TILL THE NEXT JAMBOREE

It has been more than eight weeks since my last post in May. Although I have not posted any biking activities in this blog since then, that does not mean that I have forgotten about my biking during the eight weeks or so. For someone who tends to subscribe to the saying that a bad day fishing is better than a good day at work, I just could not help it. With the kind of fishing waiting to be explored and the kind of fish waiting to be caught, I just could not give the opportunity for such a prospect a slip. No, not me; one, who has found that fishing is not only good as a way of spending time outdoors, but also for a chance of escaping from the stress and strain of everyday life and for some relaxation. So, I had been away fishing, twice, in between those weeks and had somehow been so carried away by it, before and after, that I failed to find time for some posting in this blog.

Like mountain biking, I feel there are also the physical, psychological and spiritual benefits that I could gain from fishing and the company I am with. Does the catch matter? Well, it does and it does not. Sure, it's good to catch some, and more so, a lot of fish although there were more times that I ended up catching very little than a lot of fish. But that has not deterred me from continuing to pursue this number one favourite hobby of mine whenever such an opportunity exists. Fishing happens to be one pursuit that I got hooked on well before I got dragged into biking even though fishing in our waters, be it salt or fresh, isn't such a prolific affair anymore. You could still catch some fish though if you tried hard enough. Overfishing and lack of awareness on the need to preserve are some of the reasons that  have contributed to the depleted state of this valuable resource.

As I said, I did not forget about my biking completely during those eight weeks or so and in fact thought quite a bit about it even while fishing. Once the fishing over and I was back on terra firma, it was back to my bike again. A day after the first fishing trip, I was out mountain biking with friends the whole morning over a trail nearby which happens to be just a stone's throw away from where I live. I am fortunate because I have a trail close to home where I could be on it in under five minutes and spend half a day or more mountain biking over it whenever I wish. The trail has all the challenges a mountain biker needs more than I could take. Welcome to Kemensah, one of the favourite trails among mountain bikers residing in or around Kuala Lumpur.

The Kemensah trail referred to is that part of the trail which includes the paved and offroad tracks and paths located immediately north of Zoo Negara. The paved trail, per se, is the sealed road extending from the zoo northwards which also serves as a public road  for the local population residing in and around Kemensah. The offroad trails which are located in the cultivated and the deeper forest-clad areas of Kemensah and which form part of the overall Kemensah trail network, are not exclusive to mountain bikers but shared by other outdoor enthusiasts such as trekkers and campers. The trails are also used by ATVs and scramblers. The paved trail is a narrow meandering up and down dead- end tarred track about four kilometres long which can be expected to link up with other roads soon as a result of the relatively rapid development in housing taking place in the nearby areas. Half way up the trail, it branches off left for about five hundred metres towards another dead end and where these two trails end or thereabouts, the offroad trails begin . There are a number of offroad trails in Kemensah that you could choose for your rides.

So, how long has it been since my last jamboree until now? Feels like quite some while ago and I am already antsy for another one. So, until then, it has been Kemensah and some other trails and hills nearby, almost daily, for my rides these last few weeks. Bicycle it seems, has become a part of me.

The next mountain bike jamboree that I will be participating in will be the 'Red Beret Chllenge 2012' in Paroi, Negri Sembilan (NS) this Saturday. The last time I participated in a mountain bike jamboree in NS was sometime in April last year. It was a well organized jamboree that turned out to be quite a challenge as well as an experience for me since I was the only biker from our group participating in the jamboree. I hope this coming jamboree will be just as good if not better than the one I went to last year. I should not be expecting any less since this jamboree is organized, I believe, by some mountain biking practitioners from the Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) of the Royal Malaysia Police in Paroi, NS. I understand some bikers from E.T. Riders will be there to participate in the jamboree and I hope to have some good words to say about it when it's over.

So, see you in Paroi this Saturday. Until then, keep biking!

Regards.



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