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I am sitting in a high backed easy chair with arms that curve up and down sensually. Out the window I can only see the tops of palm trees out to 200 meters and the spire of Taman Putra Perdana. The torrential downpour shrouds the rest of the world in a gray mist. An hour ago I could clearly see the dramatic oversized moire cables of the Seri Wawasan Bridge, and the dramatic onion shaped  minarets  of both the Putra Mosque and the office of the Prime Minister of Malaysia. Any of those landmarks are good for a story on their own. But right now the rain, lightning, and grand opulent rolling thunder take center stage.

It’s quite a show! Every day by 3pm tall black featureless clouds amble in from the north. You can see them an hour away. Today I could sense them approaching while sitting in this very spot. I couldn’t see them from my seat but I knew they were about to make their appearance. The color of the air changed a little, the wind shifted, the distant drumroll of thunder offered ample announcement.

This has been quite a trip. Yesterday the rain caught us while driving. Due to the sensitive nature of our cameras, we can’t have even 1 drop of rain on any of our 8 lenses. We found ourselves at a highway underpass, along with some motorcylists, hiding from the torrents of rain. But it found a way to get me soaked. The first time a car went by, the splash soaked the backs of my legs while I was slipping the lens covers on the rig. I thought I had the rain beat by hiding behind the car when the next vehicles went by. But the truck sent up a wave that soaked us both even behind the car! Now, ducking my head low behind the car, below the windows as each car past I felt better… until a van got the angles just right and soaked me again! I laughed out loud, totally soaked with the clean warm rainwater.
(this photo taken 5 minutes after the rains let up a bit)