Transland Journey : Kuala Lumpur - Mandalay - Tehran - Dublin [ 2016 ]

Peng, Bab and friends,

Peng and Bab, I know you guys are still sore with me over the cancelled 'Silk Route Adventure' that we are supposed to embark August 2015. Kuala Lumpur - Xian - London route.

All of us suddenly become more busier, I reckoned,. Bab had new job commitment then, Peng had etc and etc and most importantly, actually Nik Howk just 'chickened out!' at the last minute. Actually, dato sidiq's [ of TNB ] scenario of broken down vehicles in the Gobi desert of China littering the Silk Route, as he saw it from the air, did the mind change for me!

I am just toying with a possible new trip this time , kiv start in may or april  2016,ex Kl via Burma and Dhaka, planed for 3 months ie to be in Europe during the summer, then shipped back our vehicle ex London or better still, Ireland, since Ireland is probably the last place in our mind to go visiting.

I  know burma has not open its borders to traffic yet but , I am sure with some diplomatic give and take , Burma could open its door. There was A Sinapo- Mandalay extravaganza mid this year, involving our Selangor HRH.

Our  tentative route may take us via BurmBangladesh, India, Nepal , then the Karakurum suicide highway, thru to Iran. We may do Syria , if by then things quietened up a wee bit more.

Throw in a possible umrah mid way in June, to get both the 'dunya' as well as the 'akhirat'.

Probably do a month or month and a half , camping out in Europe tour , avoiding the big towns and cities . Bruge, Sarajevo, Bosnia Hezagovina,  etc etc and  all the UN heritage places would be our targets all the way..

Once we reach Dublin and finish with our Ireland tour we have two choices. Either pack everything and ship back our vehicles to KL or keep them in storage to resume our journey back the following spring in 2017. Since most of us have  still are actively employed. I am not about to give up my job at SJMC!

I suggest we open this up to non Macoba members and friends as well.

Say an eight to 10 vehicle convoy.

Boy scout style plus vip as well.

mix and match.

I need input from you guys please!

I am still at the toying stage , juggling with possibilities.

your feedback, even negatives and positive.

Even negatives are welcomed because I need someone to shoot me down, since staying home is always the better option.

....yes, i am already hearing mumrmurs from my friend , nadzru azhari,

' Nik howk, at his boys scout antic again ! '.

'' it is ok nadzru, it is ok for you to think this way, that is what make this old  man tick!.''

dr nik howk

ps : if we have the numbers, i will host the 1st meeting at my house over briyani syed after raya haji

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Date: Mon, 17 Aug 2015 22:51:11 +0800
Subject: Re: transland journey : april to august [ 2016 ]
From: wanariff@um.edu.my
To: drnikisahak@hotmail.com
CC: jublintan65@yahoogroups.com; 

hawk

i think you got your year all mixed up.  unless you do time travel as well it is just not possible to kiv start april of may 2015.

it would be better to start after raya, ie mid july 2016

anyway i thought the idea has been abandoned by everybody! hence i consoled myself to by reading ewan mcregor's and charley boorman's "long way round - chasing shadows across the world" .  go and read it,  it would rekindle your dream and at the same time give you some realities on logistics etc

another problem: pitih kita doh dok laku weh!!

salam, w.peng



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from dato hamzah

Doc Nik,

It sounds an exciting trip!! Had l heard about it 20 years (and 1 CABG) ago l would have joined you.
At 79 now, l am planning an adventure far less arduous. With my wife and a group of friends, we are planning to go on the Trans-Siberian railway trip. From St. Petersberg to Vladivostok. We'll let the train drivers do the driving, and we just enjoy the changing scenery! 
Pity youth is wasted on the young! Right?

Salam.
H.

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Peng,

I also  think so, Peng.

But let us sleep on it and dont just give up this crazy idea whole sale.

I seriously doubt there will be enough quorum for the trip.

We need the numbers since we collectively at this age of 63 and above cannot differentiate between a spanner and a screw driver. We need a Mcgyver who can change fork and spoons into carburetors if the situation arise!

It seemed I have to limit my adventure with my old Mr Toyo to just Krabi, Chengmai and Siem Reap. If I have problem, I still can call AA!

