Jalan-Jalan Cari Sungai - Ulu Tamu

 
A few weeks ago, me and a bunch of close friends came up with the idea for a family weekend trip, preferably over the weekend. I had originally mooted the idea, because that was one of the reason why I bought a 4WD...to have a bonding time with my kids. Well, to tell you the truth, we didn't quite got around to that. So I was looking forward to this trip.

Last minute cancellations includes my significant other because she has to have Internet access to complete her work, my daughter because she's helping out her auntie who's appearing on TV3 for cake decoration thingy and my eldest son whom had to study for his exams. Well that left me with just my youngest son. That will do...for now.

We departed quite late from KL, around 4pm. In a convoy of 4WDs (4 wheel drive), we headed towards Batang Kali. We arrived at the resort aka base camp at 1830hrs. Abg Hamzah was waiting, smiling as always. After some brief introductions, we headed for our chalets to freshen up. At 2000hrs, the BBQ was ready comprising of prawns, chicken, sausages, nuggets, rice (special fried nasi goreng ulam) etc.

After eating, some of us wanted to stretch their vocal cords, thus a few rounds of karaoke was in order. The resort had quite a decent karaoke system, and what started as a stretching exercise soon developed into a marathon.

At midnight, we decided to have a dip at the local hot spring. All of us went, including the kids. There were 3 pools, with different temperatures. I classify it as half boiled eggs, hard boiled eggs and frying eggs. We first tried the coolest...the half boiled egg....great for the kids, but kind of wimpy for us 'men'. Thus, we moved on to the next hottest...the hard boiled egg. A quick dip of the leg and I could have sworn some hair got burnt.

There was a group of teenagers there, dipping and showing off their high level of tolerance to the heat. So us, being men (which simply means a slightly older version of the boys), decided to stay and show off our prowess as well. After much hair loss (chest, arms, thighs etc), just as we were leaving, the last car in our group from KL arrived. Perfect timing.

Wow, a dip in hot water certainly is one of the most relaxing thing. It kept me wide awake. I went on chatting with the guys until 0530hrs, when my 'screen saver' mode was activated.

At 0800hrs, we had breakfast, followed by more karaoke (can you believe it?). At around 1030hrs, the jockeys brought the horses out and the kids has a whale of a time riding them around the corral.

At 1230hrs, we headed of by 4WDs to the next camp, having to cross 2 rivers to get there. This camp could only be reached by 4WDs, unless you can drive a sedan through the rivers. Mind you, if the rain is heavy upstream, the rivers get swollen that even us 4WDs wouldn't be able to cross them. After setting up camp at our usual spot, the resort personnel came on 4WD to set up lunch by the river. Everyone had fun bathing in the river, especially the kids. Of course us dads had to accompany them...not that we want to (La La La). Then we came up for food, then went down to bath, then came up for food...and the vicious cycle continues...haha.

Around 1530hrs, we started preparing the 4WDs for the journey over slightly 'rougher' terrain. Tyres were deflated to almost half, wheels were locked and the 4WD engaged. Through hill climbing, mud and uneven tracks, we drove on. My jalopy being at the front, had to act as backup recovery vehicle for those at the back. Some of the vehicles were standard ie no modification, AT (All Terrain) tyres, standard height. We had planned this very 'light & easy' trail to let the 'newbies' get some thrill under controlled conditions.

After all that, we went down to the river and much like the Mahouts with their elephants in Thailand, that's how us 4 wheelers with our jalopies. We parked them dead smack in the river, and wash and bathe them. Hmm...maybe that's why the wives get upset ... like the wives of the Mahouts.

As we said our goodbyes, plans were underway to plan another slightly farther trip...maybe over 3 days. That one involves river tubing, slightly longer 4WD trail...and this time, I hope to have the whole family there.  There's already inquiries from friends whom are interested to try it out...so hey, maybe I would just package these weekend family outings for them. Interested? Come on.... get off that sofa, the air conditioned room and head into the outdoors. Enjoy the greenery while we still can. Don't have a 4WD? Don't worry, I know a few Mahouts...oppss...4 Wheelers whom would be glad to take you on board.

Tuurbo PBN 2315

Recently I made a trip to Penang. Its been donkey years since I have been there. The last time I practically 'lived' there was in 1988-1989 during my studying days. The most recent was years back with my dive buddy Amin...a day trip just to view a Land Rover TD5 for sale. So the trip I made was also a trip down memory lane for me. CaTz also tagged along and I was determined to show her that I know Penang inside out. How wrong I was...embarrassingly so.

