7 years is a long time. It’s enough time to have 7 babies, watch a World Cup, European Cup and the Olympics at least once and just enough time to experience the seven year itch. Ah yes, the seven year itch, the proverbial tendency to move on to newer things in relationships. While the years roll by, Kruzer hung on, adapted and changed even, just to soothe the itch of its riders. It is a testimony to all riders that we lasted this long.

This year, Kruzer moves offshore for the first time ever to celebrate its 7th anniversary in a foreign land. But yet, some things remain constant. Like the bikes and the roar of motorbikes navigating its way through the meandering twists, turns and dips and climbs of Fraser’s Hill. Or the ever curious monkeys who would raid your apartments if you are foolish enough to leave a window open. It is apt that we should celebrate our 7 years in a home, away from home. One we never fail to visit year after year.

With new tires, loaded boxes and a promise of good company, this weekend is more than a union of old friends and forging new acquaintances. It is where an unforgettable experience beckons..

Happy 7th anniversary to all Kruzers!

It would be a great honour to celebrate the forum for 9 years of bringing people sharing the same love of motorcycles and riding together. The emphasis of this year’s SBF anniversary is focused on new and potential riders; a group of riders we can relate to, especially with their fears in touring a new country.

One of the Club’s objectives is to provide riding opportunities without prejudice. Through our booth, we hope to encourage exploration of neighbouring countries on 2 wheels.  Not only that, our members will be there to share riding knowledge for all riders, especially new ones eager to experience riding in Malaysia but feel intimidated to do so.

Come visit our booth at *SCAPE on 15 and 16 Jan 2011, make friends and learn more about Kruzer’s rides overseas. Who knows, we may be out riding together in Malaysia or Thailand in the coming year…

say "Hi", Michaelango!

Now, back to subterranean. “Subterranean” according to the world’s greatest dictionary, Wikipedia, refers to something underground.  It could also mean a song by David Bowie, Bob Dylan or Radiohead or some obscure English band.  You will never get such definitions in Oxford, Webster’s or Oxster…you get the drift.  Wiki rocks.

where the horsemen gather - GP Esso

Now, I would not normally refer a cave as subterranean because to me, a cave is a hole in a mountainside.  A cave is also where ancient Chinese swordsmen typically gets trapped when an avalanche of rocks seals off the only passage out, somehow finds himself some sort of long lost secret kungfu manual of a powerful martial arts sect and blows the cave apart after mastering the moves in the manual, thereby freeing himself and commits himself to either commit the worst devilry or be the ancient Chinese version of Superman.

Riding some 500km to a cave in Ipoh to find kungfu therapy is the closest thing modern swordsmen riding iron horses can do to emulate the swordsmen of lore. Modern horsemen are also very lucky to be able to catch up on some snooze and load up on Macdonald’s midway through the tough all nighter journey up to Ipoh. I’m sure our swordsmen of lore are turning in their graves, thinking to themselves: “back in our times, we pack buns and drink lake water stored in water gourds.”  Let’s just say, we learn from experience.

The iron horse at their stables while the riders went for burgers...

Although only 300km into the journey, the weary travellers were more than delighted with their pick of hamburgers, nasi briyani and hot drinks.  After all, the build up of energy must start now as the arduous trek through the ancient cave is only a couple of hours away.

signs of riding into Ipoh!

... and into the misty mountains we go!

all the riders gather

the crew getting ready for the trek

Jo likes Dylan's nipple tape

taking our baby steps into darkness

As the misty clouds near the cave dissipates in the morning light, the level of activity heats up as we ditched our protective riding gear for one meant for crawling in dark, dank and wet spaces. The anticipation builds as we twist, turn, climb and slide our way deeper and deeper into the bowels of nature. Along the way, boys laugh at phallic statues of nature’s doing while the girls giggle. How degrading. I was very sure our trapped ancestors sat on top of them meditating while gathering enough qi to blow the cave apart.

crawling in the caves

the gremlins gather

Then, came the crawling in flooded spaces. Lacking the skills to walk through these rocks, us mere mortals can only hope to walk through in the quickest possible time. Some wise guy then thought that rolling was a pretty good idea since you won’t get bruised elbows. We concurred…and away we rolled through the cave.

