Part I: http://alifeasamortal.blogspot.com/2014/03/freezing-cold-yong-belar.html
Part III: http://alifeasamortal.blogspot.com/2014/04/freezing-cold-yong-belar-iii.html
Titanium goodies courtesy of ashley and the 'bunsen burner'.
(sorry for the blurry photos! my hands were freezing! :x)
After fumbling for our gears and shivering in the cold for about 25 minutes, we were finally done setting up the tent, tarp and had our mini outdoor stove out, ready to boil water to make a hot mug of ginger tea. While we make ginger tea, Bryan was so nice to fetch more water for us from the water point. It's about 500m away but the way down is full of ruts and potholes. And plus, it's so cold that, if possible, we actually don't even want to budge away from our place.
Lil one we found at night ;)
Well, we also needed to shower, badly because both me and Ashley felt smelly, so, we reluctantly got up after having hot ginger tea, packed our clothes and towel, then went down to clean ourselves.
We just took our towels, wet it and wipe our bodies with the damp towel. We only soap from knee below as there were dried up dirt and mud from the hike earlier. The water was freezing cold. It's like as if you're bathing in ice water. I said : "Ey Ashley, just try to think as if we're taking an ice bath," then chuckled gleefully. The water point wasn't very deep. It's probably about 1 and a half feet deep and it's actually quite clean. Also, it's not a river, but just a little stream and its width is around 2 fully grown human standing side by side.
Ashley at our camp. :)
We still felt uncomfortable as we didn't really bath but we don't think we could stand splashing ourselves with freezing water. Bryan came down shortly after we've finished 'bathing' and changing into our fresh clothes. We waited for Bryan and of course looked away while he clean himself and when he's done, we went back up.
My 'partner-in-crime' whenever I go for any trail adventure.
While in the tent, I told myself several things I should (and you can learn from my lesson, too :) ) learn from this hiking trip.
- First, never ever ever be lazy to pack things I had in mind before the trip. I actually wanted to pack my jumpers in the bag but because I'm so used to wearing shorts, I told myself it wasn't needed. I also wanted to bring my wind breaker (I thought that already having one fleece jacket was enough but the rain proved me otherwise) along but I told myself it may make my bag bulkier.
- Second, bring more food especially when you're hiking in the cold. This sounds like an obvious statement, now but, I never thought about bringing more food and I actually brought less this time. I always have extra food from my hiking trip and well, some of them looked nasty and squished. (oops!) oh and yes! do very much bring hot drinks if you know you're hiking up in the cold!!
- Third, Expect the unexpected. None of us expected a heavy downpour. Well, even if there was, we thought it would go away quickly. And so, that's also the result of me not bringing my windbreaker (aka hiking raincoat?) and my long pants. (smart move.)
- Fourth, Ashley brought tortillas instead of the usual bread everyone brings.Next time, we'll try to bring more ready-to-eat foods like cooked ham (no porky ham of course. You know, the 'invisible rule' in the forest!), cooked sausages (Ashley got us single-serving wrapped sausages from Jusco) and the usual canned food.
Pretty flowers we found. Unsure of the name, though.
Tiny roots I found hanging on a branch.
(The photo would look better without the lens blurring up :()
Then came one of the hikers from the other group. He came shivering, wearing his poncho and offered us his boiling water, asking if we needed any but we politely decline but felt thankful that he was really thoughtful. It was so cold that we couldn't really cook but still, we managed to make more hot water for milo and instant noodles. We shared them amongst ourselves and well, if it weren't for the rain, we would have tried to socialize with the other hikers like we usually do.
Shhsss.......*snooze* *snore*
But anyway, we stayed in the tent and snuggle inside and then after awhile, we realise the rain has stopped! Still even when the rain has stopped, it's still freezing cold. I was cold until the point where, I could touch the cup of the boiling water and not feel
anything. Really, I was
that cold. My touch senses only came back after a few seconds. Bryan went down to fetch another batch of water. He said that these were going to be our drinking water for tomorrow's hike down and then, he threw in a tiny tablet. It's about half cm in diameter and it's suppose to get rid of the microorganism in our water. Since we had nothing much, we decided to go to bed early. We're suppose to hike to the peak tomorrow - Yong Belar!
Till Part III,
(p.s: sorry for the irrelevant photos following the paragraph. I couldn't take much photo, especially when our surroundings are getting darker and plus, I was really freezing in the cold weather..!)
Day 1 here!
