During a slight lull, one by one, covering our gears; we rushed to the restaurant like wet ducks out of the rain. The few patrons in the restaurant eyed us curiously with our large hats, sunburned faces, kangaroo pouches, cameras and tripods covered in plastic shopping bags and silly grins on our faces. We were not unlike any aliens they have seen. But the smart lady owner welcomed us with open arms, customers on a slow rainy day - God given. We chose a table closest to the river but just beyond the wet reaches of the embracing rain. Ordered hot food and Chinese tea and settled down for a test of patience with the rain.
We took pictures of anything of interests to us. "Capturing the moment" is our motto. Not exactly "Carpe Diem" (seize the moment) but close enough. Here is Kurau making love to the teapot. Our photography philosophy is not exactly quantity over quality but knows that moments are fleeting and once passed is lost forever. That precise moment when something interesting happens have to be captured at that precise moment. So being fast to recognize 'moments' and fast on the trigger are more important than perfect shots for us "moment photographer". The choice is clear for us between a not so well taken shot and no shot... Now in the 'safety' of restaurant, we can relax and take some more photos. Some of these photos are 'moment photos' and some are 'leisure photos'. See if you can spot the difference. To make matters a bit more complex, some are mixture of both...
Rain water dripping from the roof like a curtain. Rain from the sky falling like a veil. And a lone bird flying home. Kind of surprising to see it out in such a rain.
I never tires of taking the fishing village in the rain. Each shot seemed so different from the next.
A sampan parked next to the restaurant.
Our hot food came. Fried rice and Pulau Ketam fish balls soup. They were just absolutely delicious. Our hunger and the cold air made each mouthful a delight. Weather has a lot to do with our appreciation of food. Those who have a coke after a hot badminton game will know how different it tasted. The best coffee I've tasted are the coffee I had after coming in from the snow. When the hot liquid cruised down your throat and warmed your body, the aroma never more fragrant or the taste richer... We savored our food slowly for we had all the time in the world. In this mood, we reasoned if our trip is disrupted today, we can always go another day so relax...
Over in the village, a fisherman in yellow rain coat came out to do something with his boat. I'm really curious why they do that in the rain. It interests me that this fisherman wore a rain coat but with the front unbuttoned. In this rain, that almost offered no protection, he will be wet anyway. It is also difficult to work in that raincoat.
The water was really gushing down this gutter.
It splashed into the river below and formed an eddy which was mesmerizing to watch.
The rain lightened. The water from the gutter now a more gentle stream. I watched as a leaf got drawn in into the eddy traveling into the circle moving round and round each time drawing closer to the center... Soon the rain will stop and we may yet make the remainder of the journey albeit in fading lights.
To be continued...
The rain finally stopped. After the continuous din, there was a new quietness. The air was crisp and clean and in spite of the approaching dusk, a sharpness to the views.
Everything was wet but no longer drenched.
Though dark clouds still hanged low, rays of light were also breaking through clearly visible against the dark background.
We paid our bills and stepped out of the restaurant ready to begin our journey anew. Now that the rain had stopped, these fishermen could once again repair their boat. An older man was showing a younger man the trick of the trade. Wonder if they were father and son.
We got in our boat. I took the cut off bottom of a one liter mineral water bottle and scooped water out of the boat as Kurau guided the boat to head for open sea again. We sailed towards the railway bridge.
These fishing fans did not let the rain deter them. With the rain gone, they came out of their shelters from which they had continued fishing and now fished in the open. They greeted us as our boat neared the bridge again.
One of the "tahan lasak" (lasting) fishing kaki coolly watched us. I salute these guys who are made of stern stuff.
We passed under the bridge and into open sea. Among the dense swirling dark clouds, a ray of light had punched through lighting up a specific spot in the sea. It looked kind of dramatic. I urged Kurau to move there. If we can get under, we may become enlightened.