3 martial arts exponents

time to get wet!

cher's opening his legs !

time to get down on all fours

big man on big steep slide

a well deserved rest at the end of the walk

By the time we were done, it was nearly 3 hours since we first stepped on.  We did not find any manuals nor did we get trapped in the cave.  Instead, we got a weird sense of satisfaction when we overcame our fear of height, tight spaces, snakes and yes, spiders, as we trekked, slide, crawled and rolled our way through the cavernous cave of Gua Tempurung.  The final treat was a cool water Jacuzzi before we greet the warm rays of the sun again.

the bikes at impiana hotel

The ride to the hotel couldn’t come sooner as lunch at the cave was starting to get set into our stomachs. But the sleep couldn’t come just yet as we scouted around for a sauna.  Alas, the hotel was in a semi state of renovations and the much anticipated spa treat did not happen but we did settle for a nice dip in the pool, basking in the glaring, glorious sun.  A much preferred contrast to the slithering in the bowels of earth earlier in the morning.

Dinner at Hotel Impiana, Ipoh, was always going to be a greatly anticipated fare for those who have been here before on Kruzer rides.  Boasting one of the better food fares in our travels, a wide range of food, desserts and drinks awaits us in a private area for the club.  The late evening saw some travelling out to Ipoh’s night markets while the rest lounge around in the hotel’s new bar.  A dreamy night ends a packed yet satisfying day once again.

Kruzer banquet!

satisfying spread of food at Hotel Impiana

energy to cover what was lost in the morning

nice legs!

sweet carbs

lounging at Impiana's bar for the evening while the rest went shopping!

The morning mist did nothing to cool the temperatures in the afternoon.  By the time we were ready to leave at 12pm, the sun was at its scorching, piercing best.  First stop, Kellie’s Castle, an anomaly sitting in the middle of Malaysia’s plantations.  Abandoned by an European settler early last century, the uncompleted show of opulence became an “attraction” of sorts for the locals. (Wiki it – you’ll find some interesting accounts there)

kellie will cringe at these models!

With the heat bearing unrelentingly on us and the motorcycles, it was prescient of Isaac to plan for a cool off at a waterfall nearby.  Snaking through dirt trails and “barely there” roads, locals were wide-eyed, staring at the convoy of foreign looking bikes invading their local haunt.  This was probably one of the rare times foreigners came on their own accord.  One quick survey of the waterfall later, the guys stripped down and jumped straight into the ice-cool waters of the waterfall.  So refreshing were the waters that we didn’t want to leave until the sun makes its descent.

As quick as the day zoomed past, we made a quick stop-over at Cliff’s in Malacca for our dinner fix.  No day can end well without a nice cool bottle of beer (Kenny’s End of Day theorem) and the hearty meal certainly topped it all off!

It may sound morbid to you but I readily admit that I do. It gets my adrenaline pumping and more importantly, it reinforces the idea that I’m about to undertake a dangerous activity and I have to be careful.  Having recently ridden with relatively new riders in Malaysia, I realised that some do not think much about the dangers of being on the roads.  The over-riding mentality is to keep up with the pack (this is not necessary in Kruzer rides) and in the process ignoring other road users.  While it’s easy to pin the blame on inexperience, advanced riders also run into the dangers of complacency.  To summarise this paragraph, we just do not think enough when we’re out there.

Charlie the Monkey doesn’t think very much

Take the picture below as an example. How many times have we seen motorcyclists speed ahead in such a situation to overtake the vehicle turning left?  Would you speed ahead in these situations?  Do you think the motorcyclist should consider if the vehicle turning out may not have seen him/ her? Common sense is such a cliche word in road safety, but many do not stop and contemplate the full meaning of the word.

Picture taken from www.drivertheory.co.uk.

Knowing the dangers of riding a motorcycle is never enough and I thought I’d share an article about the “Hurt Study” which I’ve found recently.  The study focuses on factors which cause motorcycle accidents.  Although it was conducted in 1981, the summarized findings are pretty relevant in today’s context and I’ll going through 5 today (there are a total of 53).

1.  Approximately three-fourths of these motorcycle accidents involved collision with another vehicle, which was most usually a passenger automobile.

There is really nothing conclusive about this finding except to reinforce the fact that there are a lot more cars out there than motorcycles.  That these cars are fat, lazy and totally clumsy on the roads is another matter.

