My first Adventure Race...

And it's gotta be a multi day one : Sabah Adventure Challenge!! - a 3 day rumble and tumble in the jungles of Borneo!

I've never done an adventure race before but as the usual Jonie, have always wanted to do one. So.. when this thing popped up.. (I read it off facebook.. ) go fig.. I just had to try it, even if it's only once. Well... with no experience at all at mountain biking, why not, right?

Anyways, roped in BK for this race and I got all the race registrations, logistics, accomodation done up (I'm never doing all this accommodation and logistics again... headache-nyer.. I wonder how Aman does everything?.. ). I went and get (through YMCA - Thnks MelM and GracieN for the help) me and BK some MTB lessons as well, and Alex T taught me a bit on orienteering... and got some amazing tips from WilsL and well all set.. I think..
except tt....

1. AirAsia bloody he*l screwed up my flight times and didn't even tell/SMS/email me on the changes. Lucky thing Aman emailed us earlier to rechk the flight times... later when we spoke to him, apparently some teams may not even make it in time as AA informed them too late to change their flights. I mean, I understand the changes in time, budget marr... but must oso tell the passengers right. Cannot be that the airlines "want" to make their passengers miss their flights??!!! Is this another tactic to lighten the plane load and pay less for oil??!! I hope our Datuk Tony Fernandaz can look into this... if not, I don't think anyone should ever take AirAsia again cos of their tardiness in taking care of their customers.

2. Due to the deferment, had to take the afternoon off from work

3. Had to defer all my assignments deadlines to a few days late, which means have double the amount of homework to do when I get home

4. Some family happenings... which I still feel sad about...

5. Bike pedals refuses to be unscrewed, even with a spanar and a Mel, the pedal nut still refused to budge (BK tried later after the race.. oso couldn't unscrew it... in the end, got help from another guy to help loosen it.. yes.. it was THAT tight)

6. Needed to complete the Mel & Jonie for Amazing Race Asia video. Took me about 10 hours to edit a 3 min clip... including searching, downloading, looking at materials...but it was funz!! I should be a video editor

7. The main thing that worried me was that I still had a few injuries that have yet to recover. I had a right thigh strain that caused me to forgo IM Langkawi this year as I could barely run. It recovered by the first week of March, but by then, I had already not trained for 2-3 weeks.. Felt weak and bad.. then also had bilateral PFPS which doesn't seem to be getting better. Keep having sharp pains on gg down the steps. Ok ok.. after this race, will rest for a bit.. promised someone liao and kenot backtrack..

... so, yep.. with about 3 weeks of proper training, and about 2 mths of MTB-ing from zero (minus CNY and all... prob about a mths MTB experience).. and my semester's finals coming up in March... there's so much to do, and very little time... and a race to complete... so before I go on and blog about the race.. Thank you all who have tolerated my bizarre behaviour and have supported me to go on. Couldn't have done it without you guys!!!
so.... on to the blog :).

Mel brought the bike to the airport, and we packed the bike there. Noticed that some of them didn't even pack their bikes to transport over to KK O_O... yes... big eyes!! Didn't know I could do that. Might try that on the way back :) Checked in and off we were to Kota Kinabalu.

Finally at the hotel

Arrived in KK and was picked by Aman. Met lotsa new friends here and fellow competitors... was nerve-wrecked by then... they all looked so super strong and confident... I have no idea how to survive the next few days... anyways, arrived at Mega D'aru Hotel and checked in. Got the bikes up to the rooms and went out for dinner. Came back and assembled the bike. Rested for the night.

The next morning, after breakfast, took the bike out for a short spin.. good... everything was working fine. At 10am, we loaded the bikes onto the truck and got onto the bus to Tambunan. Had a short stop for lunch before reaching TVRC at about 2pm. There, we got our equipments sorted out and hung around till dinner and the race briefing.

Tambunan!!

The race directors went through all the rules and the maps as well as gave a chance to the GPS guys to gave a short talk as well on their tracker. This year will be the first year the competitors will be tracked and will have live updates online. So each of us got a GPS tracker to hold on too. It did come in handy, when the directors had to track the last teams... including us.. hehe..After the briefing.. makan, then back to the homestay. We stayed at MakCik Maria's place.. and she was a fantastic "mother". The house was clean and we even got our own attached bathroom.... Nice... next time must come here and stay again!! Packed our stuff and went to zzz... Race begins ... 3am...First section: Night Orienteering...

