Ash Fallout and Red Shirt Fallout

Sunset over S. China Sea

Ash Fallout and Red Shirt Fallout

I had spent more than three fabulous but very hot weeks in Penang when Don joined me on a surprise holiday for nine days more.

Penang to Hong Kong is a mere four and a half hour flight. Having changed my return-flight I was on standby on Saturday 17th April, 2010.

We left our hotel at five am for the airport. The dark drive in thunder and lightning and pouring rain took twenty five minutes. At the airport we found within an hour or so all flights fully booked and we were told there were no seats available on flights the next few days, we could try and get on one perhaps on Thursday 22nd April, five days away and only maybe. With much help from the Penang airport staff we managed to buy another set of tickets for another airline to take us to Kuala Lumpur and then late evening to Hong Kong.

It had never occurred to us we would be thwarted by two fallouts – Eyjafjallajoekull Volcano in Iceland and the Red Shirts Bangkok. Several flights to Bangkok were cancelled but nothing on the scale of those going to Europe. Though not close to the hub of any of the disaster-affected areas we found ourselves locked in with a few groups, of the millions stranded globally in airports. But both Penang Airport and Kuala Lumpur International Airport were reasonably quiet, not crowded out by stranded passengers.

Relaxed and waiting

If one chooses to be stranded let it be KLIA, spacious with a feel of calm and green view all around, and internal clump of tropical trees and a waterfall.

Bamboo Grove in Airport

Waterfall in Airport

From Beijing across east and west no flights; and air passengers – tourists to professionals and business men and women camped about with limited access to food and water and comforts of a home. With disastrous effect air-freight trade has come crashing – no fresh fish, fresh vegetables and fruit, fresh flowers and other perishables. Farms and farm animals and productions and services abandoned and workers sent home even in countries not directly affected by the volcanic ash. The economic effect globally unimaginable.

A Dunkirk-style evacuation is being mounted by Britain and some planes have resumed flight to the echoes of a new spew of ash – a mixture of glass, sand and rock particles – from the Volcano.

Having experienced the 2004 Tsunami in Khao Lac, Phuket we knew a little of what it was like to be stranded for a day, a night and morning in swimsuits with no food and water, no bed and overflowing toilets. But five days at an airport with no proper toilet and shower facilities, no change of clothing, not much food and drink, and many sick running out of medication was difficult to imagine.

With much sympathy for the few pockets of airport refugees we met at the KLIA we arrived home at midnight, weary and grateful. We will never fully comprehend or feel the enormity of this disaster that now has a global domino effect.