Sunday, January 27, 2019

All Things Unplanned....

We all know that in life, sometimes things happen.... No matter how prepared we are.  No matter how careful we are. No matter how precautious we are.  When it is pre-ordained, it will happen.  Nothing much we can do when it does happen.  Nothing will stop the inevitable.



Normally, we ride on Saturdays.  But there were no calling for a ride until late Saturday afternoon when Razman threw a disorganised ride list in our WhatsApp group.






Nine buddies turned up at Seremban RnR today morning.  Most are now becoming regulars (again). Izad @A-Man made his maiden appearance after having lost touch with the ex-SBMers since it became redundant more than five years ago... (sic)


Izad @ A-Man in the baseball cap.






L-R: Faizal, Mzac, Zack, Sari, Waq, PakYob, Razman, Capt. Bashah
By 8.50am, we were on the road led by Razman, exiting the North-South Hiway at Seremban heading towards Route 51 to Kuala Pilah.  But when we arrived at the designated place, Restoran d'Sawah in Terachi (in Kampung Solok Paku to be exact) seemed overly crowded.


Copyright Controlled - Pics taken from Google Map :-)


So we continued towards Kuala Pilah and stopped at Tanjung Ipoh, at Lily's place (Restoran MH Utama) - a place that we have frequented before.






The menu today was not as inviting as before when this business was located by the roadside in Terachi.  After a short discussion, we agreed to order roti canai and drinks, then proceed to Lomang Apak for itik salai (maybe) with lomang (also maybe). Maybe?  because during our previous few trips, the lomang was not available...                                            




We managed to only get eight pieces of roti canai as they ran out of it (so early?).  Waq had to share with Mzac and Razzman...  This was mainly why we decided to go to Lomang Apak for early lunch.  After all, it was only 9.30 or so when we arrived here at Lily's. So, half an hour or so later, we headed out to Lomang Apak.


Just Arrived at Lomang Apak, without Faizal's bike
Faizal was last in the convoy.  As we were settling in at Lomang Apak (the time was around 10.30am), Zack upon checking his phone read the message from Faizal "Aya xcident" (Saya eksiden - I accident) which was sent ten minutes earlier.  I quickly called Faizal, and he said "I'm ok, but the bike is not rideable".  Almost immediately, four of us geared up and headed back towards Tanjong Ipoh.



When we (Razman, Waq, A-Man and me) arrived at around 10:45am, there were three policemen at site.  Two of them we had met earlier at the restaurant.  We befriended the two when Razman joked with them about Pak Yob's bike with slick tyres, amongst other things... :-)






They were very sporting and friendly (did not get their names though).  As we left the place at about the same time, they must have been behind Faizal and stopped to assist (as well as carry out their duties) when Faizal was involved in the mishap.






After assessing that Faizal was really unhurt, except maybe some abrasion on his left knee area, we then do the necessary to resolve the situation. First off, arrange for the bike to be transported back to a workshop (Sendayan Motor) in Nilai, where Faizal normally does his servicing and repairs.  At the same time, Izad @ A-Man took Faizal to the police station to make a report. Alhamdulillah with good contacts these were done well within an hour.  At 12:26 noon, the Bike Rescue arrived.






Faizal got back from the police station around the same time, with a copy of the police report already in hand.  That would be useful for claims purposes.  Faizal chose to follow the rescue team while the rest of us agreed to go back to Lily's place for lunch.  We did not want to go back to Lomang Apak as it was getting late for some of us whom had other plans. Lily's was just nearby - less than 5 minutes from where the accident occurred.






It was really a quick lunch. We left the place at about 1:20noon, but then made a quick stop along the way to "feed the passion" for Capt Bashah.... So much for "having an appointment at 2:00pm" for you-know-who-you-are amongst the group... hehehehe..








That was totally unplanned! hehehehe...





After a "now we are forcing food into our stomach" durian session (everyone professed that they were already full after having lunch at Lily's... and of course the free rambutan given to us while waiting for the bike rescue), we bid goodbye as this durian stop would be our last pit-stop for this ride.






Anyway, I would think that this blog-post would not be complete if some more details on the unfortunate incident that happened to Faizal is not shared here.... 


