SEVERAL months ago the southwesterly winds blew smoke from Indonesia that caused the haze and the inconveniences that followed. Seasonal winds have played a vital role in shaping the destiny of this nation for centuries. Traders, adventurers, explorers and conquerors have depended on and made use of these seasonal winds to travel.
Admiral Cheng Ho travelled from China as the head of a fleet of ships numbering in the hundreds. These ships, which were propelled by the monsoon winds, were used for barter trade, not for conquest of territories.