Seriously, you, the motorcyclist, will lose out in ANY collision with a 4 wheeled piece of metal slab.  So please, keep a healthy respect for these monsters. Even if you feel aggrieved and start to tailgate one, or dashing through a traffic light without thinking about right turning vehicles from the other side of the road, think about the scraps and mental trauma you’ll get while stunned drivers probably just need to wipe off the piss in their pants.

2. Approximately one-fourth of these motorcycle accidents were single vehicle accidents involving the motorcycle colliding with the roadway or some fixed object in the environment.

aha! You may have thought that the remaining one-fourth of accidents are due to collision with other motorcycles but you couldn’t be further from the truth.  To crash into a fixture is like walking into a bollard and bruising your private parts.

Although it sounds laughable altogether, think deeper about it.  You have just rode 500km in the last 6 hours in the heat of the afternoon sun with sweat pouring down your face. Blood in your body goes towards the stomach, eagerly gathering nutrients from the heavy lunch you had half an hour ago. With a monotonous drone of the engine, you fade into a temporary sleep of a few micro seconds……

Concentration levels in long rides are VERY hard to keep up.  Not only should one be prepared with ample rest the night before a ride, you must also be mentally prepared for it.  Although it sounds dumb to crash into a fixed object, the hurt it can cause can be fatal.

3. Vehicle failure accounted for less than 3% of these motorcycle accidents, and most of those were single vehicle accidents where control was lost due to a puncture flat.

The numbers on vehicular failure is a fantastic testimony to the engineering feats of motorcycle manufacturers and approving bodies for motorcycles.  Although not common, keeping a bike in good condition for a ride is a necessity.  I cannot imagine if your bikes stalls halfway while you are making a right turn!  You’ll be right smack in the middle of oncoming traffic!

It is even more rare to experience a puncture flat in these days with the advent of tubeless tires (remember that the survey was done in 1981). But they can still occur, especially if the tire was very worn out OR a case where a missing tire valve cap allows small rocks to get lodged into the air valve,  rapidly reducing the air pressure.

No trouble for this bike!

4.  In the single vehicle accidents, motorcycle rider error was present as the accident precipitating factor in about two-thirds of the cases, with the typical error being a slide-out and fall due to over-braking or running wide on a curve due to excess speed or under-cornering.

Strengthening my argument in Point 2, rider error IS a major problem.  After all, we are only human.  However, maturity in riding can drastically reduce such errors.  A slide-out occurs when the bike’s wheels are locked and the rider skids.  In my observations and discussions with other riders, inexperience may play a key role.  A natural reaction to any danger is to suddenly pull the brakes really hard.  Controlling a bike with the wheels being pulled back is akin to controlling a raging bull on a rodeo as your body is pulled forward while the bike is pulling backwards.  Instead, firm grip and gradual (if afforded the time) would prepare one for the stop better.

Running wide on a curve is something every Kruzer will experience at least once.  The twisties of Simpang Pulai, Fraser Hill or the Karak Highway are all fraught with hidden bends and sudden changes in turning angles. Approaching the twisties in a responsible way, ie braking to a reasonable speed, and keeping your concentration up and aiming to stay in your lane will help to ensure that this will not happen to you! There are times after running wide, where I thanked the heavens for not allowing a bus be in the opposite direction.

spot the error for this guy!!

5.  Roadway defects (pavement ridges, potholes, etc.) were the accident cause in 2% of the accidents; animal involvement was 1% of the accidents.

Contrary to popular belief, Malaysian roads are NOT always ridden with potholes. In fact, the N-S highway has been very well kept with constant re-paving and extension works to ensure all road users a pleasant ride.  That said, there are still some areas which need a massive improvement and these are the areas which we as motorcyclists must be aware of.  A personal experience I had in a Malaysian trunk road was when I suddenly realised I wasn’t on tarmac anymore and was riding on a gravel patch beside the road! It was pitch black at night and I haven’t realised that the road tapered into a single lane.

