Tuesday, April 24, 2007

The 2007 Pagoh Challenge: Treasure Hunt on a Motorbike, In Johor

March 24th 2007, Saturday



Have you ever played before treasure hunt or scavenger hunt?
But I bet that you have never played before this type of treasure hunt: treasure hunting on a motorbike.

It is organised by Spectrum, who is full of ideas and very creative. Not only is it played on a motorbike, the playground is not even in Singapore: It is in Johor covering an area 3 times the size of Singapore!

Sounds like a recipe for disaster right?

He called it 2007 Pagoh Challenge. Maybe next year will have version 2008.

The local bike magazine, Motor Culture is going to feature this event in their coming issue. Guess who wrote the article? A-gu (me in Malay) ok !

So remember to buy the next issue of Motor Culture to read my article on the Pagoh Challenge!
Support support local talent leh!


A Woman in Blue

At the Singapore 2nd link custom on my way to play this Pagoh Challenge, I kena long queue at the custom.

And as you know, the Singapore immigration custom at 2nd link puts up signs to tell us to turn off our bike engine when queuing.

Bu my 1,000cc Frost is heavy. If I use my legs and paddle Frost, by the time I reach the custom officer, I will hey-hu hey-hu.

So I boh chap (don't care) the signs, I just leave my engine on to advance along the long queues.

When I reached the window pane of the custom officer, I accidentally dropped my cash card onto the floor. Behind me is a long queue of impatient motorcyclist waiting for their turns.

I switched off my engine. Dismounted and bend down to pick up my cash card on the floor. Then I heard the custom officer said “Sir,…”

I was thinking, “Must be some chao bin (bitter faced) old hag officer going to nag at me for being so slow.”

I looked up, saw the custom officer and was shocked. She was a comely young thin thing. And she’s got a *metal stub* on her nose.

She purred in her low voice, “…is that a Fazer?...Nice bike…I like.” *Gulp*

Somehow I forgot about stamping about my passport. Instead I thought of an SM-scene complete with handcuffs.

I got a bit of problem inserting my cash card into the reader.


Don't believe Singapore custom got such a custom officer? Maybe she works regular shift. It was 8.05 am Saturday, 2nd link custom. 2nd booth from Singapore side. U can go and check. Got her telephone number must zi dong hor.


Gelah Patah Petronas

I reached our meet up point at GP Petronas. There were 6 teams and 18 bikes participating in the Pagoh Challenge. I am happy to see some of my friends, whom I have not seen for quite a while. I walked over and said hello to them.

Instead of “Endless, long time no see? How are you?”, they go:

“Endless, where is your chio bu?”,
“Ai yah, how come chio bu never come?” They were referring to Ms Huppy (see previous entries). How come all my friends are all so ji hong (chicken wind)?

Some of them even asked me, “Endless, don’t bluff lah. That one is your finger right?” Alamak, they think Ms Huppy is not real and is I impose one.

I wish to make a public declaration that, I am not chio and I am not bu. I am Endless. Ms Huppy the chio bu is not me.

Today we are joined by Patrick, the photographer from Motor Culture. This is the second time I met him. First time is when Spectrum and Denden and I gave a riding safety talk in NTU (see Motor Culture Issue 4, pg 32). Once all are here, we convoyed off to Ayer Hitam for breakfast.

















Swan Leg.
This is what you can do when you ride a Harley. Crammed legs from a long ride? Why not just take a streeetch.




The TP Strikes Back

Riding up rear as the sweeper, now and then I will daydream when I ride. I looked up and observed the clouds in the sky. People say that the shapes of clouds that you see review what kind of person you are.


What kind of person am I?


What shapes do you see? I don’t know about you, but for the upper layer of clouds, I see bak chor—you know the raw meat meshed up by a chopper the manual way.
The lower layer of clouds looked to me like cotton candy.

My thoughts of food were broken when I saw the traffic ahead starts to bunch up. Malaysia TP road block!


For the past 6 months, I didn’t encounter much harassment from the Malaysia TP. Maybe the anti-graft campaign was in vogue. But looks they are back in business!
















A whole group of Singaporean big bikes. What a catch for the day!
But we really never speed.



