Petronas Adventure Team

The expedition route will begin in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and finish in Shenzhen, China. Find out where else this 15,000km plus route takes the team.

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ARCHIVED JOURNAL - WEEK 2

MAE SOT TO CHIANG RAI
26th August | The Sound of Music - "If you think our car is heavy, look at that one!" said Stiven while pointing to a small, old pick-up truck packed with at least 16 people onboard ascending through the mountain pass. I was quite amazed to see such scenario. I guess this is part of the people’s life in this area. There is no alternative transportation.

The journey from Mae Sot to Chiang Mai reminded me of the scenery from my all-time favourite 'The Sound of Music'. Only the lake was missing. The picturesque landscapes through the winding roads were simply spectacular. From Mae Sot to Mae Hong Son, we passed a Myanmar refugee camp. Thousands of political refugees are under the administration of UNHCR and the Thai Government and they have been in the camp for more than 12 years. The 398km of mountain roads were a real challenge to our vehicles. One car had to stop due to the engine overheating. But we finally made it to Mae Hong Son, a small, quiet town in the middle of nowhere. Not many Thais have been to this place. Kitti, a Thai participant on this expedition, knew the town well and drove me up to a nearby hill to see the Buddhist pagoda. We spent sometime there taking pictures and enjoying the evening view of Mae Hong Son.

We continued our journey on Day 8 to Chiang Mai. The drive to Chiang Mai took us through two mountain passes. Again, the engines were under intense strain. Luckily, there was no breakdown. Along the way, Kun Somsak made an arrangement for us to visit the Karen tribe. What is so special about this tribe? For most, they are known as the Long-neck tribe. The Karen women wear a series of brass rings on the neck since an early age to stretch this part of the body for one purpose. Beauty. The brass rings were not light, but amazingly the women seemed comfortable wearing it. Even for the little girls. Most of the Karens that I met in the village were very friendly and spoke basic English, which they learnt from the Christian missionaries.

The team left Chiang Mai on Day 9 for Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai will be our last Thailand sector stop before Laos. By afternoon, the convoy arrived in Chiang Rai. We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing our vehicles for the difficult off-road route ahead as it has been raining in the past few days. The mechanics checked the engine, the winch and the four-wheel drive thoroughly, ensuring the systems to be in the working order. Nobody wants to get trapped in the mud or in the rising river waters.

It was certainly an enchanting experience in Thailand. From the hectic, crowded Bangkok to the peaceful Chiang Rai, tom yam gung (prawn) to fried bugs, all are very special to the people of Thailand. These differences have made our world an interesting place. The honeymoon in Thailand is over. Tomorrow, the real hardcore adventure will begin. And the journey is getting tougher.

THE SOUND OF MUSIC
26th August | "If you think our car is heavy, look at that one!" said Stiven while pointing to a small, old pick-up truck packed with at least 16 people onboard ascending through the mountain pass. I was quite amazed to see such scenario. I guess this is part of the people’s life in this area. There is no alternative transportation.

The journey from Mae Sot to Chiang Mai reminded me of the scenery from my all-time favourite 'The Sound of Music'. Only the lake was missing. The picturesque landscapes through the winding roads were simply spectacular. From Mae Sot to Mae Hong Son, we passed a Myanmar refugee camp. Thousands of political refugees are under the administration of UNHCR and the Thai Government and they have been in the camp for more than 12 years. The 398km of mountain roads were a real challenge to our vehicles. One car had to stop due to the engine overheating. But we finally made it to Mae Hong Son, a small, quiet town in the middle of nowhere. Not many Thais have been to this place. Kitti, a Thai participant on this expedition, knew the town well and drove me up to a nearby hill to see the Buddhist pagoda. We spent sometime there taking pictures and enjoying the evening view of Mae Hong Son.

We continued our journey on Day 8 to Chiang Mai. The drive to Chiang Mai took us through two mountain passes. Again, the engines were under intense strain. Luckily, there was no breakdown. Along the way, Kun Somsak made an arrangement for us to visit the Karen tribe. What is so special about this tribe? For most, they are known as the Long-neck tribe. The Karen women wear a series of brass rings on the neck since an early age to stretch this part of the body for one purpose. Beauty. The brass rings were not light, but amazingly the women seemed comfortable wearing it. Even for the little girls. Most of the Karens that I met in the village were very friendly and spoke basic English, which they learnt from the Christian missionaries.

