Kijal,Terengganu-Oktoberfest '07

The Start at Genting-Karak Highway The Middle-At the end of the Karak-Kuantan highway The Arrival. At Kijal Golf with The Buffaloes Me. Pre-departure GP Photo-Pre Departure Rest Stop-Temerloh Cruising home Bends are best

Last year I rode my Ducati, got the attention it warranted, initiated a relationship with the then MD of Auto Bavaria on an esoteric level. Partied for one night and rode the delicious curves of Cameron Highlands for 2 days. See post here

This year, I rode a BMW K1200R courtesy of Auto Bavaria. Developed a working relationship with the recently promoted MD of the Sime Darby Motor Division, working on the Auto Bavaria BMW business div. Partied for 3days/2nights drank German beer, played golf, drank more German beer. All of the fun activities for the annual Oktoberfest this year was held at Awana Kijal in Terengganu. A decent place for sun sea and surf for a couple of nights stay with biker friends. This year's Oktoberfest came quite late in fact on 16 to 18 November. Right smack in the monsoon months of the East Coast. As luck would have it, there wasn't any rain, the weather was perfect and we even managed fourteen holes of golf and we couldn't finish only because of failing light. So we were mostly dry throughout the ride.

My initial feelings for the ride this year was filled with apprehension as I hadn't been riding as much and I'd rather spend holidays with my family. Just as I had checked into my room, after the long ride from KL, I had begun missing the family. A melancholic, forlorn feeling indeed.

But as human survival instincts would have it, the trip turned out to be fun and memorable. Especially the male bonding stuff and the side trips to the backroads of Kijal that reveal spectacular views and curves for negotiating with the bikes. The ride back was as much a test of endurance as it was a test of BMW bikes for me. I rode the R1200S back to KL and I'm pretty much smitten with BMW bikes by now, on the never-ending highway that ran mostly straight. And the friendship and camaraderie formed will last a long long time. Thanks Mathias, Chippy and AB!

Going, Going, GoneForHoliday for G4H

At last after almost three years since our last one in Bali, we bundled everybody including the Gan children onto Air Asia Flt. No. AK760 boarding 0600hrs bound for Hanoi, Vietnam for our much deserved company holiday. 

The 4-day/3-nite break was from Thursday, 1 Nov - Sunday, 4th Nov 2007. It was a tour organised just for us by a KL travel agent who coordinated the ground arrangements with a Hanoi one. It was very well paced and not frenzied or frenetic. 

The cool weather in the northern hemisphere where Hanoi lies made it all the more unhurried and leisurely. We did the mandatory tourists spots like, Ho Chih Minh mausoleum, his house, his cars, his gardens, the French quarter, the Old quarter, and sampling the beef noodles or Pho. 

Then the next day, it was a 3-hour road trip by bus through the Vietnamese countryside, off to one of the places I had wanted to see before I die; Halong Bay, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The town of Halong, looks like a French seaside resort, very quaint and charming. The 3,000 plus limestone islands surrounding the bay remind me of Ipoh and Batu Caves. They were quite a sight to behold in the sea. Throughout the trip, I thoroughly enjoyed the time spent with my colleagues, the hanging out at our makeshift 'casino' in all the hotels we stayed, and also spending so much time with my family. It was really quite bearable and very relaxing. The pictures hopefully tell the story.