Day 2 of my trip. I woke up multiple times because the bed I've 'stolen', literally, is really dusty and dirty. I was itching all over and I realized that I had lumps below my armpits - both side. Its a really big itch lump. gosh! And had lumps near my belly button too! Well, what can I expect... it's only RM100 for the whole trip per person. Anyway, I woke up at around 3 a.m. went to the toilet to realize I had those lumps and then slept back. The air-conditioner was set at a pretty high temperature so and...I didn't had any blankets with me as I expected they'll have so I used my wet damp towel to cover myself. At least I had something to cover me...! :D
These guys are awesome! hahas. (left to right) The dude who bandaged my leg, (sorry, I don't know what his name is..), Tiger! (heeeee :P), Yap, (The dude who came to our rescue), and.... IDK what this guy's name is.
ALL POSING FOR KOREAN INSTANT NOODLES! WIN! :D
Then, I woke up again at around 6.15 a.m. and went to the toilet, walked around the area, took some pictures and finally sat down with the guys. They greeted me and were all boiling water to cook Korean noodles. hahahas. They asked me if I wanted any and I said no thank you. I'll admit I'm a little shy when taking other people's stuff because that's me. I felt that it's not very nice to take other people's thing even when they offered it. So I grabbed a chair and sat in the somewhat formed circle around the stove. And listened to them chattering away in Cantonese until we heard loud snores comming from the camp next to the hut we were sitting. They were LOUD! The loudest I've ever heard in my life...! I'm not making things up but seriously, they were absolutely LOUD. And of course, those jokers I'm with took the opportunity to make fun of the 'snorers' (as I would call). They started relating those snores as the 'booming' sound from the exhaust pipe of the dirt bike. They mimicked the sounds of the snores and related the softer snores as gear 1 then a little louder and harsher snores as gear 2 and so on. It was really hillarious and I laughed heartily. Gosh! You gotta love those guys....! They were absolutely fun to be with and were all so friendly and nice!
Morning Mist...
My dear Athena :) Do you see my dirty socks below the head lights?
Cool right? :)
Then, after that, we had breakfast made by the indigenous people and no, they don't serve us stuff that is made from their saliva (not trying to insult here), or stuff that has been stomped with their foot but normal everyday food you'll see around food court. They made us curry puffs, mini doughnuts, fried noodles, water and milk tea. I love their mini doughnuts! Not too sweet and very yummy...! After breakfast, I started walking out of the place and started taking photos and realized that these orang asli (indigenous people) are really really creative people! They had thier own petrol station too! Cool huh? If I know they had their petrol station, I would not have brought my own extra 8 L of petrol from KL. Heavy! Oh and the weather in the forest is absolutely cool and nice. It's so much better than the weather in KL.
That guy at the end left of the photo is Ah Meng. (Oh and he's checking my bike, Athena!) The guy that we car pooled with. He's a mechanic as well :) He's a really friendly + nice guy too...!
No not cow pats but elephant pats. :) There's wild elephant roaming around.
Interesting fact : Fresh elephant dung has vapour comming out of it. This is already a few days old dung. hahahahaha x)
The orang asli's kid. :) I Love taking photos..! My photos definitely does match a pro's one but I enjoy photo taking. It records my memory.
And so, after about 20 minutes of walking, I went back to our accomodation and started packing the stuff, filled my petrol tank and got ready to leave. I am suppose to follow Usop (remember? Ah Lu's mechanic, the dude who helped me pull my bike outta the mud) because I want to learn stuff from him - riding techniques. He's really good though! But, my dad wanted to leave early, ahead of the pack and he asked me to follow him. I said no, I'll follow the mechanic. He seemed a little hesitant at first but later said okay. So, I waited and then when my dad left the gate, Ah Lu asked me to follow my dad. So I told him I'm gonna follow his mechanic but he said in : "You'll follow your dad and then he (the mechanic) will follow up to you." He spoke in Cantonese of course. I was a little hesitant but agreed and by the time I left, I couldn't see my dad anymore. I decided to wait at the entrance for someone to come and give me direction and yea, someone did came. Not the mechanic though. He pointed to the left and so I followed him and little did we know that it's the wrong route. We were suppose to turn right. (I, later found out that it's actually a whole big miscommunication...He, for goodness me knows what reason thought I asked him to turn left when I on the other hand, thought that he asked me to turn left.) After 20 minutes, we realize that there were no one so we turned all the way back to the starting point. Everyone left and what's worse, that guy realized his tires were punctured after the orang asli told him. Thankfully, the indigenous people had a foot pump and he inflated his tires and quickly left to catch up with the pick up truck that had the electronic 'tire-inflating device'.
