Langkawi again

Went to Langkawi on 23^rd and return on the 25^th. Lots of people in Langkawi for the holidays. And why not, with cheap booze and smoke and the Christmas season, people are enjoying themselves. The ferry from Kuala Perlis to Langkawi was full of passengers and the return ferry was more so with much more luggage and boxes of kitchen things which are favourite items that people bought in Langkawi. I sure miss the big ferry (catamaran) used to be run by LADA – they were more spacious, fast and doesn’t rock so much. The current fleet of ferries used looks a bit old, the seats were worn and the air-condition not so cold. We were lucky the one we got on the return trip was one of the better ones and it ran quieter and took just one hour to get to Kuala Perlis. Part of the ferry terminal in Kuah was under construction which looks messy but the completed part looks modern and spacious. Jai Restaurant opposite the Baron Hotel is recommended for evening meals. Overall a tiring holiday but a satisfying one.

Floods 3

Water rose a little bit higher this morning, but has not yet reached the house floor level. I'd like to think that this is the highest that it will go with news on the radio that water level is receding. The electricity supply to the area has been cut off and the water must have gone into the TNB sub-station, the one near the house. Luckily we went off to the hotel yesterday otherwise we'd be very uncomfortable and now it looks like we have to stay another night in the hotel.

Floods 2

Now the floods has come closer to home. If the water rise just four more inches then turbid water would be in the house!

Floods in North Kedah

Flood waters raged for the second day in some areas North of Kedah. Water everywhere in Padang Sanai, Kuala Nerang, Jitra and areas north of Alor Star especially near the airport and all the way to Jitra. Luckily it does not rain today and the sky is sunny hopefully the water would recede quickly. It is already receding in Kuala Nerang but in Bukit Pinang near Alor Star water is rising slowly.On the road to the airport the people have put all their vehicles by the roadside, one can also see furnitures being put there for water have entered their houses up to waist deep. The North-South highway is closed at a few places and makes going up north further than the airport difficult for the time being.

Lima 2005

10 December 2005 (Saturday)
Langkawi.

LIMA 2005 opens to the public today (Saturday) and tomorrow. RM20 will get an adult in to gawk at high-tech weaponry and planes. Not a big affair compared to say the Paris or Farnborough air shows. Without Russian technology, there isn't much of a show at LIMA 2005.

The aerial display lasts for only an hour and the pilots of the Malaysian Air Force really did a marvellous show first with a two-seater F-18 and then in the end 7 MIGs doing loops and turns and group formations sometimes with bursts of fireworks in their wake. Other planes that made aerial show were a single-engined turboprop and two helicopters. The one helicopter with military colours did really amazing manoeuvres one would not expect from a helicopter. Very expensive machines these and the pilots must be having the times of their lives and all at the government's expense…. well, maybe not all of it for we did have pay RM20 each to get in. At a pilot training booth I found out that to get a PPL license one would need about RM28,000. That is a very interesting proposition but makes flying a very expensive hobby. Didn't have the time to visit the maritime exhibition, shall try in two years' if they still put up these shows..

After a tiring journey back from Langkawi by ferry and a 40 minute-journey to our house, we found out that we have no power in the house. Called TNB on 15454; it took two hours before before a TNB representative arrived. The main switch in the house got burnt, the guys simply by-passed the switch and told us to get in touch with an electrician as soon as possible to put in a new switch.

Rain in Selayang

It was raining very heavily while we were in Selayang on the way to Alor Star at about 5.00pm. yesterday and the amount of water on the road was simply amazing. Lots of water flowing around, on the roads, the road shoulders, filling the drains, and the left lane was already under at least 6 inches of water. The road there was under reconstruction and that made the situation really bad with the water was muddy and luckily the water level did not rise any higher. Reminds me of an incident that happened to a friend who can do nothing for he got trapped a traffic jam while water rose to waist high during torrential rain and damaged his car- this happened near the Sg.Buloh interchange. In this weather one cannot underestimate the amount of run-off that development brings about and it is a pity that all that water – so much of it - cannot be put to good use.