Chinese New Year...in Malaysia!

Though this is our first year in China, we opted to forgo the endless days and evenings of fireworks for Chinese New Year here in Shanghai for the peaceful beaches and rain forests of Malaysia. We traveled to Kota Kinabalu, the capitol of Sabah, Malaysia. In addition to spending lazy days by the pool and on the beach, we took a boat to Gaya Island and hiked through the rain forest. Though Collin and Brennen were determined to see a python, and I hoped to see a proboscis monkey, we ended up seeing bats hanging upside down in a cave (yikes!), a gecko, a chameleon and tons of ants! Apparently, the island inhabits the "Giant Ant", which grows to about 3-4 inches in length. However, much to Brennen's dismay (and my relief), we just saw "regular old ants." The rain forest was just beautiful, with all of its waterfalls, lush green plants and sounds of birds and cicadas.

After trekking through the rain forest, we got back on the boat and cruised to a neighboring island for snorkeling and an "under water walk." After the boys snorkeled with Dave, I got to go with them to the bottom of the South China Sea! A small boat cruised us out to a houseboat off shore. There, we put on what looked like space helmets and climbed down a ladder that took us about 15 feet below the surface. At the bottom, a walkway was roped off. We held onto the ropes and walked under water, seeing hundreds of tropical fish, as well as coral and sea anemones. The water was crystal clear and the view was just beautiful! A scuba diver went down with us and gave us bread to feed the fish. As soon as the bread was in our hands, we were swarmed with "Nemo's" and "Dorrie's". It was really cool. The guide also picked up coral, a starfish and sea anemones for us to feel. He had a camera and took several photos of us underwater, which were then put on a disc for us to keep. A picture of Collin and me is at the right. (Brennen unfortunately didn't get into any of the pictures).

It was as close to perfect as a vacation can get, and we can't wait to go back someday when the kids are a little older so that we can go deeper into the rain forest and do a canopy walk!