A Lion in a Dragon's Den

We Are Moving!

2016-06-22T21:25:00.000-07:00

This blog will be riding to www.rideyourstory.com

See you there!

Narathiwat : South Thailand Unrest

2015-03-12T01:14:00.002-07:00

Its always been a fly and ride for me. Far away exotic places are always greener than home. While my neighbours, like a backyard , familiarty and within reach doesn’t excite me as much.

Maybe it’s time I should give it a second look. 

Shamefully the furtherest I’ve taken my TEX to is Cameron Highland.

I will need to take it out for a real ride before it’s first birthday.

Phuket and Hatyai are too touristy, not my cup of mocca.

Narathiwat province it will be, a region plague by violence from separatist insurgency. 6000 have been killed and 10,000 have been injured since 2004.

Is the situation really that bad ?

(Last incident was on the day I left, 9th March, with 9 casualities and previously in Feb with 13 casualities injured by a car-bomb)

I’ve learned to read news with only a pinch of wasabi.

The only way to find out, is to go in and see it for myself.

The two objectives - to overcome my fear of riding solo and to enter the ‘troubled' South Thailand - an unknown to me (well I did enter once with my first bike back in 2011, shamelessly only for an hour, guided by a motorcycle taxi, all because we need to assure my riding partner’s wife’s girlfriend that ‘what are the two man going into Thailand for ?’

That’s just one of the frustrating reason that make me decide to go solo.

Not a big deal for those seasoned riders, so save your ‘so what?’

The only person I need to challenge is the me of yesterday.

This trip was hastily planned. With the next destination decided only on the day of arrival. Due to the uncertainties of the local situations, I could not stay for too long at any spot. Hence I am left with only few photos and mostly lame bikefie.

This region was the former Sultanate of Pattani, until it was conquered by the Siamese in 1785, present Kelantan were spared. Patani Malay are spoken here, which makes me feel so ‘at home’ with my limited Indonesian, since I can’t speak Thai to stop an oil leak.

Comparating with neighbouring Malaysia state of Kelantan. Narathiwat are obviously underdeveloped, however it is calm (among the storm). No doubt one will suspect the intended neglection from the central Thai government.

except for the numerous checkpoint manned by young soldiers and police.

A stranded ship along Narathat beach.

I have no idea where am I going.. just pick one and go!

Go with your Curiosity instead and overide your GPS!

One of the joy of not riding the expressway or highway .. you get to stop as you please!

You know you have to stop when you see this.

Go with your Curiosity instead and overide your GPS!

Found this Rocky Hill .. hmmm..

One of the perks of riding solo, in a deserted and isolated place. You get to ride your bike along the shore and with no one to judge you.

You can misbehave! Oh wait.. the word 'mis-' and 'behave' itself is judgemental.

Let's just say be myself - 'self' of that moment captured in time, as 'self' itself is not indefinite.

End Note: Aparently I am not alone. Shortly after this photo was taken. I was caught for trespassing. The owner, Encik Amin, was an opportunitist. He offered me to sell me this Rocky hill and the surrounding land. There must be a divine reason i end up in this isolated land and meet this guy while acting like a monkey.

Contact exchanged... I'll be back!

Kilometers of beautiful, quiet and deserted beach. with only a few fisherman dryng their catch at interval.

Riding within the village that is off the main road was a scary challenge.

Reports of people being shot within this village road still ring in my head.

I don’t know what to expect, but I am not turning back with the same stories that I was told to read.

Tips to self : Retract your helmet sun visor or remove your sunglass.

so even when you smile in your full face helmet, the recipient can still see your smiling cheek and eyes.

All fears subside the moment you give a waving Hi and the Makcik (Aunty in Malay) return you will the widest smile in the Land of Smiles. They welcome my presence more that brighten up their uneventful, dull and hot lazy afternoon.

Surely there are some who look hostile to your presence.

Likewise I will never fell obliged to entertain any damn tourist like a caged animal.

I am just a guest here.

"I believe I can fly

I believe I can touch the sky

I think about it every night and day

Spread my wings and fly away

I believe I can soar

I see me running through that open door

I believe I can fly"

Mother Nature is taking over this under utilised roads. We need to sent more bikes here!

Sure enough, the road is gone!

Swallow up by the Gods of the sea.

