Puncak Titiwangsa...

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"I have found that there ain't no surer way to find out whether you like people or hate them than to travel with them" - Mark Twain

(Nong, Chon, Yati, Azim, Hakim, Roslan and Din)

Last Saturday we went for a ride with 7 other bikers to Betong, a border town of Thailand and took the Gua Musang route and crossed the Main Range via the East West Highway from Jeli, Kelantan to Gerik, Perak.

Motorists using the East-West Highway would definitely stop at the peak of Banjaran Titiwngsa for its beautiful view of the mountainous surroundings. With a height of about 2.100 meters above sea level, the R&R area is increasingly a popular stop for motorists to take a break from the long-haul riding/driving for a breath of cool fresh air and a cup of hot coffee.

Travel Reflection: Betong (III), Thailand

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Riding to Muar Asam Pedas...

Sometimes the hardest thing in life is to know which bridge to cross and which to burn...

(Seafood restaurants along the muara...)

(A group photo in front of Welly's new show room..)

(Colorful bikes lined-up...)

(Getting ready for the ride...)

(Asam pedas lunch at Parit Jawa...)

(The famous Mak Ngah asam pedas restaurant...)

Route taken: KL - Muar - KL

Total mileage: 450 km

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Being a mother...

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I've made a lot of mistakes in the past, but being a mother was not one of them... 
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(3 generations of first-born girls...)

A mother's love is patient and forgiving

when all others are forsaking,

it never fails or falters,

even though the heart is breaking…

Tonight we celebrated Mother's Day at Absolute Thai and had our favorite dishes of sea-food tomyam, pandan chicken and kerabu manggo. And I bought me a compact Canon Ixus to replace the one that was broken.

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Sarajevo Blues...



Nothing in me has changed

I listened to the snow bursting under the tires

Like teeth crunching an apple

And I felt a wild desire to laugh at you

Because you call this place hell

And you flee from here convinced

That death beyond Sarajevo does not exist

(Semezdin Mehmedinovic)

Travel Reflections: Tunnel of Hope
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Majlis Aqiqah for baby Alia

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“A child is bonded by his/her aqiqah that should be performed on the seventh day of birth in addition to shaving the hair and be given a name.”

Last Saturday we performed the majlis Aqiqah for my grand-daughter, baby Alia, at my parents’ house in Melaka with the help of my sisters and a brother-in-law who is an expert in cooking, A goat was sacrificed to mark the occasion and the meat was cooked for a simple kenduri. We invited close neighbours and relatives to join us in the ceremony and recited doa selamat and tahlil.

The next day in JB, we performed the shaving of baby Alia’s hair. It is sunnah to weigh the hair and value it in silver (gold?) and is given away as charity.
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Disturbing dream...

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"A man is not old until regrets take the place of his dreams..."

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Last night I dreamt of my emak...

In the dream she was well, energetic and surprisingly mobile. And we chatted for hours about nothing in particular. When I woke up this morning I was feeling overly depressed for I know my dream was too good to be true.

I have not seen my emak for more that a week. My restless spirit may have taken over me, triggering that dream, and leaving me with a fear that something bad is going to happen.

And today I am here in Melaka with my emak and will be staying with her for a while...
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Hana's swimming day...

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When you unclutter your brain, you enjoy a peace of mind...

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(Hana swimming with her grandpa...)

(Hana swimming all by herself...)

(The pool is empty after school holiday ends...)

(Gradma resting in peace...)

(Lunch @ Putramas cafe after a good swim...)

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It's been six years since...

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I treasure every moment

you spent in life with me.

I hoped to have you longer,

but it's not meant to be...

I know you're in a better place.

I know you're happy there.

I know one day I'll join you,

but the wait is hard to bear...

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Riding to Gunung Senyum…

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A pleasant companion reduces the length of the journey - P Syrus

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Last night we were supposed to join the bikers 'Ride Right Clinic' organised by Tourism Malaysia but we have to cancel our plan last minute.

(Some of the caves entrances seen from below...)

So this morning, with nothing particular planned, we decided to go for a ride to Gunung Senyum Recreational Park, located on the Pahang River bank about 68 km away from Temerloh and is 1,549 metres above sea level.