Nik Howk

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Dato' hamzah,


once in a while i have crazy ideas coming up dato'

but my oncological consultant friend peng is right...... we are all above 63, myself and my classmates, and cannot differentiate between a  spanner and a screwdriver.

that is why i chickened out from our 1st 'world trip' thru the silk route.

but a boy scout is a boy scout , even at 60 plus.

i still enjoy camping out rather than stay in a hotel room.

i suspect for this current trip i may not be able to get the necessary quorum, which is necessary, to share cost. What with our depleting ringgit.Thanks to your good friend NTR!!

The upside to my trip is this :

It is only open to SYT's and 2nd wife club!

if you dont have one , we will help you find one along the way.

that is why we are passing thru iran and if syria is dowable , even syria!

I am just pulling your leg, dato!

Come June 2016, you will see me still selling 'panadol' in SJMC....

Dr Nik Howk

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Toyota Land Cruiser HJ 47....

I got my new toy, a 1983 HJ 47 Toyota landcruiser last year. It clocked 420,5000 km on the mileage.

The seller, Man La'loh, it's second owner is a shopkeeper in Laloh, Kuala Krai, Kelantan.
I was out looking for a Serie A defender landrover, when I noticed this white beauty in Laloh. It was 'love at first sight'. The new owner could not keep up with it's 3k plus roadtax annually. He told me the original owner is a Chinese planter in Krai, who is advancing  in his age, and wanted to move on to a  definitely more calmer and less bone shaking MYVI.



http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.carpictures.com/pics/full/10G0B384426620AA/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-HJ47-1984-10G0B384426620AA.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.carpictures.com/vehicle/10G0B384426620/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-HJ47-1984&h=533&w=800&sz=199&tbnid=4yELtBrF8uQBtM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&zoom=1&usg=__zHINdj5tUPVolaIkbTTbna9Sjw0=&docid=gX9IsREl30kGoM&sa=X&ei=cEubUc6iC4bsrAfV1YGoDw&ved=0CD8Q9QEwBQ&dur=167 ]


Drove all the way gingerly from Laloh to Kuala Lumpur, a distance of about 500 km, and to my pleasant surprise, I did not need to top up on the lubricant as well as the radiator. Was not too thirsty on the diesel as well despite it's 4.2 litre , 6 cylinder powerhouse

But my optimism was rather short lived. Three months later the engine could not start. Installed new battery. still same problem. Ah Leong , my Subang Jaya mechanic trouble- shot and blame the starter and had it changed. Back to same problem. Now can start but no power in movement. I am a plumber but my knowledge in engine is absolute zero. "Time for engine rebuild", says Ah Leong.

" OK Ah Leong, do it so that I will be able to drive from Acheh to Franz Josef Glazier, New Zealand, next year without any hitch!..."
" Doc, you can go round the world 4 times in this beast, no problem!..it can do another million km after the rebuild.. "

10k rm and a month later, my Mr Toyo is indeed a new beast.
I have done 4 sorties of the Kuala Lumpur- Merang, Teganung trips monthly without any hitch. A total journey of over 1000km, two-way. One would need a total body massage after each trip as I have not reconfigured its original shock absorbers yet. How much would an Old Man Emu cost me, I wonder?

Insyaallah, this November, if the Monsoon allows, I will drive up to Chengrai, near the Thailand- Laos-Burma border for a camping trip. I have forgotten my geography, and may well land up in China.






my piece of paradise on earth at pantai telaga papan:
work in progress
this one will take 6 months,
not the biblical 'six days'

turtle landing several nights before right smack near this property,

pulau bidong in the background, to the left but not included here is pulau redang and perhentian...

tis is not telaga papan.

Transland Journey Rekindled......

My good friend Nadzru called us a bunch of 'overgrown boys scouts', once.

Peng , Bab and myself, classmates from MCKK; that stiff-upper lip school by the slow moving Sungei Perak, up north, billed as 'Eton of the East'; some 10 months ago played with the idea of driving from Kuala Lumpur to London  via the Silk Highway on the  and coming back via the Karakorum Highway, Pakistan  etc and etc. After several meeting, my work at the hospital get very busy, interest dwindled, the group finally disintegrate. 

Peng, a cancer colon survivor himself, will  be busy  in July after his retirement from Universiti Hospital,with his new career at 61, probably at Prince Court Hospital as the substantive Senior Consultant Paediatric Oncologist, Bab starting a new business venture post-Petronas, and myself , almost drowned with work as a 'plumber' at my hospital. [ the 'other'  famous friend  and formmate of ours, now unmentionable in polite circles, has been re-cycled in Sinapo...Malaysia's loss is Sinapo's gain ]

At 61, all of us still busy with life ! Great !