Animal involvement in accidents are rare indeed and yet in our early riding days, one of our travelling group actually hit a cow!  Luckily, the rider and pillion were fine with sprained ankles and bruises but the bike and cow was thrashed. The cow had to be killed.  In short,  be aware when you are in animal territory. It is the same on the N-S highway, although the animals tend to be the smaller types such as cats, dogs and monitor lizards. They can still cause you to lose control so think about it!

obviously, Mr Officer wasn’t paying attention

I’ll continue with the rest of the findings in days to come but I hope that as you ride, you’ll think about the things that can go wrong and act to prevent them from happening.  Knowing what can go wrong prevents you from being in that situation in the first place!

I will be glad to hear constructive stories, differing points of views and comments.  Afterall, we are all here to learn and improve.

The “Hurt Study” summarised findings can be found here!

http://www.webbikeworld.com/Motorcycle-Safety/Hurt-study-summary.htm

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and are not necessarily those of Kruzer.

A: where you all wanna go and eat?

B: Errr, don’t know. Anything..

C: Someplace with air-con leh…

D: ya, anything…

A: Arrgghhh!!!

OR this incident at Batu Pahat:

A: Are we going to climb up the stairs to the viewpoint?

B: Errr, anything…

A: nah, we stay here and cool down..

Rest: ok..

Ten minutes later of staring at monkeys under the shadow of a tree in a deserted carpark,

A: ehh, wanna go where to eat?

B: Errr, don’t know. Anything..

C: Someplace with air-con leh…

D: ya, anything…

A: Arrgghhh!!!

With absolutely no plans (well maybe Isaac knew we wanted to head to Pontian and Batu Pahat), no idea where we’re heading (again, except maybe Isaac), no inkling of what to have for breakfast, lunch and whatever, we just rode.

With just a rough idea on where to get lost and explore some dirt tracks, we not only burned rubber, we burned time, shed a couple of kilos from the unrelenting heat and put it back on in a spacious air-conditioned place with beers, cokes and life’s little luxuries…

RS at Pontian: A Seaside Kopitiam

all 6 musketeers Breakfast at RS in Pontian

(Left: 1/3 of Tony, terence happily slurping mee goreng, isaac examining scriptures on his paper dosai, joe waiting for his “special” order mee goreng, yours truly blowing my mee and a windswept chow)

Delicious maggi goreng with a teh tarik

Paper dosai and spit filled teh tarik

some kampong near batu pahat (tracks may not be reflected in some GPS maps)

you know the heat is getting to terence when he does this

All these food for 60RM + airconditioning to boot!

cutting the pyramid down to size!

A well deserved dessert

and a deserving beer!

I dare say, we met our objectives for this trip: Ride (yeah!) Eat (Hell yeah!) Slack (no doubt abt it). Something about this trip reminds me of those books we used to read; where you could make your choices on which way the story goes by choosing the next page you want to read. Uncertainty is certainly fun, once in a while….

Till the next ride to Cape Silk,

kenny

The day started real early today with the riders meeting at 4am. Although a trip to Tasik Chini will not take more than 6 hours, it was important that all arrived on time and be properly briefed and prepared for the ride. The trip is also made much more interesting and challenging with several new riders and a fellow photographer from Clubsnap (a local photography forum) following us for the trip. With all the basics of group riding and the route we’re taking done and dusted, off we head into the darkness of the NS highway with 11 bikes and a car..

First stop at Yong Peng

Yaohui                                                                                        Andy

Tasik Chini is Malaysia’s second largest natural lake with a sad story to tell. Once brimming with Sacred Lotuses (Nelumbo Nucifera), the 12 smaller lakes of Tasik Chini supported numerous Orang Asli settlements with a healthy fish catch and some tourist money. As we strive for balance in life, it is interesting to see in nature the seasonal rising and falling of water levels working in perfect harmony to keep the lotuses germinating and growing back to cover the lake’s surface every season.

Alas, as lotuses continued to bloom and the tourists came, the state government dammed up the lake in 1995 in an attempt to attract more tourists in the dry season where the lotuses traditionally die and allow for germination to occur. They have unwittingly caused a chain reaction of tree deaths and fish depopulation. The balance was disrupted. Although the dam was removed five years later, the damage was done and it would need many more years before the lotuses will be in full bloom and the brown waters become clear again..

