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 . . .

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!

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

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!

Hot Kuantan!

We are still enduring the rainy season in Kuantan, but it was a different type of weather we had to endure on Sunday. The mercury in the thermometer ran up to 42 degrees C during the afternoon! Dealing with the rain and then the sun on alternate days is pretty tough, inducing headaches, nausea and runny noses. On Sunday, Kuantan was seriously hot, possessing the kind of temperatures you'd normally see in the Arabian desert.

Last night, we bought a small barbecue set and had a practise BBQ for Thursday night when we'll be having one with our neighbours. We got the BBQ started with the help of a few firestarters, and in no time we were ready to throw the chicken and sausages on.

Fidelia supervised the cooking of the food; I got the charcoal burning

Lauren was excited about the new BBQ

We did pull a master stroke and strategically placed a fan to blow the smoke away from the balcony into the open night sky. Thus we didn't disturb our neighbours and had no complaints from anyone! Now I'll be looking for some marshmallows to cook on the BBQ next time!