I was driving around in  the middle of nowhere country,mid-peninsula , near Kenyir Dam in Teganung some four months ago and saw a Landrover Defender 110 , a factory-made to size triangular tent on top, parked by the lake. Stopped by and have a chat  and tea with the owners, a young Swiss couple. They have been living in their vehicle for a year. Drinking tea  just by the watermark at Tasik Kenyir  and sleeping under the stars at night. Wow !! The 'Boy Scout' spirit in me comes back.

Then, proceeded down to my small farm in Gua Musang and on the way saw this good-looking Toyota Landcruiser HJ 47, 1983 make, white in colour in pristine condition. Mileage just over 420k kilometres. Love at first sight.

[ click here.....  http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.carpictures.com/pics/full/10G0B384426620AA/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-HJ47-1984-10G0B384426620AA.jpeg&imgrefurl=http://www.carpictures.com/vehicle/10G0B384426620/Toyota-Land-Cruiser-HJ47-1984&h=533&w=800&sz=199&tbnid=4yELtBrF8uQBtM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=135&zoom=1&usg=__zHINdj5tUPVolaIkbTTbna9Sjw0=&docid=gX9IsREl30kGoM&sa=X&ei=cEubUc6iC4bsrAfV1YGoDw&ved=0CD8Q9QEwBQ&dur=167  ]

Met the young owner who just bought it from an aging Chinese planter who had not one but two HJ47 Troop-carrier! Does not need much persuasion, the road tax for a 4.2 litre diesel is strangulating the poor young man.... I went for the 'jugular' rightaway .
A week later I am the proud owner of  the HJ 47 Troop Carrier. Drove all the way to Kuala Lumpur, all 400 kilometres of it in one go. There was no overheating or drop in the level of the engine oil and water. Diesel consumption just over 60 RM. Not bad for a 4.2 litre  30 over years old diesel engine. The drone of the 4.2 litre, H2 diesel powerhouse with 6 straight cylinders, with all the rattling etc and etc. Raw power and brawn ! 'Mister Toyo' would complement my other two semi-classic cars,  Miss Betsy, 30-year old Mercedes 280SE and  Mister Gedebe, a Merc 230 of the same age. All arthritic and in their varying stage of disrepair.

Miss Betsy , I drive to work everyday, Mister Gedebe, my son has claimed possession. Mister Toyo will be the vehicle for my world journey, starting next year, insyaallah. And since I could not take-off entirely from my work, I would have to parcel it out and do it in stages:

Stage 1 :  2014
Acheh- Jakarta- Bali- Flores Fiji- Darwin-Australia-NZ

Stage2 : 2015
South Africa- Jeddah-Makkah-UAE

Stage 3 : Tunisia-Morocco- Libya-Jabal Tariq-Spain-Italy- Turkey-

Stage 4 : Europe
Insyaallah...............

Beyond that, only God knows.
" Hasbunal lah wa ni' mal Wakeel " [ Allah suffice for me, HE is al-Wakeel ]
With this motto, nothing else matter !!

Letters from Jubileeintan group [ MCKK Class of 65 ]....

Assalamualaikum dan Selamat Sejahtera

Ishak, Peng and Bab,

I admire you guys for your keenness in the endeavour. I salute you and wish you the best.

Dengan Ikhlas dan Salam Hormat

(Yours Sincerely and Best Regards)

Dr. Mohamad Hanif bin Mohamad Jamil

Bandar Baru Bangi

Selangor

MALAYSIA

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To: jublintan65@yahoogroups.com
From: sidekahmad@hotmail.com
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2012 05:31:32 +0000
Subject: Re: [jublintan65]

Doc Haniff


You salute them....aku tabik dua tangan to the three Amigos (or old boys scouts as my old friend Nazru called them) to even dare to think of doing the adventurous overland jjourney through Asia-Europe!!


I went as a tourist in 2011 to do the Silk route journey from Xian to Urumgy-Kashi. Even with few hundred miles on road with a good guide by our side, it was testing enough for us....so I could not imagine what it will be like with thousands of km of wilderness and only gps/maps (and maybe the stars too) to guide them.