Tasik Chini in the morning

As Kruzer have always been on tours which contribute to nature, it is befitting that we visited Rajan Jones once again. A champion for the lake and the native Orang Asli, Rajan operates a guesthouse amid an Orang Asli village and pays them for jobs such as looking for new trekking routes and bringing his guests out for boat trips. You will be assured to know that the money you spent on the tour stays in the village.

Rajan lighting up his lamp for dinner

Orang Asli boiling water for our tea

Orang Asli having fun by the pool

A few petrol stops, a beer stocking trip and breakfast later, we arrived in good spirits at Rajan’s Guesthouse at about 10am. By now, the unrelenting sun was peering down on us and we need our shower! But first, a walk to Rajan’s Café was on the cards as the rooms were just vacated and you know it needs to be cleaned if you saw a frog lying on your pillow. Realizing that time was short and we needed to start the scheduled trek soon, we changed and got ready for the walk. But first, a one hour, sun drenched bumpy ride to the trek start point.

the bumpy ride to the trek

Looking at the flimsy bridge we just crossed

Trekking to the waterfalls

Terapai Waterfalls was a new site which was discovered by the local Orang Asli recently when they were searching for new treks for us. Although the waterfall looked ordinary at first sight, the site was so untouched that even the fishes come up to you and nibble the dead skin off you! We were just getting sunburned without knowing it as we tried our best to scoop up the fishes and the occasional shrimp with huge pinchers. Ahh, the innocence of boys catching fishes with their bare hands…

Spa-ing

Picking up leeches for lunch

The only reason we climbed out of the water was the look of impending rain and the hot drinks. As the rain drops created a cacophony of noise in the rainforest, we trudged along, hoping to walk fast enough so that the dreaded leeches don’t have the time to latch on. But as we neared the lorry pick up point, one of the most unforgettable and dreadful things to happen started as Shamen and Mei got stung by a yellow flying insect. What happened in the next 20 minutes was probably a life changing experience for Shamen as he battled a severe allergic reaction to the sting while Mei endured strong localized pain in her arm, apart from a mentally torturous time watching Shamen lose his consciousness. As he sat in the front seat of the lorry unconscious, Rosli massaged and pounded him for a good half an hour until he came back to life…and endured a one hour bumpy drive to the clinic. As I helplessly watch from the lorry’s rear, Rosli massaged and coaxed Shamen back to breathing properly and gaining consciousness again in the lorry. All I could do was grip the wooden plank by the side of the lorry tightly, praying that my strength is passed on to Rosli as he attempted to stimulate his vital points.

It is through the higher powers up there (and Dr Rosli, of course!) that decided that Shamen could recover miraculously. Although physically weakened by the ordeal, Shamen’s condition stabilized and was sent back to our rooms for him to rest. As much as he was physically burned out, we were all equally relieved and grateful that he is still with us. The feeling of helplessness is still very strong and I was glad that Isaac felt the same way too. There was no way we would allow this to happen again and vowed to check the first aid for such matters. We were just glad this lesson was not permanently paid for…

Dinner time!

Food at Rajan’s has always been great. It is not the presentation or rarity of food that attracts us, but rather, the simple home cooked fare that his wife whips up for us whenever we are there reminds me of the wonderful food my mum cooks in her greasy kitchen. The dinner was made even better after I came back from sending food up to Shamen and Mei! I would think that I’m the first human being in the world to have a bunch of bananas as my birthday cake, such was the crazy creative ideas the Kruzers can come up with…and to top it all up, it came filled with 29 candles. My sincere thanks to all!

banana cake for monkey’s birthday

The simple but yummy fare

With dinner behind us, there was only one thing left to do in such a quiet, secluded place: beer and chit-chat. As we talked the night away, the night got noisier with snores, occasional laughter and the loud whispering of leaves as the winds of the early morning blew….

A day of riding awaits as we got ready to move off at noon. Breakfast was again simple but satisfying but this year, we got no demonstration of the fire making skills of Rajan Jones nor a boat ride around Chini. He does seem a little more tired than we last saw him two years ago. Age and the deteriorating state of Tasik Chini must have taken its toll on him. At least I know he’s still providing odd jobs for the Orang Aslis. He has been their guardian angel for the past two decades.

Today’s route was to be slightly altered so as to allow some playtime on the beach. That said, the twisties we had on the return leg was all I could ask for after 4 barren months of straight, mind numbing expressways. As they say, pictures paint a thousand words. And this will surely save me some….