Are you serious ?

Not one but 2 roads from my GPS are missing!

Either my GPS are not updated or the Thai government are seriously neglected this part of the country!

Surely kilometers of beach and roads can't disappear ovenight!

Then again!.. I should never doubt the power of Mother Naure.

Bukit Fraser, Pahang, Malaysia - Spend a night here on my way back. Included here because it is worth a mention.

I like this place very much, as compare to Cameron Highland.

Quiet and peacful (maybe it's weekday when I'm there).

This is my place!

Most importantly the bends and roads are so narrow that can only fit 1 1/2 car width. a major no-no for the Valentino Rossi or Initial D wannabes!

Yesss!

Bukit Fraser, Pahang, Malaysia

Series : Faces of India

2015-02-24T20:12:00.000-08:00

It's not just about motorcycle, the roads and the scenic backdrop for your profile photo.
It is also about the people you met along the way...

Curious children of tea plantation workers.

A plantation worker pruning the Camellia sinensis or ‘tea plant’.

A orange gatherer who is very delighted to meet me, as I’m one of ‘her own kind’.
Here she is conscious about her look as she is not in her best dress for a photo.

A kind orange farmer, who offered us a free ‘pluck all you can’ orange fest. 'those here on the floor is already sold' he said.

The farmer’s child helping out in the field.

A child from the Adi tribe.

Mother and child. Adi tribe.

Inspiring the Adi children to travel and see the world beyond their territory.

A Dao (pronounced ‘dhao') wielding Adi elder. A few decades earlier, he will be hunting for my head.

An Adi man with a dao, an essential multi-purpose working tools now rather than a weapon.

When I grow up…

After the Adi hosted us on a Christmas night, we share our Christmas joy (Santa Claus version only)

A family on 3-up waiting to cross the wooden bridge on bike.
The baby boy is suspecting whether we could make it across without wetting our padded pant.

It’s winter time. wood gathering for cooking and heat to keep warm is a daily task for the tribeswomen.

The two tribal woman near Ranaghat, who sold me the ‘Hottest natural chilli in the World’ - Bhoot Jolokia or Ghost Chilli (its 900.5 times hotter than Tabasco)
Two handful at 10 rupees for an hour of oral organsm (a few hours for some non-chilli eater)

An Idu tribe woman, at a pitstop for us riders.

Mr.Jibi Pulu, a Mishmi tribesman and our host for two nights.
While most of his fellow villagers have converted to Hinduism, Christianity and Buddhism, Jibu insist on maintaining his faith of Donyi-Polo , an indigenous religions of animism. A religion that predate Buddhism in his ancestral home in Tibet.
A dialogue session on this religion gave us a very valuable insight to the essence of this practice, to live harmoniously with Mother Nature who provides for all the living sentient beings. A teaching where other organized religions failed to emphasis or addressed.
Upon his death, according to Jibu, his spirit will return to Lhasa, his ancestral home, via the migration path of his ancestors passing through the present day Myanmar.

Two wary Nepali kids. Felt sorry that their house was accidently burn by their farming father while clearing the field (together with the Marijuana plant and seed.. oh well!)
Mud covered house will provide a better fire resistant.
This is development, upgrade, an evolution!

Attracted by the light and songs in the middle of darkness. We found ourselves gatecrashed into a new year party in front of a chapel of the tea plantation workers of Assami origin.
Our only form of communications - ‘Hello’ , many handshakes and few smiles.

The last of Arunachal Pradesh, beyond the border guards we are relunctantly heading to Assam and back to the ‘Mainland’

Our support vehicle driver. if you think 2 wheels is tough, try 4!

Our Chef and Sous Chef. I have never eaten so much onions as a salad by itself in my life. The variety of indian cuisine and especially the momos are excellent, worth a few diahorrea.

Tapir Darang, the most popular Adi and our local guide for this region.

He also discovered at least 20 WWII downed planes and help the US family to retrieve the remains of the love ones to be sent home.

There are still at least few hundred crash sites remained to be found.

Arunachal Pradesh - One Crazy Ride [Video]

2015-02-23T18:21:00.005-08:00

I have thousands of photos to sort out, and pages of travel notes to tag with it.
A picture is only worth a thousands words.
It can't tell you the full story.
The best way is to ride your own.
or .. till I complete my trip report.

