Friday, June 6, 2008

Basikal Jepun

We enjoyed a tandem bike ride on the City Wall of Xian, China.

With the hefty hike in price of fuel, using bicycles to move around for shorter distances is now the best alternative. Beside saving some money on fuel, you get a simple workout to excercise you limbs and burn a few calories of energy which otherwise would turn to ugly fat. Riding bicycles is also a very low impact excercise which will not harm the bone joints of elderly obese people like me.
Basikal can be literally translated as Japanese Bicycles just like its cousin the selipar Jepun. Why are the people in Kelantan calling such bicycles as basikal Jepun or Japanese bicycles? The answer is because these bicycles came from Japan even though some of them were made in China. The ones that are really made in Japan are most sought after due to their high quality.

Some stories making the round says it that these bicycles were impounded by the local authorities in Japan due to some reason or other. Or they were simply left behind by the owner. I tend to believe this theory because when I was in Hirakata Park near Osaka Japan I saw hundreds of such bicycles were being lined up against one another. They were in various stages of rustiness but nevertheless can be made serviceable. When I enquired why they were let to rot there, the answer was that they were impounded by the authorities. I dont believe the Japanese are so rich that they simply leave their bicycles around and just forget about them. Infact I did see an elderly couple lovingly touching up their quite old bucycles with a new coat of paint.
When these bicycles found their way to Kelantan, a young man from Rantau Panjang whom we know as Abe, was the pioneer to bring them to Kelantan. (Abe is from the word abang and not Abe as in Abraham). His market was initially the poor around Rantau Panjang especially the school kids who are too poor to afford the motorbikes. The bike quality seems to attract a different kind of buyer later on when the affluent started buying them. With some polishing up and minor repairs the bikes were as good as new. It became a craze in areas near to Rantau Panjang and generally in the district of Pasir Mas. New consignments were waited by eager crowds eager to get hold of the best. A lorry load of 300 bicycles were snapped up in a matter of hours with some buying up many bicycles to retail further.

Unloading the bicycles from a lorry which just came back from Johor.

Abe Pa makes the bike look new and serviceable.

Now you can find used bicycle vendors everywhere even in Machang, Kota Bharu and later even to Jerteh Trengganu. Uncleawang said it is also available in Sarawak

The bikes being lined up for sale in Mekasar Pasir Mas Kelantan


When a vendor first open up shop in Pasir Mas, not many people would give a second look at the rusted up bicycles. Later after being spruced up, the same phenomenon developed where hordes of people waited for new arrivals to look for a good buy.

An aluminium alloy bike can be distinguished by the weldmark on the body. They are very light.


The craze with the bikes caught up with the rich who will not think twice about spending up to RM1500 for a good bike made of aluminium allow or stainless steel. Brand names such as Miyata, Bridgestone, National and a few others are much in demand due to their high quality finish. They differ in many aspects compared to the locally produced bikes. Being made of steel and not iron helps in not only strength but also ability to be polished up.

A Giant cross is a prized catch.
Panasonic, Miyata, Bridgestone, Marukin are some of the sought after brands.
A racing bike
A folding Chevrolet

Now the craze has toned down and most sales are for the school going children with the bikes being sold at below RM300. The beauty of the bike is that they come with a dynamo which is coupled to a lamp with photosensor. The lamp will light up only when the lamp detect darkness. The dynamos are built into the hub of the fron tyres and doest produce a drag like the conventional dynamoes that rub against the tyre wall.Another feature is the speed gears which comes in several levels from three to seven. The gears are usually housed in the hub of the rear wheel.Speed gears using the system as in the racing bikes are also available.

A fancy bike
An even fancier one with a fatso on it.

We all know that the modern bicycles are driven by pedalling and the power is trnsmitted via a chain to turn the real wheel. Do you know that some of the Japanese bikes are driven by a belt not unlike the one found on cars to turn the alternators or the aircond compressors. There are also direct driven bikes whose pedal power iis transmitted by a solid shaft to the rear wheel.

A belt driven bike. The belt is similar to the timing belt of a car.

All types of bicycles are available from the city bikes for ladies and gents, to mountain bikes and racing bikes. A cross is one that is a cross between a city bike and a racing bike. One thing that is obvious is the seat of the city bikes, they are comfortable to support any big rumps that most of us have.

A downhill mountain bike dressed to kill

These bicycles were imported into Malaysia via Johor ports in containers. Dealers from Kelantan will go there to get their supplies and bring them back in lorries. They were packed like sardines with all obstrusive parts such as handle bars, seats and baskets with their support removed to improve space.

Upon arrival the dealers will sell as is or have them spruned up till serviceable.

My grand daughter Lis riding a folding bike in Taman Amanputra Puchong

I have several bikes myself but their usage is now decreasing. With the hike in fuel price, the bikes will get to be used again soon. Thank you Pak Lah. I will change my lifestyle that now I can't afford to use much of the three cars and the two motorbikes that I have in the house. When the full market price in August comes, I might dispose one of the cars.

We had great fun riding in groups. Waiting to start the ride.

One of the group rides was to Tumpat where we passed by The Sitting Buddha.

The group taking a break.

53 comments:

pB said...

salam


nasib baik , naik basikal tak kena ambik lesen.

kalau kena ,,,

nampak gaya , kerajaan kutip duit lagi dari kita rakyat nie ...




kat umah tu ada 4 anak dara.
so ada 4 buah basikal ...
penuh porch ...

Pak Zawi said...

pb,
Mana tahu sikit lagi basikal pun akan kena lesen? Bila dah habis cara lain nak buat duit dan rakyat semua cuma naik basikal, mereka akan kutip juga.
Kat rumah ni tak ada seorang dara atau teruna pun tapi ada 6 buah basikal hehehehe. Pak Zawi suka beli basikal buruk kemudian rawat sampai jadi baik. Dulu ada sepuluh tapi dah kasi anak anak separuh.

Awang said...

Pak Zawi,
Wah...itu betul-betul jimat.Nampak nya kena minum tongkat ali baruboleh kayoh basikal(myself).btw very interesting story here about basikal in yr place.Nanti ada masa I will show you from my blog jenis model basikal that we have here.Basikal tak guna petrol tapi yang guna minyak kita sendiri lah..minyak gamat untuk urutan kaki.Selamat berjimat...gula dah naik harga pun.....

Pak Zawi said...

Awang,
Buat la satu post nebgenai basikal disana. