While I am not a huge fan of the Petronas Corporation (dubious reputation in it's many iterations, partnerships etc, not to mention it deals in oil and gas), I have to admit, the towers are stunning. We were lucky to be in KL when there was a full moon and got to catch it on camera. Also, thanks to the boys who woke up at o'dark hundred on vacation and stood in line for 2 hours to get tickets) we were able to go up to the bridge that links the twin towers. Thanks again boys!
Sadly it was time to leave our island home so we headed to the ferry and headed back across the South China Sea to Kota Bharu. We really only drove through but it was very interesting as we weaved through the town in on the way to the airport. It was Friday so the mosques were busy and the town was quiet – unfortunately the driver was hell bent on getting us to the airport quickly so I only managed these few shots as we drove through…
The diving was interesting …. the visibility ranged from ok to not so great most days. Honestly, while I have attached pictures to this post (and they show you some of the amazing creatures we saw), my hope is that you will read it more than look at the pictures this time….
So here I go…
It is hard to appreciate how much a spot in the ocean is changing when you visit for just a week and never come back. It is even harder to connect to and care for something that is not part of your daily life (like the islands or any vacation spot for that matter). But we all need too. The Perhentians are suffering from the same ills as the rest of the enviornment – "development".
The coral here, like the rest of the ocean and the life it supports (fish, sharks, micro life, whales, US), is in real trouble. Afflicted by rising temperatures and increased ocean acidity from all things human (pollution, over consumption, etc.) not to mention humans thinking of the ocean as an inexhaustible resource. I have seen similar conditions in all sites I have dove in the past 12 years.
While diving in the Perhentians, I felt a number of times like there was an absence of fish/life; the feeling was confirmed by some of the dive masters later above water. Overfishing is a tremendous problem around the world, but when you are in the water, year after year, it is obvious. The waste, created by tourism expansion, was also huge. There was plastic, trash and fishing nets visible on almost every dive. Mind you, we were diving in a marine park…..
The resorts and dive operators, who rely on tourism for their livelihood, seemed to be trying but give up quickly. They shrugged their shoulders when I reminded them not to change the towels/sheets daily, kept putting straws in my drink when I asked them not too. Dive operators were also unable to help me understand why divers who couldn't control themselves underwater were allowed to dive in a marine park (I actually saw a guy knock off about 100 years of coral growth with a single fin stroke because he couldn't maintain buoyancy – he didn't even have the awareness to realize he did it!) Apparently, taking the newly certified diver to a different, less developed place OR coaching him to stay high on the reef before the dive was not an option for the dive operator (maybe they were worried he would be disappointed).
Finally, I couldn't help think it was completely ironic that after each day of diving, the same people who noticed the absence of creatures or trash present in the ocean tucked heartily into meals of the very fish they wanted to see ALIVE in the ocean while they sucked down water from plastic bottles. I kept wondering when are people going to get it and realize WHAT EACH INDIVIDUAL DOES MATTERS!
So, I will ask you, dear reader, to do me a favor for which I will be deeply greatful (you can name your price later:)…Watch one (or all) of these movies –
If you don't want to rent or download one of those movies, watch one of these thought provoking, 20 min presentations from TED – Brian Skerry or Jeremy Jackson (just click on name to view)
Most folks that know me, know that I am a passionate person – particularly on the environment, oceans and human rights. They also know I get teased for my passions (being a vegetarian, carrying my own water bottle, fighting with the grocery store baggers to use my reusable bags, etc.) but I am beyond caring.
The simple truth is that I could do more than I do today – just like everyone else. Here are websites (ideas or action) I use to figure out what more I can do or take action – I hope you find them useful.
Thanks for reading and now, I hope you enjoy the pictures….
and a bonus video of a very patient Sting Ray….
So….while I spent the first few days cooped up in our room – fun times with a chest infection (personally I am chalking it up to lack of sleep).
We made it to the Island!!
The first leg of our journey to the Perhentian Islands was a little crazy and A LOT long…..but we made it and took a few minutes to sample the local cuisine even though we had to brave the huge storm that was hitting the town.
So for the past three days, there was no water in the bathrooms – which means hauling water from the kitchen to the bathroom for bucket baths and to fill the toilet tank. This issue was slightly inconvenient but not horrible given the upside – your arms get a workout.
There is something about hauling your own water and being ohhh so conscious about ensuring there is enough water in your bucket to rinse your soapy hair/body….and this is a good thing given most take for granted when a tap is opened, water is there….Here we have learned the hard way, that might not always be the case.
However, the universe has a very funny sense of humor (in my darker moments, I say sick and twisted). A little before 6 pm, half of the sky went dark…with clouds like I had never seen before in my life (even after 2 monsoon seasons here).
D ran to pull the laundry down; I ran to get my camera…
With about 10 minutes of these pictures, there was plenty of thunder, lighting and WATER – just not in the taps.
The terrace and balconies flooded – about 4-6 inchs of water. Water was coming in under every door and within about 5 mins there was a half an inch of standing water in both the office and family room, while water was pouring down the stairs from the terrace.
We were coping just find – D had the foresight to pull the electronics, computers etc off the floor and I was busy pushing the water towards drains and laying down towels when we heard a crash….A bird, branch or other object, being hurtled by the huge gusts of wind had hit the family room window and smashed it – sending glass flying all over the room and providing yet another opening for water.
@#$@ was about all D and I said – repeatedly – well ok, it was me more than him.
D goes and starts the handle the glass/flood in his room and I return to moving water out of the office and trying to ebb the flow of water down the stairs….
So marble and water make for a slippery, very hard surface as my head, neck and butt can now testify. That’s right, in the mist of all of this, I slip while trying to walk and fall flat on my @#$. Anyway, we eventually got the water out, the glass cleaned up and sure as @#$@, the power goes out….not just one of the small little outages we are used to here – apparently some 200 trees were felled by the storm.
Our power lines (being above ground) were cut by falling trees – as well as the vast majority of our neighborhood. Our power backups (both up and downstairs) having been taxed with all the power cuts before the storm lasted about an hour before we had zip current….
Mind you at this point, we really need a bucket shower but now the water in the kitchen tap is now coming out brown….
Ok, so I will say, not having water and electricity automatically is a pain. However, the lack of it does make you hyper aware, forcing you not to take it for granted. Given the state of the environment, this is a lesson a lot more people could use to learn.
These plants are all over – some of them huge trees – because the climate here is perfect. I look forward to this time of year because they are blooming pro furiously. Ours has a particularly sweet fragrance. I really should manage to set them out in a Urli (traditional bowl that sits by the front door as a welcome) …. ah well, they are beautiful all the same.
These guys are great – I thought they deserved their own separate post…they didn't bother us (probably because we had no food in our hands). There were a number of very new babies….so very cute.
So the girls and I woke up early (to beat the traffic) and headed off to Nandi Hills for the morning. D had been lauding the place for ages and he wasn't wrong. The day was gorgeous; flowers blooming everywhere, great views and a nice breeze. We even got our exercise according to Ms. L's pedometer – some 9000 steps…thankfully we were walking down hill.
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