I tried to find the Nasi Ayam place behind the Penang General Hospital....didn't find it. Then tried to find the Mee Udang, Balik Pulau....didn't find it. Then tried to find the Char Kway Teow stall in Gurney Drive....dint find it. Then my favourite Kari Kepala Ikan restaurant near Komtar area...didn't find it. In fact I didn't recognize most of the roads anymore...couldn't even find the road to Gurney Drive from the bridge without the help of my trustee GPS. How things have changed so much.

I tried taking CaTz back in time by explaining the different spots (the one that I recognized that is) and the things I did there...like for example how me & my friends used to ride our bikes at midnight making a complete round of the whole of Penang through the winding roads of Balik Pulau, how Udini Highway was partially completed and was a favourite place to 'test' our bikes, how we use to race through the crowded Gurney Drive.

Back then, people knew me as Turbo, or spoken with the northern slang..Tuur bo. I was a 'rempit' fella back then (hard to believe ain't it). In those days, the 'rempit's were not violent people. We don't abuse other road users or conduct acts of gangsterism. We just enjoyed street racing. I was the only dude in a university there with a newly released RXZ 6 speed. Oh ya...the locals also know me by my number plate..PBN 2315. I used to 'pegang' Gelugor area coz I defeated Shim Race, the part time bike mechanic, who was the local hero. How I did this? Read on....

Me with my TZR, 1990, Swansea, UK

One fine day, as me & my friends were eating, suddenly this dude came and made a few spins. Suddenly he stopped across the road and 'challenged' us by ramming his bike. It was all my friends fault coz they are the ones who like to 'show off' in that area. I passed my keys to Man Tandok..he declined coz the day before he crashed a Suzuki Panther smack into the back of a car. Then I passed the keys to Syeh...he declined. S**t.

By then the locals were taunting us...saying things like "haa apa lagi, dia dah pangge tu"..or "kalau nak taw, tu la Shim Race yang pegang area Gelugoq ni". OMG I was so embarrassed. All eyes were looking at us. The pressure was mounting. At last I couldn't stand the humiliation. I took the keys, looked to the warung owner and said "ni biaq sini noo", and mounted my bike. I heard laughter..as if ridiculing me. Anyway, we did 3 laps...on every occasion I overtook that dude sitting upright while he was prone in a racing position. He tried to cheat each time we made a u-turn for the next lap, he didn't wait for me to start fair and square, but just bolted away. He wanted those people at the stalls to see that he's a winner...but I showed him.

I then rode back to the stall, sat down and continued eating my food. The locals who were jovial before just kept quiet. You can even hear a pin drop...so quiet. Ever since that day, when I came to that stall, they would 'prepare' my table and treat me with respect. This time, they tell their friends "Tu la Turbo...". Haaa baru depa ada mata cek oi....

A visit down south

Recently, I made a trip to Singapore with a few friends, including my girlfriend CaTz. I had a few objectives to achieve during the trip. Firstly, to attend ADEX 2009. Secondly, to go sight seeing. Thirdly, to buy some big boys toys.

Food was not a problem as there was this nice food court nearby. They had almost everything, Soto, Nasi Ayam, Briyani, Hot Plate, various types of soup, different types of beverages...at affordable price. One thing they didn't have though was tissue paper or serviettes. Hmmm...I wonder why that is...

Transportation was also not a problem. We mainly use the MRT to travel as its cheap, convenient and fast. We were amazed how clean the MRT coaches were...wish we could have the same back home. No graffiti, no vandalism, no rubbish.

As I had expected, ADEX was not as attractive as before. There were no interesting seminars or trainings. I paid a short visit, was a bit disappointed and proceeded to objective 2 & 3. Thus, no pictures or write ups as a sign of protest...haha.

Sight seeing was more in the form of window shopping. Our main place for sight seeing was around Harbour Front area, namely Vivo City. Its such a huge mall, with endless streams of people. Here are some of the pictures....


Hmmm, I have been asked by some of you what sort of big boys toys did I bought. Some thought that it has to do with a visit to a sex shop. Hello, if you are a 'big boy' then you wont have to make such visits, do you? Haha. Well, to put your minds at ease, here are a brief introduction to my new toys...

An Ipod Hip case
Hmm...simply to replace my old case which was not that 'hip' looking.

