swimming pool | Travels with Triplets

By Jemima (aged 9)

Sugar Beach

Swimming at Sugar Beach outside Taka Tuka

Sugar Beach is in the Philippines. It has almost no rocks or sea urchins. Sea urchins are large or small spiky dark or any colour really but mostly black or an occasional black and white urchin. But as I have already said, mostly black. They are fish things and very simple creatures. Besides, even if there was an urchin or an occasional rock, especially if it was under the surface, there is amazingly clear water, though there are no fish.

The water is safe and has no current which makes it even safer. It is not too deep at all but just the right depth. The sand at the bottom of the sea is soft and there are no crabs.

It is a very nice place including the amazing resorts like Taka Tuka Lodge and the food, Lego and dogs at Sulu Sunset. All in all it was worth the journey. Sorry, am I getting carried away with resorts? Anyway, it’s time for Pu Kao Lak now. Here we go…

Pu Kao Lak

There is an infinity edge to the pool and it is a lovely thing.

It was lovely swimming in Pu Kao Lak, which is in Thailand. The amazing pool had lots of different parts such as a large main part with the coolest water and a small part that we could make a whirlpool in. The water is cool in all of the places and a relief from the boiling weather of Thailand. There is an infinity edge to the pool and it is a lovely thing.

Also there is a water bar which we once got a drink from and it is lovely. With the water around our feet we sat and drank our lovely drink.

Dolphins sometimes spout water and we played at being mermaids and the dolphins were our showers. It was very fun.

I loved Pu Kao Lak. I absolutely loved it.

Legoland

All aboard a Legoland slide

Legoland Malaysia is amazing fun. There are good surprises such as, well I’m not going to tell you or you won’t find them surprising.

The water park is good and has great water slides and a lot of fun. Also in the water park there was a bucket tipping water. It is not really swimming because the water is too shallow but there is a wave pool you can swim in.

As well as the water park there is the main park which is even better. If you come while the rollercoaster called the Dragon is open then go first on the Dragon’s Apprentice to build up. All the other rides are amazing, too.

Go to Legoland Malaysia if you can.

Erewan Falls

Walking on a submerged log at Erewan Falls

Erewan Falls is in Thailand near Kanchanaburi. It is a good place to play and there are fish that nibble your toes. It is very, very nice there and good for relaxing in the amazing athmosphere.

The water is icy cold so I wouldn’t stay in for too long if I were you. It also feels natural to swim there. I love Erewan Falls.

The rocks were fun but quite sharp as I found out when I just happened to cut myself. I think that I slipped on the rocks because they were rather slippy.

It was absolutely lovely there. I loved it.

Komodo National Park

Jemima free diving near Komodo island

Komodo National Park is a good place to swim if you go to the right place. If you don’t get a tour then there are currents that could suck you down to the bottom of the ocean. If you are in the right place, there are amazing fish and coral. It is like another world under the ocean. You don’t even need a diving tank, just snorkeling is enough.

You might see a manta ray or a turtle, sea snake or octopus. Mummy saw an octopus and thought it was an alien because she only saw its head. It was very funny. You could also see komodo dragons on land.

It was amazing.

In 1982, I was hauled up before the manager of Bangkok’s Hotel Malaysia. He was a stern, disapproving Thai man in a smart double-breasted suit who scowled thunder at me as he sent a bellboy to summon my mother. When she arrived, he explained that I was banned from using the lifts.

Personally, I thought this was terribly unfair. Me and my best friend, Adam, had only been having fun; going up, and down, and up, and down, stopping at every floor, setting the lift off and nipping out of the door to see if we could beat it to the next floor, waiting till someone got in then hitting every button. All good, wholesome fun.

But apparently some people wanted to use the lift without stopping at every floor or sharing a confined space with hysterical nine-year olds. Killjoys.

And so, the ban; which I assume remains in place till this day (the manager never mentioned an expiry date).

The Hotel Malaysia – or Malaysia Hotel as it has inventively been renamed in the intervening years – was also where I learnt to swim. And I’ve wanted to come back here to indulge my nostalgia for a long time. And so here we are.

Only this time its my girls splashing around in the pool. But apart from that, little has changed. The corridors look shabbier but unrenovated. The lifts are the same. The pool is just how I remember, although somehow smaller.

And there’s an older, stern-looking manager who sits at the desk in the lobby… next to the lifts. Could it be him? I’ve used them twice now. I don’t think he recognises me if it is.

Now to start pressing all the buttons.