Day 1.

Woke up at 1am. Grabbed our stuff and off we were to the starting line. Turned the GPS tracker on. The race area was buzzing with activity and straight we went for the breakfast. I had a quick one while BK took his time to eat (for all 3 days).

Zombified JasB

After eating, we went to get our water fill and lined at the starting line. Was really nervous now as I've never done an adventure race before... It was dark everywhere, and we only had our headlamps as guides. ok... another minute and go!!!.... Everyone started running!! the race was on!!

We made a run around the lake and up on the suspension bridge. After that, up the road and into the trails, and this is where everything got a bit tricky... rivers, a map and a set of instructions. Using all this, we had to navigate our way through to Checkpoints 1 and 2. As we have almost zero knowledge of orienteering, luckily we met another pair who was trekking as well. We crossed the river multiple times, going up and down the river banks, and looked at the compass to make sure we were headed in the right direction (note to self: MUST brush up on Orienteering... esp in the dark) . Sometimes, we crossed barb wires and fences, and although there was a road next to us... damn... not allowed to use cos there will be a 3 hour penalty.

Reached Checkpoint 2 which was just next to a hanging bridge, and then up to checkpoint 3.... which was about a 1-1.5km hike... UPHILL!!! No one ever said this was gonna be easy.The hike was slow with lots of huffs and puffs before going downhill and reaching checkpoint 3.

We did a wrong turn once we were out on the gravel road, but luckily one of the locals were there, so we back tracked up to the right place. Here, we decided to downgrade to the Adventure category as we don't think we can survive the Extreme Category - not enough MTB skills yet. We collected our bikes and started the MTB-ing part. Here there were 2 options, either we take the trails (straight all the way down) or we take the loose gravel road (one big curve with up and downhills). BK didn't want to take the trails, and I don't have enough confidence yet (was super tempted though - you all can guess la... I'm that kinda person to never give up), so we opted to take the gravel road instead (talked to JasB after the race.. he said it was quite a nice but tough trail.. so next year must take trails all the way!!). That said, the gravel roads were quite dangerous as well as it was super super steep and with loose rocks all the way, and there were many times that I just slid when I tried to slow down. Can't believe that holding on to the brakes can actually be quite tiring and painful. There were a few teams that slid and had accidents here as well, so the medic teams were prepared at the bottom of the steep slopes, just in case.

OK, we finally reached checkpoint 4 where we had to go down and do some upstream river tracking. We had to track upstream and look for a trail near the hanging bridge. This part, I like. The sun was up and hot, the trees were shady and refreshing, the water cool an clear. I just love walking in the cold water, though the rocks were quite slippery.

At Checkpoint with JasB and Harsha

Pink 'Gandalf"

After about an hour, we reached the hanging bridge, took us awhile to find the trail, and finally headed up the trail to find a clearing on a ridge. We were suppose to look for checkpoint 5A at a church, but bloody *toot toot*... where is the church??? You'd think it'll be easy to find a building with a cross... but noooo... apparently, we were at the back of the loooong building and the cross was at the front.. haha.. anyways, found the checkpoint, signed in, and off we were back to checkpoint 4 to pick up our bikes to cycle back to the finish line.

The biking back was easy breezy.. stopped to take some pictures of the mountain goat where BK was complaining again.. hehe.. but anyways, found our way back up the normal tar road, headed down to TVRC and to the finishing line!! YAYY!!!!! some of the competitors who finished and were lunching nearby clapped for us... !!!! DONE!!! DAY 1 SAC-- over!! We finished in about 11 hours, at about 2+pm.

baaa... baaa..

Parked our bikes and I went to return the GPS (got so called late penalty if we don't return within 15 minutes) Talked to the GPS guys and apparently they lost our signal halfway through. Think it was due to the GPS tracker dropping to the bottom of my pack when I was rummaging for food. Have to remember to put it nicely the next few days.