KTM'S in the house! Too bad I ain't a KTM fan. I'ma hard core Kawa fan. Oh and that dude wearing spectacles with black shirt and flowery pants is Ah Ng. He's the one that brought our bike all the way to Jerantut.
I was left behind to eat dust. HE WAS FAST! So, I went along until I saw 2 forked roads.. I don't know which one to turn. I started panicking and then I stopped. I started praying, again. Then, after 15 minute, as I was about to leave for the road that's nearest to me, I saw an off road jeep. I started following him behind and after awhile, I guess he knew that I'm following him so, he stopped. He wound the window down and I asked him how do I get out. He said all the way straight and.. I told him I was left behind.. more specifically, I hinted that I was lost. I said I want to trail gate him out and he said you sure? You'll be eating dust as this road is really dusty! I said yea,I don't mind, as long as I get out.
Then, after travelling for 30 - 40 minutes, a pick up truck came by and passed me. YAY! I'M FOUND! :D They said they were worried sick about me and I saw a relieve sign in their face when they saw me. I felt like a pig though, for making people worried about me. Then, I followed the truck and met up with a few other people ; Ah Guan, one dude I'm not sure of his name, Usop and Ah Meng (aka Ng Kok Chin, the dude that had his tires punctured. I realized that it was him after he took off his helmet and... it was this guy that I 'stole' the mattress from. I'm a shit.) So then, later I followed Usop and he taught me stuff that I pretty much already known but never know how to apply. It was good. I really enjoyed it and had calluses forming around my hands despite having gloves. It's like a great intense workout...! My thighs as well as hands were burning! This is the first time my thighs burned!!
We arrived at about 4.30 p.m. at Jerantut. And then, I had to face the horrible music from my dad. He scolded me, not too much but with a super stern face and then later, I felt so freaking bad and *glums* :( Then, the dude that bandage my leg tried to make me happy by saying : "Ey! you know when you got missing, your dad was worried sick about you you know? Yea sure he scolded you but he was actually worried like hell!" I gave a broad smile and said yea... (Actual conversation was in Cantonese but I translated it to English)
So we waited for another hour, for Jopol's truck to come with dad's bag and also we were waiting for Ah Meng (that dude whose tires were punctured) as he decided to car pool with us as well. Oh and did I mention that there is 2 Ah Meng? One is the guy that picked us up from our home, dad's mechanic friend and the other Ah Meng is the one whose tires were punctured and also the one whose mattress got stolen by me. Well, actually, that 2 Ah Mengs... had specific 'names'. One is Dai Meng (literally means Big Meng), which is the one that picked us up from home and the other one is Sai Meng (literally means Small Meng). It was the age difference that had them come up with this 'specified name'.
The wound I gotten for this trip... But they bandage it till it looks like it's sucha big wound. It's actually not as big as it looks. How did I get this wound? Yea... the knee guard that I wore was displaced and it moved when I fall. So, when I fall again, the knee guard didn't absorb the shock and I got this wound.
It was swollen and had bruises around it.
So we ate dinner at this restaurant at some place... I couldn't recall and reached home at around 9.30 p.m. Tiring adventure but I never fail to love each one everytime , despite all the bruises that I have gotten. Every bruise serve as a lasting permanent memory to my body. :P
Lots of <3,
P.s: I'm going to post my "Motocross turn muscle aching trip at Ulu Yam" soon!
Hola Chicos! Yes, that's Spanish for "Hey Guys!". Have been taking Spanish class recently at my college so, am going to apply what I learn :) Ah yes, I've been dirt biking again and this time, it's a 2 days 1 night of hella fun awesome ride. It was on the 16th and 17th of April 2011. I have been enjoying myself to the maximum despite getting bruised all over. It's a total of 180 km pure mud and dirt and 80 km on the tar road. Before I left home, I've blended some bananas, honey and a tiny bit of protein powder into my gel flask as my energy gel. Plus, I've added some pink Himalayan salt into my 2 litres drink pack to prevent muscle cramps.
Part of the 60 over dirt bikes...! This is Jerantut
Anyway, so, we left home at about 7.30 a.m. and car pooled with Ah Meng, dad's mechanic friend from Sri Kembangan. He's a real nice dude as he came all the way to our home to bring us to the waiting point which is at Jerantut. It was about a 3 hours plus ride from our home to Jerantut and he did all the driving. We did stop for awhile at Cameron Highlands though, for breakfast.
See that dude with the green cameo pants next to the red bike? He's Ah Lu. I never really knew his full name but that's what people call him.
