Even more horrible haze and a crocodile!

Since my post 'Horrible haze' on 9th September the haze situation in Singapore has been steadily getting worse with only the occasional day of clearer skies and fresher air. 

Over the last few days things have got much worse and this evening the air quality has reached the hazardous level and is still rising!

Earlier today I went to the north of Singapore to visit the Sungei Buloh Wetlands Reserve, I hoped the air might be better 'up north' but sadly it wasn't. However the misty like conditions added to the beauty of this place and because of the haze only a few other people had also ventured out so the whole reserve was very peaceful

 Normally from this spot you can see over the Straits of Johor to Malaysia and the city of Johor Bahru but today Malaysia had magically disappeared 

 A few locals were throwing their nets out to catch some fish

I love looking out for wildlife and today was a good day for spotting some lovely fauna and flora

 I was most excited to finally see an estuarian crocodile this visit, I think he was only a youngster, he was about 4-5 foot long

 Deeper into the reserve in a very swampy pond I then saw the largest monitor lizard I've seen here 

By the time I got back home my eyes were stinging and my throat felt sore from breathing in polluted air, I shut the doors and windows and switched the A/C on. 

On the local news channel an announcement has just been made that all Singapore's primary and secondary schools will be closed tomorrow. I've also just heard that my yoga class has been cancelled, I suspect all outdoor activities will be. 

Probably a good day for getting the house work done or better still plan a trip somewhere, anywhere where the air is clean, fortunately the choice is pretty extensive from here.

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Update Friday 25th 9am

Today's not looking good!

I have to go out later so will be wearing this mask, at least I'll blend in as pretty much everyone is now wearing a mask

GE 2015

GE 2015 refers to Singapore's general election which takes place tomorrow; Friday 11th September. Since the date for the election was announced on August 25th and parliament was dissolved by the President Tony Tan the local newspapers, television and radio programmes have been full of political canvassing and debates. 

Tomorrow has been declared a public holiday, friends tell me that local citizens will not however take advantage of this to plan a long weekend away as voting is mandatory and if a citizen fails to vote (without an accepted valid reason) their name will be removed from the voting register for the next election. 

As an expat and UK national it has been interesting observing how the Singaporean political parties conduct their campaigns and in general I would say they do this in a much calmer and more respectful manner than their UK counterparts. There seems to be very little 'back stabbing', digging up 'of dirt' and mocking of their opponents opinions and policies which the UK political parties seem to delight in.

This year's election; the 17th in Singapore and the 12th since Independence, sees the governing People's Action Party (PAP) hoping to secure their 14th consecutive term since 1959 and all seats are being contested. There are 8 opposition parties challenging the ruling party-PAP which currently holds 81 seats. The next biggest party is the Workers Party with 7 seats and then the Singapore People's Party with 1 NCMP seat, which apparently stands for Non-constituency Member of Parliament and 6 more parties that do not currently hold any seats.

Today, the day before Polling Day is called "Cooling Off Day". This means that campaigning is not allowed nor election advertising this allows voters time to reflect on the various issues before going to the polls- I think this is a great idea.

One party's slogan has made me; as an expat feel a little uncomfortable, the Singaporeans First party makes no secret of the fact that they do not want so many foreign workers to be given S passes (work permits) but on the other hand I admire the way Singapore looks after 'it's own'

Well whatever the result, it should prove interesting, but I'm not sure that I will be watching the TV into the wee small hours to see the results unfold.

GENERAL ELECTION UPDATE

On Saturday morning, it was results day and we woke up to see the news headlines; "PAP Landslide".

The ruling party had not only retained it's position but had increased it's share of the vote since the previous election in 2011. 

 The Peoples Action Party (PAP) received 69.86% of all votes, the Workers Party (WP)12.48%, the Singapore Democratic Party (SDP) 3.76% and the remaining 8 parties shared the remaining votes.

PAP won 83 of the 89 parliamentary seats with WP taking the remaining 6 seats-truly a landslide.

Out of interest the voting turnout was 93.56%- a very impressive figure.

Horrible haze!

After several wonderful travel and visitor filled months it's now back to normality with a bump. Back to settling again into our life in Singapore and for the last week that has meant living with "Haze". 

