Since this blog has been 'offline' for over 4 years, we are going to have several FLASHBACK posts starting with this one.
This was the first in my Epic Road Trip as an amputee rider. Epic for several reasons:
- As you all know I didn't have my electric shifter till 2010, so all of my gear shifting was done manually. Therefore, I can only ride for about 30-45 minutes before I experienced cramping around my left leg. Hence there was little chance for me to ride long distance.
- This was the first of the 'Ad-hog' unplanned ride, where we did sort of have a destination but that was about it. Whatever in between was an open book
- This was actually epic for my standard in terms of road trip back in 2008 :P
So without too much spoiling of introduction, lets begin this journey :)
It all started somewhere in 2008, me, Imran and Abdullah had decided to go for a ride to the south. Longer than our usual weekend breakfast ride. Coincidentally, there was a charity ride that weekend to an orphanage in Dengkil and one of my friend got married in Johor. So, we agreed to follow this convoy to Dengkil and then ride to Johor.
The convoy started it's journey from Shah Alam
We had police escorts as this was an official convoy
The convoy rode smoothly from Shah Alam to Dengkil and the program with the orphans was great!
Me & Imran
Me & Abdullah
Rare bike at the time: Kawasaki Concours 1000
After the program, the three of us began our journey to the south.We were riding at a relaxed pace because Abdullah had a two-stroke motorcycle with a small tank (Kawasaki KR150RR) so we must be cautious for fuel. Our first stop was R&R Ayer Keroh in Melaka.
R&R Ayer Keroh, our first stop
We then continued our journey and decided to exit somewhere in Pagoh. There we found this nice winding trunk roads which was surrounded by Palm Oil Estates. It was the first time any of us rode through that route. It was a fun ride.
We stopped by for our prayers somewhere in Batu Pahat
During this ride, we had no GPS whatsover. We just relied on the directions from the map we downloaded from the Internet. However, after some riding, getting lost, asking for directions...we finally made it to my friend's wedding in Johor. :)
Abdullah loves this picture so much. He said he had the most roadkills :P
The newly-weds. Congratulations! :D
We had quite a meal at the wedding. After we're done congratulating the newly-weds, we continued our journey to Ayer Hitam, as we decided that we will rode a little bit more to the south and then make our way back up to KL.
Happy faces! :)
We refuelled at Petronas Ayer Hitam and then proceeded into the North-South-Highway heading to KL. However, when we were in Jasin, it rained. Back in 2008, my riding gear was not yet 'all-weather-ready' and as I feared that my stump-socks might get wet, we made a stop at one of the rest area.
It was here when we decided instead of going straight to KL, why don't we make a stop in Melaka, spend the night there and see take more photos. Everybody agreed (well... I agreed after much persuasion from both of them), we continue riding and exited in Ayer Keroh.
However....we made a grave mistake by forgetting that it was a school holiday and all the hotels were fully booked. As we found shelter in one of the Petronas, we started calling for hotels and no one had a spare room. I was soaking wet from the ride earlier and I didn't want to go to KL since we are here in Melaka.
Everybody were busy trying to find a place to stay
Then.... out of nowhere, I say a high school friend which I haven't seen for the past 11 years. He was refuelling his car and I sort of recognized him. We talked and he told me he was staying at his in laws for the weekend and invited us for dinner. Well, at least we got our food problem settled.
His father in law offered us a very nice meal. We then talked about what happened and that we couldn't find a place to stay....again out of nowhere, he offered us a place to stay. It was a house where his friend was staying. We politely declined but he insisted. So, we finally got our accommodation problem solved! :)
He allowed us to park the bikes inside the house
I demonstrated some of my mechanics skills on Abdullah's bike
The next morning, we thanked the owner and made our journey as early as before 7am. We stopped by at the R&R Jejantas Ayer Keroh for breakfast and final refuelling before we head home.
We started very early in the morning
Stopping by for breakfast and refuelling
So we ended our firs Epic Road Trip on a high note. A lot of unforgettable and unplanned memories. A first for me. Stay tune for the next Epic Road Trip :)
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