And so we arrived there and wow...! The numbers of dirt bike is amazing! there were about 50 - 60 dirt bikes everywhere and all the sound coming from those dirt bike exhaust pipes were loud!! they were booming all over. :D *thumbs up* There were loads and loads of Kawasaki, a handful of Honda and a few KTM dirt bikes that's in the group. Plus, there were a bunch of Cameron Highlands guys that were tagging along with us too! And so, we waited for about 1 hour for everyone to arrive before we start our journey. We went at about 11 am
1km before the dirt adventure begins!
Look at all the dirt bikes! *VROOM!* :D
After probably 45 minutes, we made our stop at this little food court where we rested and ate. 1 of the bike had a little problem and needs fixing. The rest of the bikes were still good. And while we rested, I started getting really really awkward stares after taking off my helmet. Especially from those that have not seen me before. You could just feel that glare and literally read their lips saying : "oh my gosh! Is that a girl following us?!" in Cantonese. Oh boy...! *eyes shuts tightly with lower lips pouting out* I felt a lil embarrassed though and I tried not to look at them.
woohoo! DIRT + MUD = HEAVEN!
Anyway, we drove another about 1 km before bidding good bye to the road. The road wasn't that bad but I was pretty crappy though. I was one of last one of the packs and was way behind everyone else. I didn't even have time to take photos along the way as I kept falling and whenever everyone rests, by the time I reach there, they were ready to go. I was really really slow. :/ I guess going for motocross doesn't mean that you're any better at Enduro. It's really slightly different in Enduro. Loads of standing and less sitting. I learnt that from Ah Lu's mechanic, Usop. :) Nice dude. And this trip, because I had this fiery sensation burning inside me, whenever I drop, I shouted %$^#$% and SHIT! I know it's stupid and all but I just couldn't help it. I was so mad at myself for dropping and I think I'm loud enough for everyone to hear and I'm probably the only idiot who shouted when I drop. I was really frustrated with myself that I accidentally shouted at dad and I didn't even explain (that I was actually frustrated at myself, not him) and apologise. Well, Ah Lu thought that I was tired because I kept dropping but actually I was not. I did showed a shitty pissed off face when I rested and so I guess he probably interpreted it as me being worn out.
That's dad's bike! And no, that's not dad on the bike. That's Tiger! Yea, they call him Tiger, well, it's pretty obvious why they called him Tiger. And he's the first dude that drove the Land Rover.
Anyway, after about about 3/4 of the ride, we stopped at this really muddy part and this is the part where you will need loadsa skill to be able to pass this obstacle. My bike couldn't go through the muddy part so I had to use the hill to help me out. Well, I was really excited to put my skills to the test but I screwed it by being stupid and unobservant. I drove into the mud that's next to the hill. Thick slushy brown mud. both my wheels were halfway stuck and 2 guys, including Usop had to help me out. After getting the bike out of the mud, Usop took my bike and drove on the hill. Bummer. I actually wanted to clear the hill myself but I know he was just trying to be nice to help me out. Damm. Out of the entire trail, this part is the most exciting and challenging part but.. I didn't get to try it out. *sigh* failed. I wanted to stop him and say : "hey! Don't do it for me! LET ME TRY!" But I was TOO SLOW. SLOW.
See that red shirt dude there? The one whose both hands are on the Land Rover Defender. He's Usop.
SHE WILL BE MINE NEXT TIME! <3 Defender!
So after that, it's the pick up truck's turn to go over the mud part. Darn! I'm even more in love with the Land Rover Defender after seeing it go through the muddy part. That will be car in the future okay? I don't want a fancy nice Honda, BMW, Mercedes, Mazda or etc. I want a defender! You hear me?! DEFENDERRRR!!! So that I can go dirt car drivin'. And load up my Kawas. <3
Getting back to the trip ; the Land rover didn't make it through though. It was struggling in the soft mud. Then, another guy took over, a Malay dude. He used the thick wire cable from the built in pulley system, hook it onto the front of another pick-up truck and then pull itself (the land rover) out from the mud. Then, he accelerated and manage to clear about 3/4 of the muddy part and stalled there. At least he cleared it more than the first guy did and the land rover was nearer to a tree. So, he used the wire cable again and hook it onto the tree to pull the land rover out of the mud part. Cool ey? I <3 Land Rover!! :D Sucha sweet thing!