Due to extensive and out of control forest fires in Sumatra and Indonesia, where the farmers use 'slash and burn' to clear forests in preparation for the planting of commercial crops such as palm oil, the air becomes filled with a mixture of pollutants including soot, carbon dioxide and other toxic gases. The problem flares up every dry season and Singapore is affected when the wind is blows in the wrong direction.

What this also means is that the sky can be white or pale grey with very little  sunshine,  the pollutants block this out, in fact very reminiscent of a grey November day in the UK. Whilst walking round the Gardens by the Bay yesterday morning it at first looked like there was a lovely sunrise; the sun was quite red and the sky was pink but I realised that it was 9am and the sun (which rises at 7am every morning) was too high in the sky for it to be sunrise.

There is also a 'smell' in the air, sometimes it smells like the day after bonfire night i.e. wood smoky, sometimes it has a more chemical like smell. Our balcony gets dirty even more quickly than usual and of course the washing that has been hung out to dry gets covered in 'muck'. 

 We have been lucky as since we moved here the level of haze has not been too serious, so far that is. The year before we moved it was really bad and the air became so toxic it was classified as hazardous  and the public were advised by the authorities to minimise outdoor activities and to wear masks whilst outside.

 Above is a photo I took yesterday of the National Environment Agency's app; myENV. It shows various weather and environmental readings, including the PSI which stands for  Pollutant Standards Index. The PSI values indicates the air quality on a scale from 0 to above 300, with 0 to 50 being Good, 51 to 100 is moderate, 101 to 200 is classified as unhealthy and a PSI of 201to 300 as very unhealthy and finally if it's above 301 then it's 'hazardous'.

 So yesterday the reading was 104 and the air was officially 'unhealthy', it certainly felt like it. 

For healthy individuals short term exposure to unhealthy levels of  haze can cause irritation to the eyes, nose and throat but this soon resolves, for those with heart and lung diseases the effects may be much more serious and exacerbate their disease. 

I volunteer for the Riding for The Disabled and when the level of haze reaches 100 or above the sessions have to be cancelled, schools also cancel outdoor sport and play time and lots of other things are cancelled. Spending more time indoors also means more A/C use which increases the electricity bills, something none of us like.

 And to cap it all- yesterday afternoon not only was it so hazy I could barely see the buildings in the distance (normally they are clearly visible) but the smoke from 'fogging' was filling the air with yet more chemicals! I know that 'fogging' is done to kill insects, in particular mosquitos to help prevent dengue but I couldn't help but feel that humans could also be having a hard time breathing easily and safely!

Sailing in Phuket

Last year the planned family holiday had to be cancelled thanks to thieves stealing HT's passport (amongst other things) so he was unable to fly out to join us which was really upsetting. This year Papa T and I were hopeful that things would run smoothly but with the family being so scattered around the world there were no guarantees. 

We planned a weeks sailing holiday in Thailand, chartered a catamaran and invited BT, HT and some of their friends to join us and told them where and when to meet us in Phuket. BT and AN came to Singapore for a few days beforehand and flew with us to Phuket, so that was easy. HT and his friend RC-M were backpacking around Thailand with friends, last known location, Koh Samui, a very long way from Phuket so we were a little nervous that they would make it on time and BF had booked the wrong flight so was potentially going to be late, you can understand our concern that events could conspire to also ruin this holiday.

However, everything miraculously fell into place and at 8.30pm nearly all of us met in the hotel reception (except BF who was still in the air en route from the UK). HT's friends joined us for the evening and it was lovely to hear about some of their recent adventures.

The following morning we went to the marina and were delighted to see that BF had arrived, our crew was now complete. We loaded our bags and food supplies onto the boat and met our skipper Ali who looked a little worried, not sure if it was the seeing us lot, the noise level as we were all pretty excited or the sight of so much alcohol coming on board.

Papa T explaining our possible route, which would depend on weather conditions of course.

Within a very short time of casting-off most of the crew were hard at work- topping up their tans of course! The great advantage of a catamaran is the trampoline and large amount of deck space just perfect for sunbathing and relaxing on.

