Balloons!

To take my mind of the fact that I will be heading to Ipoh tomorrow alone without the boys, I decided to take them to the hot air balloon show over in Putrajaya. There were balloons alright, but unfortunately not of the hot air variety. We arrived there at around 10.30 am and the main exhibits have already brought their balloon down in preparation for this evening’s ‘Night Glow’. What was left in terms of balloon were four tethered baskets for the tethered balloon ride, which cost a bit to get into. Apparently the quota for the day have been sold out.

But the balloons were not all. There were helicopter rides, a big bazaar and stalls area, ‘waterball’, songstage and other activities. I reckoned there was easily 500 people in the crowd, so in terms of audience number, the fiesta looked a success. It was a shame that we came at the wrong time and the weather was getting warm then as well. It would have been better to get there either earlier in the morning or late evening, in time to watch the ‘Night Glow’ as well. Just pray that it won’t be raining.

Already coming downWaterball!The funny bikeThe thing that caught our eyes were this interesting looking tricycle, where instead you stand to peddle, you actually lie on a mini-platform and kick out to paddle. Unfortunately the queue was too long for us to try but it sure looked fun. We spent a few more minutes at the stalls, but by the time both Idlan and Irfan were already getting restless. We left the area before midday, and head over to the Marriott for lunch.

The vast lobby filled up with tables for todayWhat Chee Chee made for Puan AnitaWe were amongst the first to arrive and quickly get our food for buffet. Then in walk the clown. Put it this way, we saw more balloons from the clown than at the balloon fiesta! Since there was only a couple of table with kids, he lingered around quite a bit. He happened to be Chee Chee the Clown. He was the one that we got for Irfan’s second birthday party back in 2008. He also had him over for Imran’s birthday later that year, so I recognised him straight away! He spent some time doing his balloon tricks and entertaining the boys. The buffet hall was fully booked but they were for a corporate event which lunch did not start until way after 1 pm. Even the music trio got bored as there were hardly any crowd at the beginning and came over to sing for the boys. As usual, Idlan asked for an Abba song and they duly obliged.

Irfan looking bemusedThe boys just finished their crumbs only! Spoilt!Chee Chee joining in the singingWhile waiting around to burn the boy’s sugar down after lunch, a couple of people called on me. They were old friends who I thought during their Masters program at UMMC. There was a pharmaceutical company meet-up at the hotel the same afternoon and it was nice to meet up with old colleagues. We left for home just after 2 pm and then rushed out again. Just me and Puan Anita. We had some business to attend to ……

Puan Anita's new laptopPuan Anita has been fed up with her old 3 year-old laptop. She needed a new one. It was a shame that she did not want a Mac. Vaio was a bit too expensive for what it can do, so we got an HP for her. A good discount, decent package, with free upgrade to Windows 7 which I am currently installing. Apparently it takes a while to install. 

Pullman Day 3 - The Return Journey

Lunch at Marriott 2, originally uploaded by Haris Abdul Rahman.

All good thing must come to an end. So was this short break. The boys did not wake up until about 9.30, and check-out time was 12 noon. They just cleaned their faces and brushed their teeth before running down o the breakfast hall. We did not get back until just before 11 and we had only an hour or so to pack.

On the same weekend, the Putrajaya Flower Show was also going on. We decided to head there after check-out. Unfortunately the weather was too muggy and Idlan got restless. After a quick stroll to buy some fruits to take home, we left for lunch. We stopped for buffet at nearby Marriott Putrajaya. We used to frequent here quite a lot when the boys were younger. Both of them actually took their first steps at the huge flat lobby there. I was introduced to the place back in 2004 when the Malaysian Society of Haematology Scientific Meeting was held here. I was only a couple of month with UMMC then. Anita was heavily pregnant for Idlan, but that did not stop her from coming. There was a nice Italian restaurant at the terrace and we enjoyed a dinner we had there. We vowed that a year later we will return with our child, and we did.

The huge lobby has a little pond and water feature right in the middle. The high ceiling really made the whole place cool and cozy. Idlan took his first steps there when he started to walk. About 18 months later, it was Irfan's turn. Again the nice flat lobby helped. Since then. every now and then, we would drop by for the buffet lunch. The place has been upgraded since. There used to be a series of sofa in the cafeteria. This has since been moved to make way for more seats.

The main lobby. Look at the open space ...The food was still reasonable, so was the price. During weekends, there will be live music and a clown for the kids. As you can see, Irfan was really excited to see him.....

There is also a nice little cafe on the opposite side of the lobby with nice comfortable settee. However, we were getting tired and decided to skip coffee. We finally reached home about 4.30pm.

All in all, the best thing about the Pullman was the pool and 'The Village'. The price were however rather steep, and the service should be better. 'The Village' however offer the best service, and the waiter there treated us like patrons, rather than just a local person that they can mess about with.