Pinang Expres-sion

Pinang Expres-sion.

Late October in Thailand has never been like this in forty years. There are still plenty of rains everywhere for 2010. Here and there the rain fall seems not going to go away any time soon. The flood looms large in Bangkok when many provinces up countries are braving with their next height of water. In some area the water already reaches their beds on the upper floor.

The country is now having new omen to fight with. Daily television reporting is full of the situation where suffering peoples express their gratitude to the peoples who gave them “life sustaining sacks” or bag of dry and can foods and other necessities. This is a favorite charity made famous in the past decade by the king.

Some peoples might pray for his majesty shrewdness in irrigation, as portrayed by the press and governmental media outlets, to save the country from water disaster. Some others blamed on illegal logging in the area of Wang Nam Kieu nears Kao Yai and in the forest of Pak Thong Chai Mountain for the cause of flooding in the northeast. Amid admittance by Thailand’s head of irrigation department that certain amount of water has been released to save the dams. Dams projects are paramount in Thailand for the king farsightedness initiative in irrigation.
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But I set out anyhow on another trek, this time to the South on a sort of express train travel when the monsoon season is expecting within a month ahead. Destination Pinang, an old city used to be flourish under the British rule. I long to see this city for quite sometimes, admiring its historical architectures in downtown Georgetown.

One of its landmarks is the Eastern and Oriental Hotel. It remains a legend of a fond memory the English had left in the region. Some history enthusiasts would be happy to tell you of the two other significant of the old luxury in Rangoon and Singapore, where the colonial English gathered for their society away from home at the Strand and the Raffle. But we, three senor Thais settle for Hotel Oriental on Pinang Road. It’s not to compare with the world class Oriental hotel in Bangkok. It’s still a convenient stay not too old and not too shabby nears all attractions travelers should not miss when visiting Pinang.
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Me and one of my old classmates from college year, Uparit, took the Bangkok-Butterworth train from Hua Lumpoang, one afternoon nears the end of October, on a twenty four hours trip down south. We were going from an unprecedented rainfalls season in Thailand to an island in Northern Malaysia where usual heavy rainfall is soon to come. Another classmate, Prayoon, would join us at a train stop in Haad Yai, a big city some hundred kilometers from Thrung, the province he now lives deep-south.

The long ride abroad an express class was more comfortable and very much enjoyable than other trips by Thai train I previously had. Don’t be confused this express with metaphor of the Oriental Express. There is a real Asian Express service between Bangkok and Singapore with ticket price thirty times more. Our express train was as good as it got. The enjoyable part was long chatting with a couple of old friends. The comfort came from a steady flow of air-conditioning plus the not too bad food and, of course, a good bottle of Thai beer.

The nine cars express from Bangkok would reduce to a two car expres-sion at Haad Yai carried fewer travelers and locals southern Thais, Malays and Indians across the border. Passengers walked through passport inspections from Thai immigration to the Malaysian inside one small building before re-boarding the train. Then came, an easy over three hours ride to witness green scenery of a former Thai province of Tsaiburi, where palm tree plantations were in dominant.

We pursed from talking to each other to exchanging some life experiences and interesting stories with a fellow traveler sitting across the aisle. We noticed this young American adventurer was meditating in his seat. We found out he was doing Thai Theravasda meditation. He said he was a scuba diving and yoga instructor traveling the world for eight years, occasionally returned home in Dallas, Texas for short visits.

We envy his lifestyle, but I bet he admires ours.
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Looking from the ferry while sailing from Butterworth port to the island, Pinang was a lot bigger than I thought. I had a picture of an old village may be the same size or slightly larger than Phuket in Thailand. But a city on the island I saw was full of high rises, a similar appearance of Hong Kong or Zhang Hai. I’d arrived Pinang feeling resemblance landing at Samui on the Gulf of Siam. Some part of Georgetown reminded me of Chavaenge, a Western section on Samui.

Like Samui, Pinang has its main road along the shore circumventing the island. We started to explore the old Georgetown right after checked into the hotel. The center of Pinang is full of colonial architectures. Rows of old two stories concrete buildings stand abundance on every street. I enjoyed the afternoon walk around inner Georgetown taking lot of pictures of the buildings. At a street vender, we stopped for Laksa, a signature bowl of Malaysian curry noodles.

One of my classmate friends has been in Pinang several times. Uparit is pretty much familiar with the locale. He was in to relaxing atmosphere and some western dishes, especially steak, there. But we decided on local delicacy for our next dinner. One street corner vender excited us with succulent freshly prepared pork kidney and liver in rice soup. Rain that was on and off all day began to pour more on the last night before we left Pinang.

We had no idea our next itinerary would be very much memorable.

From Pinang, Uparit took a flight to Singapore to tend to his business. I and Prayoon took a four hours van ride into southern Thailand. We would cross the border at Jungloon across from Daan Norg of Thailand. My re-entering into the country was technically a procedure to continue my visa for Thailand. I somehow wasn’t much alarm when a Thai immigration at the check point told us about flooding situation inside southern Thailand.
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There were floods along the way to Haad Yai. The bad one was at Sadau about twenty some kilometers from Daan Norg. Rain was already heavy at the check point. A few kilometers away from Daan Norg, the Malaysian van driver suddenly slowed down and made a U turn back to where we had just left. He said he received an instruction phone call from the station in Haad Yai not to proceed. Flood has covered the road deep at Sadau unable for the van to wade through.