In the meantime, here's the trip video.
Pardon the music! We did ride through the Christmas and New Year of 2015

8 hours to Malacca

2015-02-22T03:38:00.000-08:00

Singapore to Malacca is only a 3hrs drive (according to Google Maps)
But what if you take the trunk road, ride within the kumpungs and have 8 hours to spare (before your check in time at 2pm)

Date : 12th Dec 2014 on a Royal Enfield Classic 350

Arunachal Pradesh -

2015-02-20T09:23:00.000-08:00

Riding date:
Destination:
Video:
Map:

Post:

For those who like to skip the trip details, here's the video summary of the trip.

[YouTube Video]

In early 2014, bored and pondering in the cubicle .
Last trip was in Tibet

Remember watching a documentary Riding Solo
By chance visit the website and decide on trip
Cannot make it in Aug, then join Arunachal in Dec

Conquering West Malaysia

2012-09-11T06:48:00.000-07:00

Ride : Conquering West Malaysia
Objective : Circumnavigate and conquer all 11 states of West Malaysia
Date: 1st - 7th September 2012
Rider : 2
Bikes : Derbi Terra / Derbi Terra Adventure
Distance : 2330km
Highest Elevations : 1568m
Lowest Elevations : -12m
Total Riding Time : 33hr16min

The Route :

Details report coming...

Tour de Johore - Derbi Terra Adventure

2012-02-17T10:02:00.000-08:00

Tour de Johore
11 Feb 2012
530 km
15 hours butt-flattening ride

In Search of Tao - Mount Hua (华山）

2012-01-27T07:36:00.000-08:00

Fulfilling a childhood dream. Scaling Mount Hua just to do the plank walk...

Video : Cruising The Roof of The World (Promo version)

2011-08-19T07:25:00.000-07:00

Cruising The Roof of the World (Photos Part 1)

2011-05-29T03:50:00.000-07:00

Date : 02-14 May 2011
Location : Central Tibet
Riding Date : 4-13 May 2011 on a CJ750 (Chang Jiang 750)
Bike Facts : CJ750 is a replica of Russian Ural, which in turn is a replica of German BMW R71 with sidecar. designed in 1938, 750cc with 24 or 32hp engine.
Tour Operator : www.sidecarrallychina.com

Trip Itinerary :
- Lhasa - Nagatze - Gyantze - Shigatze - Tingri - Mt.Qoomolangma Base Camp - Sakya - Shigatze - Lhasa

Trip Highlight to remember or to forget :
- Puke 5 times from Lhasa airport to Lhasa
- First 2 days of acclimatization, total loss of appetite and nausea and more vomits
- Experience spring/autumn weather, winter/snow and summer heat in within 3 hours!
- Elevation plot : 3600 - 5200m
- Temperature : 0 - 26C
- Failed to ascend to Mt.Qoomolangma Base Camp by bike (It's a 70 years old bike and it's not mine.. so it's not my call to abort!) , took a sleepy mini bus instead.. a downer yes! then again.. it means I have a good reason to return to accomplishment the pimple mission!
- Tashi delek Tibet!.. You know I'll be back

more pics to come, and video too!

Vietnam Ride 2011 [Trailer]

2011-02-10T17:41:00.000-08:00

Just return from my 6 days trip (4-9 Feb 2011) from Saigon, round the Central Highlands and back. I've gigabytes of videos and photos to sort out. But before that, here's the trailer done for fun with iMovie of some part of the tour. Tour video will be posted when ready.

Vietnam Central Highland Ride 2011

2011-02-07T16:06:00.000-08:00

I'm half way of my tour ride. so now I'll be only posting the preview.
full report and video will follow up when I'm back.

a picture speaks a thousand words...

to be continue...

Walking Shanghai

2011-01-15T08:03:00.000-08:00

Walking around Shanghai in winter time. Filmed in January 2011 with Sony NEX-5, 35mm CCTV lens. Made with Mac & iMovie.

CIrcumnavigating Sabah

2010-12-13T04:43:00.000-08:00

Finally the video is done.
After days, to weeks, to month of delays. its's done over a weekend.
But much preparation was to be made to compile this video.
5 days of video footage compress into a short 5 minutes video.
Anyway this is it...

