Subang Bestari + Tanjung Sepat dirt biking trips Part II

Wednesday, February 23, 2011 Day Trip , Dirt Biking , Food & Nutrition , Outdoor & Adventures 0 Comments

Oh hey! Part II of my trip. This one will be solely focusing on Tanjung Sepat. It's an awesome trip but not as hardcore as the one I went at Sungai Long. I packed 2 bananas as a source of instant energy and I added 1 1/2 teaspoons of pink Himalayan salt into my drink pack. I don't want to kong out like my last trip


I drove all the way to Klang to meet up with the big boys , the Chear motor group. Everyone was friendly and I shook hands and introduced myself. I saw 2 familiar faces and one of them I knew him from my previous trip at Sungai Long.There's another dude that looks familiar but I don't really know who he is so, I'll skip it. I didn't want to order anything at first. A few Indian man came and ask me if I needed anything because my table was empty so, I just simply asked a teh tarik (Milk tea) - less sugar. Even with lesser sugar, it was still sweet.

Then this Russian guy ordered 4 pieces of Roti Chanai!! (it's a type of delicacy made from flour by our Indian culture.)The Malay dude sitting next to him was gobsmacked and said : "Giler punya orang putih. Orang makan 2 dah penuh, dia order 4." I laughed out loud! It meant : "Crazy white man! Normally people would feel full after 2 pieces but he orders 4!" Then the Russian guy (I think his name was something like Alexis. urm... I never really gotten his name) sucked his belly in and started rubbing his belly in a circular motion saying : "You see this. I'm really very hungry". hahahah. Epic. He had this Russian accent when he spoke English. Oh and you know what? I forgotten to pay for my Teh Tarik. I think someone paid for me. I drank the teh tarik hastily because everyone was leaving already. I only realized that after I got home. oh my goodness..! That person must be thinking I'm such a rude person for not saying a thank you. Uggh..! I felt bad.

Anyway, Thank goodness my dad asked me to carry the GPS with me , otherwise, I'll definitely lose my way and won't be able to find where Chear motor is. I'm pretty bad at roads because I have been at home for the past 17 years plus without really going anywhere. The only place that I travel to during my last 17 years was to my school , tuition and to places that I needed to. I do look out of the window when my parents is driving in the car but I just don't remember how to access those roads.




Anyway, we started off by stopping at Chear's house. I don't know why they actually needed to stop there but I'm sure that they have a good reason. Then, we travelled via the highway and I nearly got knocked down by an SUV whilst going through the roundabout. Thank God I didn't get knocked down by the it. I guess praying in the morning before a trip or any big event does help! It was my fault actually because I was so scared that I will get left out that I forgotten to look at the cars.


We arrived at our location and had our first obstacle. I couldn't see how the whole thing actually looked like but manage to ask other rider what they were doing and he replied : "moving a fallen tree". I didn't help because there were already so many guys helping out and also because I consider myself as a girl. I don't think I am strong enough to be able to help them out and I'll probably be another obstacle for them. After around 10 minutes, the huge tree trunk was removed and we continued on. The trail in the jungle was pretty short as after about only 15 minutes , we saw an opening - a what seemed to me to be an already cleared forest. Sad huh?

Oh and Doc with 2 of his sons were there too! His 12 year old son joined us and it is his very first enduro trip. He was doing pretty well except he had a few falls. But, hey! He's only 12 ! I didn't get to help him up when he falls because I was actually panicky. I didn't really know what to do until some other guys arrived and I had to leave it to the pros to do it. I was pretty useless.


Anyway, we stopped for a break at this small little stall located not too far from our trail. It wasn't some fancy stall but they had a couple of fruits and drinks there. I ordered a cup of coconut juice and it costs only RM 1 . Cheap! And, because I didn't know how to really mingle around , I just sat down and drink my juice. My eyes darted around , glancing around all the riders, quietly listening to them talking and laughing. I didn't feel lonely not talking. I actually enjoyed being the listener.


We continued on until we reach to a much harder, steeper and narrower trail. That was the best trail in this entire trip. I had fun trying to tackle my way up and I nearly fall a few times , my grip slipped but manage to control it and work my way out of the steep trail. I am guessing that everyone had a wee bit of problem too because it took quite awhile, maybe around 20 - 30 minutes before everyone made their way up.


Then, we arrived at this place where there's a pretty huge water puddle for us to go through. It wasn't easy as the water was murky and there were rocks present around. And plus, the mud could sink in if we were not quick or fast enough. Thankfully, with some help , I manage to go through it. A Malay guy told me : "FULL THROTTLE!" I was a lil hesitant at first but he repeated : "FULL THROTTLE!" again and I turned clockwise all the way and made it through. Phew!


About 10 metres ahead , another bigger puddle / stream was present. It was slightly easier than the first puddle but still pretty hard. I went through that and stopped right there : Waiting for others to come to our side. Then, I finally saw the lil 12 year old boy at the first puddle. It was pretty exciting to see him ride through..! Lil kid on a bike is really cute! He did tried hard but his bike fall sideways and it got stuck in the mud. About 3 guys came to help but when they saw that the bike was hardly budging, a few more came and help them out. It took them some good amount of effort before the bike finally came out of the mud. Practically the whole bike was engulf with mud.


Anyway, I manage to get a really pretty shot of a flower whilst waiting for them to pull the bike out. You could visit my photo blog here at : Euphoria.Photography for more lovely flowers and nature pictures. After that, we head for home and I felt so happy and good. It was about 2 months since my last off road trip. I really enjoyed myself to the max..!

Lots of love,

Subang Bestari + Tanjung Sepat dirt biking trips Part I

Saturday, February 19, 2011 Day Trip , Dirt Biking , Food & Nutrition , Outdoor & Adventures 0 Comments

Aloha peeps! I'm back from 2 dirt bike trips this time..! Yes , 2 in a row , Today and yesterday. Both requires Athena but the skills required for both rides are slightly different. One's called Enduro and the other is Crossing.


The main difference is that Crossing requires a pre-built track but Enduro is a trail. Notice the word 'track' and 'trail' ? I just learned this jargon today. I always learn something new from my trip so these are some of them. You use the word 'track' when you go motocrossing and 'trail' when you go for Enduro trips. Enduro trips are mostly held in jungles and most of the time, you are guessing what comes next because well, it's a jungle..! You have trees, shrubs, more/less muddy parts, uphill, etc. But as for motocross , the tracks are always visible and once you've been on a track for a few times, you could just memorize it and know what is next. Plus , since the track is pre-built, there are practically no plants (as your main obstacles) there. Just soil. Yeap, soil. Every obstacle they have are made from soil. What type? I'm not too sure though.


Anyway , I had my first motocross lesson with Doc and Kak Mira. (credits to Gwen for putting down Kak Mira's cell phone number) They were awesome peeps..! Kak Mira helped me took all the shots from the motocross track and told me to some do's and don'ts like wearing your gears all the time. Helmet and your safety gears is a must when you go for these track unless you're just trying out the tracks or when you are teaching someone. Doc ,(I never really know what his real name was but everyone calls him 'Doc' ) taught me stuff like how to push Athena down when cornering to achieve sharper corners , pressing your legs on the pegs , and a couple of really basic stuff. These basic stuff are essential for any motocrossers and it will take time to fully master it because all pros will use their basic they have learnt all the time. It's serious good stuff...!

Doc's sons were there too and you know what? They are so much younger than me! I mean, they are really awesome on the track and already knew so much! I was having great a fantastic time there but at about 12.15 p.m. , I had to rush back to KDU Damansara main campus for a talk by Prof. Khoo. I was wearing my dirt bike shoes and brought my helmet + goggles in ; did not want to leave it on Athena. Afraid that someone might steal it. Eyes were darting around me , especially my muddy boots and my helmet. It wasn't a pleasant thing and I tried to ignore everyone's dodgy stare. I had no time to change. My feedback about the talk? Waste of my time. It was almost zero information about the topic that was intended to say. He said that we were 'too-young' for such a topic. (It's about the 13th May 1969 Race Riot) And, the prof was late for near an hour. He thought the talk was tomorrow (Sunday) until someone phoned him up a little after 1 p.m. By the way, it's a COMPULSORY talk - otherwise we are barred from the exam.


The talk ended at around 3 pm and I zipped across back to Subang Bestari to continue my training session. It seems that there were extra people there. A few extra riders (they are definitely pro riders) and photographers. I think they are doing it for some article. It seems like it. I didn't ask because they seem pretty unfriendly. I tried to communicate by doing a small shy wave but they just looked at me with no expression or even a smile on the face. We ended our session for the day at around 5 p.m. I went home and on the way, realized that I left my aluminium Energizer (a battery brand) bottle there. I didn't want to turn back and I hope that next week it'll be there...!


And um, about the Tanjung Sepat trip? Can I make it tomorrow? It seems that I am already writing too long. If I were to write about the Tanjung Sepat trip, this post will be really really long..! By the way, drop by my photo blog here : Euphoria.Photography I have just updated it with loads of new photos! ;D Till then! see you!

Signing off,

Happy ValenMe Day.