There were three passengers on the van, we the two Thai senors and a young Thai high school girl going home in Nakorn Srithammaraj for a visit on her school break. I asked the driver what was going on. He said he would leave us at Daan Norg and go back to Pinang. The girl called her mom who was waiting to pick her up at Haad Yai station. Rain was heavier when we got back to Daan Norg. After a few arguments with me the driver received another instruction to wait there until further notice.

The girl mom, driving in her Range Rover and accompanied by the station manager, were coming to pick her daughter up. The plan was adjusted to what I was trying to tell the driver, that he should take us to where the heavy flood was. Then we could hitch a ride on the passing heavy duty trailer truck across deep water covering portion of the road.

Luckily things went well with the plan.
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We were waiting at the edge of the water when one big trailer came. The driver let the girl ride in his front cab and us two senors on the deck behind. I was one hand holding an umbrella the other clicking my Olympus digital. We had to wait a while for the rescue of a family from the water in front of us. Neighbors used big rope to go down the side road where the family was stuck in neck high wild water.

Getting through a large trench of rushing water at Sadau was like having soup or salad first for this flooding adventure. A few more side dishes were serving thereafter not too far and at two other districts include Taloong. Riding in the all terrain vehicle in high water covering wheels was very exciting. Muddy thick orange color water was slamming through the center divider of the road through the car.

The girl’s mother took us to Haad Yai by late afternoon and the rain was still dancing. She decided to spend the night in Haad Yai when she was informed the road to Nakorn Srithammaraj was also flooded. She turned into a hotel with its first floor sits several meters above the street level. I agreed with her decision not to drive on home where she might get stuck in the flood in the middle of night. I also admire her decision to seek higher ground with anticipation of a big flood in the city she is staying.

That anticipation we did not share almost regrettably.
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The main course of flooding came that night fast and furious at around ten. Then the light went out all over the city in less than an hour later. I tried to stay asleep through the night packing my energy for the worst to come next day. Water level was more than two meters from the street. Looking from the tenth floor of a hotel, I saw thick muddy orange color water covered any open space not occupied by any tall building or structures everywhere in Haad Yai.

The history of 2000 flood in the city was now in repetition. This time the water level may be even higher. It could be at least two and a half meters high. Looking outside the hotel there was no activity anywhere almost all day until early afternoon except one rowing boat came around one o’ clock. About seven or eight helicopters were flying in a direction to a military barracks at around 4:00 p.m. A few motored boats came by at five. A group of peoples from the hotel took boat ride to dry land where transportation was possible to take them to the airport.

Rubber motor boats and long tail boats were helping to move sick peoples out of the flooded area all afternoon. But one lady who needed dialysis had to wait more than twenty four hours for the ride. They said they could also take a few people to the main street at Big C where ground transportation was still viable.
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Now there was a way to get out of water by boat, but to get to the airport on the road the rest of the way was a big question “how”. It was not a smart thing to stand hitchhiking on the roadside for the situation. What if the rain was pouring down hard again and no car or truck was able to pick you up.

The night came with a streak of hope when I got a message on the phone that my friend, a retired local police chief, was calling me. I made through a call back. He said his former attaché, who is now a police major at Songkla Police Command, was trying to contact me. Songkla is the mother city for Haad Yai.

When I got a hold of Maeng “the major” he was ready to pick us up anywhere possible.

Next morning hope was scant when I learned that boats rescue were still not able to stop at the hotel. Foods were still offered by the hotel, but water needed to be cut down because supply had drastically dwindled. The worry remained because the rain came again last night .The sky was foggy over the city all morning.

My friend, Prayoon, seemed to be in high spirit. I told him to go out of there with me if we could get a boat ride. I would board a plane back to Bangkok and he could stay in Songkla where the land was still dry. He was reluctant. He has been saying the water would go down soon and we could get out. I did not think so but opted to stay mum.
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Things looked brighter when the sun show up by late morning and the water level went half way down before noon. A few six wheels and ten wheels trucks came by to distribute foods and supplies, the so called “life sustaining sags”. They let some peoples ride on their way back out. We were packed ready waiting at the hotel lobby for an available space on the next truck. Maeng’s assistant police man would come to the circle to take us to the bus station. I changed plan to take the bus to Bangkok because air transportation might be delayed. Plus airfares at the time were heavenly high.

By early afternoon water level went down even more. Thai authority was pumping out water all morning. This is the city considered very important because it’s one of the main constituencies for the Democrat, a core political party in the government. It’s also a part of home town of the head of the King’s Privy Council, General Prem Tinsulanonda. Flooding somewhere else in the country didn’t get this kind of vital treatment.

Most of the eighteen provinces hit hard by flood earlier like Ayuthya, Koraj, Udorn, Roy-ed are still soaked with water. Riding on a tour bus to Bangkok that night I saw water reached up to the road along the route. Rains were still pouring hard in Pattalung, Surastani and Choomporn. Surastani also had acute flooding.

Arrived in Bangkok at wee hour of the morning, I breathed nice cool breeze of the early Thai winter air.

Bangkokians were not reluctant to show their appreciation of the first day of winter on “facebook”. They seemed to be in jubilant mood much more contradictory to what peoples in Haad Yai and other flooded cities elsewhere were. Bangkok is also situated in low land area like bottom of a bow the same way as Haad Yai. Bangkok could escape all of water calamities this year because of its prominent status within the country.

This is a kind of double standard prevalent in Thailand in all aspects of living nowadays. I was not surprise when I heard that peoples in the flood stricken area of Ayuthya already scorned Bangkok, not because a bigger city got a better treatment. But the water that was supposed to flood Bangkok was instead sidetracked off to neighboring provinces like Ayuthya, Pratoomtani and Saraburi.

I am amazed indeed.