The video of my trip to Sabah last September.
circumnavigating around Sabah in 5 days with the rideborneo.com operator
1157km of pure riding...

Enjoy the video now.
Details of my trip perhaps sometime when I'm free next.
Still got the photos to sort out.
By itself it will speak a thousand words.

and the video...
It'll speaks a million words...

Conquering the Elevations of Sabah

2010-10-19T04:42:00.000-07:00

Motorcycling around Sabah during my break is fun!
While since I'm there, why not add diving & trekking to the list.
And the result is a 4 months preparation for the conquest.
The depth, plain & altitude of Sabah.

Depth - The final dive spot wasn't my first choice. first the Layang-layang is off season. and the other popular destination like Labuan and Sipadan was practically out-of-reach for a single diver like me (according to the tour operator). The 'Min 2 to go' rules never helps.But I need to conquer the depth, otherwise I would not achieve what I set out to do. and thanks to Janet of Sabah Divers, I manage to pack with 2 stranger to Tunku Abdul Rahman Park. It's only 15mins ride from Kota Kinabalu. Nothing to shout about regarding the dives. Especially compare to my last dive at Qiandao Lake. The only worth watching are the 2 ladies diving with me...

Plain - Am I risking my life ? Here I am, only my 2nd time sitting on a moving bike on a public road after I got my license more than a year ago in Singapore. And now I'm going on a 1157km journey with a third of it off road and the other half on a unpaved road and in a foreign country! Sounds like an Adventure to me!

Altitude - Mount Kinabalu. it's about 15 years since I last intended to climb this mountain. And no thanks to the Indonesian forest fire then, the last trip was cancelled. But not this time. The highest peak in South-East-Asia (4095.2m) and being a South-East-Asian myself, I know I have to scale this at least once in my current lifetime. And yes, I've already scaled the highest peak in Singapore, Bukit Timah Hill at 166m.

and above all is made possible by these friendly operators
www.sabahdivers.com
www.rideborneo.com
www.adventure-quests.com

now straight to the videos...

Diving into the sunken city

2010-09-13T06:06:00.000-07:00

Finally I accomplished one of my mission - diving in Qiandao Lake (千岛湖).
I first learn about this dive when I first came to Shanghai, and in desperate search for diving trip, and this is one so excite me.

It will not only be diving in a freshwater lake, and also into a sunken city, Lion City. coincidentally the same sanskrit name for Singapore.

The trip was operated by Big-Blue (www.big-blue.cn).

With water temperature at the bottom at 10-12°C. A dry or semi-dry suit is required.
But we are given 2x 3mm wet suit which works fairly well.
I wore a single diving glove and my hands go numb at the bottom.

It's a very challenging dive and definitely not a fun dive.
The visibility was bad and it is worst than night diving I did in Pulau Aur in Malaysia.
But it's definitely worth the experience, one that I will never forget.

Especially where I have to abandon dive for the first time in my last and 3rd dive.

More on this maybe on my next post, when I can find the time.

For this trip I tested a new underwater goggle camera for this trip. Liquid Image HD320.

and here's the video...

Time for a riding trip ?

2010-07-11T05:44:00.000-07:00

Well.. while I'll wait for my riding theory test date.
it seems like my time to ride in China is still quite a long wait.
perhaps I could keep my enthusiasm by planning for a riding trip.

October have the longest holiday here in China. and last year I wasted a full 3 weeks in Singapore doing nothing but waiting for friends who are working during the day.
Well, I did have a good ride for 1 day in Johore.

This year, this will not happen again.

Browsing through the net I found many tours that I'm interested in.
mainly in Borneo and Vietnam/Laos/Cambodia region.
at least it's on my way down back to Singapore.
Yes, I will not be taking a direct flight but stopover at least 1 destination.

so far I found the www.rideborneo.com is relatively easier ride tour for me.
I've ridden off-road before, but don't consider myself experience enough.
as much a I'm interested in riding from Thailand border to Cambodia to see the Angkor Wat.
maybe I should get myself more riding hours before I make that rough trip.

Let's see...

