Braving the monsoon rains in Kuantan: A Video

Severe flood warnings are out across Kuantan as the monsoon season has hit hard in its first couple of days. There is widespread flooding around the town but I went out to take photos and record this short video so you can see what we're dealing with.

And here are a few photos I took whilst on my walk around my immediate area:

Mr. Samindan tries to unblock the drains outside his restaurant and my apartment block in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

Cars slowly making their way along Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek, Kuantan

Slow moving cars kick up ridges of rainwater along Jalan Dato' Lim Hoe Lek, just beside East Coast Mall, in Kuantan

And here are some more photos which are credited to Life@Kuantan facebook page:

Near St. Thomas school looking to Jalan Tun Ismail, Kuantan

This is a public car park close to Berjaya Megamall (background)

These two gentlemen had to wade through chest-high waters at Shahputra college, Indera Mahkota, Kuantan

Bracing ourselves for the rainy season

The rainy season, or monsoon season, will be in full force any day now across Malaysia.

We have torrential rains, and last year saw the worst flooding in Kuantan for over 50 years. But we are fortunate enough not to endure storms of the like which have battered the Philippines in recent days.

While the rainy season presents challenges for us in Kuantan, I realise it pales in comparison to the natural disasters other parts of Asia and America have received in recent times.

Nevertheless, we are bracing ourselves . . .

Kuantan Skies #3

This is part 3 in a series of 26 photographs of the Kuantan Skies taken this year. All but 3 were taken from my window or balcony.

Kuantan Skies #3 - The dark threat of rain looms overhead, making almost a symmetrical pattern with the hill

Rainy evenings

Here in Kuantan, on the east coast of Malaysia, we have been witnessing a daily downpour for the last week. Whether it comes in the afternoon, evening, or at night, the rain is most certainly welcome in fighting off the searing heat!

A toilet seat, a toilet roll, and a barrel of fun!

Recently I've been blogging about rainy days in Kuantan. It wears me down, both mentally and physically, but, if you're struggling to find ways to pass the time, I may have the answer!

THE CRAP PAPER GAME!

The Crap Paper Game requires 2+ participants, a toilet seat, plenty of cheap toilet rolls, a stopwatch and a large bin bag.

Sit on the closed toilet seat and attach the toilet roll to the holder on the wall. Have somebody else stand by with a stopwatch (and another person with the camera, if you wish to record it!). When the clock starts, you are to unravel the toilet roll as fast as possible! The person with the quickest time wins! (You can have just one, or multiple rolls each)

Here is my Horne family World Record Roll of 7.35 seconds. Click the link below, enjoy the video, and try it out yourself!

The Crap Paper Game!!! Video

Happy rolling!

Bugs love the rain, even if I don't!

In an earlier post, I had guessed that the rainy season in Kuantan had come to an end, but as you can see from the raindrops in this photograph, I spoke too soon!

You will also notice this intriguing bug that came to settle on our orchids yesterday afternoon.

It's cool and wet here in Kuantan, pretty miserable weather. Makes it especially nice when I come across a photo like this!

Rainy Season in Kuantan

I hope I'm not speaking too soon, but I think the rainy season in Kuantan is over. We haven't had any monsoon rains since the really bad ones at Christmas.

The rainy season in full flow in Kuantan

I'm looking forward to brighter and drier days ahead!

Bird Conference

On a recent rainy day in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan, I noticed these 27 birds having a conference together. I wonder what they were tweeting about?

The example of patience on Sekilau Hill

Every day I look out my window to a beautiful view of Sekilau Hill (Bukit Sekilau):

I wish I could be as patient as the trees on Sekilau Hill . . .

Come rain or shine they stand in their place and wait patiently . . .

They don't tremble when mists of uncertainty temporarily cover them . . 

They don't worry when the skies turn grey . . .

They also patiently admire the skies on better days . . .

They enjoy the sun when it shines upon them . . .

But they also quietly persevere when the monsoon rains descend . . .

I wish I could be as patient as the trees on Sekilau Hill

Thunderstorm video from Kuantan

The monsoon season has really kicked into gear with rain all through the night and now into the morning. It's been pouring 14 hours non-stop and poor little Kuantan is experiencing some bad flooding.

Here's the view from my window in a short video I made for you:

(Well it seems that the video doesn't want to embed here, so here's the link to watch it on youtube):

Thunderstorm in Kuantan

Standing tall...

On an overcast day in Kuantan, The Zenith Hotel and Menara Zenith stand tall on the skyline. The inevitable rain pounds hard and loud on these tin roofs on houses in Bukit Sekilau. The 'Astro' television signal goes haywire during particularly heavy downpours.

