Just had the most unexpected conversation yesterday about the use of solar power in Singapore, with the most unlikely of all persons. The owner of the battery shop decided he wanted to chat with me about solar panels and the works when all I intended to do was to buy a battery charger for the car.
It turned out to be a rather interesting chat and it has piqued my interest in the possibility of experimenting with this 'green' technology.
Instead of investing huge sums of money, the rough idea is to experiment first to discover the possibilities and practicalities before moving on and investing more heavily in it. I am not quite sure how much it will translate to in cost savings, however, one must realised that this is a mindset and commitment to go 'green' rather than to achieve monetary rewards.
The whole idea is still at the planning stage. So we will see how this pans out.
In the meantime, a site to tell you more about hooking your place to the sun
http://www.freesunpower.com/
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Friday, June 18, 2010
Cameron Highlands 11-16 June 2010: Facts and Figures
For those with a fetish for statistics (namely me)
Start: 11 June 2010 0530 hrs
End: 16 June 2010 2345 hrs
Total distance: 1288km
Accomodation:
Cameron Highlands: Casa del la Rosa
3 nights, Room 308, 2nd floor
265 RM / night, total 768 RM
KL: One World Hotel
2 nights, Room 2111
total 690 RM
Diesel
1.7 RM/L
Total diesel cost: 268 RM
Total diesel: 158L
Touch N Go
Cost of Card: 10 RM
Total Top up: 220RM
Start: 11 June 2010 0530 hrs
End: 16 June 2010 2345 hrs
Total distance: 1288km
Accomodation:
Cameron Highlands: Casa del la Rosa
3 nights, Room 308, 2nd floor
265 RM / night, total 768 RM
KL: One World Hotel
2 nights, Room 2111
total 690 RM
Diesel
1.7 RM/L
Total diesel cost: 268 RM
Total diesel: 158L
Touch N Go
Cost of Card: 10 RM
Total Top up: 220RM
Cameron Road Trip 11-16 June 2010
This started off as a simple idea. Landies with kids will make better travel mates. And so we rounded up Tim/Yvette and Jack/Eng Chin for a short easy trip to Cameron. This is with the assumption that we will all be more understanding of needs like: diaper change, feedings stops, toilet breaks etc.
We meet up at Tuas Drive West at 0530 hrs, just outside the entrance to Raffles Marina. Crossing over via the lorry lane was hassle free this time and soon we were on our way after an obligatory last minute stop at the Gelang Patah.
One new encounter was the need to purchase a Touch 'n' Go card from the first toll booth. While I did not like the idea of a stored value card, not knowing when it will be replaced or expire, it turned out to be quite a useful item as it did smooth out the journey, cutting down on the time wasted at toll booths.
The drive up was generally uneventful. The only real excitement occurred during our run up Cameron via the old road from Tapah. At one bend, before reaching the Lata Iskandar waterfall, we caught a glimpse of a while pick up tip over the end of the cliff and disappear from sight. We stopped to assist only to find the pick up at least 20m down a steep ravine. However, the 2 passengers were fortunately uninjured.
We stayed at the Casa del la Rosa, someway between Tanah Rata and Brinchang. Rooms were clean and adequate with a nice but small garden at the rear for a nice morning stroll the next day.
The 2 days were spent exploring the myriad of sights available on Cameron. However, due to the weekend and school holidays, we spent some time on the roads fighting traffic, usually against our favour. However, the best 2 activities was the visit to the Sungai Palas Tea Centre where we spent a lazy afternoon sipping tea and allowing the kids to play together. The views of the surrounding slopes of the tea garden was gorgeous.
We also had the fortune of visiting Jack's uncle's farm. This was a non-tourist visit to a farm, involving a short route of travel of narrow steep tracks to a couple of vegetable plots high above the main tourist route. We were thrilled by the off-road experience and also pleasantly surprised with the opportunity to pick and eat ripe tomatoes and strawberries right off the vine. It was an unforgettable experience especially for the kids. I am glad we shared the same philosophy that our singaporean children need to be exposed to the outdoors and other experiences far from the urban landscape. The drizzle made the experience so much more surreal. Jack's uncle was very generous and offered us vegetables from his plot. With the landies loaded with vegetables and pots of plants, we headed down the wet slippery slopes back to Brinchang.
Will follow on with another post on trip facts and figures
We meet up at Tuas Drive West at 0530 hrs, just outside the entrance to Raffles Marina. Crossing over via the lorry lane was hassle free this time and soon we were on our way after an obligatory last minute stop at the Gelang Patah.
One new encounter was the need to purchase a Touch 'n' Go card from the first toll booth. While I did not like the idea of a stored value card, not knowing when it will be replaced or expire, it turned out to be quite a useful item as it did smooth out the journey, cutting down on the time wasted at toll booths.
The drive up was generally uneventful. The only real excitement occurred during our run up Cameron via the old road from Tapah. At one bend, before reaching the Lata Iskandar waterfall, we caught a glimpse of a while pick up tip over the end of the cliff and disappear from sight. We stopped to assist only to find the pick up at least 20m down a steep ravine. However, the 2 passengers were fortunately uninjured.
We stayed at the Casa del la Rosa, someway between Tanah Rata and Brinchang. Rooms were clean and adequate with a nice but small garden at the rear for a nice morning stroll the next day.
The 2 days were spent exploring the myriad of sights available on Cameron. However, due to the weekend and school holidays, we spent some time on the roads fighting traffic, usually against our favour. However, the best 2 activities was the visit to the Sungai Palas Tea Centre where we spent a lazy afternoon sipping tea and allowing the kids to play together. The views of the surrounding slopes of the tea garden was gorgeous.
We also had the fortune of visiting Jack's uncle's farm. This was a non-tourist visit to a farm, involving a short route of travel of narrow steep tracks to a couple of vegetable plots high above the main tourist route. We were thrilled by the off-road experience and also pleasantly surprised with the opportunity to pick and eat ripe tomatoes and strawberries right off the vine. It was an unforgettable experience especially for the kids. I am glad we shared the same philosophy that our singaporean children need to be exposed to the outdoors and other experiences far from the urban landscape. The drizzle made the experience so much more surreal. Jack's uncle was very generous and offered us vegetables from his plot. With the landies loaded with vegetables and pots of plants, we headed down the wet slippery slopes back to Brinchang.
Will follow on with another post on trip facts and figures
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