It's nice to know that among us we still have those with their of spirit of adventure burning strong.....we can only envy and admire them and wish them all the best and hope they can realise their dream.......and ours too for those like me who wish we could but do not have the courage to take 3 -4 challenge.


Salam
Sidek

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile.




..............................................................................................

datok sidek!

you must tell us the details of your route, various stops, terrain etc of Xian to Kashi.  part of our planned trip will take us through that route

salam, 

wan peng, 

the route planner

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Wan Peng,

I thought I've shared with all of you earlier in the mail and over teh tarik at Pelita in Shah Alam my so called free and easy silk route trip (covering 3 regions of Xian , liangchow, Xinkiang)which I did in 10days in early 2011 before I did my colon op.

We did consider crossing to Tukesmistan (and the other gohed/gostan countries) from Kashi but was told that visa application cannot be done from China but need some special arrangement before one can get through the border)
What I can see from the air as I flew over these 3 regions between cities, the landscape is very2 challenging....dry Gobi desert and savannah type land all the way through mountains and hills with nil/few settlements in between. Definitely not for those with weak hearts to venture the land route..... and one has to just wonder in awe how those early travellers criss-cross these dry land on foot and on camels for months/years to reach Xian, the then capital for the Kingdom, from MiddleEast and Europe.

I know one of our MC senior (Mr Brown n few of his colleagues) did the silk route on wheels. You may want to consult them for advice and guidance if you guys are dead serious about doing it on land throughout.....or else opt for free and easy trip like what I did earlier and this time round, we cross to all the Tans countries which I did not manage to cover earlier......howsat?

Selamat berbuka puasa to all.

Salam
Sidek

Sent from my BlackBerry® wireless device via Vodafone-Celcom Mobile

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Nik Isahak Abdullah <drnikisahak@hotmail.com> wrote:


 

 dato sidek and doc haniff,

dont envy us.

i started this madness initially, half hoping someone would cure me of it...successfully talk me out of this 'footloose maladie'.

lank almost did it by asking a philosophical/religious question...of why doing this at this age...doc man added by saying at this stage..duduk 'balassoh' semaye2 lagi baik. ado pitih lebeh, dermo anok yatim'. 
i was almost 'turnaround'.

then my friend nadzru, the 'arabist'  from ranhill worley , quipped that we sounded like 'old boys scouts', still tenderfoot, out to see the world. that did it.

why not ? if we can maintain that fresh boy scout spirit in our life right to the seventh or eight decade, why not ?

and now i have two  equally half mad followers behind me, peng and bab.....difficult to  nak back out dah !

and we are now  not thinking of a KL- London anymore. it is  KL- London- KL Express ?

there is no system to this madness !!

nik howk

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Assalamualaikum,

NH, Bab & Peng,

"Berlumba-lumbalah kamu (mengerjakan amal-amal yang baik) untuk mendapat keampunan dari Tuhan kamu, dan mendapat Syurga yang bidangnya seluas segala langit dan bumi, yang disediakan bagi orang-orang yang beriman kepada Allah dan Rasul-rasulNya; yang demikian ialah limpah kurnia Allah, diberikanNya kepada sesiapa yang dikehendakiNya; dan Allah sememangnya mempunyai limpah kurnia yang besar." (Al-Hadiid 57:21)

If you think that you have accumulated enough of pahala to guarantee you a place in Syurga, please by all means, make that trip and more future trips. If you think your pahala is insufficient to guarantee you a place in Syurga, then now is the time to lumba-lumba to do amalan solih, while you are still breathing, which at our present age, we don't know for how much longer.

"Katakanlah (wahai Muhammad): "Mahukah Kami khabarkan kepada kamu akan orang-orang yang paling rugi amal-amal perbuatannya? (Iaitu) orang-orang yang telah sia-sia amal usahanya dalam kehidupan dunia ini, sedang mereka menyangka bahawa mereka sentiasa betul dan baik pada apa sahaja yang mereka lakukan"." (Al-kahf 18:103-104)

If you think that this trip of yours is not an amalan sia-sia, please by all means, proceed with it :-)

Salam,
RoslanK

Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7

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TQ Lank for an excellent reminder.


