Fun in the Sun with Students

I know I indicated that my next blog would be a tour around the neighborhood....and I have started it....but I wanted to let you in on the fun we had with some of our students.  Tuesday, August 31st, was a National Holiday for Malaysia.  It is Malaysia’s Independence Day.  We decided to have some fun with the students and take them on a day trip.  We put up flyers, put the word out, rented a bus, contacted people to help with picnic food, set a meeting time (8:30am...early for university students!) and we were set for our little journey!!  We went to Putrajaya....I know you have read about Putrajaya before on a blog of mine....remember the Mosque we visited?  There is much more in Putrajaya than the mosque..... As you will see!!!

Actually Dennis and I left before the sun came up as we had a seminary student we met when we visited Penang that spent the night with us.  He needed a ride to the airport...he was leaving on a 2 week mission trip to Taiwan.  So O’Dark Thirty we were up and on our way to the airport...this is the first and only sunrise I have seen in Kuala Lumpur.

Dennis and I didn’t actually ride the bus to Putrajaya with the students because of this but we were there bright and early waiting for them to arrive.

They are here!! We started at the Botanical Gardens.  This park is home to more than 700 species of plant life from over 90 tropical countries in South America, Africa and the Asia Pacific region.  The garden area of Putrajaya totals 230 acres of which the Botanical
Garden covers 63 of those acres.  The garden itself is divided into 5 different themes:  The Explorer’s Trail, Palm Hill, Sun Gardens, Floral Gardens and Lakeside.

This is the sidewalk going into the Gardens 

We strolled leisurely along the meandering paths through the 5 different area....enjoying the lush scenery....stopping, of course, to take pictures!  

Our students were more than eager to pose for photos.  It was funny to watch......our first picture was a few people....each time someone else wanted a picture with their camera.....more people were added tot he picture!

See how the picture got larger each time it was taken?  They love to have their picture taken!

leisurely walking and more photos

A swing made of vines

After trying to cool down by the waterside from the heat and humidity we left the Botanical Gardens and had our “asian” picnic.  We enjoyed Mee Hon, Chicken Salad Sandwiches, Sardine Salad Sandwiches, Chicken Nuggets, Little Chicken Sausages (kind of like cocktail sausages), cake, cookies and bananas.

YUMMO!!

We then moved down the hill where some played kick ball, ultimate frisbee, soccer, relaxing in the shade, sitting and chatting and some even caught up on their zzzzzzz’s.  It was extremely hot and I have to say I tried a game of frisbee but I didn’t last long........My choice was sitting in the shade and chatting!

I don’t have many pictures of the game time because I will have to admit that I was way too hot to even move around and get pictures of those enjoying the games!  After the game time, we went to the local mall so everyone could cool down:  Alamanda Mall

We had a great bus driver....he knew his way around Putrajaya.....so after the mall he took us on a tour of the administrative area of the city.  Below you will just see snapshots of the buildings....if you read my earlier blogs you know that the city had some interesting architectural designs.

We were then taken to a higher altitude area where we could view the whole city.....not only was it a very beautiful view but it was windy and felt “oh so cool”!  There are some areas not very far from us that have pleasant temperatures even when we are baking in KL!

Our next stop, the Wetlands.  It is the first man made wetlands in Malaysia and the biggest in the tropical region.  The park serves as an educational and recreational center.  It is spread around a series of man made wetland cells.  The park plays a key role in protecting and balancing the eco-system and serving as a water filtration for the Putrajaya Lake.  On our way there a storm began and it was a drizzly wet visit.  However, that did not stop us as we made our way up the observation deck with what was left of the lunch.  We had our late afternoon snack and boxed drink of soya and chrysanthemum tea.  After this we left Putrajaya and headed home after a long long day in the sun.  However, fun was had by all!

Bye Putrajaya...until next time....I hear they also have an extreme park where you can rock climb, skate board, do some mountain biking....So I can hear another road trip calling our names!

This was our first trip with the group and I marveled at how there were no barriers....yes, some tended to be loners and hung back but overall everyone mingled with everyone....All day I heard several languages going on around me:  English, Mandarin, Setswana and other languages and I was reminded that God is no respecter of persons.....He loves us all the same....died the same way for all of us.....we who believe in Jesus will all be in heaven together one day praising Him....in one language.....the language of praise!

Thank you Jesus for loving us all the same....no less and no more!