A Submersible PTT and Battery Pack for my Yaesu VX6R
An important addition to my handy. Since the VX6R is waterproof (submersible 30 minutes of submersion at depth of 3 feet) and extremely rugged, its makes sense to also buy the equivalently submersible PTT. Its a bit big though, but it should serve its purpose well. Now I can bring a radio during flood rescue or drowning body recovery without having to worry about getting it wet.

A Yaesu FT-8800R, a Dual Bander Mobile
A popular dual bander, with detachable front. It features a dual display, showing you 2 sets of frequency readings. The FT-8800R features Yaesu's ARTS™ Auto-Range Transponder System, important in search-and-rescue applications. Another great feature is it has Cross Band Repeat. I lost mine to a fried circuit board mishap 2 years back.

An Icom IC2200H
A good, cheap basic amateur radio which triggers a high transmit power of 65W (although MCMC only allows 50W). Its a single bander, rough but stylish radio. The LCD panel can change either green or amber. It doesn't have a fan but its built with a heat sink design. I lost mine when my 'anak gajah' 4WD was stolen.

2 unit of Garmin 60CSx GPS
One of the best GPS I had ever used. High sensitivity receiver chip, which is important especially if you plan to go jungle tracking. Our Malaysian jungle has a very shady tree canopy that makes it hard sometimes for less sensitive GPS to get a lock on the satellites. Plus its as rugged a GPS as you could get for the price I paid for it.

A bad experience I had during the trip was..upon my arrival in Singapore, I discovered that my 019 line was barred (in my excitement I forgot to pay my bill on time). When I tried using my Maxis line, I could not. So using CaTz's phone I called Maxis. I didn't activate my International Roaming and the girl told me that to activate it, I have to do it in Malaysia. Hmmm...what a bummer. Hello miss, I am a POSTPAID customer, not a prepaid customer. I could not see the rational of it and was on the line giving her a piece of my mind (which later cost CaTz about RM35 for just that call).

Moral of the story...if its just not your day, the odds are against you, even if you have 2 telephone lines, you could be rendered hopeless in a different country.


And where were we after all that shopping? Tired but happy. After all, it was a holiday.

A 4-in-1 Celebration

Last weekend, we had a 4-in-1 birthday bash in Port Dickson. It was a last minute deal, hurriedly organized by CaTz, the key organizer. The birthday celebration was for Aishah 13, Ridhwaan 12, Imraan 9...and Kaz xx (malu lak nak bubuh). There were cupcakes (courtesy of Roza), Blueberry Cheesecake (the main cake with all the candles), various types of 'jajan', drinks etc etc....right down to the party hats.



Sy (Catz's sister), her hubby, her twin babies and maid also joined us there. The twins were an instant hit with me, or rather I was too engrossed in taking their photos. Hey, its seldom I get to meet twin babies...and they were so adorable. Snap, snap, snap...they must have been bored... hahaha.



The next morning, the birthday group went swimming...first in the sea, then moving over to the pool. We were one with nature, I guess...until I showed the kids the drainage outlet pouring out into the very sea we were swimming in. Ewwwww

Well, it was good fun for everyone, especially the birthday group. The kids learn a bit more about marine life (I was busy explaining things while they were busy collecting crabs and snails). However at the end of the trip, I made sure they release it all back.

Lastly, I am sure the twins finally felt at ease. They must be bored with this dude taking pictures of them, as evident by this picture....

A day at the museum

I had always thought to myself after my recent trip to Bali...how come we act differently while we are on vacation? I mean, the sight of someone working in a padi field attracts our attention in Bali, where as back home, you could see a similar sight in Kedah but wouldn't even bat an eyelid. Why is this? Have you ever wondered why?

Thus, I have decided to go on a journey (time permitting) to explore what we have back home. Most importantly, I am on a quest to get my kids involved, so that hopefully they grow up to be more cultured individuals. Thus my first 'project' was a trip to Muzium Negara. When I suggested to my kids, surprise, surprise, they were thrilled about it.

So plans were put in motion, and soon 2 adults and 3 kids were busy admiring the many exhibits. It took us nearly half a day but it was time well spent. At the end of the day, the kids began to understand the sacrifices made by the older generation to achieve what we have today. Instead of the usual shopping malls and PlayStation games, its good to expose them to something closer to their roots once in a while or else they might end up as soulless people of the future. So here are the pictures in case you are wondering...

The kids in action....