Peng, I think , already has plan to join a madrasah in Finsbury Park , London to learn the religion deeper.
Bab, he is always very secretive about his plan and aspiration. We suspect he wanted to 'dirikan' masjid once we reach Bosnia. Beautiful  'halal  white chicken'  available there.
As for myself, I want ot find a Tok Guru Murshid in Kazahkstan.


Just pulling you leg, Lank .
Enjoy this short video presentation about wanting  'Jannah',
click here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM1D57SGNhM&feature=relmfu
Lank, we all want Jannah. 
I believe the way to Jannah is not just limited to 'balassoh, masjid'. It is also in the workplace, in the hills and mountains and most importantly in the hearts of men and women.
Yes, Jannah is in our heart. We have to want it . We have to want it badly as the good shaykh told us.
Myself, I want Jannatul Firdaus.

nik howk


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And with Him are the keys of the Invisible. None but He knoweth them. And He knoweth what is in the land and the sea. Not a leaf falleth but He knoweth it, not a grain amid the darkness of the earth, naught of wet or dry but (it is noted) in a clear record. (59) He it is Who gathereth you at night and knoweth that which ye commit by day. Then He raiseth you again to life therein, that the term appointed (for you) may be accomplished. And afterward unto Him is your return. Then He will proclaim unto you what ye used to do. (60)

translation of The Quran , Pickthal, Suran Al An'am, 6 : 59-60

Diary : Still on Choice of Vehicles.....

Yang Berbahagia,

Encik Hazem Abdul Rahman

MD , 
Land Rover Malaysia/ Sime Auto Concessionaire

cc:

Yang Berbahagia,

Major [rtd] Hasbullah bin Zakariah

Manager, Service dept, 

Land Rover [Malaysia ] Sdn Bhd

Sirs,

I was at Land Rover Malaysia  last Sunday, trying out your beautiful Defender double cab 90 under the watchful eyes of Miss Shilah.

I was actually there to book Land Rover Single Cab 110 on special offer but was told by this young lady that all have been snatched up like 'goreng pisang' by the East Malaysians! My God ! These people paid cash mostly, just like the Cameroon Highland vegetable farmers!

I was  already forewarned by Major Hasbullah some 3 weeks earlier at Sime Darby Medical Centre, but did not take his warning seriously.

My interest in the ageless Defender is beyond 'sales and purchase' actually. We are a group of intrepid over 60 year olds, Malay Collegians, partly mad 'boy scouts',out to relearn the world, so to speak. [ http://translandjourney.blogspot.com/2012/07/diary-when-it-all-began.html ]

Initially in our discussion, we were thinking of doing it either in an old 1985 onwards Defender 110,[ probably refurbished Series 1]  with the ever dependable TDi engine ,or the conquering ageless 4.2 litre 1996 or less, Toyota Landcruiser. Both for the obvious reason that if we developed engine trouble in the desert of Mongolia or China our hearts would not 'bleed' if local fellows cannot repair them,. We just leave the vehicles there and hopp on to the other one. And if they can, and we expect any Ah Kow can repair these two, we will happily carry on.

But we being' British' thought that we owe Defender more loyalty than a 'cheapo' old Japanese badge, albeit the old  unbeatable beast,Toyota Landcruiser..... Defender, despite it's smaller cc, it  has more character though.

[ http://translandjourney.blogspot.com/2012/07/choice-of-vehicle-tentatively-at-our.html ]

And why use old 1980's and 1990's old vehicles when we can use new ones with more sophisticated  more powerful engines, less guzzly and can debunk at the same time this fallacy amongst long distance 'translanders' that  'newer means more electronics and electronics means trouble on a long transland journey'. We have to give our fledgling motor 'industry' a bite at fame !

Our choice as to whether to go Toyota [ Hilux in this case, the  new 3.0  turbo diesel double cab ] or to still remain true to our original spirit and sentiment and be 'British',  despite the ' general'  world trend  towards 'de-romanticized' transdland journeys, and be practical, and thus join the bandwagon of  every Tom , Dick and Harry, all going 'Japanese'.. this to my mind is still  still  not yet concluded.  We are still discussing the pro's and con's


We symphatise with you guys at Sime's Land Rover over the Mindef's uncharacteristic decision to go ' all Chinese' [ my God, Chinese !!!!!! ] in their vehicle of choice for  the army 2013 onwards.

These generals must have all their heads examined !!
Too much kwaey teow maybe ??
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xNvs3YDBgeM&feature=related ]

I look forward to further fruitful conversations with you guys.

