MY JOURNEY BEGINS.

Sunday 25th September 2011


Location : Taman Jaya, PJ

Some 40 people comprising friends, supporters, family members and the media were present to bid farewell and wish me success in my latest pursuit - cycling to London.

Among those present were Datuk Johan Jaaffar, who's been supportive in all my 'crazy' attempts, Dato Gen.( rtd) L.C Soon, with whom, I share many interesting adventures over the last 15 years and whose passion for outdoor adventures have not diminish in spite of advancing age.

Especially meaningful were the presence of three of my


former students from RMC who came to ride for part of the way: Azly (the 'Bandit') who also rode with me at the start of my journey in 2008), Kam Kasturi who is a regular participant in multiple sports and Kamarul Azhar who at 43 has 4 children whose eldest son is already in University. It seems like yesterday when I last saw him in Form 5, in RMC, more than 20 years ago. Kamarul rode with me up to Rawang with Tajul, his friend Zul and my son Aedewan and of course Rezzuddin who is riding with me up to Bangkok. Azly and Kam rode up to Dataran Merdeka before going their own way.

It is impossible to mention all of you by name here, but thank you all very much for your presence and support. And to top it all, Tan Sri Musa Hassan recited the 'doa selamat'at the gathering. I am indeed greatly honoured. Thank you, Sir.

Here I must also thank the people who made this journey possible with their support in cash or kind, Datuk Johan Jaaffar(who also hosted a farewell buffet dinner for me at his residence),Mr Francis Yew, my former student from SM Sri Garing, Rawang, Dr Amir Lee, my former housemate in Brinsford lodge Tuan Hj Goh Eng Chye, my Japanese friend Mr Nishimura, my nephew Syed Rizal, my sister Datin Norlia and her husband Datuk Syed Abdul Rahman, my eldest sister Hajah Nor Aminah, my former housemate Oh Boo Seck, all my family members and all my friends from Kawasan Melayu, too many names to mention. God bless you all.

We had 3 punctures along the way and the rain in the afternoon hindered our progress. We had to put up in Tanjung Malim as it was already dark. I must apologize for not updating earlier as there was no internet connection where I had stayed for the last few days.