Pit Stop at Similajau Junction.
Bintulu is just some five hours away, but it's epic for me since this will be my first time in a convoy of bikes on a long journey the last bike trip from Bandar Seri Begawan to the Anduki Recreational Park in Belait not even remotely in the running as it was a merry zip to and fro.
My induction into the world of long-distance bike convoys will be with a group of scooter enthusiasts from Kuala Belait calling themselves Maxis Scooter, led by A Rahman Hj Wahab.
Scooters, I hear you ask? No, these are not the Vespa antiques which pootle about at 50kph. These bikes, which have names like Yamaha Majesty, run up to 500cc and are capable of going up to 160kph.
And I will be back-up for the ride, which is sponsored by BM Supply and Musfada Enterprise, in a Toyota Prado owned by keen car and bike enthusiast Hj Khairol Hj Ya'akub.
And so we trundled on, that misty morning of December 30, 2007, to our rendezvous point just before the Rasau toll plaza, singing along to Bon Jovi and The Scorpions to keep awake.
Finally, with a total of 30 scooters and four back-up vehicles, including two with the required revolving lights, we passed the Immigration points and officially started our journey by picking up our police escorts in Sarawak.
There we were, being escorted by a police car out front and two outriders playing tag at intersections to keep other road users from breaking up the convoy, and it felt safe. This is especially helpful in towns and cities, as some convoy members may not know the way and could end up in Timbuktu if separated from the main group.
But onwards we went, following the police patrol car, with the bikers alert for dangers along the road and offering hand signals for those down the line in cases of obstacles (a lorry parked by the roadside) or accident-makers like potholes.
Four and a bit hours of undulating road and forest and village scenery later, after a petrol fill-up in Bekenu and a short barbequed-bishop's nose pit stop at the junction to Similajau, we rolled into Bintulu for lunch, and then to the Regency Plaza Hotel in town.
A great ride, good friends, and a dazzling show. By- Ezanor
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