We sailed from Yacht Haven Marina into Phang Nga Bay. We had sailed in this area 12 years ago in a monohull but had not been able to get too close due to the shallow water there, this time with a draught of only 1-5 meters we could moor right inside the bay amongst the many sheer-sided islands that rise vertically out of the sea

We moored on a buoy in a small bay near Koh Hong, we were the only boat there, this was generally the case throughout the rest of our week which was wonderfully peaceful

Within minutes of mooring (thanks AN and BT), we were visited by some local fishermen selling their days catch. We chose some freshly caught prawns for our supper and later cooked them on the BBQ that hung off the rail on the stern of the boat, they were delicious

Of course we were all keen to cool off and swim in the clear waters. We saw lots of fish but also kept a close eye out for the occasional jellyfish that came floating by. They were pretty huge and although Ali said they weren't the deadly ones they could still give nasty stings

Just before it got dark another boat moored nearby but we were happy to share our lovely spot. The sunset with such incredible scenery was truly spectacular that night

We did not have A/C onboard, just fans but even so it was pretty hot even at night, especially in the cabins so HT and BF decided to sleep on deck, this was the first of many nights they chose to sleep outdoors. They only woke when either the sun started roasting them or we started the engine.

The added bonus of sleeping on deck is that it was only a few steps to the deck shower, it also had a wonderful view to look at each morning

We set off fairly early to sail to Koh Phing Kan aka "James Bond Island" so that we could visit before the speed boats with their hoards of tourists arrived 

We had trouble remembering which film this island had featured in. Apparently it was "The Man with The Golden Gun" and was re-enacted below-by James Bond (BF) and Bond girl (RC-M) with their golden guns (bananas)

We took the tender over to the island and were pleased to find that we were the first visitors to arrive, the stall holders were only just uncovering their stalls

Above a huge slice of rock has broken off and slid to the side creating a cave, and welcome shade. This was also the entrance to Scaramanga's lair-the baddie in the Bond film 

Patterns on the rock from water erosion

I was amused by the sign on this rock!
The tourist boats were starting to arrive and the noise of the long tail boat engines was really loud so time to head back to our boat for a late breakfast

Most days we had brunch and always had a good spread-fresh fruit, yoghurts, toast, cooked bacon and/or eggs and BT's tasty and healthy banana pancakes. 

During brunch we sailed on to our next stop Koh Pan Yi, or Koh Pan Yee but also known in the tourist trade as Sea Gypsy Village 

Most of the houses are built on stilts over the water. The people here are actually a Muslim fishing community not sea gypsies at all

On landing we walked passed some long tail boats, they had huge engines -either car or truck engines-no wonder they make so much noise

We wandered through the streets and checked out the stalls-BT looking at pearl jewellery

and the others choosing hats! 

These children are making decorations and jewellery with coloured bands using their feet to hold the ends

Below is the village's Health Centre-also built over the water 

Gutted and flattened small fish drying in the sun

The island has a mosque and as we were leaving the call to prayer was playing

We sailed on and out of the bay to our second nights mooring in a bay off Koh Yao Noi and were treated to another lovely sunset

Morning of day 3 and we woke to find we that we were moored in the channel between Koh Yao Noi and Koh Yao Yai and on the school run route with local boats ferrying the school children across to the island that has the school- it was a pretty noisy start to our day

We set off with a new skipper at the helm-AN, clocking up the miles to add to his Yacht Master log book

We soon passed the local restaurant that we had had supper at the night before. When we had gone ashore it was pitch dark, a man with a van kindly (for a fee of course) had driven through the village and very fast down a long bumpy track to this place. When we arrived it seemed closed but lights were put on, our orders taken and a delicious seafood dinner produced. Our driver had waited and safely returned us to the pontoon and our waiting tender-quite an memorable supper. It was interesting to see our supper venue by daylight, it had it's own pontoon which we could have gone directly to had we known but that would have been far less interesting 

Heading into deeper water we came across many long tail boats, the fishermen were catching jellyfish, by reaching into the water with a long pole, swiftly hooking the jellyfish and with one action lift it out of the water and into the boat. They were clearly catching hundreds of jellyfish to sell 

