The blind leading the blind??

KO SAMUI RIDE – 28th Aug – 1st Sept 2009

(please click on the pictures to zoom in)

Now, before you accuse me of posting pornography, let me categorically state that this is not the case. The rock solid picture on the left is from Ko Samui and the locals call it the grandfather rock! It is a rock formation that nature has made and interestingly so, nature also made a grandmother rock! Comprende?

Now that I've got your interest, do read on…

Day 1, Friday, 28th Aug 2009. (KL- Hatyai)
After months of discussion and planning, finally the 28th August arrived. This was the day that we would start for Ko Samui…and it rained! It had been raining since the night before and it would not let up. But Kwa and I decided to follow thru with the plan when we met up at the Petronas Damansara and started to ride northwards on the NSE. After all, we are bikers mah!

Along the way, we stopped at the Tapah R&R for hot coffee and sandwiches before we continued on to meet up with Francis at Sg Perak, the next rendezvous point. When we arrived there, Francis was with Caltex Tan (another V Rider) waiting for us. Caltex was on his way to Grik when he spotted Francis’ V and decided to stop by for a chat and to wait with Francis for us. The 4 of us chatted for a while and after having topped up our bike, Francis, Kwa and I rode towards Juru Auto City to meet with CM.

We arrived there at about 12.30pm and we had a quick lunch at McD while we waited for CM to join us. It was still raining then and I could feel the wet in my boots. After a short while, CM arrived and soon we 4 jolly riders were heading to border.

Along the way, we stopped at Changlun to get our Thai insurance for the bike, changed our ringgits to Thai bahtss and had a little makan before we crossed the border. We also tried to stop at the last petrol station in Changlun for fuel before entering Thailand but most of the stations were out of petrol. So we had to U-turn back for a couple kilometers to top up our bikes. It was still worth it considering that petrol costs RM 3.30/litre in Thailand. A lesson learnt - don’t do things at the very last moment. We could have topped up at the next available station while in Changlun, instead of the last.

Going thru the border was a breeze this time around and it took us less then 30 mins before we were heading for Hatyai, our 1st stop in this ride. Kwa had helped to book rooms at the Chachuda Place during his recent Hatyai Bike Week trip and it was a real welcomed sight after having rode in the wet for the last few hours. By now, the rain had stopped. I think it was the Malaysian rain that had followed us earlier and it did not have a passport to follow us thru the border!

After having settled in, we took a tuk-tuk into town for dinner and thereafter jalan-jalan around the Lee Gardens area. It had been a long and wet ride for us and we were all tired. So after the Lee Gardens, we headed back to hotel for a good rest. Riding with our new pal Francis has taught us a trick or two. As I had mentioned ealrier, our riding boots were wet and they would definitely not be able to dry out by the next day. This bloke passed on a useful tip - stuff plenty of newspaper into the boots to absorb the water. We did that twice and on the 3rd time, left them in the boots till the next morning. And you know what? It was dry the next day! A damn good idea. Secondly we learnt that he wore rubber instead of riding gloves while riding in the wet since it would keep his hands dry and comfortable. Kwa thought that it was a compromise on safety so he improvised by wearing the rubber gloves inside before putting on the riding gloves and got best of both worlds!!!!! They say necessity is the mother of invention...and I am sure we've just witnesses that.

Day 2, Saturday, 29th Aug 2009 (Hatyai to Donsak / Ko Samui)
We got up early and had our breakfast at the usual shop nearby the hotel which serves noodles and tim sum. After that, it was back to the rooms for a short rest before we started our ride from Hatyai to Donsak via the “coastal route”. Along the way we had to stop for petrol for a particular BIG bike which consumed so much more petrol then the V and to repair his faulty signal light. I had preprogrammed my GPS to take us on the coastal route towards Donsak (I have never been to Ko Samui before and it was a case of the blind leading the blind!) But this wonderful gadget took us all the way without a missing a turn. Hah…now even the “blind” can lead!!!! But on a more serious note, those who are adventurous should never leave home without it!

Expecting the coastal road to be more scenic, we found that it was so only along the Songkhla stretch. Soon, it was a a ride without much view of the sea or beach but going thru small towns and villages. It was nice as there were less traffic compared to the central route, which we took on our return journey. Passing thru Nakon Si Thammarat, we decided to have lunch (noodles, fried chicken and fish at a road side stall) and also to top up our bikes. From the preplanned route, it took us thru the town center before joining the main road and the traffic was really bad in Nakon. We needed about 30 mins to clear a short stretch in the town center, but after that, it was a smooth ride all the way to Donsak for the ferry to Ko Samui. Somehow, our timing was just right as we arrived at Donsak at 2.30pm (local time), just in time for the 3pm ferry. It costs THB240 for a bike and it’s rider since our bikes were classified as BIG bikes. The 33km ferry ride to Ko Samui lasted for about 2 hrs.

While approaching Ko Samui, the weather looked like it was about to rain and since my GPS is actually a phone and is not waterproof, I requested for Francis to use his waterproof Garmin to guide us from the pier to the hotel. After having disembarked from the ferry, we continued our ride to Lamai Beach where Bonny hotel was located. Francis led the group using his GPS and after about 30 mins of riding on the island we found the location but somehow missed the small hotel entrance by about 5 meters. So we asked for directions from a local who couldn’t help us but a orang putih showed us where Bonny was at! From this incident, it was very clear that Koh Samui had been invaded by the whites.

My personal observation while riding to Bonny was that the road was narrow and undulating at times. Some parts of the road were made of cement while some were tarred. The cement parts made the ride felt “harsher”, not very friendly to my back.