Ayer Hitam Kopi Tiam
We exit at Ayer Hitam. T-junction turn left. Go straight. First cross-junction on your left is the kopi tiam that we stopped for breakfast.

After breakfast, Spectrum briefed us how to play the treasure hunt. Each team is given one map and one sheet of clue. Each team can go to any of the 5 objectives using any sequence and any route.



All the things you need for Pagoh Challenge: A clue sheet and a map.
The map and clue sheet are available for you to download and play the Pagoh Challenge yourself at: http://www.moto-v.sg/forums/index.php?showtopic=324



I was grouped with ST11 BornFree and his pillion Wenee, and V-Strom 1000 Denden and his pillion Roof. Then Spectrum announced, “Own Time Own Target, carry on!” Means the treasure hunt starts.

The girls are xiao on one. Plot and plot. Write and write. Whereas the guys are boh chap or blur.
















Roof is smart and on. Good. Save Endless for having to think.


But Endless is smart also. My plan is no need to plan.
Simply follow one group all the way. Then last part open my throttle and overtake them and then win! Simple right? Hiak hiak hiak!

One by one, each team set off for their own objectives.

NorthSouth Highway

My plan to follow the group in front quickly failed. Because the group consisted of class2B (<200cc)>

1. Labis--find hot water spring

2. Segamat--find Roti Kay shop

3. Bukit Kepong--find armour

4. Tangkat--find beef noodle shop

5. Pagoh--find chendol by road side














Gunning down Route 1 and J151 on our way to Labis’ Hot Spring, our first check point.


I will not go into detail of what we do during the treasure hunt because:

1. In case you want to play the Pagoh Challenge yourself, I shall not take away your fun.

2. If you want to know more, go and buy the next issue of Motor Culture.




The entrance to the Hot Spring of Labis.
Note the 3 handsome men.

















Arriving at our second check point, the elusive Roti Kaya shop of Segamat.


















The girls are at it again. Doing the thinking.




Nice picture of the bluey sky over Bukit Kepong. Taken by BornFree.
His standard so good compared to my bak chor (miced meat) sky hor?


















Where to find a V200 Armour in the middle of a kampong?
At our third check point, Bukit Kepong kampong.
No machine gun on board.


















There are two armoured cars. This is the smaller one.



















It is really very small.



















Puff puff puff. Finally squeezed myself in.
Damn. I am sure some dogs or cats have poo-poo-ed in here before.

















Inside the tin can.
Let me out of here! It’s bloody hot and crammed inside.

















Next check point, a nice bowl of cool chendol by the road side.
Actually, we are supposed to go to Tangkat beef noodle. But I topo wrongly. End up we found the Chendol stall first.




Another nice scenic shot of Pagoh town by BornFree.

















Our final check point, the Beef Noodle shop at Tangkat.
I espeically like the logo.
















A singaporean girl cannot don’t go shopping one.
So we bring Roof to buy some biscuits from Tangkat Biscuit shop. I hear that girls find shopping very therapeutic. I find shopping very stressful.


I also went shopping. I walked into a provision shop at Tangkat.
Look here look there, “Alamak, everything here I also can buy back in Singapore. What's there to buy?”

So I asked the provision shop tow kay, “Ah Jek, you have something I can’t find back in Singapore or not? If you have, I buy from you!”


The old uncle with a pair of thick glasses think for a long while. Then he exclaimed, “Yes! I have!” I was thinking, what can you possible have here I can’t find from NTUC, Giant, CarreFour, Cold Storage?
















Then the Uncle showed me this. “This one! I bet you can’t find this in Singapore!”
What is this? Basket, it is Chicken Feed. 1 kg 2 ringgit niah.
Don’t ask me whether I got buy or not.





Test Rode a V-Strom

A Suzuki V-Strom is quite a rare bike. So I switched with Denden. He rode my Fazer. I rode his 1,000cc V-Twin V-Strom.




This is Denden and Roof on my Fazer.



The V-Strom is a very comfortable bike. It is very good for cruising around in town and going for long-distance touring. It’s very torquey because it’s 1,000cc is spread over 2 cylinders.