Ok, then went to eat lunch, and chat around before checking in the bikes at the water area for the next day's event. Called up our homestay lady - Makcik Maria (who turned out to be an old girl of SM Seri Kepayang - hehe... SM Seri Intan's predecessor). Went back, showered, cleaned up and rested till it was dinner and time for the next day's briefing at 8 pm. Went back to TVRC... everybody was there.. recollecting their stories of the first day. It felt great to be back there and to talk to everyone about all the pain we suffered :).

With YK and WilsL

With YK and Chad!

The second briefing over, and the next day was gonna be a bike start and a tubing part. BK was nervous about both the bike and the tubes but I was more nervous about pushing the bikes up the slightly less than 1km upslope... diezz... we'll see how it goes... went back, packed and zzzz...

Day 2 -

Day 2 started at 8am and we were there early for breakfast, water and to collect our bikes. All ready and set to go, we lined up at the starting line with EWong and RayM as we were the adventure/leisure category. Counting down the minutes again, and ..... START!!!

With Elaine at the start point!

Everybody was on their bikes and started to mash the pedals... go go go!!! We made a round around the lake again and then pushed the bikes over the suspension bridge.With everybody travessing the bridge, it kept swinging and.. I almost lost balance a few times ... felt a bit like mabuk... heheOK, across the bridge and up the small slope. Then down and across the road, and here was where all the adventure began again. Gravel, laterite ... roads and slopes. Got chased by dogs and had to push the bike up countless slopes again. On the way to the checkpoint, we noted a steep uphill slope, preceeded by a ditch at the bottom.. Note to self.. be careful on the way back as we were taking the same way back.

Reached checkpoint 1 and continues on fer awhile before reaching climbing down to the river to continue pushing/ carrying the bikes downstream for about 1-1.3 km to the next checkpoint. This was not easy (Klaus - never will I ever trust u again... :p) and at the last bit before checkpoint 2, we had to carry our bikes across a river that was almost reaching my chest... phew... hard work la... put the bike on the bank and climbed up to the checkpoint, signed in, refilled and took some pics...

Pushing along the river

Next part.. tubing...2 tubes, one big one small, take it or wait for the next one.. bo pian, I took the small one... toss my bag to BK and started the tubing section. The small one was..

Tubing!!

hmm.. small.. haha... and there were parts that I had to walk instead of tube cos my butt kept hitting the rocks. On some on the rapids, I had to straighten my body like a plank to get through.. ouchh.... can imagine all the bruises on my butt now. Fell off the tube once, went on a rapid twice cos it was fun (and was waiting for BK to float by), and we finished the whole tubing part after about 2 hours. I kept thinking that we were lost, but every once in a while, I'd see some of the competitors backtracking (part of the race route, will explain later) .. so we were on the right track, so why are we taking such a long time.. hmm.. I started to paddle, kayaking style with the stick I was holding on to. Later we realised, when we talked to the others, apparently, we needed to paddle as hard as we can to reach then checkpoint fast.. so, for future reference.... for the next time, BK.. PADDLE!!!! There is no such thing as a free ride in this race... hahaha... oh well.Checkpoint 3!!!! Removed the life jacket, rested a while and off we were.

Now we needed to backtrack up to checkpoint 1 or 4 again to continue on. And the route was upstream… just go along the river. So, armed with the map, food, and the compass.. we hiked up. This hike was quite fun actually, especially the river crossing parts as the river current was strong and quite deep, so we used the river crossing method I learned in WW kayaking the last time. Finished this and reached checkpoint 4.

After tracking back to the water point

Collected our bikes, and here was the part I was scared of the most - pushing the bike up the slopes. Now.. I have weak knees and not so strong upper body strength, my bike weighed about 13-14 kg, it rained... and the slopes were muddy, slippery and tougher than ever. Go figure... I almost died. Had to go on all four at times while pushing and lifting the bike. Luckily BK was there to help me up some parts of the slopes. Heard later that some groups had to tow using their tow ropes the bikes up. Think this year was when the Extreme Category had it a bit easier here, as at this part, it was already the biathlon part (1 run, 1 bike) - so they only had one bike to push up.. compared to the adventure one.. 2 bikes!!!... Took ages here (as evident by the GPS tracker as well).. and finally when we reached the checkpoint the people were worried about us as they could not contact us.