[ http://translandjourney.blogspot.com/2012/07/diary-change-of-route.html ]

Your Humbly,

Dr Hj Nik Isahak Wan Abdullah

Senior Consultant Cardiologist 

Sime Darby Medical Centre

Subang Jaya

Selangor, Malaysia




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from grand pa  of Jubileeintan 69 :



السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Go for it Doc Nik Howk. Even if they offer reconditioned Defender  Tdi 110 Stationwawons or reconditioned Discovery Tdi would be wonderful


'car wash utube', click down here :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzEDY7P8Vps&feature=related

...............................................................................


Grand pa , tell us more about Discovery Tdi, what year, reliability and is it Ah Kow proof , I mean easily repaired any where devoid of sophisticated 'electronics'  like the Series 1 Land Rover ?
What year and what price ?


Nik Howk


........................................................................................
from grand pa of jubileeintan 69 group :

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركات

The Discovery does all the Defender does but in luxury. A brother in law used one , I merely borrowed a few times. I did mention Nik Ariff uses one for umpteen years now.

click here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9pP4Jnk6H4&feature=related

.................................................................................................

across the board i heard it has its problem with 'reliability', grand pa ............
the choice can be quite personal grand pa as judged by this  video,
[ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yo3ud2ysh0I&feature=related ]

nik howk


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Nik Howk,


If I were you I would like to travel in comfort.
You have not seen the new Ford Ranger  Truck, 3.2 litre turbo diesel.
Superkiasu like Malek Noor and miles of space. Sexy too !
They will cause a storm in Kuala Lumpur end  of this year.
Can forget about Defender or Hilux.


Pak Chu


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howk, 

we have discussed the rangka of the route. there are various combinations. now we need to zoom in go to next level.  do we want the easy/difficult route? farflung/shortest? touristy? etc. this decision will impact on the duration, expense, type of vehicle, mental prep, bekal etc. and the sooner we work out this the better.  

anyway the possibilities:

1. kl- either via west coast ie phuket and ranong or east coast via surat thani -hua hin - bangkok (thailand)

2a bangkok-chiang rai -luang namtha (thailand/laos petronas route) or 

2b bangkok - udon thani-luang pabang -luang namtha (thailand laos route recommended by nazru)

3.luang namtha - jinghong - kunming- guiyang -xian - lanzou -anxi  (china)

4a anxi -hami- osu -almaty (if we want to enter kazakhashtan to meet besan ntr) or

4b anxi- hami - aksu- kashi (if we want to by pass besan ntr and enter kyrgyzstan) or

4c anxi- qiemo - yulian -kashi (enter krygyztan via south route). all a, b and c done or partly done by petronas.

......

and the above is only about  a quarter way.  jenoh nak tulis all the various options. it is best that we meet and pour over the map 

w.a


..........................................................................


Peng,


we take the toughest, most romantic, longest route.
with accent on safety of course



Now Pak Chu though has thrown a spanner in our planning, Peng.
i thot we have decided amongst us that we choose either a toyota [ new hilux or  old landcruiser ]or a defender...now this new animal called the ford truck, i know nothing about it. 


personally i have gone thru 2 hilux in the last 6 years...., one a double cab which i sold off last year..a find a wee bit softy, the undercarriage long shaft broke after less than 2 years  plying the hills of gua musang. ! i am now driving a brand new working man single cab, manual.  too early to say anything but if i were to go by its popularity amongst the chinese contractors in gua musang, it is a tough work horse. the  tray at the back can be changed to a proper sleeping area, if you can cross over to golok or haadyai and add a long canopy....after the canopy, the workman vehicle look like an 'suv' !
ample space for storage of 'barang2' and good sleeping area. put in a 'bedpan' for those emergencies, we already have a caravan for 2.


peng, can you please check out with your 4wd friends familiar with this new animal called the ford ranger truck 3.2 turbo diesel. is it here already ?


nik howk


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from Doc Azman,
22nd July

Aswt,

Nampak bersungguh puak ni nak travel, jalan3.

Just back from Tapah & Ipoh for 2 night trips.

Ohhh, sakit badan weh, specially backpain.

East-west highway at night, raining, saw 5-6 cars masuk parit tepi jalan. Nothing serious. Ada yg tow truck sedang tarik.

On one road, not a very close corner & at 60km/hr, my car slipped & swerve a few times.