Kruzers by the beach

Heading on to the beach!

the fine soft sand

Sean picked up his bike before we posed for pictures can rush to help him

chillin’ by the beach

Tracks

A fine dinner spread of fish and meat at Kluang topped off a particularly warm ride. We were all only too glad that it’s a Sunday the next day….

In the final analysis, it was an enjoyable weekend. All I remembered for the next day (Sunday), was the aches, pains, sunburns and the god damned tiredness..and after checking around on Monday, I’m glad to report I wasn’t the only one. And we all agreed on one thing: this trip certainly taught everyone of us a little something new..

Till the next ride!

all pics are taken by Racheal, Jocelyne, Timothy, Isaac and Mei

No one would have figured such a place even existed after passing through an Orang Asli village residing near the end of a housing estate. A dirt track of about 50m on the left after the village would have dissuaded many to believe there was even anything of modern civility in the vicinity.

and this leads to……

The entrance of Sekeping – A view from the inside

With extensive research, Club President and Chief Guide, Isaac Chan, managed to herd us through quickly and allow us to get fully absorbed into the peculiarity of Sekeping Serendah. Sekeping Serendah literally translates into “A Piece of Serendah” and there’s no place in Singapore or even Malaysia that we’ve been which exposes us in nature in such luxurious comfort.

Our Glass Shed – there are 2 in Sekeping Serendah

Designed by a Malaysian architect and inspired by Australia’s Israel House, Sekeping Serendah’s proudest and the most visually pleasing structure has to be the Glass Sheds. With books describing it as a “glorified tent”, the Glass House, as I personally prefer to call it, is an amalgamation of timber, steel sheet cladding and lots of glass. With sunlight peeking through the tree canopy and the glass exterior, inhabitants are virtually assured of adequate natural reading lights.

The living room where the whir of the overhead fans lull u to sleep

Sleeping in the canopy – the closest thing to living in a tree house

Our au naturel toilet

food! pic taken from the bedroom above

Besides the glass sheds, there is also a timber shed and two mud sheds (or more like huts!). Unlike the Glass House, these sheds are air-conditioned and aesthetically pleasing from the outside. It is regretful to say that this author plonked his butt in his Glass House and refused to bulge, except to the swimming pool. Perhaps those who stayed in the other sheds would comment?

The swimming pool was also a good reprieve from the afternoon humidity. Natural spring waters from the nearby hills are pumped and filtered to supply the cool crystal clear water in the swimming pool. It was befitting that the monkeys from Kruzer would be splashing around in these waters, playing catch.

oh yes – the monkeys in full swing

The surroundings are inherently peaceful and there did not seem to be any staff around, although we are aware that they are there any time we require any help. It is this hands-off approach that appeals to us as we went about lounging around in the Glass House and preparing our arty looking bbq pit for the night. The dinner that was served was average but the setting in which we ate our dinner was really an experience. Old doors are recycled as table and are held by wires strung to the ceiling. Eating on the table is like eating on a ship as the door sways gently in the light breeze.

The barely enough dinner

our floating table

our fantastic barbeque

the Glass Shed at night

With a whole night of eating and merry-making, the night simply faded into obscurity as eyelids drooped and the stars twinkled overhead…

The ride back for the next day was going to be exhilarating as we planned to head to Fraser’s Hill for lunch before heading back to Singapore. With the adrenaline pumping twisities less than a hundred kilometres away, we couldn’t miss it for the world and we haven’t even considered the high speed corners of Karak Highway.

There’s been a while since Kruzers went to a new place but as our footprints gets bigger and bigger in Malaysia, it becomes harder and harder to seek out fresh places to stay or ride. But on this account, it does seem that treasures still abound in the nooks and crannies of Malaysia.

Till the next ride,

Kruzer

Oh what the memories that great ride brought me. I can literally feel the oil lubricating in my innards and chugging along ever so smoothly. When can I ever feel like that again…

By the time that thought exited my headlamps, I felt that little drag on my butt. The panniers are really loaded this time round. I wonder where we’re going for the weekend for him so many things. It’s also a little unusual for him to come down early to prepare me for the ride. Heck, I didn’t even visit my doctor, Rosli for my usual pre-ride checkup.