At town cruising speed, I can feel the burble-burble of the individual firing of the two cylinders on my butt. Pretty interesting feeling as I don't get it from my Fazer.

The V-Strom pulls well right from very low revs, but it’s pull is not imitating and not fierce like that of 4-cylinder bikes such as Fazer and other sportsbikes. Now I understand why for a long time, twins keep winning the MotoGP over 4-cylinders simply because the rider can better utilize the power of the twin power. I read somewhere that Honda configures its potent 5-cylinder RCV211 to fire its cylinders to imitate a twin.


The not-so-good points of a V-Strom is that it gets a bit vibey when the revs get high >5,000 rpm. So don’t buy a V-Strom if you want to cruise at 200kmh from Singapore to Thailand. It is also a slightly tall bike. It is not that tall but you need to get use to it.

















Spectrum struggles a little getting onto the tall V-Strom.



Ending

We started at 11 am and completed the Pagoh Challenge at 5 pm.
It took us 6 hours because the entire route was almost 500km. But it was very fun. I encourage you to try the Pagoh Challenge yourself. Just go to the url I mentioned earlier.

In the end, guess who win?Our team ok?! Believe it or not? Ha ha ha.

U know why we win or not? It is not because we got big and fast bikes.
It is because we are good at managing girls! I'm serious.

First, we let the girls go and plan. Because nows a day, the girls all think they very smart. And they are. And if we guys don’t let them plan, we sure kena from them one. So never mind, we let them plan the route.

But the thing is that girls are not very good at reading map and topo-ing. So we ride that time, the girls think that we are riding according to their planned route. But actually we are not.

Then when we reach the checkpoints, we tell the girls they very gao (clever), their routes are very good. So the girls are happy and we are happy. So we chop chop, very fast.

That’s why I say Endless is quite clever. Don't you agree?


Parting Shot



I leave you with another beautiful shot taken by BornFree. Dusk over Kulai.


In case you are still wondering I am chio bu Ms Huppy, I let you judge for yourself.















This is Endless’ finger.
As you can see for yourself, my finger and Ms Huppy's fingers are very different.
Her fingers are so long, thin and delicate. Mine one is chor chor liao liao (rough and wrinkled) like elephant trunk.
So do you believe by now that Ms Huppy is for real?

8 comments:

juz_A_ga| said...

WHAHAHA! good at managing girls?! HAHAHAHA! that cracked me up. still, there's got to be some truth in there. :O) u make us happy, we make u happy. haha!

Anonymous said...

oiiiii.... dun copy my style hor!!!
But good read though... esp. the part on managing girls....u sure or not???!!!

Ms Huppy

Anonymous said...

Ehhh give credit where credit's due man! Like for example, I say you're funny on your blog.

Okay? Learn liao ah? Then now, it's time for you to admit we girls were good at topo & map-reading okay.. so good that even after we got lost (not the girls' fault), we still managed to come in first you know!

-roof aka rufl <-- where got name got such a weird spelling one???

Anonymous said...

U did it again... Ha ha..
Glad u had a gd ride...

Rgds

Spectrum... yo!

LoudExhaust said...

Should have known sure kena from the girls one.

OK OK!
I confess:
1. Rulf and Wenee were very good at planning the routes. We did follow the routes most of the time. But hey, we guys did topo (of course, the girls too) since we were controlling the bikes.

2. I got ourselves lost twice.

3. Some girls can read map and topo. Rulf and Wenee can.
But Ms Huppy cannot, that I'm sure!


Thanks Spectrum for putting together a fun treasure hunt on bike.

Anonymous said...

Haha!!!
Luaff until I row the floor esp the part bout letting ladies plan the route.

Gud one!

SBF-Casper4XXX

Anonymous said...

Women in blue...Loudexhaust in cloud nine..

wah you can peddle the machine with leg power.. I tried peddling with my ST but only my legs move.. put Michael Jackson moonwalk to shame..


I think you deliberately dropped the cash card right..don't bluff..I will not try this trick cos my ST also dropped. kekekeke

Vance and Hines Exhaust said...

Awesome Policeman doing an acrobatic stunt on his bike... I don't expect policeman doing that.... Lol