Monday, February 14, 2011 Life , Miscellaneous 0 Comments

I know yesterday was Valentine's Day but I've decided to go ValenMe instead of Valentine. It's pretty obvious that it's a fusion between Valentine + Me. With that being said, it's obvious that this posts is something about me.

I have decided to go doll hunting yesterday to restock my inventory + to get a couple of things for myself. And so, I have burnt a pretty big hole in my pocket. But, it's once in a while so, I guess it's okay eh? What you think? I don't usually go out but I seriously enjoyed myself walking alone whilst looking at lovely 'hand-holders' enjoying their Valentine's Day.


Instead of getting all lovey dovey, I was extremely rude yesterday. On the way back from Subang, I used my middle finger 3 times. I was on Pantai Baru Highway and I did not use the 'motorcycle lane' because I simply missed it. On most days, I was lucky to be able to go through most toll lanes without getting stopped but this time, it wasn't so lucky for me. I got stopped, again, twice (on the same highway and place) by the same security guards. One was a young Indian man and the other was a pretty old middle aged man.The old man's face was as sour as a lime and as black as a charcoal. I hate that old man because he's really cranky and rude.

Ah yes, they stopped me before. I don't want to retell the story again,afraid that it may be too long for this post. But again, I just hate this old man. This time, I U-turned all the way back to the motorcycle lane and whilst doing that, I pointed my right middle finger once. Then, after having my bike against the traffic's current, I pointed another time and accelerated. I went through the motorcycle lane. The only divider the motorcycle lane had between the last toll and the lane was a few chunks of yellow and black strips road dividers and green diamond wire nets. The last toll was just next to the motorcycle lane. While passing the last toll, those security guards made some yells and I pointed my finger the 3rd (and final) time. I turned the throttles even more and left feeling so happy that I did that. Yes, Happy. I always feel happy when I get to scold people without having to hold back. And, I haven't been 'pointing fingers' for so long and they made me do it again.


Anyway, I didn't get any dolls back in Subang but I got myself an unassembled Kawasaki Ninja ZX10-R model by Maisto. Then, I went to Mid Valley to look for dolls and manage to find some in Metrojaya but it wasn't cheap. The stocks were old and they were still selling them at normal price. I picked up some of those and I decided to get a few sterling silver earrings for myself before heading back home. It was really late, around 8 pm when I left. The skies are already dark and my tummy is feeling hungry.


I went to the basement to the Motorcycle parking lot to collect my helmet but to my surprise, there were no one in the room and everything was locked. I was feeling panicky and frustrated that I went to the counter that issued the parking ticket and ask what time they were going to get back and he replied 12 am. I said : "WHAT?!" and started an argument. When the argument was getting heated up, another motorcyclist inadvertently cut short the argument. I left and went back to the place where I needed to collect my helmet and found that there were more people having the same problem that I have. Strangely, I found no notification to where they went but a handwritten operating hours : 9am - 12 pm. Noticed something? They should have written it as 12 AM and not 12 PM. I decided to dial the number displayed on the perspex sheet next to the window but no one answered. In rage, I said : "Babi betul. Tak jawab. Aku geram ni" to a few Malay dudes. They looked at me and in response, gave me a dry smile.

Thankfully, after a little while, the man in charge of the 'room-for-keeping-things' came and he pulled out a paper from the glass window and placed it on the table and it says in Malay that they are going to the toilet and will be back in 15 minutes time. Now, why didn't I see that? Because they were smart enough to have the handwritten operating hours stuck in the front of the glass window and the 'we-are-going-to-toilet' notice at back of the window at the same spot. Stupid? Yes. Do they think we can read through it? Where have they placed their brains?


Anyway, everyone looked relieved and collected their helmets. I head towards Athena and went home with all my goods. I ate, told my mom about what happened and then bath. After that, I assembled my Kawasaki Ninja and placed it next to my Kawasaki KLX450R model. I told my mom : I want to have this one next time! And then showed the assembled model to her like a little child feeling proud of their achievement. If I ever own a real Kawasaki Ninja, I would call her : "Artemis". Artemis is the mythological Greek goddess of wilderness,wild animals,huntress and a few others I am not sure of. And, she is also Athena's half sibling, which is why, I would want to use the name Artemis for my next motorcycle.

Till my next post! Adios! :P (picked that up from my English lecture, Mr.Sina.)

Signing off,


P.s: Sorry for the grainy photos. I used a Sony Erricson cam to take them. I am desperate to take pictures and my dad took his Olympus cam (Boo to Olympus! I dislike Olympus after using it. Far from what I expected) with him. I have ordered a Canon SD1300 AKA Ixus 105 from US already and it's GREEN! :D)