Bonny Hotel. The place was ok except that the shower was weak and the bathroom floor was slippery. The good point about this place was that it has 2 beds , a single and a double. And you know what, thanks to Francis, Kwa got the double (man, he was damn happy you know, since a double bed sleeps double mah! Wonder if he got double sleep?) We took a short rest before heading out for dinner. We strolled along Lamai town to familiarize ourselves and noticed that there were many makan shops but mostly catering to the whites. Since it was our first trip to Ko Samui, we did not had much of a choice but to just picked a decent looking shop for our dinner. Mat-Salleh style, every one of us ordered a rice and dish and we shared out the dishes. A good idea too since it was not that expensive, less then THB200 each with beer! And it was election week that weekend and no beer was allowed to be sold in bottles/cans in public areas. So we had ours served in glasses (hey, we got class mah). Cheers!

After dinner we strolled around town and went for a foot massage (THB250/hr). Kwa didn’t like the massage and thought that it was lousy…like tickling the toes and feet. After the massage, we found a road side food court and decided to order some local snacks. While we will having our snacks, we noticed a mat salleh drinking beer from a bottle! So our beer drinking CM went over to enquire, and then off he went to 7-11 and returned with 3 cans of beer and a soft drink. So not only Malaysia Boleh but Thailand also Boleh. And with that we called it a night.

Day 3, Sunday, 30th Aug 2009.(Round Ko Samui island ride)
From the recommendations of Mrs. Nong of Bonny hotel, we went to Lamai market for breakfast but after checking out the place, we decided a change of venue as we were not too comfortable with what was being offered at the market… local fares, with lots of deep fried stuff. While looking for an alternative for breakfast, we somehow got separated from Francis but we manage to meet up again after a short while. Not sure where he went, but we later found a nice and clean shop for our breakfast. Some of us had noodles while others rice with duck. It as a real decent meal with nice surrounding. After breakfast, we started our round island ride. First, we visited the Grandfather and Grandmother Rock (Hin Ta and Hin Yai). Then CM insisted on visiting the Mango Village Resort (a most interesting place known only to him). We also visited Wat Khunaram where we saw the Mummified Monk and rode thru Nathon (the main town). Later, we came across the Big Buddha, a tourist location. We also rode pass the up-market Chaweng Beach, View Point. Lunch at a very nice cliff top cafe overlooking the sea before we headed back to Lamai Beach and Bonny Hotel. We took a rest before strolling again, this time for some shopping. The later part of the day, we went for a swim at Lamai Beach, minus Francis who preferred to relax on a borrowed beach chair, reading an old copy of the Sun paper. Maybe he can cannot swim????

In the evening, we went for dinner and as usual and after dinner sat at the roadside food court for some snacks, beer and chit chat. Since we will be riding back to Hatyai the next day, we decided to take an early rest ahead of the long ride back.

Day 4, Monday, 31st Aug 2009 ( Ride from Ko Samui / Donsak to Hatyai via
the central inland route)
We decided to head straight to the ferry terminal without having our breakfast as the weather didn’t looked so good. And since there’s makan sold on the ferry, we could save time by having a light breakfast on the ferry. We took the 7 am ferry, which was only half full with cars and arrived at Donsak at about 10am. Once again, assisted by my GPS programmed for the central route, we made our way through some village roads before joining the trunk road. After a very short ride, I noticed that my right mirror was loose but I did not have the proper tool to tighten it. As a temporary work around, I tried to tie it down with a piece of rubber string but it did not work too well. Riding along, we managed to find a small bike shop. Initially the attending mechanic could not tighten the mirror BUT then came a man wearing a Suzuki tee shirt. He solved the problem easily and did not want to accept any payment. I think he must be the master mechanic of the place :-)

A short distance away from the mechanic was a petrol station and a noodles shop next to it. We decided to have our long overdue breakfast at shop after filling up our bike. Thereafter it was a smooth ride via the central route heading towards Tong Song. There were instances where the road signs pointed to Krabi, and I was a little concern that we were heading the wrong way. Krabi is at the west coast of Thailand and we do not want to go there! Fortunatelt, it was only road signs pointing the way. There were many parts of the central route that were so straight and nice to ride and some of us tested our bike's speed there (what else???).

The outside lane (right) of the road has “exits” at regular intervals that would link to the other side of the road, which was separated from us by a wide piece of land (> 20 ft). I think this is great as it offers a wide buffer zone between the 2 sides of the road and reduces the threat of hitting an oncoming vehicle in case of an accident. The buffer zone has short grass grown, like a field. I was told by someone that sometimes, the local farmers would keep their livestock there (cows, goats, etc.) Overall , it was a good ride as the weather was kind to us, cloudy with a light drizzle here and there.

Along the way, we stopped at Tesco-Lotus in Tong Song for our lunch. The air conditioned food court was a treat and the food was nice. After our lunch and a short rest , we continued with our ride towards Hatyai, heading to Chachuda Place again. As we neared our destination, I decided to overrule the GPS as it was pointing us towards the border, and as a result, we went for a short detour before having to do a U-turn to get to the hotel. By the time we reached Chachuda, it was about 4pm. So we freshened up, took a rest and went for a real Thai massage at Oliver after 4 long days of riding. After that we have our dinner at the Rose E-San restaurant, a short walking distance from Oliver. This is a family operated restaurant and the young daughter and her boyfriend waited on us while mummy cooked. This young lady would “curtsy” with her head (like a slight bow) each time we talk to her. A sign of family upbringing???

Finished our dinner and headed back for a good rest. We would be riding back home sweet home the following day.


Day 5, Tuesday, 1st Sept 2009 ( Ride home)
We had our breakfast at the usual shop again but this time we ordered the famous keow teow fish head for CM and Francis to try. Kwa missed it too, especially so after the Hatyai Bike Week ride. Then it was all the way to the border , duty free shop, top up and straight to Juru. However there was a small incident leaving Hatyai when Francis's bike got tangled up with a kapcai with three young boys (which suddenly turned right in front of him) for a few feet. But both bikes remained upright, separated and went on their separate ways safely.