(Venturing the many caves...)

(The start of the climb...)

The park is part of the Jengka Forest Reserve, which covers an area of 794 hectares. Surrounded by oil palm plantations of the Jengka Felda Scheme, there are two main mountains within the park, Gunung Senyum and Gunung Jebak Puyoh, popular sites for mountain climbers and cave explorers..

(Exploring one of the smaller caves...) 

(Beautiful rock formations...)

Gunung Senyum is made up of limestone and rock with at least 20 caves with historical and mythical cave complex and unique flora, fauna and rock formations. The magnificent cave chambers are among the most beautiful in the region.

(The hanging bridge to cross the pond...)

Without a map or a garmin, it took us nearly 3 hours to reach the park but on the way back to KL we took a shorter route which saved us an hour of riding time...

Route taken: KL - Karak Highway - Jerantut - Jengka 9, 21, 23 - Gunung Senyum -

Rumpun Makmur - Kuala Krau - Karak Highway - KL

Total mileage: 400 km

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Travelling again...

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A good traveler has no fixed plans and is not intent on arriving – Lao Tzu

Yesterday we braved the bumper to bumper traffic and went to Pertama Kompleks to repair my travelling shoes and blue jeans and later joined thousands of travel shoppers to visit the KL MATTA Fair 2012 at PWTC.

After we thronged through the 3 exhibition halls, checked out the various packages offered by travel agencies, and hurt our tired feet, we went home empty handed. None of the packages offered met the expectation of our future travel destinations.

Regardless, this coming April we will still be travelling to some unchartered regions around the Adriatic Ocean for our Spring holiday…
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Ride to Elephant Sanctuary...

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"The wilderness holds answers to questions man has not yet learned to ask."

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Kuala Gandah Elephant Conservation Centre, or popularly referred to as the Elephant Orphanage Sanctuary, is located within the bio diversified-rich and protected Krau Game Reserve and was set up in 1989 under the Department of Wildlife & National Parks, Malaysia.

The Teris River acts as a natural border between the reserve and the Che' wong Orang Asli village - the last tribe of its kind found in Malaysia. The name Kuala Gandah is, itself, taken from the small stream running near the electric compound enclosure which houses the elephants during the day from 830am to 2pm before they are transferred to the roofed holding area.

Although the sanctuary was set up in late 1989, it was only in 1997 that the general Malaysian public and the world knew of its existence.

(Breakfast @ Welly's - one long table...)

(Parked bikes in a row...)

(Bikers feeding a group of barking deers...)

(An albino snake as scarf...)

(Orchestrating the elephants...)

(A group photo of the bikers gang...)

(Convoy out for lunch @ Bentong...)

Route taken: KL - Lanchang - Kuala Gandah - Bentong - KL

Total mileage: 240 km

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The 1st BNM Alumni AGM...

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Middle age is when work is a lot less fun and fun is a lot more work... 

I heard about the formation of BNM Alumni even before I retired. It took them quite a while to finalize terms of reference. It took longer to set up a pro-temp committee to get the group started.

Recently, BNM have started to send invitations to retirees and to those who had served. more than 15 years. And at last we managed to gather around 30 ex-staff to attend the first AGM at Lanai Kijang and it was chaired by Tan Sri Basir, an ex-AG.

At the moment, it may not have significant value add benefits for me to join the alumni. But at least I get to meet some of my good friends of yester-years...
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Aeromatheraphy body massage...

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We don't believe in rheumatism or true love until after the first attack... 

The anticipation and excitement of my one and only daughter giving birth to her first born and the events that followed after had made this grandma in dire need of a moment to be alone and relax her body and mind. An hour of strong body massage will do her good.

That day when Sara went to Tamarind Spa for her 3rd post-natal massage session, I followed suit and pampered my body with a rejuvenating aeromatheraphy massage. It was not the best of massage but at least for a while it helped relax my tired muscles and eased a little of my back ache.
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A call on Valentine Day...

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By working faithfully eight hours a day I eventually retired and get to be my own boss and work twenty-four hours a day...

