Symbiosis Custom Travel » Climate

Orang-utan in my bedroom

chris — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 12:05:00 +0000

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Heavy flooding in Gulf of Thailand

chris — Thu, 08 Dec 2016 05:15:50 +0000

Floods in Thailand have killed 14 people and badly affected southern holiday islands as the country heads into the December to January high season for tourism.

A low pressure system has brought heavy rain to parts of the south including the islands of Samui and Phangan in the Gulf of Thailand, and floods have also severed the rail link to the south and Malaysia beyond.

Full story on Coconuts Bangkok here

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Halong Bay cruises suspended

chris — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 11:31:15 +0000

The worst flooding for 40 years in Vietnam’s northern Quang Ninh province, home to the UNESCO-listed Halong Bay, has killed at least 17 people and damaged thousands of houses. Vietnamese authorities have issued a temporary ban on overnight cruises into Halong Bay for safety reasons.

Presently, however, the torrential rains in Halong have significantly decreased and are expected to stop within the next few days. The road from Hanoi to Bai Chay Harbor, the access point for Halong Bay, has already been repaired. Only Cam Pha City, located about 30 km to the North of Halong, is still flooded with waste from the nearby coal mines.

Day cruises have been permitted to resume in Halong Bay, but overnight cruises remain prohibited.

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Mt. Kelud erupts. East Java blanketed in ash – Indonesia

chris — Mon, 17 Feb 2014 09:18:30 +0000

Mt. Kelud, located about 50km west of the city of Malang, erupted on 13 February, shooting a column of smoke and ash about 10km into the air and people in a radius of 10km have been evacuated. Ash rains started to descend in the early morning hours and winds have carried the ash clouds westward affecting cities as far as Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Solo and Semerang.

The area around Mt. Kelud is not a prime tourist location, though the city of Malang in not to far distance is often visited by tourists and also serves as starting point of visits to the famous Mt. Bromo. While the area east of Mt. Kelud reported in the morning no further ash or dust descending, Yoyakarta was covered in ash and dust, and the airports of Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Solo and Semarang, which also serve international flights, have been closed until further notice.

The temples of Pramabanan and Borobudur have been closed. Borobudur has been covered in cloth as protection against the descending ashes and will stay closed until further information from Conservation Department of Borobudur and Preservation of Culture Heritage of Jogjakarta.

Over the day many domestic flights in Java have been cancelled as well as some of the International flights, including flights into Bali.

All other major destinations in Indonesia, such as Bali and any islands further East, Jakarta, Kalimantan and Sumatra are not affected and are operating as normal.

See video here: Mount Kelud erupts, East Java, Indonesia

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Vietnam braces for Typhoon Nari

chris — Mon, 14 Oct 2013 05:59:06 +0000

Typhoon Nari is forecast to strike Vietnam at approximately 18:00 GMT today – 14 October. This information is supplied by the US Navy and the Air Force Joint Typhoon Warning Center suggests that the point of landfall will be near 16.1 N, 108.6 E. Nari is expected to bring maximum sustained winds to the region of around 166 km/h (103 mph). Wind gusts in the area may be considerably higher.

According to the Saffir-Simpson damage scale the potential property damage and flooding from a storm of Nari’s strength (category 2) at landfall includes:
• Storm surge generally 1.8-2.4 metres (6-8 feet) above normal. Some roofing material, doors, and window damage to buildings;
• Considerable damage to shrubbery and trees with some trees potentially blown down;
• Considerable damage to mobile homes, poorly constructed signs, and piers;
• Coastal and low-lying escape routes will potentially flood 2-4 hours before the arrival of the storm center.
• Small craft in unprotected anchorages could break moorings. There is also the potential for flooding further inland due to the heavy rain.

Hoi An government has just requested all beachside resorts including Palm Garden Resort, Hoi An Beach Resort, Victoria Hoi An Resort, Sunrise Resort, Boutique Hoi An Resort and other nearby resorts to move guests to Danang city hotels & resort for the guests’ safety. Other resorts located around Da Nang beach are not moving guests to other places but suggest guests not to leave their rooms this evening and instead take room service.

