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India-Asean Car Rally 2004 (Part 3)

By : Ejji	Previous \| Next
Posted on : 11 Dec, 2005	Total Views : 1494

PNOM PENH TO SIEM REAP (ANGKOR WAT): 5th of December we left Pnom Penh for Siem Reap. This road is still not properly laid, as the land mines here have not been cleared. The police for fear of land mines did not allow us to stop anywhere. But the rallyists being wily foxes managed to stop the cars for a photo session at a temple, unique in that the Buddha is portrayed like Shiva doing the cosmic dance and with all Shiva�s adornment and paraphernalia. There is even a Shiva linga in front of the Buddha! A couple of us stopped our cars to walk up to a �Beware - Land Mine� sign to take photographs! Foolhardy perhaps? In Cambodia during the Pol Pot regime food was scarce. All living things in the wild and in forests have been killed and eaten. There is absolutely no wild life worth mentioning in Cambodia. In addition the locals eat anything from ants, water beetles, crickets, grasshoppers, frogs, bees, bugs. A couple of daring-do participants including me ate them much to the surprise and discomfort of other normal people. EJJI EATING SPIDERS!: The Tarantula spider is one the deadliest and venomous spiders, which is huge and grows as big as an adult human palm. One bite from this spider and you are dead. There is no known anti-toxin to tarantula venom. These spiders are caught and eaten after frying. Once they are fried, the alkaloids in the venom break down. The leader of the Cambodian rally team, Icci Harrington, had arranged for his girl friend to buy these fried spiders and to be bought to our mid-day stop. While no one else in the rally (including the daring-do ones) was willing to try them, I ate them and found them tasty. The taste comes from the eggs and excrement inside the spider, which is eaten whole. The Rally Media Chief had this act of mine telecast live from the DSNG van. Within a few minutes after broadcast, a whole lot of mobile phone of the rallyists was ringing. Calls from their family members, who were watching the TV program, asking who this spider eating mad man was! It made matters worse when they were told that the mad man was an Indian driver! On this route, the rally passed an ancient stone bridge in a Cambodian village. This 1,000-year-old bridge is the Kampong Kdei Bridge in Doeumpor village, 254 km from capital Phnom Penh, en route to the ancient ruins of Angkor Vat. This bridge was the biggest among several built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. The 80-metre long, 14-metre wide structure has stone emblems of the raised serpent head signifying Lord Vishnu, the deity of the country's old Hindu kings, on both sides. Village children carrying flags of ASEAN countries and the rally crowded around the bridge as the cars crawled on before zooming off. There are more such bridges in Cambodia, but this, was the biggest and best preserved. As usual the day ended with a huge reception at one of the hotels we were staying in. REST DAY & ANGKOR WAT VISIT: The next day, 6th December, being a rest day, the rally cars were serviced and minor repairs were done. We went to Angkor Wat Archeological Area in buses arranged by the hosts. The Angkor Wat area is about 400 sq.km. and houses hundreds of temples built by Kings of Indian origin like Shailendra, Jayavaraman VII, Suryavarman and others. It was only in 1856 that a Frenchman discovered the area. While the biggest Temple Angkor Wat has been nearly fully restored, Indian archeologists are restoring the Bayon temple. The Ta Prohm temple built by Jayavarman VII in the early 13th century has been cleaned but has been left with the giant trees and roots uprooting the solid stone structures as a reminder of how Angkor Wat looked when discovered in 1860. The Indian Ambassador to Cambodia, Mr. Pradeep Kumar Kapoor came with us along with his family. A versatile and knowledgeable diplomat, he acted as our �tour guide� explaining the Angkor Wat Area Archeological sites. The Ta Prohm complex gives you an eerie feeling a la Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. In fact, some scenes for The Raiders of the Lost Ark were shot here. That evening, a mammoth cultural program and dinner was held inside the Bayon temple as a very special gesture to the participants of the ASEAN rally. As per Cambodian and international law, the Angkor ruins being world heritage sites should not be used for any public performance. The last time a public performance was held there must have been more than a 995 years ago when the kings ruled from Bayon. But the Cambodian government opened the Bayon temple with a sound and light show, cultural activities including Mohory, the music of the Khmers, Cambodian shadow play called Shek, and a Cambodian dinner for the rally participants. The chief guests included The Dy.Prime Minister of Cambodia Mr. Tea Banh, The Minister of Tourism Mr. Lay Prohas and Mr. Kapoor, the Indian Ambassador. It was a fitting finale to make us see the remains of the golden era of the Khmer Kings who ruled over not only Cambodia, but also Laos, Vietnam and Thailand. SIEM REAP TO BANGKOK (THAILAND): On Dec. 7th morning, after a well-deserved rest for the