Hazy Kuantan September 2015

The annual open burning across Indonesia brings trouble to large parts of Malaysia as winds blow the smog our way. Kuantan is now blanketed in a thick layer of haze which has now reached unhealthy levels.

The haze limits visibility of Bukit Sekilau as seen from Jalan Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

The haze limits visibility of Bukit Sekilau as seen from Jalan Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

The haze in Kuantan almost entirely covers The Zenith Hotel as seen from Berjaya Megamall

View of the haze from our home in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

View of the haze from our home in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan. There is usually a clear view of a large hill directly behind that apartment block in the background

We are trying to avoid going out at all, only for necessary things like filling up our drinking water and getting food etc. We decided to keep our daughter home from school today as the haze had worsened considerably.

Today's air quality index for places in Malaysia including Kuantan at a rating of 144 - unhealthy

To add one bombshell to another, we also don't have any water at all for today and tomorrow. Fortunately we were aware of the arrival of a water tanker which came to provide water for our block. I made 4 journeys carrying two buckets of water to add to our storage.

Carrying buckets of water from the water tanker in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

Carrying buckets of water from the water tanker in Bukit Sekilau, Kuantan

Top 20 Photos of 2013 - #11

#11

The second photo from the Chin Swee temple complex in Genting Highlands. At 6,000ft above sea level, this is a place with a view. The temple and its grounds are stunning. We found ourselves caught in an all-encompassing mist that seemed to sweep in from nowhere, blocking all options of a landscape shot. Then suddenly the mist departed and was replaced with sunshine and clear skies. The weather changes quickly up here, so this photo was very opportune. I captured the pagoda, the hills, a line of clouds and the sky above. Unlucky not to make the top 10!

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 #24

This is part 24 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 #24 - Sekilau hill traps pockets of mist as they float around in the wet weather

Kuantan Skies #13

This is part 13 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 #13 - This wet and misty landscape looks like a painting that has been smudged at the top half

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!

Day Trip from Kuantan - Genting Highlands - Bukit Tinggi - Kuantan

This was our 2nd day trip this year after our Kemaman and Cherating trip in May earlier this year. Due to the success of the first such day trip, we were all excited for the second one.

A temple with a view. Chin Swee Caves temple complex at Genting Highlands, Malaysia

No day trip is complete without the company of great friends who help to make it a peaceful and enjoyable time. Thanks to Kenny, Grace and Sharmayne for spending the day with us and Kenny for being the driver for the day.

The drive from Kuantan to Genting took around 3 hours including one stop at a rest station for a bite to eat. We left home at 7am.

During the course of the day I took a lot of photos. I'm not going to share them all (if you're friends with me on facebook, you will have seen them already!), but I will pick out some of the better ones for this post.

As seems to be the custom in Malaysia, while ascending the hill to Genting Highlands we wound down the car windows, stuck our heads out, and enjoyed the cool breeze which we don't get to feel anywhere else!

Windows down, I snapped this photo half way up the hill to Genting Highlands

The hill to the summit is steep and has many twists and turns, it's like riding a roller-coaster at times! You can ascend by car, taxi, bus or cable car

The first place we visited was the Chin Swee Caves temple complex located almost at the very top, around 6,000ft above sea level, and it was cold!!!

Entrance to Chin Swee Caves temple complex, Genting Highlands, Malaysia

Temple entrance

Mist swirled around the temple complex. Reminded me of life in England!

The mists came over the hill and covered the temple courtyard. A lone tree stands against the weather. I was surprised to see some people in shorts and t-shirts!

Soon the weather cleared up and this stunning pagoda was clearly visible under blue skies

Here's another view of the pagoda from a small window in a tunnel of caves

Took Lauren and Sharmayne up for a walk around the caves at the Chin Swee Caves temple complex

Great landscape of a settlement at Genting Highlands, Malaysia

Spotted this lady looking out over the hills from Chin Swee Caves temple, and had to snap a photo

Incense is burned outside the temple

And large joss sticks burn against the hills of Genting

Next stop was a nice lunch at a roadside restaurant. The food was great, but in the space of 10 minutes we had encountered 3 different people trying to sell us things or get us to donate money for something, basically harassing us while we waited for our food. This is a common occurrence in some places here. The best thing to do is politely wave them off.

The Genting Highlands Strawberry Farm was the next place we visited. On the whole I was really disappointed with the very small strawberries, so we didn't pick any.

Strawberry Farm entrance

Let's play 'Spot the Strawberry' . . . ok, there are a few to the left!

Family photo at the Strawberry Farm

Perhaps the most interesting part of the Strawberry Farm was the Lavender Garden. A small fee is charged to enter (RM3 for adults, RM1 for children) and there are many beautiful flowers and a large field of lavender to admire.

Fie in the Lavender Garden

Rows of flowers decorating the wall

Sharmayne, Lauren and Leah pose for a photo in the Lavender Garden

The next part of our day trip took us back down the hill from Genting and up the next hill to Bukit Tinggi. Bukit Tinggi is not at the same altitude as Genting Highlands (it's only around half way up).

Colmar Tropicale, the French-themed village at Bukit Tinggi

Inside Colmar Tropicale, Bukit Tinggi

We bought our fridge magnets at Colmar Tropicale and then hopped on a bus to the rabbit farm.

Leah watches as Sharmayne feeds a rabbit

Sharmayne and Lauren trying to feed already full rabbits!

Briefly went to the Japanese Garden. Lovely scenes of nature, but Fie and I were too tired to walk much further!

The final photo is a viewpoint I looked at admiringly from the Japanese Garden at Bukit Tinggi. Love the hills on the horizon:

We left for home at around 5:30pm, stopped for dinner at Karak, and arrived in Kuantan at around 9:30pm. Had a little nap in the car on the way back home. It was a tiring trip but very much worth it!

Looking forward to the next day trip :)

It is so hot!

Kuantan was so hot today. Really hot. The house was full of warm air, and even with the air-conditioning on in the English room, the rest of the house was still so warm. It's hard to be comfortable when the weather is like this, but I'll take it over the monsoon rains any day!

Hope you're having a pleasant day wherever you are.