towels tucked away under the counter so I wandered around. To my absolute surprise, I heard a voice from under the counter, : “can I help you madam?”  The pool towel dude had set himself up a little nest under the counter, warm and dry! I got such a surprise! I got a towel and scurried back to the pool bar, laughing my head off!  

Dinner was back at the Waterfront for a burgers and ribs type night. The meal was nice enough, but the real entertainment was when Trevor tried to surprise order me a cocktail. While I was away from the table, he asked the waitress if there was a cocktail that was like a chocolate milkshake, thinking back to the mudslides we’d had on a cruise. Somehow this gets interpreted as a mojito, the resort’s signature Mojito, the Thai Basil Mojito, mother of all Mojitos!!! It came as a total surprise to both of us and the poor girl thought she’d done the wrong thing and we had to reassure her it was ok. You could have used this drink as paint stripper! Even adding half a glass of water only made it tolerable, and barely that! It was good to try something different and I won’t be left wondering what that one was like! When we went to leave, we got another good laugh – the drink bill. The staff present you with an account of the drinks you’ve had, you sign it and it gets added to your bill. It only took 3 attempts to print off the correct bill and we all had a good laugh.