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Singapore/Malaysia Haze update

chris — Tue, 25 Jun 2013 01:05:35 +0000

The regional haze map released by Asean Specialised Meteorological Centre (ASMC) showed thick smoke/smog emanating from open burning for land clearing in Riau, Central Sumatra, Indonesia and wind blowing from southwest has brought haze to the central and southern parts of peninsular Malaysia. According to a statement issued by the Department of Environment (DOE), the rising of Air Pollutant Index (API) readings to “unhealthy” and “hazardous” levels was expected to persist until August.

As of yesterday (Monday, 24 June), the air quality remained at unhealthy levels in Kuala Lumpur, Selangor, Melaka and Negeri Sembilan with the API readings ranging from 157-198.
Based on the air quality index, reading of between 0-50 is categorized as good, 51-100 (moderate), 101-200 (unhealthy), 201-300 (very unhealthy) and 300 and above hazardous.

The Malaysian Government has declared a haze emergency at two places, namely the Muar and Ledang district in Johor , which are located over 184km and 174km respectively from Kuala Lumpur, as their API readings hit above 300 yesterday night.

Other than these localized areas, the rest of the country is haze-free. The air quality is moderately good in Penang, Langkawi, the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia as well as Sarawak and Sabah.

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Floods in Jakarta

chris — Sat, 19 Jan 2013 08:08:13 +0000

Update on the current flood situation in the Indonesian capital.

Floods which hit Jakarta since this week have spread to other areas inside the capital. The government has announced a state of emergency until January 27th and has various contingency plans in place. Right now, according to sources inside the government, the situation is under control.

Only parts around the Ciliwung river is affected, resulting in local residents seeking refuge in other areas of the capital. Destination Asia Indonesia informed, after verifying this with the local suppliers, that some of the excursions may see some change of itinerary.

Jakarta International Airport is 100% operational but. should the situation worsen, flights can be diverted to nearby airport for safety precautions. Communication lines are up and down, due to the floods.

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Bangkok’s 2nd airport closed by floods

chris — Wed, 26 Oct 2011 04:18:05 +0000

Bangkok’s second airport, Don Muang, has been closed due to floods causing a cancellation of many domestic flights.

The airport also houses the government’s recently established emergency Flood Relief Operations Center, and one of its terminals has been converted into an overcrowded shelter filled with tents for about 4,000 people who fled waterlogged homes.

Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport, the country’s main international gateway, has yet to be affected by flooding and flights there were operating normally. Most of the city has been spared inundation so far.

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Cambodia Floods update

chris — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 14:17:26 +0000

Siem Reap – water levels are receding, weather is good and the flooding that was plaguing the old market area and Pub Street has gone and the roads are dry.
Access to all floating villages including Chong Kneas is not a problem.
Sambor Prei Kuk – its still problematic to visit this temple complex near Kompong Thom, though a private car can navigate the broken access road. The province remains the worst hit.
Phnom Penh – we’ve had some rain but the city remains dry and threat of flooding also receding.
Takeo & Phnom Da – the water levels are too high and the boat trip too uncomfortable for this trip to be included in any tours at the moment.

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Update on the flooding in Siem Reap and surrounding provinces

chris — Mon, 26 Sep 2011 04:02:40 +0000

Siem Reap Area.
The Siem Reap River, Old Market Area and Pub Street are now submerged in around 30 centimetres of slow moving water; it is safe to walk around the area though if you don’t mind getting wet! Travel by tuk tuk, van and larger vehicles is still possible.

Temples of Angkor
In the central Archaeological Park, Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom, including Bayon, remain accessible, as is the Roulos Group on the outskirts of Siem Reap. Some of the smaller temples in the area are difficult to access and as of today, 26th of September, the following Temples are inaccessible: Ta Prohm, Banteay K’Dei and Neak Pean due to high water levels inside the compounds; there are also several roads that have been cut by flood waters.

Chong Kneas Floating Village on the Tonle Sap lake is currently inaccessible however there are alternative locations on the Tonle Sap lake that are still able to be visited.

Phnom Penh
There is currently no flooding in the capital, Phnom Penh

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Flooding in Siem Reap, Cambodia

chris — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:01:04 +0000

Over the past few days Siem Reap and surrounding provinces have experienced heavy rain and flooding in many areas, including the centre of the tourist town of Siem Reap.

