DAY 1: 27th October 2002 (Kuala Lumpur - Slim River)
e gathered in school early in the morning to prepare our bikes and equipment
for the long cycle. The official T-shirts were distributed to members of the
expedition and parents that were present. The teachers and headmaster got their
T-shirts too. We were all dressed up in our full scout uniforms and our main
sponsor, Mr Michael Wong, Proton Edar’s Brand Manager, was also here for the
flagging-off ceremony. The school flag, the group flag and the troop’s flag
were passed to the scouters to signify the official start of the expedition
and we were off!
The cyclists maintained an average speed of around 25 km/hour throughout the route for the day. As we cycled longer, we got used to the bikes sponsored by Proton. We stopped for lunch at around 1425 hours. It started to drizzle. We carried on regardless as it did not really affect our cycling and safety. We reached our destination for the day earlier than planned. So we had a game of soccer before dinner. We took turns to bathe.
We had dinner in one of the restaurants in the town centre. There was hardly any choice of food so we had to make do with what was offered. When we returned to our rented ‘bungalow’ we had an impromptu Talentime. Robert Falcon Scott Patrol won in the advertisement category while Charles Orde Wingate won for their sketch and song. We all had a great laugh. We went to bed around midnight to get some much needed rest.
DAY 2: 28th October 2002 (Slim River - Ipoh)
We had breakfast in the same restaurant and took some photographs before starting our journey. The scouters were cycling at 35 km/hour. Photos were also taken along the way. The roads were tougher to cycle on as there were endless uphills and downhills that were very steep.
It started to rain heavily at noon. That failed to dampen our soaring spirits. It only added extra fun to the cycle. We stopped for lunch at 1315 hours. The meal was better than the previous day as the town had more choice of food. Being teenagers of our age, we ended up in Kentucky Fried Chicken. We continued cycling after having a short discussion on our route.
The journey for the day ended well in Ipoh. We checked in at the New Caspian Hotel. We went for dinner and did some shopping at 7-Eleven to get some food supply for the next day. We retired early as the next day's journey would be the longest.
DAY 3: 29th October 2002 (Ipoh - Parit Buntar)
We got up a little late so we had to rush to keep our schedule. We had breakfast in a coffee shop on the other side of the road. As usual we had our morning briefing by the scouters before setting off. Photos were taken as well. We had a minor difficulty with one of the bikes but we soon fixed it.
About an hour later the gears of one of the SPL’s bikes failed to work. We had to fix the problem. Later we had lunch before resuming our journey. We had another stop at a petrol station to pump air into our tyres.
We stopped at Parit Buntar at around seven in the evening. The scouters gave a treat at Hotel Damai’s coffee house. This was the best dinner in the last few days. We enjoyed dinner while chatting with each other. We slept early as we were tired after the long cycle that day.
DAY 4: 30th October 2002 (Parit Buntar - Kuala Kangsar)
The other scouters checked things out while TL Jeffrey fixed the bikes with some help from the others. We cycled on as usual but unfortunately there was a road block by the Jabatan Pengangkutan Jalan so we had to stop cycling for about ten minutes. Even after cycling for hours, we did not feel tired. Maybe it was due to the thrill of the moment and the burning spirits within us.
We stopped for food halfway through the ride. The condition of the stall we patronised was not that good but we were hungry. As long as we could eat and continue, anything went. It rained again. Well, at least we need not face the blazing sun anymore. Soon, we passed Merdeka Bridge.
We checked into Hotel Duta in the late afternoon. Another agenda was planned secretly. It was public speaking. We enjoyed the agenda very much and laughed over some of the speeches. New talent was revealed! Later that night we went shopping at the nearby shopping centre.
DAY 5: 31st October 2002 (Kuala Kangsar - Universiti Utara Malaysia)
The day’s distance was rather short so we cycled at a slower pace. We cycled all the way to Universiti Utara Malaysia. Non-stop, not even for food. We reached our destination really early around 3.00 p.m. Lunch was at the cafeteria.
Another football match was planned that evening which David Livingstone and Francis Drake. Then the scouters bought food for our dinner. We were anxious as the next day's cycle would be the final stretch.
DAY 6: 1st November 2002 (Universiti Utara Malaysia - Bukit Kayu Hitam)
We started out and had breakfast in Bukit Kayu Hitam. The scouters, armed with the necessary permission letter, went to settle some matters with the immigration officers. We were allowed to cycle across the Malaysian border. The scouters led the way to the Thai border where the expedition officially ended.
We took several photos and thanked Mr Mohan for his help in making this expedition a reality. We also thanked him for his endless support and encouragement. We went to get some souvenirs to be brought back to our friends and families back in Kuala Lumpur.
EXPEDITION MEMBERS: Mr Mohan s/o Ramasamy; TL Jeffrey Goh Hong Soon; TL Chew Jian How; TL Kasyfil Aziz b. Yusoff; TL Yan Chin Fei; SPL Chan Weng Ken; SPL Leroy Terance de Souza; SPL Wong Yim Chan; SPL Wong Suei-Keat; SS Lim Jinq-Shien; SS Thian Choon Wei; SS Saarvin s/o Balasundram; SS Chew Kia Q’ing; SS Yu Ren Chung; SS Adnan Asger Ali; SS Shams Aimran b. Shamsul Bahar; SS Syazeddy Shahir b. Samani; SS Arvin Raj s/o Goonasegaran; SS Yap Jin Yu; SS Hezry b. Abu Hassan; SS Jeremy Nessan Archeriam.
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