The reason to join the race

That over, we drank our fill and rested awhile before restarting again on our bikes up to the starting point. On the slopes, I think there was one slope we pushed partially down, (remember the steep one with the ditch at the start.. yup..that one. (later we heard that a few groups slid off their bikes at that part.. phew... luckily no one was injured badly). It was getting dark as we cycled back and we took the city road this time to go back.. We were lucky here too as later I heard, the short trail back was closed as the villagers had locked the gate to the trail. Thank our lucky stars again...OK.... cycle cycle cycle... and after a while... we're at the finishing line!!! hurrah!!! this day is finally over!! I am sooo GLAD!!! haha... This was one of the toughest days ever... and it's done!! Parked, went to eat, returned the GPS and cleaned our bikes.. it's over... all smiles!!! We finished about 730pm.. another 11 hrs +..

Makan after the gruelling 11hrs 2nd day

The race briefing was at 830pm. Two more teams were still out there... so we were not the last. We stepped into the race hall.. and everyone was seated.. Aman went.. here they are.. and.... clap clap clap clap ... everyone gave us a clapping ovation... hahaha... so there we were.. all dirrrty, muddy in our race bibs... (while everyone else was clean and in their normal clothes) and everyone was clapping for us. It was a strange moment... for one.. I felt a bit embarassed as we were really slow compared to all those who were already sitting there... but also happy and satisfied as we finished the long and hard second day... :) Well, for what it's worth, it was still an amazing moment to walk in and have everybody clap for you. (it was suppose to be for the last team of the day.. but they weren't back yet.. so.. hm... will clap for them the next time I see them).

The next day's briefing went on as I rested at the back. The third day was suppose to be lighter, more navigational and apparently, as long as we finish the trail run, we can sit back and forgo the treasure (plastic bottles ) hunting part and just incur time penalties.. so.. yar.. I'm a slacker, so sue me... finished and off we were to zzz.

Day 3

We started at 8am again with a trail run. I trekked and walked mainly as my knees were already so close to giving way due to the sharp pains. Running downhill would probably just kill it off. The trek was really amazing though. F had a fall, and hit his head.. but he's ok :) with a neck strain. EWong had diarrhea along the way, so her partner had to play "traffic police" for a while. Strange things were happening arn....Finished the first part with another Singaporean team, and headed back to the checkpoint area to get the treasure hunting maps and bikes.

Just hanging

Konking heads

With the Sandakan Heralds

Short stop and so... the hunt begins....The first few "treasures" were easy to find... but... we got lost and only managed to find another 2 after that. At first, wanted to cheat with another team (I am so Amazing Race material)... but damn.. just remembered that they had a GPS tracker on us.. ok ok.. so no cheating. This part took us around the town of Tambunan which is a delightful small town.

Aman checking up on competitors

The locals were very supportive and some gave us clues along the way ;) hehehe.... In the end, we couldn't find all the treasures but decided to head back as the time limit was up. Reached the end and it was finally OVER!! Felt supremely happy that I actually managed to finished a multi-day adventure race.. but even better that I made good new friends along the way. It was just amazing to cycle under the arch at the finishing line.

With a sigh of relief... we ate, bathe at YK's place, rested, and after the prize giving ceremony, and headed back to KK after that.

Wilson & Grace - best mixed team in extreme

Me with the Extend GPS guys!

I felt sad that I had to leave this place already... it was just too soon... :( .Everything about this race was really fantastic - the organisers, homestay, the trip up and down, the race itself, the camaraderie... except the bike packing part and the stupid pedal that refused to budge. ahh well... there's always next year to look forward too.. :) so... where do I sign up?

Eating at KK - Post Race

Trudge on... !!!

Finally....

After years of waiting...
After a friend giving me a 32" HD LCD TV...
After plunking down a wad of cash for a PS3....

The game has arrived...


Nuff said....

Trudge on

More mountain biking action!!