Quote of the Day

2010-07-01T22:18:00.000-07:00

"Difficulties increases the nearer we approach the Goal"- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

CJ750 (长江750)

2010-07-01T18:00:00.000-07:00

One obstacle after another..well at least it's back on track...
this will be my first bike - Chang Jiang 750 aka CJ750 (长江750）。

Well..according to the local authority. My Singapore Class 2B license just wasn't qualified to convert to the 'D' license which is required to ride this 3-wheeler.
If there's a will, there's always a way! (有志者事竟成）
and after some inquiry through local network and dealer. I will just need to take a bike lesson at the school specifically catered for sidecar.
and apparently foreigner and those from outside Shanghai are not allowed to take lesson here before April'2010. The restriction have just been lifted and I might possible be the first foreigner to take my D license through this route. The younger Chinese are more interested in BMWs than this old bike from the military. and it's obvious when I apply for the course at the school, the attendant are bewildered and her first respond to her colleague beside is "我今天中奖了！” （I struck a lottery today!)

Well..before I could kickstart my engine. I will need to pass my theory lesson ... in Chinese!
and you think the bad English translation theory test paper is bad enough! try Chinese.. in
All my years of MOE Chinese seems like a kindergarten text book.

Back to my study and before I complete my notes for today. Here's the introduction of CJ750.

The CJ750 motorcycle is based on the 1956 Soviet IMZ (Irbitski Mototsikletniy Zavod) M-72 which was derived from the 1938 BMW R71. Nearly all of them have sidecars. They are often erroneously referred to as BMW "replicas" when in fact, they are derivatives of the IMZ M-72.

Production began in the late 1950s or early 1960s. (Different sources cite different dates.) They were originally produced for the Chinese military and are powered by an air-cooled, four-stroke, opposed flat-twin engine displacing 746cc. The rear wheel is shaft-driven.

The most common models are:
The M1 which has a sidevalve (flathead) engine and a 6V electrical system. This model is a clone of the M72 and closely resembles the 1938 BMW R71.

The M1M is also a sidevalve, however it uses a 12V electrical system and is equipped with a reverse gear. It also has an electric starter where the M1 has only a kick-starter. All of these enhancements were designed by the Chinese.

The M1S (or "Super") uses an overhead-valve engine, 12V electrical system, electric starter and reverse gear. The OHV system is of Chinese design.

All three models use the same frame and sheet metal. The M1 and M1M are nearly identical in appearance, but they can be distinguished by observing certain details.

CJ technological history includes racing bikes, experimental engines and futile attempts at modernizing the appearance of a long obsolete machine. In the 1990s, China opened its markets to foreign motorcycle manufacturers which expedited the end of CJ750 mass production. Today, the marque is kept alive by interest from foreign hobbyists.

VholdR ContourHD 1080P

2010-06-26T07:00:00.000-07:00

Yup..that's the wearable camera I bought for my future planned trip (will keep you updated).
I first saw it on youtube and eventually manage to find it on sale on taobao.com
cost me about RMB2500 and it's well worth the money.
now can't wait to make my trip, but first I got to know the operation of this camera well enough.

and here's the spec...

Details

5 Megapixel Sensor
Codec: H.264 (AAC audio)
File Type: .mov

Audio

Internal Microphone
AAC Audio Compression

Lens

135° - 960p and 720p
110° - 1080p and WVGA

Memory

Removable MicroSD
SDHC compatible
Capacity: 16GB (2GB included)

Easy Edit Software

Compatible with:
Mac (10.4, 10.5, & 10.6)
Windows (XP, Vista, Windows 7)
Videos Download via USB 2.0

What’s In the Box

ContourHD Camera
MicroSD Card (2GB)
Goggle Mount
Flat Surface Mount
Rechargeable Battery (3hrs)
USB Cable

Battery & Power

Removable Lithium-Ion Battery
Record Time: Up to 3 hours
Chargia via USB to Computer
or chargers (sold seperately)
Charge Time: 4 hours (average)

Body

Water Resistant
Aluminum and Fiberglass Body
Compatible with TRail Mount System

Lazy Saturday

2010-06-20T04:56:00.000-07:00

darn..another weekend where I need to clean up some work in the office.
well..it's on the other side of Whampoa river.
might as well take a slooow ride there..and taking the opportunity to test my ContourHD camera for the 2nd time...

Morning Ride I

2010-06-06T18:00:00.000-07:00

Morning ride in Shanghai. testing my ContourHD 1080P camera for the first time...