Borneo

Email read: "Wanna go to Borneo for a ride? BMW Motorrad is sponsoring the bike. Flights, food, lodging will be taken care of, all I want in return is an article about the trip." or something to that effect. This was from none other than the editor of msportbike herself.

Hmmm.. let me see..... Borneo. Sabah, Sarawak... hmm... bike...? ....Motorrad?

15 minutes of rapid email ding-dong-ing later - oh hell, yes, I’ll go!

This ride would be called Kembara Motorsikal Borneo 2008 or KMB 2008, an eco-tourism expedition where 20 high-powered motorcycles will be riding from Kuching, Sarawak to Kota Kinabalu, Sabah from the 22nd of August till the 1st of September 2008.

KMB 2008 is supported by the Malaysian Tourism Ministry and among the 20 participants, 4 international motoring journalist are included:

1) Kenneth Robert Freund of BIKE SA (South Africa)
2) Thomas Wielecki of TWO WHEELS (Australia)
3) Howard Stafford of FRICTION ZONE (U.S.A)
4) Me representing MSPORTBIKE (Malaysia – Singapore – Brunei – Thailand)

Me?? Oh Gosh! What mess have I gotten myself into?

"Bring your camera, have a relaxed holiday mood, then jot me your feelings (and some facts) on what you experience throughout the ride", wrote Audrey, the editor - calmed me down a bit.

A glance through the program convinced me I can do this trip. Not too gruelling or too arduous it looked. The only potential problem is riding in a big group which just isn't my cuppa tea.

I'll do it anyway, for the love of it. And who knows better things might come out of this say, BMW sponsoring me for the Cape Town trip? :)

Now time to head for the gym and get a haircut. :)

Go, Go Away!

Sure, I expect negative responses from potential sponsors that I write to but they are sometimes followed with a goodluck wish, a referral to other companies or individuals. A simple no would suffice.

But this one I received from a lady had me in shock! :)

"Sorry, I couldn't support you anything that I am not helpful lady, I never borrow from other, and either lend anything to others, go, go away, go and ask for other people, hope nobody will help you with cold word. Why you want to help orphans? they always steal".

- name and email witheld -
(though i am itching to have her name, email, "BIG" and "SUCCESSFUL" company name printed here!)

Sigh..... She thinks orphans are thieves!

Are you nuts?

Is it dangerous? Maybe. Will it be difficult? Probably. Is it worth the discomfort, frustration, anxiety and the full range of human emotion?

Yes, Yes, Yes

Why?

Why not?

The Seven Pillars of Wisdom

TE Lawrence wrote in The Seven Pillars of Wisdom:

All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusky recesses of their minds, wake in the day to find it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act on their dreams with open eyes, to make them possible.

Sweet Jelica

I was so touched and almost cried (seriously) when this sweet Croatian lady sent this message to me.



Jelica Dimić-Rakar (Croatia) wrote at 2:59am

It's great to do such a zest thing.It's great when somebody has a dream and goes to realize that.I hope,Norman ,you will make it.I wish you that with all my heart.Everybody must have a dream to be alive.Wish you all happines in the world.I hope you will be happy on the end of your journey.

Robert Prisig

’…..through that car window everything you see is just more TV. You are a passive observer and it is all moving by boringly in a frame. On a bike that frame is gone….. you are in the scene and not just watching it anymore’’ ---- Robert Prisig - Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Orphan (from the Greek word ορφανός)

Every day, all over the world, more and more children are being orphaned and abandoned. To help raise awareness and important precious funds to combat the above, I am going to ride from Kuala Lumpur to South Africa by the most overland route possible. It is my intention to raise a substantial sum via donations, pledges and sponsorship for the orphaned. Let's give them hope.

I will be covering over 50,000 kilometers across 50 countries using the least amount of sea and air travel possible.

The entire cost of this expedition is being funded by fellow facebook friends, my sponsors and myself.