Oh and so, there were about 3 more trucks to be cleared.. dad & some few other dudes couldn't wait so they wanted to go first. First, it's getting dark as it's already and 2nd, the clock shows about 5.30 p.m. Okay cool and all then suddenly, dad's exhaust pipe dropped. It's pretty funny and no, I forgotten to take a shot of it. :( Then, I had to ferry the pipe back all the way to the truck and it took me a good 15 minutes to go back to the truck. Then, another about 10 minutes back to dad. We continued by following the orange neon sign that says "Moto cross -->" until someone came on a blue bike and said that we're heading the wrong way because one of the sign was misplaced. Great. So, we tracked back and looked for the last sign and...... after awhile, we got lost. Yea. In the middle of the jungle. No hand phone line. Clock was already showing 7.48 p.m and we decided that we shouldn't move anymore and rest. Yes. Rest and stop to wait for help. The skies were dark and it was pitch black. I started praying. Obviously! In a situation like this, praying is necessary! Well, both me and my dad prepared for the worse. We agreed that if no one comes for us, we'll just sleep in the wild. It won't be that bad plus, there's the pretty starry skies above us and our bikes to accompany us. Thankfully, after about 30 - 45 minutes, we heard the sweet sound of a dirt bike's muffler and it's coming closer to us! I was OVERJOYED! and I started honking to get attention. He lead us back to campsite and it was another 5 km before we arrive.
This is actually taken on the 2nd day on the morning at about 6 + a.m. I didn't had any pictures of the place on the first day because by the time we arrived, we could only see lights.
Everyone cheered when we got there. hahahaha X) I guess they were crazy happy and relieved as well to see us in one piece! We stole the limelight for awhile as everyone flocked around us to ask us how we have gotten lost. Well, it wasn't that of a great limelight though..! And so, I went to shower and had a GREAT BATH! The best shower of my life! X) And ate heartily. BBQ made by the orang asli's were great! Food was awesome too :)
After talking and eating.. and getting 2 pieces of fruit from the Cameron Highland dudes.... (They were really nice peeps too! ;D Thank God friendly people were throughout the camp...! Else I'll be a loner) * I really want to cut this whole entry short okay..? I think I'm making my readers sleepy now.* and joking, lights off. Did I mention I stole someone's mattress?! there was not enough space for everyone that some had to set up tents!!! D: I thought when they said accommodation, I was expecting like some no star motel in the hutan simpan (reserve forest) and at least a room each for a family or person! NOT! one room had almost 10 people squeezing inside! I was such a pig by the way, for stealing someone's mattress. I felt so bad that I apologized the next day. I felt like a bitch. I mean, I don't know what I was thinking but I just grabbed that mattress that was against the wall and slept. I didn't even ask who's going to have the mattress. Sigh..
Well, as for Day 2, I'll post it another day. This is getting too LONG!
Lots of <3,
P/s: Click here for Day 2
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
We waited here for everyone to arrive.
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.
Chear's house. He has a nice house. Plus, he has a pretty spacious patio.
Oh and look at the whole line of Kawasaki dirt bikes! So awesome! It seems to me that Kawasaki is every one's preferred choice.
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.
Look towards the end. Everyone there is trying to move the tree trunk. Oh and that's Aqille, the 12 year old young dude I mentioned in my previous post. *I just learned his name yesterday from his brothers..!*
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.
First stop! You know, I like that red + grey suit. It's really cool. It's the Russian guy I met from my previous Enduro Trip - Sungai Long. Oh and peace out!
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.
Oh me..! DIRTY shoes! gotta wash them.
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.
Stuck in the rut! This is the first puddle I had to go through. And yes, they are trying to yank the bike outta the mud.
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!
2nd puddle. It looks a little big for a puddle though. But then, it's not really a stream either.
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.
Flowers are so beautiful. I absolutely adore the beauty of flowers. Makes me happy.
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,
All photos here owe their credits to Kak Mira. I seriously don't know what am I doing or what am I trying to do. Anyway, Doc's waiting for me (right side) to give me my first lesson.
Oh me gosh! Look at my "lion mane"! Don't you think it looks like one?
Left to right : Me, Kak Mira and Doc
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.
I look pretty small from behind that lil' kid. Isn't he just so adorable?! I mean like how often do you see a kid less than 12 years of age drive a dirt bike?
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.
Doc (left) and me (right), He's teaching me the basics.
Helmet is a must but like I said, he's teaching me so, it's easier to hear him helmet off than helmet on. Right?
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...!
Awesome kid! SO MUCH younger than me and could do good table tops!
Cute-attack! THIS SHOT makes that lil KID SO FREAKING CUTE! :3
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.
Me. Look like a fat ass. This pants really sucks..! I hope to get a new one soon with pads and etc.
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...!
Part of the fun at Tanjung Sepat. Big big obstacle in front..! See them trying to pull it away? See that kid there? Yea, a kid. Only 12 years of age! When I was 12 years old, I was still beating up boys in my primary school. :P
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,
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