Heading southwards, CM took us to Nibong Tebal for a very nice lunch , curry udang galah , fish, veg, rice and bread. Thanks CM it was a darn nice meal and price very reasonable too. RM80 plus with drinks for the four very hungry bikers…and I got this place logged into my GPS :-)

And it was from here after the makan that we said bye bye to CM and it was down from 4 riders to 3, heading to Sg Perak where we said our goodbyes to Francis. He had decided to stay in Ipoh for a day, and thereafter we were down to 2 riders.

Continuing the journey, Kwa wanted to buy a very special brand of coffee which he usually buys in Bidor. So when he veered off from the highway into Bidor, I could not join him as there was a trailer between him and me and I over shot the junction (riding too fast I guess). Tried to get Kwa on the phone at the next R&R, but he didn’t pick up the phone. SO I guessed that he was already on the bike by then. From that time onwards, it was a lonely ride all the way back home. The good thing is that all of us reached home safely and this is the MOST important consideration of any ride.

Overall, we had a real good time and a damn good fellowship all the way. Kudos guys and Bravo to you!

Thanks guys for your company. We will ride again….soon. Did I hear someone say Mae Hong Son??? ;-)

Thanks to Kwa and Francis for contributing to this article.

IHVR signing off.

Affinity Banking -Sorry, not biking!

I have come to a point in my life where I had to withdraw money from the EPF to fund my children’s further education. Somehow I choose to start a new account with Maybank so that EPF could deposit my withdrawals directly into this account. So when I went to the bank to open the account, I was asked if I have a Maybank account before. I told the officer that I had an account but had terminated it some years ago, and could not remember the reason why. So I duly filled the form, handed over the money, IC, etc. and waited for the officer to complete the process. And I waited and waited and waited. There were people who came in after me and they completed their transactions and I was still waiting. Finally, patience ran out so I asked the officer concerned what happened to my account. To my surprise, she had overlooked it and it was just sitting in her tray at her desk. Then, it came back to me, why I had terminated the earlier account with MayBank…due to unsatisfactory service. But since I had already started the process, I decided not to judge based on a single incident, and maybe the service from Maybank would have improved over the years. This happened about 1 year ago.

On the 4th Aug, I wanted to buy US currency and a bank draft for my son since he will be leaving for the US soon. This home branch told me that they do not sell US currency and asked me to go to the Jln Meru branch instead. So off I went to the Jln Meru branch and approach an officer, who was sitted behind a desk with a computer. I told her that I wanted to buy some US currency and a US $ bank draft. She told me that my daily limit was RMxxx since this was not my home branch. It was less than what I had wanted, but in order to catch the day’s exchange rates, I decided to purchase what ever my limit would allow. So I enquired about the rates and was told to go out of the bank, around the corner where the bank has a foreign exchange counter to get those rates. The officer told me that she could not see the rates in her computer. So I went out of the bank, around the corner and to the counter. I managed to get the exchange rates, and when I told the counter that I wanted to purchase a bank draft, I was told to the upstairs of the bank. So I went upstairs and asked one of the officers at the counter how to get a number for the queue. She told me to go back downstairs to get a number! So….I was downstairs, got sent out and then back into bank to go upstairs and was told to go back downstairs, even before I can start any transaction! Is this what Maybank’s service is all about?

I left that branch without getting anything done.

Yesterday, I went back to my home branch, bought a US$ bank draft for my son and transferred the rest of my money from that account to another bank. have decided once again to terminate my account with Maybank. But I must express my thanks to Satish Chander, who was most helpful when I was buying the bank draft and tried to empathize with me, I must say that he was the saving grace for Maybank. Apart from that, I am thankful that there are other banks that I can operate my accounts with.

So you heard about affinity banking? It sure looks like there is no affinity between Maybank and me!

Hatyai Bike Week Ride - 4/7 to 5/7.

4/7
On a very nice and early morning (3.30am) of 4/7,myself and Lonerider meet up at Tmn.Klang Jaya for our ride to Hatyai.This is the 1st night or rather dark ride for me,it was nice b'cos is cooling all the way but the downside is you hv to be super alert as is dark.
Since there only 2 of us,no drama all the way.We enjoy a cool,nice and "slow' ride.Stop at B'worth for b'fast at the famous seow bak (bbq pork) mee,ok lah but not as good/nice as Lonerider claimed,(5%-95% theory).Custom clearing was a breeze,stop at Satit Hotel,Danuk to check out room for Koh Samui.We reach Chudchada Place at abt 11am,abit too late to join the bike week ride to Songkhla and since our room was not ready, we went down town to hv lunch with 2 Klang bikers from James Yap group.Not bad chicken rice!!!and if u like and can take chicken skin this is the right place,is thick and juicy!!!On the way we meet Yeoh and the Malacca group (Au Kait and Co.) at Golden Crown Hotel,sitting right in front of the entrance stair.
Then bk to hotel,check in hv a nice shower/rest before heading to town for a good massage.
As is was raining in the evening,we cannot go to the park for dinner,so we join James and the gang for seafood dinner in town.Food was nice but too much and expensive,BTH610/pax.
Once the rain stopped we went to the park,not much changes from last year. This year there is no free makan and beer,so u can see most of the tables is empty,unlike last year.Bought a couple of T-shirts for friend bk home,lepa around then it started drizzling,the next moment we was on our bike and headed bk but thanks to Lonerider,who like rain so much that he took me went rounding(lost his way).he!he! And that's for the night.
5/7
We was up by 7am,went for b'fast but very disappointed we cannot hv the keow teow fish head as the portion is too big for 2 of us so we settle for chichen and tim sum but Lonerider even hv Bak Kut Tea!! what a eater.Is here that we meet Jimmy Yap 58yrs who rides a Suzuki 150 and after some chatting with Lonerider,he decided to join us bk. and we start the exciting ride bk.
After crossing border like a breeze,Jimmy encounter jerking to his bike,so we stop at Petronas for him to change s/plug.Since he was going quite slow,he get him to head start and we join later,abt 30mins but the problem is that we still caught up with him before our next stop,so we stop again under trees/flyover.....He was doing abt 80 to 90km.
Then his bike overheat (coil) and stop before Simpang Pulai toll but was able to re start and go for abt 100 to 200m before it stop again.We discussed and agreed that he will stop/go,stop/go till he reach Simpang Pulai petronas station,which was abt 6km.We waited for abt 45mins before he arrived.Luck was on his side,meet a small lorry stopping for toilet and is wiling to take his bike till Sg Buloh RR.We help to load up the bike onto the lorry,then we head to Bidor for our lunch (5pm) but poor Jimmy was on top of the lorry holding on to his bike.We meet at Sg Buloh RR,unload the bike and head bk to Klang.His bike was ok after the cooling period but still doing 90km.
Anyway,we all reached home safely at abt 7.30pm and this will go down in record as the "most number of stop " for a ride bk from Hatyai to Klang.
Sorry guys,no photos with me.
Lonerider,if you are reading PlS download photos from your camera.
Tks.
Over and out.