Just as the night started to turn chilly, I got woken up. The weight is really adding by now and there are even tents this time round! Ken and Rach aren’t wearing their heavily armoured jackets this time round, so i’m pretty sure we’re not going to ride around much. I wonder if we going through the mess we did last month at Tangkak. That’ll be really cool and with all these weight, Ken got to hoping the ground’s dry! Oh boy oh boy, the excitement is keeping me purring. Ken must be happy with the purrs too because I can see his grin as he pulls his throttle on the AYE. On to GP!

We were a little late and the bunch of guys are there already. My bros, the TDMers and AT, were all grinning while the STs were looking nervous. There are also 2 Rav4s there, one is a familiar hot car while the other is a macho sleek black one. Looks like we’re preparing to rough it out today!

Being well placed to hear the brief, we finally confirm the destination! We’ll be camping beside the summit road. I remember it all too well for the rain and low temperatures the last time we were there in August! It will be great to go back and get all dirty again!

The ride there was fast and we wasted no time in reaching Tangkak. As the humans have loaded up on their fuel, we all have a great chat. After hearing what some of us went through last month, the AT (we call him ah pek – for obvious reasons) was especially excited as all his previous owners have never done this before. Shogun (the grey TDM with Jap looking stickers) was also pumped up. He’s one of the lightest this time round and expecting a frolicking good time. As for me, I really don’t know whether I want the rains to come or not.

After the humans loaded up on their fuel, it was our turn and off we headed for the tracks! It’s so much simpler now after we have gained experience points riding these roads. The dry tracks also helped a great deal. They didn’t seem so soaked that I wonder if it ever rained the few days before.

We got up early and after a few unsteady scares, we were up at our camp site. The morning mist had cleared but the tranquility of the place still clouded the place with mystery. After some planning and movements of how we are to spend our night, the riders started picking their spot and pitching their shelter. It is quite amusing watching them going around, busy as ants, just to make themselves comfortable.

But once the tents, hammocks, chairs and even tables are out, everyone plonked down and enjoyed the fruits of their labour. So far, everyone is great…except Chowy, the white ST. His nervousness finally took hold of him and he tilted to the right while parking. He was so stiff when he fell that his box broke a brick into 2! His mirror ain’t too lucky though…

As the afternoon sun came out, there still wasn’t any signs of extreme heat. The chilly weather up here just feels too good to be true and there isn’t any hint of rain even. By now, some of the humans are readying themselves as they prepare to head up to the summit. According to them, with such clear weather, there’s a good possiblity the view up there would be good! damn, wish there was a road leading up there!

I bet they must be wishing the same thing because when they finally re-appeared a couple of hours later, the faces were hanging like dogs. I wonder what made them so tired…maybe something like this:

The dinner must have been the highlight of the night as the preparations for it seem so elaborate and bags of food keep coming out from the cars. You can sense the cars are also having a relaxing time, dragging in the clean, unpolluted air when they were chugging their way up and now nestled in a cool spot.

As the sun set, the smoke went up as the bbq pit crackled to life. The strong aroma of roasted chicken filled the chilly air of Gunung Ledang as mushroom soup were served and the salad rice was tossed. There was even an air of festivities as paper lanterns were lit in the dark!

The next morning brought about a nice warmth and a beautiful sunrise. Peeking through the mist, the sunrays added a golden glow to the campsite.

With much time on our hands, the humans started cooking whatever they had and you could tell they were having a good time.

With just about half an hour before we were scheduled to leave, everyone took their time to keep the tents and clear up the rubbish and it was just as well! That’s because a few moments before we were to leave, the heavens poured and heavy mist started moving in!

By now, the STs were feeling really nervous again but I had a sneaky suspicion that the TDMs and AT were rubbing their hands in glee! I certainly was!

But the route down was a little disappointing compared to the thrills and spills of the previous month. (See this) Back then, the ground was flooded with torrential rains from morning to the late afternoon when we left. The result was a sliding mud track. Heck, my wheels were so heavy with gunk, I couldn’t feel them, let alone kenny.