Before that I was traveling at 80km/hr constantly, you still can feel the tyre gripping the road fine.

I think these people put oil on the road. If only only it is not raining, I would have stop and check the road for oil.

Wallah waalam. Just to remind the extend trick that people do to get business.

Doc Azman

V69 S'H, iPhone4

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from Peng,

23th, July

 

howk & bab

is the meeting on 27th on? after tarawih?  perhaps in ramadhan it is better to meet daytime if at all, say sat or sun after zuhr/before asr?

from the book: long way round, chasing shadows accross the world, by ewan mc gregor and charley boorman who rode round the world , just them and 2 motorbikes:

"i...gazed out at the ocean and thought back to the day when charley and i had sat in a little workshop in west london, surrounded by motorbikes, with dreams of open road in our heads.  all we knew then was that we wanted to get from london to magadan (pacific coast of siberia).  with maps laid out in front of us, we drew a route, arbitrarily assigning mileage to each day, not knowing anything about the state of the roads..  we guessed our way from west to east, across two continents, from atlantic to the pacific....time and again we were told by experienced travellers that our plans were wildly optimistic and that we didnt know what we were letting ourselves in for.  i'd never ridden off-road and charley had never properly camped.  the chances of failure were high they said. yet here we were in madagan, as far around the globe as it was possible to go, and we'd arrived one day ahead of our schedule"

salam
wp

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On Tue, Jul 24, 2012 at 11:35 PM, Nik Isahak Abdullah <drnikisahak@hotmail.com> wrote:

peng, let meetafter ramadan. we have  alot of time.

like charley, i do not like to plan tooo much...just get in your car and drive....worse case scenario, reach phuket can turn back if things do not appear right.

good case scenario we may even take another route back from london to kL via the kyber pass on our way back.......

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ok, meet  aftrer raya then.
insyaAllah we will get to further than phuket, to istanbul at least

salam, wp


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Peng,


i am proposing that we drive back from london via spain turkey, syria, iran, pakistan, india and if burma is open via burma , if not ship back from chitagong, bangladesh....all in a 3 month to 4 month journey.............
i think the new ford ranger or the new hilux 3.0 litre turbo would be tough and comfortable enough to withstand the continous journey.
insyaallah !


Nik Howk

Diary : A Change of Route...

"Life is just three breaths, one that had just  finished, the present one not yet exhaled, and the next which is still unsure"
an old sufi saying......



“Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.” — Steve Jobs

5am, 28th June

Subang Jaya

Woken up just now at 4am with a 'bloody' toothache. Did the tahajjud, to no avail. Still painful. Went down to the kitchen to take one more ultracet tablet [combination of tramal and paracetamol ] and decided maybe a spot of 'writing' would take the pain away.

Just 4 hours earlier finished 3rd discussion with Peng and Bab on Transland Journey, over roti canai and popia. Another Malay Collegian [ Anwar Ibrahim's classmate , ?class of 64], Mohd Faizal Ismail, from Merlbourne, joined the discussion. He had earlier in the year wanted me to do the Australian outback with him. That has to be postponed or brought forward to December this year.

For now, Kuala Lumpur - London,   via the SILK ROUTE, has to take priority for 2013.

Myanmar probably would not open up it's borders in time for our trip next year, so the Myanmar- Nepal- India route is out of question. We would attempt the 'old' Petronas Adventure Team route via Cambodia's Vientiane- Hanoi- XIan- Xinkiang route and crossover to the Russia's many  S'tans, then head for the Caspian Sea, entering Norway via Helsinki, then right on to London. Time frame ? 2 months. We do not want to miss the many World heritage places  peppered along the way.

To avoid extreme winter cold, we need to leave  early, perhaps on the 6th day of Eid next year in mid August. 


Peng , the most intellectual of us three will firm up on the route detail. Bab will look into visa issues and 'carnet de passage' for our vehicles. As for myself, I would need to make some friendly visits  and call old friends in Sime's Land Rover and UMW Toyota for some much needed friendly 'advice' and help.

Between us we decided we are not doing this transland journey with the ubiquitous 'Landcruiser' afterall. We are firm believers in change, 'the old giving place to the young upstrarts', so to speak. Young 'upstarts', like  Hilux and Land Rover Defender 110, also deserve a decent bite at fame. We will give the new 'Hilux' a chance and  at the same time we do not want to forget our most dependable Land Rover Defender as well. It is after all an icon and we,  despite all pretenses, ARE BRITISH. Only our bottoms are not white !