Taman Negara Ride (20-21 June 09)

(please click on photo to enlarge and click play on video attached)

On the 20th June 09, I rode with Kwa and Chew from Klang to meet up with the XtremeFreedom Bikers at the BHP station after the Gombak toll. We were joining them for the ride to Taman Negara. CM met us there after having arrived from Penang a few days earlier. After all the riders have arrived, Ong the leader of XtremeFreedom Bikers, briefed the group on the ride and there was a photo shoot (XtremeFreedom). Then we were on the way, riding on the Karak Highway and heading for the Temerloh exit. There were 12 bikes all in all plus a few cars with families (wives and kids). There’s a GTR, 4 Versys, 2 BMW, a couple of Kawa Z series, a Fazer and 1 EN500.

Those of you who are familiar with the Karak Highway will know that there are a few curves to be enjoyed along the way. And although the group consists of quite a diverse bunch of riders (some fast and some not so fast), it was not long before that everyone settled into the ride. The guys were really taking to the curves as if duck to water. You could see the smooth flow of bikes along the highway and this was quite a sight especially, if you happened to be riding at the back of the pack. The ride to the Temerloh exit was uneventful and pleasant. The weather was fine. It was not hot even when we started a little close to 9 am.

Soon we approached the exit and as planned, we had to regroup after the exit. After exiting the toll and waiting for a few minutes, all were riders were accounted for and we proceeded towards the traffic light (T junction) to turn right towards Jerantut, the next destination. But before getting into Jerantut, the group would have to refill at a station about 50km away.

While approaching the T-junction, we all slowed to a stop as the light was red. I turned to the BMW at my left to talk to him but the lights turned green. All the bikes began to zoom off to the right. I turned my throttle, expecting to follow them, but the bike didn’t move! Somehow, while at the junction, my engine died and I did not notice it. So I tried to re-start the bike a few times but was unsuccessful. I sepnt about an hour at this junction before the bike would start again, and it was with the help of Kwa and CM who had back track to help me. What happened? Well….that’s a different story. :-(

After having successfully starting the bike, we rode into Jerantut to rejoin the main group who were having lunch. And since we came in late, Kwa, CM and I sat at a smaller table in the restaurant, where the main group had already ordered and had gone thru their lunch. The restaurant’s owner, taking our orders somehow thought we latecomers also wanted the same dishes as the main group and started to propose the various dishes. Ong asked the owner to speed it up for us as we latecomers were hungry. Some of us needed to go to the bathroom and with all these happening simultaneously, confusion reigned. We did not realized what was ordered until the food came. There was fried hor fun, “manee choy” and a steamed Patin fish. Well, we were hungry, so we ate. It is only when we were paying for the meal that we realized it costs us RM165!!! This was one expensive lunch and the fish alone costs us RM143!!! In case you are wondering where this restaurant is at, it is the

Restoran Tokyo, located at S1 & S2 Taman Intan in Jerantut. But I must be honest as well. The restaurant had a sign in Chinese stating the price of fish in per 100gm. Unfortunately, we did not see earlier on. It is only when we returned the next day to order lunch (but no fish) that we saw the sign. I suspect that this restaurant is famous for the fishes they serve. Why? Cos’ when we were having lunch, delivery came with a big fish. It is really very much bigger than the one you would see in the markets.

After lunch, the group proceeded towards Kuala Tahan, which is part of Taman Negara. After a short distance of about 15 mins, we turned off the main road at a sign pointing towards Taman Negara. This road was narrower and not very well maintained. There were some holes and it was quite common to see small stones on the road. After a while, we went thru a stretch of the same road that was very oily. There were palm tress around and we were going thru a plantation. I guess this is due to the oil palm fruits falling off the trucks which carried them from the plantations for processing. Probably during the journey, some of the fruits had falled off onto the road and got crushed. Overtime, this crushed fruits left behind the oily layer on the road. 2 wheelers must be very careful when passing thru this stretch. I dread to think what it would be like when it drizzles and the film of oil is brought to the surface on the road!

The journey to Kuala Tahan had some interesting stretches with curves and it undulates with slopes that prevent riders from seeing over the top of the slope until you are up on it. Usually when I ride, I tend to use my sights as the primary source to read the road ahead. Due to the limitations on the use of sights, navigating thru this particular road would require one to depend on road signs as a major source of input to help us anticipate what lay ahead, e.g. the road curving to the left or right. Anyway, after riding for about an hour, we finally reached Kg. Kuala Tahan. We would be staying at the Persona Village Resort, which is about 10 mins bike ride to the jetty.

Persona Village Resort is divided into 2 parts. The first consists of the reception, dining area and some chalets. This is the section that we can ride to. Then this section of the resort is connected to a second section via a suspension bridge over a chasm of about 30 ft deep. The second section of the resort consists of chalets only, and the Klang group stayed here.

