TRISTUPE.COM: Batu Dam - The Land of Leeches

Date: 10th April 2005
Time: 0900-1230Hours
Attendance: Doc, Derek, Stephanie, Teen Teen, Bandit, Mat Gan, Zulfikar, Rizal, Azman, Stupe

Surprised attendance: Azri, Nik, Shahkir and gang!!! Whole loads of them!!!

It was a rahter usual day for the weekend warriors and warrior-ress (think Xena).

But most of us were rahter shocked and pleasant to see such huge turnout in this week's Batu Dam's offroad ride.

it is as if the whole world converged at Batu Dam yesterday.

There was 5 mat sallehs with 2 ladies and 2 dogs doing hiking in Batu Dam in Jeans and hiking boots.

Then, there was this whole bunch of hi-tech groupies that rode the dam route much earlier.

Our group, the one tht we would classify as the Average Joes aka Light and Easy buggers, were the last to leave the parking lot to take on what Batu Dam had got to offer, again.

Noticeably differnet was the water level, the dam must had dried up about 10 meters of water, as we are used to be riding with the water next to us, but it was clearly visibly that the dam is about 10meters lower than usual (my canggih altimeter watch confirmed that)

The ride was fast, and rahter easy, maybe due to the fact that most of us are rahter fit at this point of the year (due to loads of races this time around, so better prepared la!)

The whole batu dam looked like some major highway during balik kampung season where the trail are jammed up by fast moving vehicles going fast on the emergency lanes.

Also, we didn't get any leeches on us, maybe they are all on holiday, after the long hiatus..or perhaps all of them had long clingged to the earlier group of bikers that entered the Dam yesterday...

FYI, Mat Gan is 100% beginner and i must say he did blardy well for his first time.

Teen Teen showed tonnes of improvement and i'm not gonna mess with her anytime soon.

Stephanie was her usual careful self but seemed rahter gung ho about going downhill this time around.

Zulfikar was delirious when he found out the downhill section was such thrill. He is getting his wife a bike soon.

Rizal was seen as excited, since this time around, bandit wasn't teh navigator and there isn't any chances of Bandit leading them off the trail and into some forsaken place....he trully enjoyed the downhill.

Derek claimed it was his second time in Batu Dam...so, better gear yourself up and abandon Kiara for a while.

Bandit claimed he bunny hopped over teh chest high log on the downhill portion. I truly believed he did that.

Doc..oh well, what can i say, this favorite boy of ours are forever the flavour of the month...he's a slut, as usual..and he was patience enough to show Mat Gan, all the correct way to take the downhill portion at 40km/h.

Azman was his usual iron man self, he overtook everyone with no mercy....siao man!

As for me, i enjoyed it loads, maybe because i just changed the rims of my bike, and the confidence that i get in stopping on time, should there be any log at chest level appears out of no where (i can't bunny hop like how bandit does...)

here is some pics...enjoy.

Doc "i'm gonna ride this crossing" Hisyam