As narrated by Faizal himself, a pakcik came out of a junction on his Demak (135LC Clone) right into Faizal's path.  Tried as he might, Faizal was not able to avoid thus crashed into the front of the Yammy.  Both landed on the road, with Faizal (and bike) being dragged onto the opposite side of the road way.  Luckily there were no oncoming vehicle at the time.  Couldn't imagine what could have happened of there was an oncoming car.  Although there was an oncoming truck, it was at quite a distance away and it managed to stop well in time preventing a much worse scenario. Alhamdulillah...



The road was quite busy with continuous traffic.  From Zack's GoPro, it was obvious that the pakcik, whom had sustained head injury after the impact, was waiting to come out of the junction and cross into the main road towards his right.






Faizal further added that he was trailing a car, and when the car passed the junction, the pakcik shot out onto the main road. He most probably did not see Faizal whom may have been overshadowed by the car.  So, this was a case of perfect timing. 


As I said earlier, there are some things that despite your years of riding experience and anticipations skills,  would just be almost impossible to be avoided.  The pakcik sustained head injury.  And the two policemen whom arrived just moments after the accident radioed for ambulance assistance.  The pakcik was able to stand on his own after the accident, as informed by his grandson whom we met at the incident site.  He was taken to the local hospital.  Although we do not know what his condition was, we pray that he do not sustain serious injury and get well soon. 


Faizal (we) were not riding at high speed along the stretch due to the many cars.  Thus, the impact was not a high speed impact.  Faizal (we) would have only been in our 4th gear at the most.

Some photos of the scarred bikes...











Faizal remarked "nasib baik ada jeket" as he showed the torn sleeves of his jacket to the group.  Well buddy, its not by luck we don our safety attire.  Jackets with protective pads, pants with similar protection, proper boots and glove is worn consciously every time we ride.  It should never be by coincidence.  Today, Faizal walked away with only small abrasions on his knee (though with a very deep scar in his heart.... :-))  And that my friend is not by pure luck!


Later that evening, Faizal reported back that he has undergone check-up complete with x-ray.  Alhamdulillah he was given a healthy bill plus two days medical leave.  Get well (from the deepest cut in your heart) soon buddy! 




Faizal profusely apologized to the rest as he was leaving with the Bike Rescue team.  For record, apology is not necessary.  Such incident/accident can happen to the best of us. Fellow bikers always look out for each other. And we would be equally hurt to a certain extent when another fellow biker get into such mishap.  So, please do not feel bad in any way at all.  After all, Capt Bashah, Mzac & Razzman did console their hurting by eating durian on the last pit stop on our way back... :-)


* Note: they were mentioned because they ate the most... hehehehe..  And also point to note, Izad did not eat durian at all... :-)  Zack, despite being a durian hantu, surprisingly did not eat as much... The reason? 


Well, when we arrived at Lomang Apak, four of us (Zack, PakYob, Capt. Bashah & Mzac) has already ordered their drinks and was ready to pick their dishes.  That was mainly why the other four were the ones whom rode back to the incident scene, in thinking that we could sort things out and escort Faizal to the makan place .  But, you already know how that went. 


It took a good ten to fifteen minutes before we got back to Faizal's location.  In that short period, those guys managed to alreay ate few things... and that was the main reason Zack did not eat much durian as well as when we revisited Lily's place.


Zack remark was "we'll wait here while you guys check it out and update us"


Not too sure if this was the dish that Zack had at Lomang Apak... but he did share this photo in the gropu's chat.


Anyway, all was well that ended pretty well I must say.  Everyone got back home SAFELY well before 3.00pm.  Broken fairings and tail end of the bike can be fixed and mended.  Hurting of the heart will heal over time.  But personal safety should never be compromised.  Always wear safety attire guys and gals...


You'll never see Mzac without his minimum gear.... and without his signature selfie before getting on any ride... :-)






Thus, until next time, ride defensively always!




This ride took place on Sunday 27th January 2019.
The riders were:-
1. Razzman on BMW R1200GS Rallye
2. Capt. Bashah on Suzuki SV1000
3. Zack on Honda X-Adv almost fully loaded
4. WaQsMey on MT-09
5. Faizal on Kawasaki Z1000SX
6. PakYob on Suzuki GSXR1000
7. Izad 2A-Man on BMW R1200GSA
8. Mzac on Suzuki GSXR1000
9. Sabri on Suzuki V-Strom 650DX




More photos from the ride (credits to whoever took the shot)... :-)


Faizal trying hard to put on a sad face.  Not working bro!  hehehehe...



