I went to the camp at Taman Bukit Tiram on Friday at 2 pm. And the heavens opened up to flood us with merciless rain. The poor kids had the tents pitched in the field, but not pegged. Some were tossed around the field, while others just sat there and absorbed all the rain. We all huddled in the corridors of the school complex staying out of the rain. So, what did Madam Frances teach them? Amazingly, I was able to teach them how to know how close the storm is. Amazingly, the storm(s) were frequently right overhead. Counting the seconds from lightening to thunder, we often saw lightening and immediately were rocked with thunder that matched any of my stubble jumper days. There were many storms meeting overhead, so we settled into plan B. I attempted to play games with the kids, but the organizers had other ideas. They had them assemble to hear the new rules, which took in excess of two hours. Not sure why there were so many rules, but not spoken in English, I had no idea what they were being told. I then stayed on to see them assemble for Mosque prayers, at which time I took my leave - to see what kind of roads I would find on my way home. It was only 5 pm, but already dark, due to the heavy cloud cover. Emerging onto the highway from the under ramp entrance, I was greeted by gridlock, stalled and waiting to take the plunge. I pulled off to the side, thinking this little buggy would never get through. Flashers on, I watched several cars push their way into the foray, and wondered what I was going to do. Brown sludge, passing as water, was lapping at my car door. Hmm, it' s not really my car - who cares. I dont want to sit here all night. I pushed my way into the crowd, and joined the parade. I did not take a photo - too busy navigating the traffic jam and water level. But attached is something much like I experienced.
If you add about two hundred more cars, you get the picture of where I was. I must be getting more acclimatized. I just pushed my way into the mess, between tankers and transport 'lorries' and moved my way through the mess. Anticipating further floods down the road, I keep an even pace of about 60, much like many other drivers. To my delight, I did not encounter another, although the turn off to Kota Tinggi showed me palm groves underwater, and travelling toward my road. Good think I left when I did. I think it eventually covered the highway there too. This is not monsoon season, so God only knows what kind of a mess I will find myself in when that happens. It is the only road to work for me, so perhaps there will be no days of work for a while. I was also smart enough to keep my driver window closed this time. No buckets of water hit me in the face, although several hit my windshield on the trip home - knocking out any visibility for short periods of time. I went to sleep with rain falling last night. However, this morning, no rain but still overcast. I guess I don my camp clothing and head off toward the school to judge the cooking contest there this morning. It amazes me when I return to the scenes of flooding, only to find the water receded. Much like Palm Desert and their flash floods, the waters go 'somewhere' after the build up that causes havoc.Unlike Palm Desert with their storm troughs, I dont really know where this water goes. Probably into our community water systems. Remember - it is not potable. One of my colleagues actually drinks tap water. Yuk, even the locals boil first! I am now fully understanding why I was told to carry a bag of clothing for a few days of changes. Please, God, help me to not need it.
I am attempting to find a weekend to have all my former mentees and Head Masters for a visit. I have fretted over what to serve them. They only eat food that would cause blisters inside me, so came up with the idea of CHILI. I can brew up a batch of the stuff and then serve pots of chilis to heat it up to their liking. Now all I have to do is find a vat big enough to make enough for 55 people. I had hoped to do this on Thanksgiving weekend to explain the concept of thanksgiving. Not going to happen. Camping took over. Happy Thanksgiving Canada. I am jealous.
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