Thunderstorm caught on video in Kuantan, Malaysia

Good day my friends. It's great to have friends on the internet and to be able to interact with you on blogger and facebook. It's a great miracle and I'm thankful for the marvel of the internet.

It means that today I'm able to show you my amateur video footage of a thunderstorm we encountered Sunday night between 8.30-9.30pm. This was quite a thrilling storm packed full of lashing rain, sensational lightning strikes, and cannon blast thunder claps.

While the video may not be entirely and perfectly clear, and you may not be able to see the actual fork lightning, you will see the brightness of the strikes and hopefully you'll hear the noise and feel the atmosphere this storm generated.

Rainy Season in Kuantan

We are stuck in the middle of the rainy season in Kuantan and it's spoiling pretty much everything, making me quite annoyed and bored (not a good combination!), bringing along its fair share of runny noses and headaches too.

However, I've been able to once more whip the camera out and snap some rainy pictures. We even managed to have a little fun!

To see more rainy pictures, click the link to my nature blog where they are displayed in full - 

Water Droplets Galore!

Fluctuating weather

Human beings love talking about the weather, and I'm no different. The weather acts as a convenient topic to begin a conversation with either friends or new acquaintances. Do you realise how often you mention the weather in your conversations with others?

In Kuantan, as indeed in all Malaysia, the weather is a 'hot' topic. But during the months of November and December, we have witnessed severely fluctuating weather patterns.

Check out the first example, from November 2011:

I started off cycling from home in clear blue skies. But after just a couple of minutes, the wind really picked up and began blowing in some grey clouds over the convention centre and Putra Zenith . . .

Cycling became suddenly really tough as the gusty winds pushed me back. I looked over my shoulder and saw this:

The beautiful sunny day was quickly turned into a dull, ferociously windy, stormy day. Thankfully I managed to get home before the downpour came!

This picture was taken a couple of days later as the monsoon rains slowly crept their way in to Malaysia - the sound of the rain reverberating on the old tin roofs produces such a heavy din, yet I find it hugely peaceful and calming.

But the rains come and the rains go, and we were about to witness the other end of the weather spectrum . . .

Still in November, we experienced a sudden change to striking heat, as shown on this beautiful day:

Shortly after these gorgeous holiday-weather skies, we sat in the Vistana Hotel gazing out at the pouring rain filling Kuantan with a hazy appearance.

We had four days of continuous monsoon rain last week, and then suddenly on Sunday, the weather changed to this beautiful day with fluffy white clouds against a blue sky. And it was very hot.

How is the weather where you are?

Enjoying the sun

I took Lauren out for a play on the park on Sunday. 

With all the rain we've been having of late, we decided to take advantage of the sunny afternoon which presented itself.

We didn't stay for long as the sun was so pulsating. We live in a country of extremes: it's either tipping it down with rain making going out impossible, or it's burning hot, making any time out very brief!

When it rains, it pours

We are in the middle of the annual monsoon rains here in Kuantan. Running through November to January, they limit our enjoyment in going out. The evenings are dark and cold. Lauren somehow loves it.

In this picture, I captured Lauren gazing out the window at the pouring rain. Simply switching off the lights and taking photos in the dark with nothing but the rain and street lamp outside, made for some unique images, like this one.

The rain has been falling all day and all night for the last few days. It has caused flooding at The Zenith Hotel basement car park, and the disappearance of the letter 'K' by the riverfront. It now reads "UANTAN". 

http://www.facebook.com/kuantan.my

We also associate the monsoon rains with being stuck in the house all day long, which I'm not too keen on, along with interruption of the satellite television reception, which is definitely not good when you're trapped at home on a never-ending rainy day!

A photograph a day from Kuantan: #10 Rainclouds Are Coming

Grey clouds come rumbling in as the wind picks up and our apartment turns mysteriously dark. Heavy rain is sure to follow in what will be a refreshingly cooler night.

The Rain Is A Welcome Relief!

After all this awfully draining hot weather we've been having over the last few weeks, it was absolutely beautiful to have a whole night of rain and an overcast, and much cooler, following day. Here's my favourite views of this hiatus from the heat:

A raindrop hangs tentatively off a branch

Watery globules are slowly evaporated into the air

This natural work of art has been formed over years of rainwater downpours

This colourful leaf holds on to some raindrops for a while longer

It was great to see puddles in the streets and roads!

This was the scene on the newly-laid road outside our apartment