Mountain biking is something new that I picked up for the SAC's sake.. but am starting to fall in love with it. It's a healthy but at times painful sport... punctuated with falls, bruises, lacerations, abrasions, cuts.. and sometimes fractures, but is filled with joy, camaraderie, confidence, and the adrenaline rush that makes it a very interesting extreme sport. Ever since I got my bike, haven't used it much in the trails.. well .. I have almost zero trail knowledge after all. So.. time to learn sth for real, and signed up with the YMCA Beginner's MTB course.

Woke up late (it's a Saturday) and cabbed to Changy Jetty. Met up at 8.30 am... and met GN from the previous NUS - MIR ( NUS Student Mountaineering Team; she's my senior). Surprise surprise.. another prev MIR member was also coming.. S.. whoa.. keep the adventure spirit coming guys!!

Our instructor of the day was CDS and he is one super uber fun guy with amazing skills and confidence. So.. once everyone has gathered.. off we went. The Bumboat was SGD2.50 one way, and for the bikes, an extra SGD2.

CDS,,, Dun let his appearance and age fool you

Once we arrived, those without a bike went to rent the bikes. We started with simple technical instructions.. and off we went once everyone was comfy with their bikes. CDS took us at a very comfortable pace.. those who were on to try more intermediate techniques were allowed to while those who wanted to opt out were given a chance to. Nevertheless he was very encouraging.. and well.. practice makes perfect :)

This is how we rest it on the ground :)

We practices a couple of Downhill slopes to get rid of that downhill fear. And it worked.. I'm more confident in going downhill without stopping to push my bike.. tt's said.. I still need more practice :)

We had multiple stops.. and one of the better ones were the stop at the lake for some food and drinks... nice...

Short Break to enjoy the view

View of the lake and branches sticking out

We ended with a short stint at the Pulau Ketam trail... where.... a lot of things happened.... one person flipped and we were joined by another enthusiasts.... something that was long and greena and slithery...

Rock Garden in The Pulau Ketam trail.. I shall conquer it!

The Green Snake the dropped from the trees.. only to be ran over by S

OK.. this time.. I did not fall.. but injury count.. two person crashed.. one person flipped over.. which reminds me.. I need to go get a MediKit ready later...

Group shot after the trails!!

We all finished with smiles on our faces and the determination to go on more trails :) I'm onzz for more MTB-ing already!!! It's really the first step that is scary, but after conquering it.. hmm.. it gets easier. So let's go!!!

Trudge on...

Siem Reap, and the Wats.. Part 2

From Part 1....

OK.. now hungry.. lunch time!! We went to a restaurant in Angkor itself, a tad bit more expensive but better than going out of Angkor just to save a few bucks. Food was good... but later on we realised that the food was toned down, and not as spicy as we wanted it to be cos the chef usually makes it less spicier for tourists.. ok.. so next time, gotta ask them to spice it up more.

After lunch, we went to Preah Khan, where we did our pre-tomb raider shots (stunt shots with climbing and jumping and.. hmm.. acting silly most of the time). Here, there were some amazing trees and the sky was just perfect to grab some nice shots to accompany the action shots.. hehe..

BK and titties

A major discovery... I think

Ready to fight!!!

Yeah,,, heavy alright...

A short stop at Bayon after Preah Khan for more photo shots.. and....

Finally, to end the day, our first sunset view, and we went to Bakheng Hill, prob the most crowded area to grab sunsets in the whole of Angkor. Yup, it was a hill, so to get up there, either take the elephant or climb the hill.. we did the latter. There were many people at the top.. and sunset was indeed beautiful. The one thing that amazes me about the ruins was that when the sun shines on the buildings, it looked like it was glowing and basking in the glory of the sun.. I think that's what attracted people here, in that this really looked like a the city of gold.. something like the South American counterpart (if it does exists.. ). It's really amazing to see the ruins change colour.

Ok.. let me stress here.. I DON’T EAT EXOTIC FOOD. I can do everything in the world, but ask me to eat even frogs, and my stomach WILL churn. In Siem Reap, the locals have a delicacy which was similar to the Philippine’s half formed duck embryo egg… this one is chicken. We saw it all along the way to Angkor and well, BK and WX were really onz to try it. Short to say, they described that it tasted like egg.. with some extra parts in it.. hmm… and I’m happy to just know tt.. .