Razzman shouting to Zack "I don't care!  I want to go to Lily's Shop.  d'Sawah is no good.  No Lily there".... hehehehehe
Capt. Bashah taking corner with style!



Durian!  Durian!


Where to next? 
"Our biker resume is incomplete if we do not do the thousand corners..."  :-)





"I'm game...."  :-)






Saturday, January 19, 2019

Pak Din Mentarang Bakar

The group has become Pak Din's regular customer.  Not to say we come to this place often, but this is the place to go when we wanted mentarang.  By now, this variant of seashell is well known and sought after by many.  It is seasonal and would appear on certain coastal parts of the country for about a week during full moon.  If I remember correctly, way back in 2017, the price for a raw mentarang is about RM18 per kg.  At present, not too sure... maybe about RM30.


Today's outing is our second for the year.  A good turnout.  Eight people met up at RnR Sungai Buloh, exactly infront of Dunkin Donut as agreed.  The regulars were Zack (X-Adv), Mzac (GSXR), NoX (GSA), Idrus (GSA), Razman (F800GS), and yours truly (R1).  Joining us for the second time was Mislan (Yamaha Diversion), and a first timer on his CB650F was Fadhil - both are acquaintances of Razman.



The rest area was crowded with people whom presumably were taking advantage of the three-day-weekend to go to places of attractions up North.

We parked at the proper bike parking space!

So, when all that have signed up arrived, we made our way to our destination, Sekinchan via LATAR.  The Kuala Selangor road was not only congested, but very slow moving.  The incomplete roadworks at most stretches after Bandar Malawati was with lots of hazards. Thus, in full concentrations, NoX and I missed the makan place, overshot by about 5km.  Realizing that we prolly had passed the mentarang territory, we made a quick stop to check for messages on our WhatsApp.  True enough, Zack sent the location which require us to double back.


It was a really hot day.  So, when we finally arrived, the first thing that I needed was a cold drink!




As the food was being served, Eman and Waq arrived - both on MT-09.  They had came on a different route from Sejangkang.


The dish, as always, was indescribable.  For starters, mentarang bakar.

The lighter is for size comparison.... hehehehe...

Then came the main dish, served with rice.  Two main recipes - soup serai & soup sambal hijau (or also can be called tumis sambal hijau).

Sup Serai
Tumis Sambal Hijau
Complementing and complimentary, kerang bakar and fruits for dessert.

  

When we thought that was all, after we have finished our meal, Pak Din threw in three plates of mentarang celup tepung !


It was really a day of revenge of the mentarang!  hahahahahaha...


Lots of shells.  Not sure what was the total quantity, but the total damage today was RM433 - not too shabby..... RM43 each when split ten ways...

It was indeed yet another good outing for us.  As they say, riding takes care of all stress (from work, family, friends, foes, etc.)  Refreshing.  Plus the food was too much guys.... hehehe... but as NoX said, seafood would not add up to the calorie intake.  We like!!!!

You the man NoX!

Note:  As far as I can remember, this is the third location that Pak Din has moved since we first patronise his business.



Saturday, January 5, 2019

Pais & Gulai Tempoyak

So our rides has become niche.  Ride to makan. hehehehehehehe....

It has been about three months since UOMOs rode in hordes.  The last ride that I did was with Ajizizi@Kakyam and Zul@Krambit mid in October 2018.  However, six UOMOs did ride to Besut in mid-December, attending my dotter's wedding do.  Well, that's a story that I may not be able to tell with good details as I was at the waiting end.  Probably, I can start this posting with some photos and a bit of what-I-know from that Besut ride.

This is the RV for Besut Ride on 14 Dec 2018... at the same place... BhP Gombak

The six were Ajizizi, Rik, Zack, Krambit, Druze and Waq.  It was partly a wet trip along the way as they entered Gua Musang on that Friday 14th December.  But after reaching Besut, the sky was cloudy with no rain. 

Smoking Pit Stop
What's important is that, they arrived safely and had a warm, cooling, serene place to put up the night.

The floating chalet @ Kampong Raja's Jeti Pemancing
 

breakfast on the river... hahahaha
ICT - Ikan Celup Tepung in Besut.... cheap and delicious!
"Thank you buddies for making the trip...."