My other friend , Nadzru from Ranhill Apakahnamadiadah retorted the other day that 'we are a bunch of old semi- retarded boys scouts' !
On second thought, at 60 +, for all three of us, that is a nice compliment.
'Thank you Nadzru !'

The 'bloody' pain has disappeared already. Magic !

Time for subuh Prayer.




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click here :
http://www.google.com.my/search?q=hilux+dual+cab+pictures&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-my:IE-Address&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=XSTxT-H0FonkrAfl8P29DQ&ved=0CEMQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=632


These new 'Jap Wannabees' may takeover from the aging 1990's Landcruisers



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grand pa and doc man,

I know you grand pa is a 'cherookee, landy stiff upper lip type' of man while doc man and myself are basically 'toyota cheapskate' people.

Doc man is still impressed with his prado 1997 even though it now lay rusting in his garage and repeated urge from yours truly to part with his Prado has so far failed. I want to redo his 1995 Prado for my Transland Journey. 

Myself, having gone thru Hilux double cab 2.5  turbodiesel auto for 6 years from 2005 , and now switched to a  new 'marhein' 2.5 diesel single cab Hilux, minus all the frills. My previous twin cab was OK but after only 5 years of usage mine started give funny sound every time when I engage the auto . 4 years and the auto start making this kind of sound is quite disconcerting. The undercarriage is also 'softy softy'. In the 3rd year, my mechanic outside Toyota had to replace the nut and bolt holding the shaft to the back axle joint. And I am no 4wd man thru and thru. Just the occasional jaunts in the forest of Gua Musang.

I am keeping my fingers cross with my new Single cab, working in my farm....no more auto for me though, at least not on my 4wd. Toyota does build Hilux for tough work but I would stay away from it's auto.It is not robust enough.

Having said that to be fair to Toyota, I did a fair 250k kilometres in 5 years on the previous one, one quarter of the mileage on hills and mud in 4wd mode.


This current single cab, just in 5 months covered 30k kilometres plying between KL and Gua Musang twice a month,  the rest mainly used in permanent 4wd mode ,25 days a month on the hills and in mud . Pretty hardy type of work I must say, but I am worried about the soft undercarriage.


I thot the single cab is spartan  but 4 weeks ago I test drive Sime's pick up Land Rover in PJ...it gave my Toyota an instant 'SUV'  status. Land Rover Defender is  really just not any man's transport. It is a 4wd truck in permanent 4wd mode with an attitude........certainly not for sissies.

Doc man, what say you about Prado.?

grand pa, tell me more about the Defender 110, manual or auto....I am still open to Land Rover as our vehicle for our Transland Journey, especially Phase 2 and Phase 3, where we are doing the Mediterranean/Moroccan/ Libya /Tunisia/Algerian coastline countries followed by the Moscow/Siberia/Vladivostok phase. 

Probably need time to get used to it, the landy I mean, but the rating given by some motor 'analyst'  are quite disturbing........

At the end of the day, my question now is : when I do get down to doing it , do I do it with a 'Jap wannabee' or do I do it with the 'British iconic Land Rover' ?....[.England  by the way, my God !, played like a bunch of sissies in the Euro. They deserve to be booted out! They are just millionaires in boots ]

But of course the Land Rover is another story.

Or should I follow the rest of the crowd and settle for the safe option :
LANDCRUISER, the 1990's type I mean, with 'ZERO'  sophisticated electronics where even Ah Kow in Jerantut or Muthusamy in Mumbai can repair under the tree.

nik howk

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click here :
https://www.google.com.my/search?q=land+rover+defender+pictures&hl=en&rls=com.microsoft:en-my:IE-Address&prmd=imvns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=eyXxT7vxJoWsrAeMwKy-DQ&ved=0CEUQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=632


....perhaps nothing is more 'romantic' than driving one of these beauties in the desert sand of Morocco. Landrover enthusiasts look for the old 1990's Defender110 with TD5 engines. The present modifcations, using bedford's puma engine, according to them, is 'too' sophiscated for transland journeys !
My God ! This beast make Hilux single cabin feels like an SUV !
...an Hilux single cabin is super tough nut.....a work horse. 

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