27th
November, Monday : Talk about a bad building design.
The Singapore checkpoint at Woodlands wins hands-down
for being the most unfriendly place for any tourist
to get lost in. Due to some unfortunate
circumstances, Woei Jiin & I had landed ourselves
in a rather inconvenient (but most enlightening)
situation in which we had to experience first-hand
the Checkpoint system on foot, towing with us some
40kg of equipment.
We
dropped off at the taxi stand at Woodlands
checkpoint. I figured I would go ahead and try to
locate the bus terminal. Bad move. I did not know
that the main control area was planted a good
500metres away. It was an endless path of corridors
and stairs and doors before one even meets a customs
officer to get some directions. I took a good 15
minutes at brisk pace, telescope in backpack, before
I found the officer.
That
aside, I returned to the taxi stand to fetch Woei
Jiin, and trekked back again. By which time, I
absolutely LOATHE the building structure.
Passed
through the checkpoint, hopped onto the public bus
170 to Larkin. No problems with the Malaysian
customs. ("What's inside?", "Camping
stuff.", "Ok.") Next, a 2-hour cab
ride to Mersing. Along the way, dense gray rain clouds lumbered sluggishly across the sky. The cab was hit
with a heavy downpour once. We arrived at 1.30pm, Air
Papan Resort.
7.30pm,
Venus punched a powerful beam of light through the
thin veil of clouds in the west. 8pm, the Pegasus
square and Andromeda opened a glorious window of
stars among the clouds. A slight smear of M31 could
be seen. Woei Jiin and I tore down to the café to
announce the good news. Everyone was still having
their dinner. Barely 15 minutes later, the clouds
rolled in again.
8.45pm,
the weather took a turn for the worse. Ferocious
winds whipped in from the South China Sea, creating a
low-level sand storm with the minute silicon dioxide
particles from the beach. We heard that Choon Guan
had set up his C5 at the beach and were heading out
to warn him when I recognize an all too familiar
drone that was increasing in volume: Incoming
Rainstorm! The few who had started their observing
sessions at the beach were scampering for cover. The
few of us who were heading out to warn them, froze,
caught on to their actions, turned tails, and
sprinted for shelter. No sooner had we reached cover,
a flood of rain pelted down.
Less
than 15 minutes later, only a slight drizzle
remained. The downpour had created small artificial
rivers that were flowing swiftly past our line of
chalets towards the beach. Indents in the ground were
now miniature mud ponds. Woei Jiin & I made our
way to the AstroBashers' lodge.
The
clouds remained temperamental for the rest of our
stay. By 11pm, a couple of us decided to take our
chances and ventured out. Clear patches of stars were
visible. Sometimes there was a thin veil of high
clouds, other times, total smoke-out. For the next 3
hours, binocular hunting and naked-eye observations
were the best options for these unannounced hit and
run rain drops. Orion, Canis Major, Gemini, Perseus, Taurus, Auriga, Eridanus and Cancer. The Praesepe
cluster basked beautifully above the eastern horizon.
I
had attempted several times to bring out the GPDX
& WYO. The clear patches were just too tempting,
plus Jupiter and Saturn were right overhead. We
managed to snitch a glimpse at Jupiter before the
jealous clouds swooped in. Half the time, I was
teetering on uncertainty; My senses on hyperdrive for
any hint of rain. I was shifting the equipment in and
out of the chalet when I thought I felt drizzles. The
whole situation got the better of me and I swore I
would never stargaze telescopically again in the
monsoon season until I get a JMI observatory tent.
The
first night was still loads better than the second.
We took periodic naps throughout to awake to either a
black sky with no stars or heavy downpours.
But
dang the skies! The AstroBash party was still a hit
largely because of the spirited camaraderie, and the
cheery folk who took the lousy weather in their
stride. They could always found something new to
amuse themselves and everyone around them. In my many
trips up to Air Papan, it was the first time I
noticed the teeming beach life. Four guys squatting
on the beach, looking with intense concentration at
the sand; That piqued my curiosity. Crab-catching.
Ah.
Soon
it became a full-fledged event as more people noticed
the few of us peering intently at the sand. It became
a practical session on seashore life. There were
hermit crabs, a starfish (dead, i think), a small
soft-shell crab, a couple of sea snails, and even
more seashells. There were monkeys overland too. Woei
Jiin and I caught a few rummaging through our trash
can.
The
Committee did a great job of trying to keep the rest
entertained when there were no stars to see. Thanks
for the memories, everyone! Hope to see you all at
the next Bash.
By
Lin . 3rd December 2000, Sunday.