That's that about the ride to Besut.  Now on the Patin Ride....

RV Location for this Patin Ride - same place, different day.... more riders.


It is timely that Affnan@NoX organised this makan patin ride on the first weekend of the year.  From the resposnses, ten UOMOs signed up.... and all ten showed up, with Arzeland joining unannouced and plus two friends of Razman@ManMorini.  So in total there were 13 riders.....NoX, Rik, Druze, Sham, Mzac, Zack, Waq, Eman, ManMorini a.k.a Razz, Sabri, Arzeland plus the newbies, Basha & Mislan.

L-R: Zack, Waq, Rik, NoX, Basha, Mislan, Druze, Eman, Arzeland, Razz, Mzac, Sham & YoursTruly
I was last to arrive at the RV point (BhP after Tol Gombak).  And I almost went to Sungai Buloh RnR as we seldom ride East - it was almost always North or South....

Although I was last, they were still sorting out NoX's under-inflated tyres.  That took a good twenty minutes before we rode out... hehehehehe...



The ride was..... normal I would say.  From Gombak, everyone was on their own pace.  But of course some was fast paced than others,  After Bentong toll, we re-grouped.  And there, Mzac get to practice his 'heavy-bike lifting" skills.... hehehehe....



The LPT stretch could be mundane for most bikers - especially those riding the sports bike.  Unless you are one of those whom like to pushed to the redline. Not for us.... (nowadays... :-)).  I didn't look at the watch, but If not mistaken, we reached Temerloh toll at around 11:00am.  And for the first time in my riding experience, we were stopped by JPJ (Road Transport Department) enforcement officers as we exited the toll area (on the bike lane).  There has been a spate of operations by the authority in recent months due to some irresponsible bikers.  While we did not expect to run into a roadblock, it was not a total surprise.  After checking our licences and road-tax (everyone were properly licensed!),  we were "released"... hehehehe...


This place apparently is quite popular.  Kancil Raja Patin's patrons are not only bikers, but regular customers whom hail all the way from out of town. 



This establishment is located in Kampung Bangau, Termerloh and they opened from 11:00am onwards for lunch.  Their main dish are Patin Gulai Tempoyak, Pais Patin & Patin Penyet.

Patin Gulai Tempoyak

Pais Patin

Patin Penyet
Prices of each dish ranges from RM10 to RM15, depending of which section of the fish and how it is cooked.  Section of the fish?  Yes, they are divided into, head, body and tail sections.  Not sure which one is at what price though...

Well, everyone enjoyed their respective dish-choice.  I think two of the UOMOs didn't quite fancy the patin dishes - they had telur dadar instead... :-)

Group Photo before we hit the road 

That was that.  Lunch was short and sweet.... errr,  not rally short.  We spent more than an hour at the restaurant.  Chit chatting after finishing lunch, while some (most) of us ordered takeaways - offerings for the missus to ensure continued visa-to-ride is obtained... hehehehehe...

Visa extended for one year! hehehehehe....


Some of us needed to re-fuel.  NoX led the way into Termerloh town. 

The Adventurers did not need to refill... hehehehe...
So, it was a non-stop ride back after we regrouped at Temerloh toll gate.  The convoy were split into three... upfront were Zack, NoX, Mzac, Waq.... fast(er) as always.  At the back were the newbies (riding slower in respect of the otais I guess... hehehehe).  And in between, the not-there-nor-here riders.... hahahahaha...

We re-grouped after Gombak toll house.  Some of us revisit the rituals of riding the Karak route - having ice-cream sold by the peddler (not sure if he is the same guy from the day; I very much doubt it...).   The non-stop ride from Termerloh was exhilarating for some of us (me included).  It was a scorching hot day.  So, we stopped here for a bit before bidding adieu and head back to our respective homes.

Some needed to "check-in" at stops... :-)



ice-cream courtesy of Mzac... hehehehe..
And as always, Mzac selfie is like a must ritual before going on a ride... :-)

Looking good !
Yet another enjoyable ride.  Most importantly, everyone got back safe and sound.... errr... except maybe for a little scratch on my GSA's crash bar.... :-)


Well till next ride, here's a friendly message from our sponsor...... remember to don the official UOMO attire guys!   hehehehehe....



This ride was on Saturday 5th January 2019.