The team left Chiang Mai on Day 9 for Chiang Rai. Chiang Rai will be our last Thailand sector stop before Laos. By afternoon, the convoy arrived in Chiang Rai. We spent the rest of the afternoon preparing our vehicles for the difficult off-road route ahead as it has been raining in the past few days. The mechanics checked the engine, the winch and the four-wheel drive thoroughly, ensuring the systems to be in the working order. Nobody wants to get trapped in the mud or in the rising river waters.

It was certainly an enchanting experience in Thailand. From the hectic, crowded Bangkok to the peaceful Chiang Rai, tom yam gung (prawn) to fried bugs, all are very special to the people of Thailand. These differences have made our world an interesting place. The honeymoon in Thailand is over. Tomorrow, the real hardcore adventure will begin. And the journey is getting tougher.

THE LAND OF THE UNKNOWN
28th August | I heard on the radio as the convoy was rolling, “Convoy, this is Stingray. We need to hurry up. There is sign that the soil starts to erode. We need to clear this area fast!!”. Being the sweeper car on the convoy, I was not sure if my car could make it in time. It was still raining. Some local workers were still clearing up the landslide that was just occurred earlier. As my car struggling through the mud and the slippery track, I looked out the window and saw some soil started to roll downhill from the adjacent cliff. I could not put in words the fear I felt at this moment of time. I can only prayed to God so my car can get through safely. And my car went through safely just before another landslide occurred again.

Convoy, Welcome to Laos!

In contrast to Thailand, Laos is ranked one of the poorest countries in the world. Having seen the poor living condition in this part of Laos, I could never imagine myself to live in such situation. I pictured in my mind this could be my hometown in the pre-independence era. I almost shed tears to see children running after our convoy and waiting for sympathy from the team members for food, clothes and small toys. After a 200 km distance and 11 hours duration of off-road driving from Chiang Khong, the convoy finally arrived to the town Luang Namtha. A dusty and quiet town. There was only one small hotel that can accommodate all the team members. Basic and nothing fancy, except for the mosquito net, which I found nostalgic. After a long, exhausted and eventful day on the road, we were treated with variety of local fares at the hotel. Something similar to the taste of the northern Thai food in my opinion. It was just the perfect substance for my sound sleep later in the evening.

We left Luang Namtha on Day 11 to continue our adventure into China. The border of Laos-China was only about 40 km away via the off-road route. We passed through several villages, which scenery typically depicted in the movies by Hollywood film director, Oliver Stone. Beautiful green rice fields with the backdrop of separated hills and mountains. With a quick crash-course on the off road driving techniques by Stiven, he gave me the opportunity to experience the off-road driving using his car. It was not the most challenging route as compared to yesterday, but I managed to get through all the obstacles. In the name of the sports, now I understand why some off-road enthusiasts go all the way with their adventures.

The border-crossing procedures into China were more time consuming than in Thailand and Laos. All the team members were required to pass through the immigration individually. Additionally, all cars required to go through technical inspection on all the major systems of the car such as lights and brakes, as well as special license plate numbers. Fortunately, everything went smoothly. As soon as the convoy drove passed the immigration post, I notice that I was in completely different world. New buildings and roads in China symbolise the prosperity of the country and its people in the post-communism era. It was a long drive on narrow winding roads before we reached Jinhong at midnight. And this was only a mere 2% of the distance in China we had covered for this expedition.

It is rather hard for me to picture the whole experience in the past two days of my journey within these short phrases. But there is one thing I have learnt again; how lucky I am to be a Malaysian.

MYSTERIOUS TIBET
4th September | The journey was getting tougher as we were entering Tibet province! “Alpha Bravo to Stingray. One...
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ON TOP OF THE WORLD
10th September | It was the proudest moment for everyone when we finally saw the glimpse of Mount Everest, or...
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THE HOLY CITY OF LHASA
15th September | Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, means "God’s Land" in Tibetan language. For Tibetans, it is one of the...
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WONDERS OF NATURE
23rd September | After the grueling journey to the Everest Base Camp, the journey home was not as easy as I thought....
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FROM NATURE TO CULTURE
27th September | If anyone ever wonders about the existence of heaven on earth, I think I have found one: Jiuzhaigou...
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THE LAST MILES
29th September | Day 40 to 43 Wanzhou – Yichang – Xiangtan - Shenzhen PETRONAS Trans-Himalayas 2005 is coming to an...
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