OK.. all done… back to the hotel for a short rest and dinner.

That night, we decided to eat something nice.. but it all went down the drain. First, we couldn't find the restaurant we initially wanted to go. Then, when we went to some posh looking place, the food took tooooo long to arrive that the guys got irritated, and we decided to leave. Then was off to KFC for some quickfood, but the guys took too long to order that by the time they got the order in, the last remaining chicken pieces were snapped up by some other tourists.

They finally had their meal at a restaurant at Pub Street that was affliated to our hotel. hmm.. oh well.. WX and me went shopping since we ate our fill at KFC already.. and I bought some nice and cheap clothes :) happy...

OK, the next morning was the sunrise morning. Angkor Wat has this sunrise shot that is somewhat, the shot that every guest here must take. And, as every tourist there ever was in this place, we had to get that shot too. We set out at 4.30am, had a chop chop brekkie and off we went in our groggy state. We arrived at Angkor Wat and there were already many waiting there. Found a good spot, got us some chairs and ordered some drinks. Here, we just waited and waited and waited and kept fiddling with the camera tiil we had like 100+ shots before the sun even rose. The only thing that irritated us here was some ABC that was so persistant on taking the so called best shot ever with his SLR's that he had no more normal human decency and was just plain rude to everyone else. Wished I had the Kalashnikov here to gun him down.. hehe.. OK back to sunrise.

The sunrise was so-so to me.. it was beautiful as every other sunrises are.. and it was nice to see the horizons changed color, but I still prefer my walks along Fort Canning on the way to work.. while enjoying the clean fresh air better :)..

After the sunrise, we toured the Wat and the place is amazing.. it's really big, and there were so much to see.. We had a fun time spotting the sculptures on the walls and identifying them to the characters we read in the book. Over and over again.. we saw the Naga, and the churning of milk and the Hindu deities, and the in some corners, Buddha. It was interesting to see how the Buddhist influence usurped into this predominantly Hindu area during the early years of Angkor. Need to brush on history already. After that, we went up the main temple area.. and yes.. must have no bared shoulders. Had to borrow a shawl to go up. Well.. spent the whole morning in the Wat and took a lot of photos again.

Studying in the ole library

One of the many corridors

Before heading to lunch, where we finally got the spiciness right, we stopped at a small ruin area called thomannon for more pics. Can’t remem much about this place tho.. but CW said we stopped there for a while.. and I think he has a better memory than me.

And after lunch, finally, the real Tomb Raider temple... Ta Phrom. This place has it's fair share of eerieness as it was the only ruin to be left on its own, and it has trees growing on it... really huge trees growing on it with it's roots holding the whole structure up. We really went crazy here..

Other tourists were laughing...

One of the most diffcult shots to take...

The best part is, we had a nice old caretaker to take us tombraidering around the place.. and past the 'No entry' signs :) :) We saw things that otherwise we would've missed like the hidden Buddha, and the still retained intricately crafted aspara.

We took some key shots here as well.. like the one where the tree roots were covering the doorways.. neat!!! I love this place!!

One of the Lonely Planet pic replica

And finally, our last sunset of the visit at Prae Rup.

We hiked all the way up the temple, and got a good spot to chill.

Nope.. not this spot...

Not this spot neither

While waiting for the sunset, we got beers.. and BK and I finished a can each. The rest weren't too keen, as we still needed to climb down later. hehe.. well.. safe to say, I got down alive still. Sunset was amazing...

Back to the hotel, tipped the driver and finally… massage time.. I was so waiting for this..

At night, some new Hungarian friends of RW joined us for dinner, and then clubbing at Angkor What?. We were lucky to get a table there as the whole place was already full. We downed two towers, and started to lighten up more. Everyone went wild here, and had a great time on the dance floor, esp BK.. who once started can-not stop :).. hehe.. A smashing time to a smashing trip..

Angkor What??

I just love this shot!!!