After a few hours sailing it was time for a swim, Ali took us to the most delightful bay 

With RC-M at the tiller (looking more and more like a Bond girl each day) we took the tender through the gap in the island into a small lagoon

It was very pretty, we put on our masks and snorkels and jumped in but pretty quickly jumped back into the boat as there were jellyfish in our water, presumably they had floated into through the small gap and were now trapped in the lagoon

We motored back through the gap and to the pretty beach nearby, no signs of jellys here fortunately

just great snorkelling and wonderful views to gaze at

Although deserted there was signs of previous visitors, a comfy swing in the shade

Spotting lovely fish, we didn't even need masks!

The water was crystal clear and perfect for a swim, and for posing for those holiday snaps

Suitably refreshed we rejoined our boat and sailed on south, stopping for the night in the bay off Rai Le Beach, just north of Krabi. This beach has become a world class destination despite or maybe because it can only be reached by boat as it is cut off from the mainland by steep hills. It has a lovely white sandy beach and beautiful water perfect for snorkelling, it also had some nice places to eat and some lively bars

At supper that night in a beach front restaurant we had several uninvited dinner guests-including this sweet little chap

Day 4 and we were off again. Each day whilst sailing Ali would set up his fishing rod, he was obviously a keen fisherman and told of some of the 'huge' fish he had caught. Whilst we were all quietly doing whatever we were doing there was a sudden spinning noise as the fishing line spooled out very fast. Ali grabbed the rod and stated reeling it in

Whatever was on the line was fighting hard but soon was close enough to be seen, it was big

Ali brought it on board and we could all breathe again, it had been pretty gripping watching the catch 

Ali showing off his catch- a mackerel he said, I've never seen a mackerel this big before

All the 'boys' was keen to handle the fish

Ali was happy for us to use the fish for supper so I held an impromptu lesson in gutting and prepping a fish, letting the boys do the messy work as it was their first time. Actually I had never done this on such a large fish before but presumed the principle to be the same

AN cut the fish into steaks, about 20 portions in all. We had them for supper that night, when I asked how Ali or his wife would have cooked them he said "fish curry" but he agreed that just BBQ'd was pretty tasty too. They were really delicious

Later that day we arrived at Phi Phi Don island and went ashore to buy more food supplies, most worringly we had run out of tonic the day before and no one liked our newly conceived cocktail-gin and Guava juice! 

HT and RC-M were also hoping to meet up with their old travel buddies who were somewhere on Phi Phi, they found them on the beach and enjoyed catching up.

Phi Phi was very busy and had changed a lot since we last visited in 2002, then it had been a pretty, sleepy little island. Phi Phi was devastated by the tsunami in 2004, most buildings were flattened and more than 1000 people killed. It is developing fast now with many new buildings going up, I'm afraid we were keen to get our shopping, get back on board and find somewhere quieter to moor.

Waiting for the crew to return whilst our supplies 'cook' in the hot sun!

Sailing on we soon came to nearby Phi Phi Leh and passed by this cave entrance with it's tangle of bamboo scaffolding. Locals climb the scaffolding to reach the edible nests of the swiftlet, the nests are sold to make birds nest soup, or used in cosmetics and medicines, all are very expensive products 

Boat boys at the ready to catch the mooring buoy

and BT in front of the beautiful Phi Phi Leh, made famous by the film The Beach but still completely unspoilt as it is uninhabited-by humans at least. We had a very peaceful night here 

The next morning I watched and managed to get a (not great) photo of one of the island's resident Sea Eagles swooping down to catch his breakfast 

As we were leaving the tour boats were just starting to arrive taking sightseers into the bay to see 'The Beach, it is a very beautiful place

Day 5 and lots of different helmsmen had a turn at steering, we set off early as we had a long day's sail ahead of us-so long as the weather stayed fair

 Ali continued to fish-he caught another 8-10 smaller fish and nearly caught another big fish but fortunately it 'got away' as the tiny freezer and not much larger fridge were now pretty much full, even the monster fish's head was being stored for Ali to take home for his wife to make into 'fish head curry' a very popular dish in S.E Asia