Upon arriving at about 2pm, we waited at the reception/dining area while Ong sorted out the rooms etc. While waiting, we were told that the boats needed for us to go for the various activities in Tmn Negara had been fully booked for the day, and to RV at the reception at 3.30pm, so that we all could go to the jetty to book our boats for the next morning’s activities. CM went around o gather a group so that we would have 12 pax to a boat.

So we got our key and went to our rooms. After about 15 mins wait, we go our keys and proceeded to cross the suspension bridge to our chalets, They were all air-conditioned, complete with hot water shower. Not bad for RM65 twin sharing. We started to unpack and relax and very soon tt was soon 3.30pm. We met at the reception with our bikes and rode towards the jetty. Upon arrival, I noticed that this “jetty” area had been developed from what was once trees and just “jungle”. This was the spot that was directly across the river from the Mutiara Resort. About 20yrs ago, Mutiara (I think it was called something else then) was about the only “resort” around. Across Mutiara was this little floating restaurant/canteen thing then. Now, the place opposite the Mutiara has developed with more floating restaurants, a few “motels” and a sprinkling of resorts. There’s a lot of people on this side of the river who are mostly are tourists. I venture to guess that this was probably because this side of the river had more rooms or accommodation space than that was available from the Mutiara, and Mutiara is also more expensive!

We proceeded to book a boat for the next morning and then spend some time having drinks at the floating restaurant, just relaxing and taking in the environment. There were motorized boats all over. Some smaller ones would take you across the river for RM1 each way. Then there are some big and small boats meant for excursions, just like the 12-seaters that we have booked. Here, the river is like the highway of the city. Boats are just going up and down the “lazy river”, ferrying people to their destinations. I call it lazy because the water was flowing quite slowly and sort of gives you the feeling of a laid back atmosphere.

After having lazed around for a while, the group decided to cross the river to “recce” the Mutiara. Kwa, CM, Stephan and I went across, paying RM1 each. Upon arriving on the Mutiara side of the river, we had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the main compound of the resort. Noticed that there’s a welcoming committee, complete with drinks and traditional instruments. But they did not “welcome ” us with their music or free drinks since we were not the resort’s guests. We just walked around the grounds of Mutiara, looking it over and enquiring about the price. On the way back, we again had to descend down the stairways, and decided to stop and chat with the hotel staff. Somehow the conversation went on to the topic of rainy season, and we were told that most rainy seasons, the river would swell. However, sometimes the water level can rise to where we were standing, which was more than 20ft above the current level! Just imagine the amount of water it would take to fill up the place and to raise the water level that much! I think it must be a very fast and raging river by then. No more lazy river and no wonder these guys have floating restaurants!!! They would just float, anchored and following the water level. However, I would not sure too sure about the patronage by that time. (Click on picture to enlarge. Each yellow segment that I have inserted is approx 5ft, based on the man standing by the river. Count the number of segments to the middle of the stairways)

After a while we continued down to the river to get a boat across. Luck for us, there were 3 boats waiting for passengers and the boatmen called out to us. Kwa, enterprising as usual, managed to bargain with one of the boats to take us across for RM0.50 each. All of us boarded the boat but I know someone was waiting to see if this boatman would stop the boat halfway across the river and ask us to pay another RM0.50 each just to continue the journey to reach the other side. But he did not do that. :-)

Upon reaching land, we proceeded to ride back to the chalet and to freshen up. There’s going to be a BBQ for dinner. On the way back, Stephan wanted to buy a pair of slippers so that he may use them for the next day’s water activities. However, we both ended up with the “Adidas Kampung” for RM8 per pair. I think it is a better alternative to slippers as it offers better protection.

Dinner time. There’s food at the buffet trays, but the preparation was not fast enough for all the hungry folks. We finished up the fried mee and rice as soon as it came out and had to wait for it to be replenished. Some of the cooks were out BBQing the chicken, fish, prawns and lamb near to the dining area. So we paced our eating. Then beer arrived. Chang brought his mini music system and very soon, we were having a session of food, drink and music! And to say we are staying at Tmn Negara, in tune with nature!Towards the later part of the evening, jokes were flying around, probably because the beer was talking. By then, food was abundant as in most BBQ, the later the evening, the more food gets cooked! It was a good and enjoyable evening with some good fellowship amongst the bikers.

Sunday morning. All those going for the boat ride were supposed to meet at the floating restaurant by 9am, ready to roll. CM, Kwa, Chew, Stephan and I rode to the jetty at 7.30am for breakfast. By 8.30am, I could see my fellow boat-mates congregating at the floating restaurant for breakfast too. All to soon, it was time to start the boating adventure But before we could start the journey, we were told that we need to have “permits” to enter Taman Negara (RM1 each person plus RM5 per camera). Kwa went ahead to arrange to this by crossing the river to the Mutiara, where the permits were being issued.

Once Kwa came back with the permits, we were ready to roll. First stop was the canopy walk. The boat took 12 of us up the river and we disembarked at the designated spot. After a brief hike thru the trees, we came to this “station” where we had to purchase tickets for the canopy walk. Thereafter, it was free time “up there”. Views from up at the canopy were fantastic , and being so closed to the leaves that were “high up there” was really a great feeling…......peaceful....... serene.........., until someone yelled "a-yeeooo-yeeeooooooo", thinking he was Tarzan.

After the canopy walk, we went back to the boat to “shoot the rapids”. This was probably the most exciting part of the day. There were thrills and spills. Everyone got wet as expected and didn’t mind. Heart rates went yo-yo but mostly up and if your heart rate did not go up during this ride, I think you better see a doctor! As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. For the following 1 million words, please see attached video.

After the boat ride, we went back to the chalet so that we may get cleaned, pack and checked out of the chalet.