Went back to the hotel when I was gaga already.. haha.. (not enuff sleep can cause easy drunkenness.. and well.. the night before, only had 1-2 hrs of sleep) and zzz immediately in the guys room... haha.. while watching ?? Tropic Thunder.. hehe..I was out already by then.
Woke up fresh in the morning .. prob cos I got more sleep this time.. oh no.. time to go back already.. headed to the girls room.. cleaned up a bit, packed and time to go to the airport. Short, fast, sweet... trip...

The journey back was uneventful, and we had a short transit at Pnom Penh airport.. so sad, a fun holiday was coming to an end. Well... went home... tired... laundry.. work.. and zzz

This trip really reminded me of the time when I wanted to do archeology.. and to explore long lost ruins with wondrous tales of mystery and adventure.. the Lala Crotch style. hmm.. to relive such fantasy was a great experience and can be quite addictive. Here's to a more adventure in the future.. and great company to go along with it!!

Trudge on....

PS : most of the pics here are courtesy of the amazing CW and his GF, the beautiful WX, and the ever courageous RW (who did a lot of rock climbing poses). BK, other than posing, also become the sub photog who took beautiful shots as well.. and well.. this trip was really FUN!!! Thank you all!!

Catching the artificial waves...

Never been surfing, so what the heck?.. Just go and crash... that was running through my mind as I was prepping for the Sat's adventure in Sentosa. The Wavehouse one of Sentosa's latest attraction, brought in the Flowrider and Flowbarrel, which were huge shallow soft water pools designed to create artificial waves for the surfing enthusiast without a surfing outlet. Flowrider was easier and flat, while the Barrel was.. hmm.. a barrel.. the waves are barrels, hence you can actually go in and out of the wave. Beginners start with the flowrider and move to the Barrel when they are better... usually... Went this time with Ivy's SIF fellows that I met in Bali, CCh, RF and made some new friends as well, NatQ and DC, and came back with a possible new hobby, and memories that will last a lifetime.

Met up with Cynthia before heading to Sentosa from VivoCity... I was amazed that I can use the EZlink card now to get on the Sentosa Express to the island. Took to Siloso Beach, alighted and headed to the Wavehouse. We were early, so we sat on the beach for a while, taking in the quietness of the lagoon.We registered for the first session when the place opened, and in no time at all... all the slots were filled. Hahaha.. being the gungho fella we are.. we signed up for both Flowrider and Flowbarrel from the start. OK.. all hearts set to go on and fall as much as we can.

The first session was at 11am.. and off we were. The instructor gave some safety instructions and explained how things will go. Each rider will take their turns to ride the wave once, and when they fall, they have to queue again. Each side had about 6-7 riders.. and yes.. the queue was long. So.. started out with the body board.. and after 2 tries.. felt quite OK on it. CCh started with the flowboard first and ... hehe.. it looked fun.. so.. the next turn, I decided to go on the board too and my heart was beating fast when the instructor pushed me onto the water.. and.. hmm... kabishh.... I was washed up in an instance and went back into the queue. But it was BLOODY FUN!! OK.. went again and again and again.. and was getting the hang of it. Meanwhile, RF and NatQ arrived and went to register for the next session.

Time was up for me and CCh and we decided to switch our next Barrel to the Rider as we weren't confident of our skills yet. Unfortunately, the 12pm slots were full.. ok, we'll take the 1pm one.. at the same time DC arrived and registered for the 1pm one too! yay!!

RF and NatQ went on, but didn't have many turns as there were many riders now. Hmm.. note to self, come later in the day on weekends. Went again on the 1pm session, and did better this time. Can stand, and move left-right, but still can't correct and balance to perfection yet.. mebbe more practice.

Me standing on the board

After the second session, it was time to call it a day.. am tired after all, but still high with excitement. RF and NatQ went off first, and then the remaining 3 of us after a round of Ben and Jerry's.. yummy... went back to the mainland andmet up with ST after that in Vivo.. and was dead tired.. hehe

The Rider Team

All of us agreed that it was a great ride and was raring to go again.. it really is addictive and fun. CCh said it was harder than real waves, but at least no need to paddle. Now I am so on to try a real wave too soon.. but till then, this artificial one will do..

Hmm.. there's a 2 for 1 on Wednesday nights.. and hmm anybody on?
;)

Trudge on..