But today’s ride was more relaxing. Maybe the weight of my butt made sure the contact with the ground was good, but we were all able to make it out good. So good that the TDMs were flying on the trails. The STs didn’t fare too well though, Chowy went vegetarian for a while while Archie (blue ST) went rock climbing and lost his balance. They really look relieved at the sight of tarmac!

Back to the usual feel of the oh so sweet tarmac, we had a good time flicking mud all over the road while we headed to Pagoh for a well deserved lunch. Chowy was struggling with his “ear” that broke but otherwise, it was all fine as we finished a trip that ended before the sun had even set!

Now, I wonder if kenny is going to wash me up soon or let the rains in Singapore wash me up…..

Till the next ride,

bluey

P.S: Refer to our forums for the whole list of photos! there’re just too many to show here!

Source of pic: ADVrider.com

“What’s for dinner? What are you bringing for the camp?”. Ahh, the familiar questions pop up and yours truly was no different. All I had in mind was the type of cooking and food we needed to bring. Absolutely no toots about tents, sleeping bags, bungee cords, lights. Only food and what to cook it with. If food’s all you’re thinking about, you meet an important criteria for Kruzer membership.

Sensing that people might be sleeping out in the open with stars for cover, it would be apt to do some thinking or “research” into motorcycling and camping: 2 things that come naturally together.

If you’ve done your homework, you’ll notice that all motorcycling and camping articles naturally lead to one article: Bill John’s Excellent Motorcycling Camping Guide.

Briefing you on what sort of tents to bring, how to prevent water from coming into your tent, he’s got it mostly covered (specialty sites on camping might give you better tips). But the most important thing is he’s got a checklist where the lazy motorcyclist, i.e. you, will come to appreciate. I think I will come to appreciate this a lot…

Bill John’s Excellent Motorcycling Camping Guide

Let us know if you find something useful.  I mean, I’m sure I wouldn’t want to fish your buddy out of his waterlogged tent! (though this story will probably stick to him for the rest of his life..hehe)

Kenny

Instead, in a break from the usual weekend jaunts to Malaysia, consider a fly-ride-fly trip! Something that Kruzer would probably not consider doing in the near future!

“A what?!” you may ask. A fly-ride-fly is just a fancy term to for travellers who wishes to fly to a destination, indulge in their love of motorcycle travel and flying back home. Real simple. All you have to do is book your plane ticket, rent a motorbike at your destination and off you go. Of course, I’m over-simplifying here but you get my drift.

It isn’t practical for working professionals to take long leaves of absence to travel. Singapore employers haven’t reach that level of sophistication to allow their employees to take even a few weeks off. Just compare that to some Western employers who allow their staff to go on unpaid absences for up to a year. Hell, even mothers going on maternity leave in Singapore are discriminated against!

There are also ample reasons to take a flight to nearby countries for that “dream” ride. Indeed, Asia has some of the best riding areas in the world with beautiful mountains in Northern Thailand and Vietnam, cultural diversity in China, rainforests in Sabah and the dusty roads of Laos.

A major setback, though, is the lack of familiarity. Some crave it when travelling while some prefer to go into the unknown. It all really depends on your level of comfort, whether you can afford those extra couple of days stranded in the mountains or do not mind using sign language to communicate with the locals.

As for me, I crave flexibility and freedom but yet worry about the unknowns. Proper planning should alleviate some of that worry. Or at least that was what I did when me and Rach went solo to Northern Thailand last year. Alternatively, hire a guide. Local knowledge (of both culture, language and people) could, logically speaking, give you so much more in your trip. I was sure I would have found out more about the various settlements we past by in Northern Thailand if we had someone knowledgable with us.

OF course, pure talk and no experience doesn’t give any weight to this article. To walk the talk, I’ll be heading off to Hanoi, Vietnam for such an experience. The research so far seems promising. I hope that when I come back, I’ll be sharing more good stuff with you.

In the meantime, let me share the experience so far with the guide I have engaged in Vietnam for such a trip. Offroad Vietnam.

They seemed to be a huge agency running lots of tour services but motorcycle travel seem to be their thing. The responses I’ve been getting via emails have also been very prompt and they really do write good English! The thing that really took the cake, Offroad Vietnam added me in Facebook. How’s that for accountability? heh.

Till then, have fun researching for your next travel and do share them with us!

Kenny

The Pub (licity) Man

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