Once everyone was ready, we gathered at the reception and Ong was there to help us with the check out. As we waited for the rest, 5 of us slower riders decided to ride out first so that we may have lunch (and we were hungry) before the ride back to KL. After saying goodbye to the rest of the group, we headed back to Tokyo restaurant for our lunch (simple dishes and no fish). After lunch, we refueled in Jerantut and started our journey back.

The journey back saw a few of us testing our bikes for speed and some welcome home showers wetted us as we near KL. Our next RV was at the Genting Sempah Petronas where the 5 of us had a short rest, topped up our tanks and said our goodbyes. We went our separated ways. The Klang riders had to endure a very heavy downpour as we near the Damansara toll area, but all managed to get back safe but wet.

Overall, it has been a good weekend. Good fellowship and ride. There was fun and there were new friends made.

Until the next ride…


This is IHVR. Over & out.

Blue skies & everything nice

(please click on the pictures to enlarge)

“Until next week, here’s wishing you blue skies and everything nice” said the DJ to his listeners in the 70’s English radio program. This was his signature closing note. Listening to radio programs was about the only in house entertainment for me then. We did not have a TV nor phone. But those were the happy, carefree days of my youth. In the 70’s blue skies were common everyday sights.

Fast forward to the present day esp. for the Klang Valley, I sometimes see grey sky instead of blue, even when it is a sunny day. This is due to the pollutants in the air that we have introduced over the years, in the name of progress. So you can appreciate my delight when I saw blue sky, white clouds and vast arrays of green at the Bertam Valley of the Cameron Highlands. This is also the site of the first tea garden in Habu, Cameron Highlands when BOH Plantations was founded in 1929 by J.A. Russel. This is also where our Malaysian Nature Society have their dorms and chalets, the place where I and the rest of the bikers would be staying over.

On the 9th May 09, a group of bikers including me started out from the Rawang R&R and headed towards Cameron Highlands from Klang was via the NS Expressway, exiting at Simpang Pulai. The riders were Roberto Yeoh, CM, Terence, Graham, David, Jalil and I. Terence’s friend, Joe joined us at Simpang Pulia.

While riding the NSE, Roberto took the lead at a steady 150 kph. CM’s EN500 was almost at full throttle but he managed to keep the pace. Me? I was the guy behind the EN500, trying to play sweeper. But someone else though that this apek need some looking after, so David (?) was usually behind me. All this was fine until we started to climb towards Cameron Highlands. The younger ones were soon zooming away and eating up the bends and curves as if there’s no tomorrow, and were all “outta sight” in no time. But hey, no problem man. That’s what this ride was about…to enjoy the bends and curves!

We rode up to Cameron Highlands, passing thru Kg. Raja, Tringkap, Brinchang and Tanah Rata. While making our way up thru these places, we chance upon groups of people on the road and some were carrying kavadis celebrating Wesak. Though not a big as we would see in KL, they liven up the ride with their colors and sounds. And of course, our bikes were able to squeeze thru the traffic jam that the celebration had created.

After having arrived at Cameron Highlands and still on the way to our destination, I somehow found myself tin the front of the group. This was probably because the guys waited for me near the turn off to Kg Raja and due to the jam, I managed to get ahead of the other riders. Taking lead, I turned off towards Sg Palas, thinking that this was the way to go to our MNS chalet. But Yeo, who came later told me that this was the wrong way and we all had to U turn back to the main road. So it was while doing this U turn that I made my famous “red jacket tumble”!. Those of you who have seen me fall from my bike before would know what I am talking about. My famous “red jacket tumble” is when I started out from a standstill position, then when I tried to maneuver the bike to another position, I then loose the balance due the weight of the bike falling on one leg. At this point, I had to let the bike fall, with me taking a tumble. Usually, there is no or minimal damage to the bike, e.g. a minor scratch here or there. So far, I have been very lucky to get away with just a bruised ego. And luckily (as always) I have had the help of my fellow bikers to help me pick the bike up. Thank you guys. You know who you are! Why red jacket? Cos I usually wear a red riding jacket, and somebody else that I know did the same thing on a Fazer, and also wore a red jacket!

Continuing the journey, we soon came into Tanah Rata and decided to lunch there. CM and I decided to buy a few pieces of cooked chicken from a Malay stall as take-away. It would serve as part our dinner that night. After lunch, we continued with the journey and arrived at Habu within a very short while. Turning into the road that would take us into the tea plantation, we could see the neatly arranged rows and rows of tea planted along the slopes at the sides of the road. This road was narrow and undulating with lots of bends and blind corners. There were road signs asking us to use the horn at these corners…and my horn died. Why? I dun know! So I have to make sure that I follow another bike who used the horn. The road had loose gravels so we had to be careful so as not to slip on them. Soon, we came to a bend and Joe noticed that Jalil’s white ER6 rear tyre looked a little flat. So all of us stopped and everyone tried to help. It was here that I got to demonstrate my skills in repairing a puncture. I even took out my air compressor to pump up the deflated tyre! (Actually, this was the first time I was doing it, but don’t tell anybody! Hehehe)

After the puncture repair, we continued with our with journey and Bertam Valley soon opened up to us. The view was really something and this was when it struck me, that “blue skies and everything nice” feeling. It was a take-me-home moment, back to the time when I was much younger and life was simpler. Country side was really country sight and not concrete jungle! Some call this déjà vu. Even the road was a part tarred part gravel track and it snaked along the slopes of the hills that created the valley. This winding road soon came to a place that had some orange spokes planted vertically near the edge of the slope, marking the place where we would park our bikes. The group got off and started to admire the view. Roberto pointed to a eucalyptus tree nearby and told that group that koala bears eat the leaves of the tree for food. He even plucked some of the leaves, rubbed them and passed it around for us to smell…like eucalyptus oil (ahem..I think the oil came from the tree lah).

