On Tuesday, we moved out of our Hong Kong apartment; and, two days later, we were on a flight to Kota Kinabalu, Borneo.
While watching the safety briefing on our DragonAir flight to Kota Kinabalu, Asher exclaimed, “Hey, they copied the safety video from Cathay Pacific!” A true sign our kids have become world travelers!
What started out as a relaxing trip to a tropical paradise of calm, crystal blue water
and unique wildlife, turned into a scramble to find help for both kids who spiked fevers over 104.
Fortunately, we were all able to get in a couple of days of playing in the sand, swimming, kayaking, and zip-lining at the gorgeous Bunga Raya (which means “hibiscus”) Island Resort before the kids got sick.
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- Playing on the Beach
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- Kayaking
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- Ziplining
The Bunga Raya Resort, which was about a 20 minute boat ride from Kota Kinabalu, only seemed to have about 8 of the 48 bungalows occupied (mainly by honeymooning couples) when we first arrived.
We loved our time relaxing at the pool and beach (but could have done without the infestation of biting sandflies, for whom we had to douse our bodies in all-natural oil bug repellent).
Our two-room bungalow had a spectacular view of the beach and pool.
Aliya and I hopped back and forth between the warm, still, clear blue water of the ocean and the infinity pool, where we practiced our handstands.
There were also some nice open-air restaurants.
My favorite activity was our family kayak over the reef
But the kids really liked the zipline
I was much happier when we made it down safely from the lines above the treetops to walk along the canopy.
But I think Asher’s favorite part of Bunga Raya was driving the golf carts!
After 3 nights at Bunga Raya and a visit to Dr. Ram at Gleneagle Hospital in Kota Kinabalu for some Augmentum and Paracetamol to treat the kids’ infection (thank goodness it wasn’t Dengue fever or Malaria!), we moved over to the Shangri-La’s Rasa Ria Resort, which the kids loved.
Unlike the quiet hideaway of Bunga Raya, the 64 acre Rasa Ria Resort was filled with kids and tons of activities – like swimming in the pool, visiting the Arangutans, spotting cockatoos, getting hair braids, drinking coconuts, and nature walks. Aliya even met a girl who lived in our building in Hong Kong and played netball for the Australian International School.
