For you Cavebaby....rural Alor Star

For you Cavebaby in Planet Kambing...... Hope this helps... and here's your flat-as-a-pancake picture...

This is rural Alor Star. Alor Star as you know is the state capital of Kedah, which incidentally is known as the rice bowl of Malaysia. Yup...the names says it all. This is the place where you see lots of paddy fields.

We're practically surrounded by paddy fields and our lives are intertwined with the paddy planting season. This is the time of the year when farmers start to harvest their paddy. The harvesting will continue for the next one month or so. After that will be the the 'torture-months' for those with allergic to stuff in the air cos the farmers will be burning (yup, non environmental friendly) the stalks.

This was a little trip taken by Rainbow, Papa Rainbow and Mama Rainbow on Friday evening to the paddy fields. Unlike previous times when we would cycle, we decided to walk. First to go into paddy territory by going under the railway bridge. Papa Rainbow had his knapsack for his camera and a flask of cold water for Rainbow in case her parched throat needed watering. 8) Do not underestimate the height of this bridge... a car an still pass under it! And notice the old makcik (aunty) by the river??? She is fishing!! Life is idyllic here!!

This is how paddy looks like.... very much like wheat, right? This particular area is still not quite ripe yet. So everything looks really green still. While this is growing, the farmer would fertilize and keep the pests away. Keeping the pests away is a lot of hard work.

Some of the nearby fields are already a golden colour and harvesting activities have also begun. Notice how the harvester is surrounded by birds?? They're all excited by the prospects of free grain. It's quite a sight to behold...all those birds flying round and round the machine. In days of old, harvesting was a back breaking job... the farmer would use a machete to cut the paddy stalks.

See the 3 shadows?? They are (from left) Mama Rainbow, Rainbow and Papa Rainbow, all three of us busy snapping away! I was trying out my new camera phone...at 8.1 megapixels, it's supposed to take nice pics. This particular field is not quite the golden hue yet. Probably will be a week or so before the farmers start to work on this patch. The farmers make sure the whole field does not ripen together...

This is the kampung or the village...right in the paddy fields. It's rather rustic and quite charming. Life is relaxed and easy here... in the evenings you can see lots of people on the road, hanging out with their friends and family. I always enjoy coming here in the evenings. The canals have just been dredged to prepare for the next planting season. You don't see any water plants in it. Planting during the drier season is made possible by the canals which bring in water. Paddy cannot grow without water.....they need lots of them!!

Two canals diverge in a kampung of paddy farmers...... LOL!!! I could go on some more but I shan't cos I've been quoting Robert Frost quite a bit lately... under the tree there's a family. They are fishing!

That's me, with Rainbow hanging on to me for dear life on a rickety bridge. These bridges connect the fields and houses on both sides. Notice that the earth on the river bank is all cracked. That's because the canal was quite dry for some time and the dry season has started. The sun is really hot at this time of the year but the north easterly wind brings with it the the cold winds of winter from China. So, cold wind and hot sun.... one gets burnt easily!

This is paddy, still green, in its full muddy glory. You would not want to walk into the soft mud. Early in the planting season, the whole paddy field will look like a sea... sometimes it feels like we're living on islands in the middle of an ocean. The fields then becomes a place to fish...but one has to watch out for slippery creatures like the cobra!

As it was already getting late..... like the birds in the sky who were making their way home...we too started our walk back home. Notice the formation that they fly in? It was quite a fun evening out...... hope this helps you in your homework.

BTW, I've previous posts on the paddy fields here and here.

Update 31/1/2009
Cavebaby's end product... Yahoo for her and her kiasu parents...LOL!
http://planetkambing.blogspot.com/2009/01/cavebabys-homework-results.html