After a while Jalil decided to pump up his tyre again, and thereafter the day trippers (Jalil, Terence, Graham, David and Joe) departed for their ride back. As they rode their way down the slope, they appeared like little dots in the distance. Roberto, CM and I grabbed our stuff and proceeded to climb some steps to the MNS chalet. For those who do not exercise regularly, climbing this flight of steps would probably require a couple of stops before one can get to the top. I stopped twice.

Arriving at the top of the steps, I noticed the MNS logo at the side of the chalet. Looking over the place, I noted that the roof had some green things growing on it. Wow, we were really this close to nature. There are 4 units of the chalet, all arranged in a long house style. Each unit would have 2 rooms and each room would have 2 beds. Entry to the rooms was from the common corridor share by all units. Upon entering the room, there was also a back door that would lead to a common kitchen and bathroom for each chalet. This meant that 2 rooms shared a kitchen and bathroom. There’s a fluorescent light in each room and a few at the corridor. There were also some chairs and tables at the corridor for us to use.

The floor and walls were made of wood, reminiscent of the buildings that I used to see in the smaller towns. The wooden railing at the corridor reminds me of my home when I was in primary school. Again, it was like a welcome home thing! And this would be our home for the next 24 hrs.

The cool weather was good, and we lazed around at the chalet, just admiring the view before us. The valley was in front of the chalet, and to the right was a flat topped hill. Roberto said that there was an airstrip up there and it was used during the colonial days. Not sure if it is still maintained or any plans landed there recently. All around were just tress and rows and rows of tea.

After about an hour, I saw a 4x4 drove up to where we were and I told Roberto that his friends had arrived. Sure enough, Roberto went down to meet them, and one by one, they came up the steps. Some were panting away. They were Eloisa, Lucy, David and “Melayu”. Very quickly, they settled in and we introduced ourselves. The rest of the afternoon was for lazing around.

After a while CM & I decided to ride down to the valley where the workers’ quarters were so we may recce the place. Saw a Tamil school, kindergarten, some children playing football, 2 sundry shops and a factory. Apart from these, it was mostly houses for the workers. It was like another world, isolated from the one that we are so familiar with. Slow paced, and very quiet. After a while, we all then went back to the chalet. Getting bored, Roberto went off to hike up the hill at the back of the chalet and I followed. It was a trek up the hill through the rows of tea. There was not proper path to trek, not as I had thought it would have with the neatly arranged rows of tea. I had to use a route which was a little drain created by the flow of water as it eroded away the soil. Sometimes the “drain” was deep, sometimes shallow. Sometimes the undergrowth obscure where the foot should go. Since I was on a slope, I was constantly aware that I had to ensure proper footing or risk rolling down the hill, like in Jack & Jill!

Halfway up, I decided to stop as there was a lot of “thorns” stocking to my shorts and shirt. These thorns were very similar to the “love grass” that we would find in the fields, only bigger; about 1 inch long. Not sure if these were from the tea. Looking up, I saw that Roberto was already perched on top of a rock that protruded out from the tea, as if saying he's the King of the Hill! After a short rest, I went, back to the chalet. Wanting to clean myself up, I went to the bathroom to try out the gas powered water heater. There were so many pipes running all over that it took some time for me to figure out how it worked. I also showed Lucy how their hot water system worked.

After having washed, I started to look into cooking dinner since the time was about right. I took out my instant noodle and found that the gas regulator for the stove was leaking. This made it dangerous to cook as the leak could lead to a fire, and I do not want to be remembered as the one to burn down the MNS chalet! So I went over to the next unit to use their kitchen. Cooked my instant noodle and heat up the chicken we bought from lunch. CM brought some bread and had the chicken with bread. One this was I forgot to bring along tea or coffee. So we had water with the food for dinner.

While we were eating, the girls were cooking dinner for Roberto and friends. Great dishes! CM and I were invited to join, but we declined ‘cos we already had cooked dinner. After dinner, I brought out a surprise, my little flask of whiskey. CM surprised me with a can of Royal Stout. So the two of us spent the evening sitting at the corridor looking into the dark, which was the valley. We chatted and I put on some music from my phone. Suddenly, I saw this “thing” next to me. Looking closer, it was a spider that was coming down via his string of web. I took my phone camera and started to take pictures, which startled the spider and he went up the same string of web that he came down. The funny thing was, when he went up there’s no web left behind! Hmm…does the spider use a reel system for his web, like a fishing rod?

Soon, my eyes got heavy and I told CM that I was going to bed…at 10.30pm. He too joined me a little later.

Early next morning, about 5 am, I heard people moving about. I got up about 6 am and peered into the valley. The sun was about to rise over the horizon and I could see the reddish sky from the sun’s light. But there was no mist over the valley nor the tea nor the trees! Bummer! I went back to sleep.

Got up again about 7ish and after having cleaned up, I started to pack. The girls next door were already preparing breakfast and again, we were invited to join in. This time, I gladly accepted. Had bread with sardine spread, some fried rice and even a warm cup of coffee. The best meal in the last 12 hrs! Once we finished breakfast, we started to discuss plan about getting home when CM said that he will be riding back to Penang. I decided to accompany down to Simpang Pulia while Roberto and his friends chose the Tapah route. With that, we said goodbye to each other and left the chalet at about 11am. CM and I rode to Brinchang and it was close to noon. So we decided to stop and have lunch. Finishing lunch and riding down to Simpang Pulai, CM and I parted ways. He rode north and I rode south, and I arrived home at about 4.30pm. Why does it take so long? Dunno. Maybe I ride slow?