participants and the vehicles, the flag off was by the Cambodian Dy. P.M. at the main Angkor Wat complex. Indeed a great photo-op and an unforgettable location and event. From Siem Reap we drove on to Poipet the border town in Cambodia to enter Thailand (second time) at Poipet. Poipet is the Las Vegas of South East Asia. Wine, women, song and gambling! We found a most extraordinary business going on here. Vehicles (especially goods carriers) that moved from Cambodia to Thailand (or vice-versa) used to stop for a few persons on either side of the border. These persons would load material into these vehicles. The vehicles then pass customs and immigration of one country, and enter the next country, which is but a few yards away. On the other side within the customs and immigration area, another person would search the particular vehicle out, take the loaded materials and pay the driver. We found that all this is accomplished on a regular basis, probably with the connivance of the border forces of both countries. The vehicle number is passed on by mobile phone across the border from one country, and the material is collected by a person in the second country, all within a space of a few minutes and a few yards distance. What materials were being transported in such a manner, we could not find out. After the usual send-off ceremony on the Thailand border, the rally entered world-class expressways for the journey to Bangkok at Aranya Prathet the Thai border town. The road to Bangkok is a wonderful elevated expressway. Ramps, turnpikes and exits confused many rallyists, who took wrong turns only to land up late at the hotel at Bangkok. The Indian Ambassador was with us again, and the Thai government arranged a cultural evening and press meeting at the hotel we were put up. BANGKOK TO SURAT THANI: The next morning 8th December, the Dy. Prime Minister of Thailand flagged off the rally and we were on our way to the next stop at Surat Thani in Central Thailand. To get out of the maze of expressways that is Bangkok, a very �American English� speaking Police Officer with radio contact to rally cars guided us. It was a big effort negotiating the notorious Bangkok traffic with grid locks, overpasses, signage we were unaccustomed to. We had to stop and re-group outside the City to form a convoy again as many cars were missing. Needless to say, many rallyists took wrong turns, only having to be guided back by the police. A busy commercial center that Bangkok is, the regular traffic was not stopped for the rally cars to pass through. A commendable decision indeed by the civic administration, as the Bangkok driver is already sore about the problematic traffic. The drive to Surat Thani again is by modern expressways on the small sliver of land that is south Thailand, with Myanmar on one side and the Gulf of Thailand on the other. It also passes through a very sensitive and religiously volatile area. The Thai Government provided heavy security and the rally had to be done in stages only after an all-clear signal was received by the pilot vehicle with a forward helicopter relaying the messages. This area is filled with resorts of all sizes. The night stay at Surat Thani was in a hotel, which is the tallest building in town. A new town, a lot of industrial activity is being promoted here. A newly developed town, the government is promoting its development in all spheres. SURAT THANI TO PUTRAJAYA (MALAYSIA): On December 9th, at 5 am, the rally started from from Surat Thani to the Thailand-Malaysia border at Sa Dao. The mandatory receptions being done, we found that Sa Dao is very small town, its fame being that it is the main road crossings into Malaysia. But still, the cross border vehicle traffic was not much. But once you cross the Malaysian border town of Bukit Kayum Hitam, the roads are fabulous, the traffic is heavy and you see vehicles traveling at very high speeds. The famed heavy rains of this region started at this border town, a downpour that made visibility just 6 to 8 feet. One of the two ambulances was rendered immobile on this road and was towed to the night�s destination. The elevated North South Trans Malaysian Expressway was the longest single day drive in the entire rally and we covered 890km non-stop. Marshals, voluntary police helpers cum motorbike enthusiasts, rode state of the art sports motor bikes (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and BMW, CBR1000s and ZX12s) as escorts to the rally from the Thai-Malaysia border to Putrajaya. It was a wonderful sight seeing these Marshals in bright green jackets riding beside the rally cars, each bike weighing nearly a ton, mostly in pouring rain. They were directing traffic in the slower lanes to give way to us, weaving at terrific speeds into the traffic, and holding traffic at entrance ramps to the expressway. Zipping past the rally at 160 plus km/hour on their bikes in order to go ahead of the rally, they helped us when we approached turnings and exits, directing us on these unfamiliar roads. The heavy rains in Malaysia, coupled with the designated rally speed of 130 to 140 km per hour for this sector, put the driving skills of many a driver to the test. It was only the hazard lights of the preceding car that we were able to