MAY 2005

Shenzhen recce sheds light on finishing ceremony

May 30 - The PETRONAS Adventure Team (PAT) has been busy of late. With the impending launch of PETRONAS Trans-Himalayas next month, it’s a flurry of activity at their office in Sungai Besi. While routes are being checked and confirmed, the site for the closing ceremony itself has not been forgotten.

The recce team responsible for these details went to Operations Director Faruk Rahman, and Promotions and Marketing Director Azman Baharuddin. Ariff Ahmad (Events and Merchandising Manager) and Faisal Rashid (Marketing and Sales) from PETRONAS Motorsports also joined the recce trip to China recently.

Reconnoitering a route or a destination is an essential process in any successful expedition. Nothing beats seeing the actual conditions on the ground, and planning accordingly. “Originally, we were supposed to finish in Guangzhou,” explained Faruk, “but when we went there, we found out that Petronas Marketing China’s office was in Shenzhen, which is a Special Economic Zone a bit further south. We then decided to shift the closing to Shenzhen."

Besides confirming details of the closing ceremony, the recce team explained to Country Marketing Manager Zulkifli Mohd Alias and his staff about what PAT is all about, and how best to use the expedition to promote PETRONAS Syntium lubricants, the main line of business there. PETRONAS Syntium is also one of the official sponsors of PETRONAS Trans--Himalayas.

After checking potential downtown hotel sites for the ceremony, PAT also met up with the agents of Malaysian International Shipping Corporation (MISC) China to arrange return shipment of cars from Shenzhen to Port Klang.

Off the beaten track in Thailand

May 27 - A reconnaissance team comprising three members of the Petronas Adventure Team (Halim Rahman, Dr. Zaini Shaarani and Wan Mokhtar) and a representative from PETMOS, Zulkarnain @ Samprong has confirmed the Thailand route for the next Petronas Trans-Himalayas 2005 Expedition.

Most, if not all overland trips through Thailand complete their journey in about three to four days from the border of Malaysia-Thailand to the border of Thailand-Myanmar or Thailand-Laos. However, for this year’s overland trip through Thailand, expedition members will be taken through areas not normally seen by Malaysians – off-road sectors and scenic mountain roads in northwest Thailand will take almost a week.

There may be camping in the National Forest Reserve or by a lake. Expedition members will pass the villages of the Akha, Lisu, Meo, Karens and the Long Necks Karen mountain tribes. The route will also see the expedition vehicles crossing the Si Nakharin Reservoir by ferry and drive alongside the Moi River, which is on the border with Myanmar.

In Thailand, the expedition will also pass many Petronas stations, which are already online. Petronas has a big presence in the downstream petroleum industry with 170 petrol stations all over Thailand. Community Projects are also being planned in Thailand to further boost Petronas’ presence in Thailand.

4WD Expedition to Pos Kuala Mu

May 8 - THE belief that 4WD expeditions could do more for remote communities convinced almost 100 people including 33 PETRONAS staff members to converge on Pos Kuala Mu, home to the Temiar people in Perak.

Over three days, the participants were involved in a PETRONAS Community Relations (CR) programme. Organised by the PETRONAS Adventure Team (PAT), this big-scale effort was held with the cooperation of PETRONAS Motorsports and the Internal Communications Policy & Planning Department of PETRONAS.

It had been a grey and wet Friday morning as 23 four-wheel drive cars made their way through Kuala Lumpur’s rush hour traffic, then past Tapah and Sungai Siput before entering the 20km off-road track into Kuala Mu.

Off-road conditions were manageable – a punctured tyre and a car stuck in a deep rut proved to be minor inconveniences. The convoy reached their campsite on time, and was greeted by the PAT advance team who had arrived earlier to prepare the kitchen and camping areas.

For the CR programme, smaller groups tackled the jobs at hand. While some mowed grass and laid down the football field lines, others gave the bridge and clinic a fresh coat of paint. Another team removed dead logs from the river with the help of the cars and the school’s compound was cleaned up and shrubs pruned.

About 130 orang asli children were treated to games and meals – instant noodles for lunch and rice porridge for dinner. At the same time, the Health Office of Kuala Kangsar conducted a medical check up for the villagers with the assistance of PAT’s Dr Avtar Singh and Dr. Khairuddin Mohd Ali.

Another highlight of the Kuala Mu trip was the first round of interviews for the upcoming PETRONAS Trans-Himalayas expedition. “This is the first time we’re doing a selection together with the CR Programme,” explained Expedition Leader Halim Rahman. As always, two places on the expedition are reserved for PETRONAS staff. The question is who would get to go?

To help in the decision-making process, the participants had to undergo several tests. The first was an interview in a unique setting. Instead of one or two interviewers, participant Sabrina Amir found herself surrounded by key decision makers, PAT drivers, and a good number of quarantined participants – all listening attentively to the answers she had to provide in the glare of the video lights.

“We wanted to see how participants reacted under pressure,” explained Halim, who added that they also had to carry out three special tasks. “We have to gauge how they work as a team and to see their real characters emerging.” He said that the special tasks were basically impossible to complete in the time given.

At the CR programme presentation, the key to the clinic and a petrol voucher worth RM3,600 courtesy of PETRONAS Dagangan were presented to Dr Hajah Sabaridah Hj Ismail, Health Officer from the Kuala Kangsar District Health Office.

Also at hand to accept a donation of two sets of football jerseys, football and sepak takraw sporting equipment and two grass cutting machines was the Manager of Orang Asli Affairs Department at Pos Lagap, Encik Osman Said.

PETRONAS staff also donated books to Tuan Haji Ahmad M. Saat, the school principal of Sekolah Kebangsaan Pos Kuala Mu.

The CR Programme was held in cooperation with the Kuala Kangsar District’s Health Office and Department of Orang Asli Affairs (JHEOA).

The expedition wasn’t all about work. Friendly football and sepak takraw matches were held simultaneously. In the field, the Temiars (MU) fought hard to score a goal, but even after extra time, PAT XI and MU drew 0-0.

Touched by the generosity of PETRONAS, the Temiars put on a sewang – an orang asli performance. In appreciation, Samad Alang, the Penghulu of Kampung Gapih at Pos Kuala Mu presented a traditional headgear and sash to Rosman Roslan, Senior Manager of PETRONAS Motorsports.

“We would also like to thank the Kuala Kangsar District’s Health Office, and especially Sarjan Mahmat Deraman from the Sungai Siput Police Station for their assistance,” said Halim.

On Sunday morning, the expedition members bid farewell to the villagers and made their way back to the main road leading to Sungai Siput. Many of the participants expressed their thanks to the organisers, having learnt how to change tyres and use a winch and a snatch strap to rescue a vehicle. As Sabrina summed it up: “Adventure is something that you can’t read from books or to hear it from somebody else. It’s something that you have to do it yourself – through learning and experience.”