It's Valentine Day and I was still in deep slumber when a persistent ringing tone jolted me from my dream. And I was surprised that it was the AG calling. After brief pleasantaries, we had a long serious conversation. It was about the up-coming court proceedings and everyone is anxious to refresh facts of the case.

Knowing that I'll be back in KL next week, the secretary had arranged a working lunch with the AG together with my ex-boss and ex-colleagues at the 19th floor. It has been quite a while since I donned my working attire and carry my heavy black briefcase.

And it feels good to be in deep discussion and activate my brain power again after a long hiatus...
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My second grand-daughter

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A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. ~Honoré de Balzac

When Sara told us that her due date was just around the corner we were contemplating of cancelling our ride to Koh Samui. But then, the due date is just a guideline and we’ll let nature take its course, the baby will come when it is ready. So we went for our ride and when we came back from Koh Samui, we were in time to be with her on her delivery date.

Sara gave birth to a beautiful baby girl on 10 February 2012 @ 6.44 p.m. at Kempas Specialist Center after an hour of labor pain.

Alhamdulillah…
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(Alia Ashran binti Mohamad Fitri)

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Riding to Koh Samui...

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Travel is 90% anticipation and 10% recollection - E. Streeter
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(Buelong Hotel @ Nakhon Si Thammarat)

(Golden Mermaid Statue @ Samila Beach)

(Eleven bikes lined-up...)

A group photo @ Mercure Hotel, Chaweng Beach)

(On a ferry ride to Koh Samui)

Travel reflections: Koh Samui, Thailand



Route taken: KL - Danok - Nakhon Si Thammarat - Koh Samui - Hatyai - KL

Total Mileage: 1,800 km

Date: 3 - 7 February 2012)

The bikers gang: Mus & Mun, Hj Din & Yati, Azrul & wife, Fazli, Anaz, Azim, Azmi, Zaini, Syed, Chon, Roslan  

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4x4 camping trip to Sg Lembing...

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If you expect the worst, you'll never be disappointed.

(Our 4x4 Ford Ranger...)

(Final checks at Sg. Lembing town...)

Heavy rain over a few days had caused Sungai Lembing town to be cut off from Kuantan since beginning of the week. A few locations were flooded and some stretches along Jalan Kuantan-Sungai Lembing were impassable to all vehicles.

(5 rivers and 5 creeks crossings...)

(Keeping a safe distance...)

(Handling steep and rough terrain...)

Towards end of the week, the weather changed to the better and the route was again accessible. So on the long CNY weekend, with 7 other vehicles we went for a 4x4 camping trip to Gunung Tapis Nature Park in Sungai Lembing. 

(Dark sky when we arrived at camp site...)

(Setting up tents in the heavy rain...)

(Ample space at the camp site...)

Sungai Lembing is 42 km northwest of Kuantan, was once the richest town in Pahang known as El Dorado of the East. Until the 1970s, Sungai Lembing was a major producer of underground tin.

(Unique tents on top of the 4x4 vehicles...)

(Our beds for 2 nights...)

The pit mines were closed in 1986 due to high operational costs and low yields, but during their heyday they were among the largest and deepest in the world. The total tunnel length is 322 km, with a depth of between 610 m and 700 m. A museum highlighting the tin mining industry is housed in an old bungalow once used by the mine manager. The museum houses a collection of mining artifacts.

(Taking a dip in the cool, clear stream...)

(Ready to drive back...)

The town straddles the Sungai Kuantan, and the main street on the right bank is split by an avenue of majestic trees. This serene town is almost deserted nowadays. At the end of the main road, an old wooden building overlooks the field where social activities were held. Nearby is Bukit Panorama, which is a popular place to watch the beautiful sunrise. It takes about an hour to reach the summit.

(First batch to leave the camp site...)

(Group photo before the tyres rolled...)

The 4x4 gang crossed Sungai Kuantan and drove the rough terrain 16 km from Sungai Lembing into the Gunung Tapis Nature Park, where we set up camps for two nights. During the day, some went fishing or hiking, and the more daring and fit would shoot the rapids or hiked to Gunung Tapis, 1,512 m high.



(CNY traffic on the wet Karak highway...)

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