flow at that high speed, visibility being so poor due to unprecedented cyclonic storms. It is a rule in all rallies, that hazard lights are to be kept on, day and night when rolling, (an impressive rally term that just means driving!). This helps the cars in the convoy spot the rally car ahead and behind. It also helps the regular users of the roads to give us the right of way when traveling on the fast lane. At night it was a huge asset, as we could spot the rally car that took the wrong turn very easily. Yet, one must experience driving miles and miles at top speed, following the blinking lights in front of you, and having the same lights blink in your mind�s eye when you retire for the day and close your eyes! A frightening nightmare! An aside here. Although designated stops and rest rooms at fuel stops are the norm for answering calls of nature, in a rally of this size with 250 and odd participants, it is indeed impossible to time everyone�s need for a rest room to coincide with the designated stoppages. So it was usually the sides of the roads or behind bushes. On expressways, this becomes difficult. For one, we are using the fast lane. To stop, you have to go to the slowest lane and then look for �shoulders� or parking spaces on the side to stop. And then at that place, there may not be a tree or bush to shield you from voyeurs. So �watering� goes on in public view! While it was no problem in sparsely populated countries or on roads with minimal or no vehicles, this was not possible in countries like Malaysia where the population living along highways is high and the traffic is very dense 24 hours of the day. Well, when you gotta go, you got to go! The rally cars stopped once or twice for this purpose. The rally police pilot vehicle pulled us up and said it was not to be done again. In spite of it some rally cars did stop again. At the next midday stop, the rally chairman Rajat Majumdar blasted the occupants of the cars that had stopped after the warning. A newspaper reporter who was overhearing this �blasting�, promptly reported it to his newspaper. Next morning the headlines in local newspapers screamed out, �Indian rallyists hauled for roadside peeing�, though all the peeing was not done only by Indians, but by participants from other countries too! He had even reported verbatim, the �blasting� Rajat gave! It was on this stretch that we had the only accident to a rally car in the entire rally, but fortunately no one was hurt, but the car (A Toyota Qualis), was immobilized. Both the ambulances had major mechanical problems and had to be towed to destination. Crossing two mountain ranges at early night on excellent roads, with well-illuminated limestone quarries on the hills was very picturesque. Whole brightly lit towns in the plains, glittering like jewels in the dark. The rally moved on to Putrajaya, the new administrative capital of Malaysia. That night the stranded ambulance and the damaged Qualis were brought towed to the hotel. They were later towed to Singapore and shipped to India. The overnight stay was at Marriott Putrajaya Hotel, Putrajaya, a most modern mammoth edifice. PUTRAJAYA TO SINGAPORE: The Dy. Prime Minister of Malaysia flagged off the rally at Putrajaya Square on December 10th. This event was a big draw and many tourists and locals had gathered in the square to witness it, thanks to the excellent publicity in the Malaysian print and visual media. A marvel of modern construction and architecture, Putrajaya, the Dream City built under the direct supervision of the former Prime Minister of Malaysia, Dr. Mahatheer Mohamed provided a fitting backdrop to the flag off ceremony. Huge modern buildings, with typical Malaysian Islamic architecture, with colorful domes dotting the whole planned town. Japanese and Chinese tourists flocked the venue and wanted their pictures taken with the rally cars! It is only then that you realize what tourism can do for a country. Chinese and Japanese peasants on charter tours! Brought there by the now popular slogan, �Malaysia-Truly Asia�. The Putrajaya-Singapore run was a short 368 km. run. The wonderful highways and the marshals helping us brought us to the Johor Bahru border in no time. After immigration (which was over in a jiffy), on entering Singapore, the rally cars were taken to an open field in the middle of Singapore for a civic reception. The local Automobile Association of Singapore arranged an antique car parade, and a fleet of exquisitely maintained antique and classic cars was on display, some drivers in traditional and period attire. The dinner hosted by the Singapore Government that some high-ranking government officials attended night, from India who had flown into Singapore to welcome the rally. SINGAPORE TO BATAM (INDONESIA): Next morning on December 11th, the eleven lead cars and the DSNG van were ferried across the straits to Batam, Indonesia along with all participants. These 11 cars as usual were the representative lead cars of India, Myanmar, Thailand, Lao PDR, Vietnam, Singapore, Cambodia, Malaysia and Indonesia. Batam is a small island that has suddenly shot into prominence, as it is being made into a major port to take a cut off the commerce-pie of Singapore, which is just a few miles away. RALLY FLAG DOWN (BATAM): A flag-down ceremony was arranged in Batam after a drive across the entire island. But for the rallyists in the eleven cars, other participants went by buses behind the rally. A group of cars from Batam, joined for the Batam leg of the rally. The Chief Minister of Assam Mr. Gogoi who was with us at the flag off ceremony in Guwahati on Nov. 22nd attended this ceremony. The chief guest was the Indonesian Dy. Prime Minister who received the 11 representative cars at the finishing podium. This ceremony was also telecast live around the world by the DSNG van. The ceremony ended after lunch with a live band and a crooner, hosted by the Indonesian government. At night there was another official reception with a crafts bazaar, shows and a great gala time was there for all. A band called Harmony, which consists of diplomats from many countries, provided the music for those on the well-filled dance floor. All rallyists stayed overnight at Batam. On the final day, 12th December, after a friendly round of Golf in Batam in the morning, the rallyists and the eleven cars were ferried back to Singapore. All rally cars were handed over to the staff of the Indian Embassy and the shipping agents for transport by ship/ land back to their respective countries. Some rallyists left Singapore with a heavy heart, tired bodies, sweet memories and a sense of achieving something that looked beyond reach when they started 21 days ago. RALLY BY NUMBERS: Average sleeping time per day 4 hours. Total cost of rally not including personal expenses and personal sponsorship 6 crores Indian rupees. Charges for private entry US$20,000/- per car. Total distance traveled not including wrong turns and personal off rally trips 8215 km. Add 4000 km to Mike Watsa and R.Ramachandran from Bangalore who joined the rally after driving on the Chalo Asean from Kanykumari, and you have here drivers who drove 12000 km plus. Number of international borders crossed 9. Total number of vehicles on the rally not including leg entries and security vehicles 62. Number of vehicles that did not finish 3. Approximate number of spectators who saw the rally in person 10 lakhs. Number who saw it on television no count. 62 cars each doing 8215km plus amounts to a cumulative total of nearly half-a million km- the sort of mileage only a Space shuttle is used to. RALLY POSTAMBLE: In spite of the parties every night and the excellent novel cuisine and wines we gorged on, most rallyists had lost on an average between 5 and 8 kgs. of body weight! Everyone was sun burnt beyond recognition. Some had grown beards, having saved waking hours by not shaving. Considering that the space available in each car for personal luggage had seriously restricted size of individual baggage, all of us were in apparels and regulation uniforms in various shades of over use! The other new experience for me was the eyes getting adjusted to regular reading vision. Since we were driving continuously for nearly 20 days, on an average at least 12 to 14 hours every day, the eyes get used to long distance vision. It takes a minimum of 3 to 4 days to get back normal, elbow length reading vision. The rally was a test of physical and mental stamina for the drivers and a test of endurance for the vehicles. Imagine driving under trying conditions, and keeping up mental and physical well being for 21 days, when sometimes you could just sleep 2 hours a day. At times, the flag off for the day was 4 am, which meant that you had to be ready for mandatory vehicle checks (to be done as per rally rules only by the driver of the vehicle) at 3 am! Full marks to the organizers for conducting a rally of this magnitude, covering some of the least visited areas in the world, over inhospitable terrain in some countries that are very wary of foreign visitors. Every single member of the rally team had a role to play and it will not be correct to say that it was a �drivers� rally�. Without the co-operation of the non-driving participants, sponsors of the rally, governments of the countries we drove through, the Ministry of External Affairs Government of India, The Confederation of Indian Industries, the ASEAN Secretariat, the initiative of Mr. Vajpayee, and the interest of our Prime Minister Mr. Manmohan Singh, a rally of this scale could not have been possible. It has gone down in history as one of the �unique motor rallies� ever conducted. To sum up, the rally was an experience of a lifetime and a drive that any rally enthusiast can only dream of. All said it was a triple whammy for me. A lover of cars, a traveler by heart and a foodie to boot, I consider myself lucky to have driven on the India-ASEAN Car Rally 2004! Luckier that I was able to complete it without any damage to the car, others or myself! And without even a flat tyre! Lucky may be. So ended one of the most unique car rallies ever to be undertaken. The next ASEAN Car Rally has been planned for the year 2007, when I am sure to drive again! Any takers among you?
Ejji K. Umamahesh New 2 (Old 63), M. G. Ramachandran Rd, Kalakshetra Colony, Besant Nagar, Chennai 600090. INDIA. Phone: 91- 44 - 4301 8353
E mail: ejji@touchtelindia.net Rally photos on: http://ejjiaseanrally.myphotoalbum.com
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