Next stop and after a long days sailing south into the Andaman Sea we reached Koh Racha Noi;  possibly one of the most amazing places any of us had seen. As we approached the water changed colour to a fabulous turquoise blue and was so crystal clear we could see down to the coral reef underneath

We could not wait to get ashore to snorkel and swim in this paradise

The water was so clear we could easily see the fish around our feet

Due to the tides we couldn't moor in this spot overnight so had to move on to spend the night in a bay at the next door larger island of Koh Racha Yai, it was just as beautiful. These two island are the furthest south of Phuket we had hoped to get to and took quite a while to reach but were absolutely well worth the long sail there

The next day, day 6 we had to start our journey back towards Phuket. We had great sailing conditions and everyone was feeling relaxed and happy, how could we not?

Even RC-M took a break from sunbathing and had a go at the helm

We made a brief stop for more supplies at the southern most point of Phuket at Ao Chalong and inadvertently came ashore at a naval base and were rapidly asked to move on. Finding a more suitable beach a little further down we went ashore. Below is a photo outside a motorbike rental place with the fuel sold in old whisky and wine bottles! 

There was only a tiny local store but we found some supplies, but no meat -we were all craving steak for supper

Luckily we walked past a lady with a fruit stall so managed to stock up on fresh fruit

We had a very late lunch at a local restaurant and tried to persuade the owner to sell us some uncooked steaks to take away. At first he was very reluctant but then relented and not only sold us the steaks but threw in the chips (still frozen) and salad that would have come with the meal had we eaten it there. 

Leaving Ao Chalong we planned to sail on up the coast of Phuket but the wind had got up, the sea was becoming quite rough and thunder was rolling around so we quickly found a sheltered bay and moored for the night and sat out the storm. 

We were close to Panwa Beach Resort and some of the crew (guess which ones?) took the tender over to find a bar. Apparently they felt a bit under-dressed but enjoyed their cocktails in this rather exclusive resort

Papa T, Ali (still fishing) and I were very happy to stay on our boat and get our supper ready. It was a bit of a challenge cooking the chips without a fryer but after putting them in the oven, then under the grill and finally frying them we ended up with a pretty good steak and chips dinner that night.

The next day the storm had cleared and we prepared for the sail back to the Yacht Haven. AN had been doing some fitness training every day whilst on board and occasionally others joined him

what a great place to exercise?

Papa T tidying up the ropes after casting off

It was still quite breezy and we had some exciting sailing that day

and reached quite a high speed, I think the top speed was 9.3, it felt very fast

After a few hours it was getting very hot and we stopped at Koh Nakha Yai for a last swim before reaching the marina- also time to practise backwards diving!

Koh Nakha Yai is a popular stop for day-trippers from Phuket but when we arrived it was all but empty apart from the local stall holders who were keen for us to have a beer, a massage and rent a deck chair, we obliged and had all the above

After an hour or two of peaceful beach bumming the tour boats started to arrive and off load their noisy passengers. We took a group photo of us with the stunning backdrop of Phang Nga Bay and headed back to our boat and our last afternoons sail

Lots of photo opportunities before we arrived

We all felt rather sad when the marina came into site as it signalled the end was fast approaching of a fabulous week's sailing

We had all become very fond of Jimmy Blue, he or should it be she (I thought all boats are "she's" but the one has a boy's name?) had been a very comfortable home and given us lots of happy memories 

One last photo of the Jimmy Blue crew onboard

We spent our last night on Jimmy Blue and had a meal out at the Yacht Haven restaurant

 As we were berthed back in the marina Jimmy Blue was now hooked up to 'shore power' and we had the luxury of A/C, we all looked forward to a comfortable night's sleep but the next morning everyone said they had been too cold and no one had slept well! Funny really.

It was time to part, Papa T and I were heading back to Singapore with AN and BT, RC-M flew to Malaysia to stay with friends and HT and BF were staying on in Phuket for a few more days. 

As we said goodbye we agreed that we would to meet up again in 18months time for another sailing holiday but this time everybody would come with their diving qualifications and we could explore in more depth the beautiful waters around Thailand or maybe somewhere else- let's see