Malaysia officially opened its borders on May 1, and our first visitors arrived on May 20th. They are friends we made when we were in Colombia. Then, we got to hang out with them for a year in Virginia, and now they are also in Asia, posted to Hanoi. Luckily, they are the kind of friends we can tell that we won't be home when they arrive, because Vivian is having her first ever dance, and we have to pick her up at 10.
With more and more restrictions being lifted, a group of 8th grade parents were able to put together a party to celebrate the end of middle school, and, because this is a private school in Asia, the party was at the Ritz. Vivian was over the moon, and I couldn't resist going all in and taking her to get her hair and make up done. The end result was stunning.
The different colors in her hair made for a really fun updo,
and she achieved her eye makeup goal of getting her eyes to look as green as possible.
Of course, all that finery didn't mean that she wasn't still up for a light saber battle.
Elena got her own heroic dress up moment for a superhero themed free dress day. She decided that she was a super hero and didn't need to dress up like anyone else. Luckily, we have her E cape, so she themed her outfit to match and went to school as Super Elena.
Vivian didn't have to go to school at all, since she had just gotten back from Malaysia week, so she spent the morning doing things like working on her Disney puzzle.
For lunch, she and I met Jeff at the embassy and walked across the street for lunch. We had been planning to go to the Thai restaurant, but it was closed for a private event, so we walked a bit down the street to another restaurant called If Only, which turned out to be really good. We saved room to try dessert too.
Saturday morning we took it easy. Our friends were recovering from their trip, and Viv was recovering from her dance. Of course, the littles needed to be entertained, so we got everyone in pool gear and spent some time at the pool. By the afternoon, the adults were recharged and the kids were worn out, so we handed them off to Noby, and the four adults went out for some sightseeing and dinner.
We took them to KLCC park. The weather was perfect, and it's a lovely spot. We had a good time walking around, and Jeff was in full photographer mode. He got lots of pictures of our friends, of the towers, and even one of the two of us.
We explored the mall a bit and then walked over to The W for dinner and drinks at the Wet Deck. Jeff got their signature drink to try. It had a lovely color, but the alcohol in it was tequila, so I didn't partake.
We had fun watching the sun set and the towers light up.
The next day, Jeff combined a photo he took of the towers with one he took of the littles on the sofa, so that they could feel like they were there.
The kiddos actually had a really fun evening. Our guests especially enjoyed feeding the fish.
The next day we had an early fondue lunch, which was a big hit.
Then the adults went out for another dinner with a view, this time from the opposite side of the towers at Fuego, our favorite steak place.
The steak did not disappoint.
And we got our favorite side, the spinach hashbrowns. Inside there is a spinach and potato mixture that is heavenly.
The sun started setting as we were finishing our main course.
Which meant it was time for dessert. The churros were awesome!
By the time we were done with dessert, KL was lit up.
Another fun outing success.
During the week, our friends took a trip to Penang. We welcomed them back on Friday with a roast chicken dinner.
During dinner, Elena regaled us all with the tale of her triumph during the Swim Carnival, where she earned her class a bunch of extra points by catching the tennis ball mid jump.
On Saturday, the guys went to see the new Top Gun movie, Viv opted to stay at home, and my friend and I took the littles to the Bird Park. Elena was excited to see the birds again, but she also loved being the helpful big kid.
As always, the beautiful birds were a treat.
For my friend and I though, the real treat came after the bird park. We dropped the kids off with Noby, and then I took her to try Din Tai Fung, home of the best dim sum around.
When we finished our dim sum, we went to meet the guys at a different restaurant in the mall, where they had been hanging out after their movie finished. It was a fun outing to end the visit. We were sad to see them go, but we're excited to plan our trip to visit them in Vietnam.
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