Banteay Srey Temple and Kbal Spean have been blocked by floodwaters and will remain inaccessible for at least the next few days. A large number of tourists have been trapped by the rising waters but are safe on high ground; none of our clients have been affected

It is expected that The Siem Reap River, Old Market Area and Pub Street will experience some flooding over the coming days

We also expect the road to the Chong Kneas Floating Village to be affected and possibly closed in the next few days. There are alternative locations on the Tonle Sap lake that are still able to be visited.

There are currently no reports of major flooding around any of the main temples, however… yet!

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Malaysian Dive Spots to reopen

chris — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 06:53:52 +0000

Nine dive spots in Malaysia that were closed in June last year are expected to be re-opened soon. The dive spots were closed after coral reefs in the vicinity were bleached. The exact reason for the bleaching is not known but speculation is that the change in sea temperature and also human impact could be responsible.

The re-opening of the sites welcome news for Malaysia;s tourism industry as they are popular amongst dive tourists. The Marine Parks Department said the sites included the islands of Perhentian, Redang and Tenggol in Terengganu State, and other islands in Pahang and Kedah

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Storms in Thailand

chris — Tue, 02 Nov 2010 12:49:02 +0000

The recent storm which brought heavy rain to the Northern and Eastern provinces of Thailand is heading south and is currently over Koh Samui. There have been some torrential downpours and strong winds, resulting in some parts of the island having their electricity supply cut off. Internet connections on the island are unstable.

Currently, all departure and arrival flights to and from Koh Samui Airport are delayed. A Thai Airways flight was unable to land at Koh Samui this morning and was forced to return to Bangkok. However, as of yet, no airline has cancelled any flights. Also, the passenger ferry service is unable to operate.

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Coral Bleaching: Malaysia bans divers in bid protect reefs

chris — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 14:48:38 +0000

Malaysia is renowned for its wonderful marine world and nearly half a million divers come here every year to admire some of the world’s most popular diving sites. The attention is fantastic as it helps raise awareness of some of the problems associated with global warming, yet on the other hand, such an amount of divers continuously returning to a few spots has a very negative impact. Due to the rising sea temperature (from 27°C to 29°C), the corals have started to develop a condition known as bleaching. Between 60 – 90% are already affected and without a ‘rest’ they will surely die.

The Department of Marine Parks has been very clear about necessary actions to be taken in order to give the corals a chance to recover; twelve most frequented and most threatened sites around the islands of Tioman, Redang and Perhentian have been ‘closed’ until the end of October 2010. That way, no divers will come anywhere near them and the stress will be at least limited. Even though the increased temperature is the main cause of coral bleaching, divers often accidentally touch or brush over the corals, raise sand from the sea bed and generally damage the corals. One or two would not make a difference, however, half a million divers undoubtedly does.

The Department of Marine Parks as well as environmentalists hope that the corals will have time to regenerate naturally and with a bit of luck will survive. Fortunately, they are prepared to fight uncontrolled tourism and protect their marine world as fiercely as possible in order to preserve its fragile beauty.

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Vietnam, Cambodia clean up after deadly storms

chris — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:45:06 +0000

A massive clean up is continuing across Indochina after typhoon Ketsana left a destructive path through central Vietnam and Cambodia.

The storm destroyed or damaged nearly 170,000 homes and flattened crops in six Vietnamese provinces, officials said, while more than 350,000 people were evacuated from the typhoon’s path.

The coastal resort town of Da Nang was hardest hit, with hundreds of people injured and thousands of homes destroyed. Flooding was also reported in the port town of Hoi An, another popular tourist spot.

Floodwaters rose and mudslides buried houses in Vietnam while storm winds flattened houses in Cambodia.

The storm, which first struck the Philippines on the weekend, killing 246 people and leaving 42 missing, cut through Vietnam and Cambodia as it made its way into Laos and Thailand.

Vietnamese government officials said it could confirm that 66 people were killed during the storm, some by landslides and some by falling trees.

Cambodian authorities put the death toll there at 11.

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