Until the next ride…

-IHVR-

Biking Lifestyle

Ohhhhh.....after almost 9 years involve in biking lifestyle finaly I have to put a temporary stop!
Last week I sold my AT to a biker friend from IPOH.
With the Eric help; I deliver the bike to IPOH. I did sale my bike to someone who love bike very much.
After sale the bike, a lot of biking friend is asking me what is my next bike? To be true, I am not sure whether I will go back in biking or not. But I will alway update the biking activity around me and I hope those biking will keep me in the mailing list so that I know what is happen seround me.
OK, to those biker out there; ride safe and enjoy your riding

Kuala Gandah & Tasik Chini_11th April

Meet Up Point: Gombak RR (BHP Station)

Date: 1th April 2009
Plan route; Karak H/way, Lanchang (Kuala Gandah), Tasik Chini, Tasik Bera
Plan duration: 2D1N
I feel so lazy to wake up on that Saturday morning; this maybe due to over dos OT on Friday night. I need to support my member to prepare her presentation material. Since I have already promise my ridding buddy then I have no choice to wake up! This will be his last ride before flight off to China. After prepare myself, I left my house around 8.30a.m
After the 45minutre ride via NKVE, I meet up with Woo at BHP along Karak H/way. We meet up with a group for sport biker, they are heading to Karak for nasi lemak…….they all having a nice and new bike….you may see in the photo I attach (GS1200).
After a short rest and chat with those sport biker, we start our journey.
Due to the yesterday over dose OT, I have lost my riding confident. I don’t feel like to riding fast and don’t enjoy much when we start our journey from BHP to Lanchang. Anyhow, I still try my best to concentrate riding.

After an hour ride, we reach Lanchang exit. From here we were heading to Elephant Sanctuary Park. To our surprise, most of the visitor to this elephant sanctuary park is foreigner; almost 95% is foreigner. There only 2 Malaysian family and 2 ‘crazy biker’ in this sanctuary park. Well, I would like to express my gratitude to Jabatan Perhilitan for their well maintains of this park. To be true Malaysia has a nice elephant sanctuary park (although compare to Thailand is very much different) but we Malaysian do not really enjoy this facility, what a waste!

After spend more than an hour in the sanctuary park, we continue our journey to find Malaysia largest fresh water lake, Tasik Chini.
From Lanchang exit, we heading to Maran exit. We stop over at Temerloh R&R for some food and patrol. I have a very bad experience on the R&R price tag which I can’t believe it; it’s more expensive than hotel price liah…..just imagine a plate of economy fried noodle+beehun and an egg will cost you how much???? It is RM5.00!!!! To be true, this is the most expensive economy noodle I have in my life! Please do not visit this stall “Rasa Bintang Timur”!

OK, after refill our stomach and the patrol; we continue our journey. This time, I get back my riding mood! The riding toward Maran is fun and enjoy. When we reach Maran, we encounter a problem to find the road that can lead us to Sungai Pahang. With some natural direction sense, we gone through a small and un tar road. This is tough but very adventure road. After 30minute ride through this ‘trunk’ road, we saw the mighty Sungai Pahang…….so impressive to see the West Malaysia mighty river. We ride along this mighty river until we reach Kampung Belimbing. Kampung Belimbing is the jetty that normally Cub Med patrons visit Tasik Chini via Sungai Pahang and Sungai Chini. We are so lucky that we stop over at this village.
We meet Pakcik ‘Din’ and we start chatting. He told us a lot about Kampung Belimbing history and the previous float incident that hit Kampung Belimbing. From his information we got to know that Tasik Chini Resort was close for renovation. With this unexpected situation, we decided to go back on the same day instead of stay at Tasik Chini. We also decided to take Pakcik Din boat to tour Tasik Chini.
We start our boat journey around 1.45p.m. After cross over Sungai Pahang, we cruise along Sungai Chini before we reach Tasik Chini. Along the way Sungai Chini, we can enjoy the nature scenery…..it is a nice and relax cruising.
Tasik Chini is not as big as I have image to….a little bit disappointed but still worthy to visit. It is peaceful and calm lake, it really can make you feel relax……this is totally different kind of feeling compare to our hectic environment in KL. I have snapped a few photos …..please enjoy it.
After 2 hours cruise & tour at Tasik Chini and Sungai Chini, we come back to Kampung Belimbing jetty. So coincident, once we reach the jetty, it starts raining. The rain is so heavy, we have to wait until the rain stop. It took around 30minute for the rain to stop.
We start back our journey when the rain is not so heavy; we can’t wait longer due to we still have long journey to ride. This time we are using totally unfamiliar road (which not in our map), we are just base on our natural basic instinct. We had gone through the ‘Kampung’ road which leads us to road 2. The road is terrible; there is so many pothole and land slide. It took us around 30 minute to finish up 20km road. Once we reach to road 2, we are heading to Temerloh.
The ride from Maran to Temerloh is so challenge because the road is wet after the rain. After 45minute, we reach Temerloh town. We are looking for some hot ‘stuff’ to warm up our stomach. It is difficult to find a Chinese food stall in Temerloh town. We have to round 2 or 3 round to find a Chinese food, finally we found it. We have fried rice, ‘mun san mee’ and ‘nya po lo si fun’. The ‘nya po lo si fun’ look good but it is tasteless……not recommended.
The day is getting dark; it’s around 7.30p.m. We have our bike to fill up at Patronas before we continue our journey to home sweet home. The road from Temerloh to Karak, is totally dark, winding and wet. This is the 1st time we are riding in night time at a stranger road. There is so thriller and adventure…….feel so good that we are able to finish ride.
We suppose to have our last stop at Gombak rest area before us heading to our own home sweet home. Just after the Genting tunnel there is a heavy downpou; the visual ability is poor, we are really exposes ourselves to high degree of dangerous. But thank god, we able to finish the ride in one piece.

Conclusion, I would like to say that this ride is full with adventure, dangerous and fun! For me, I am really looking forward to have this type of ride (maybe with a night stay over at Chini).
Final ride route: Lanchang (Kuala Gandah) & Tasik Chini. We miss Tasik Bera
Duration: Day ride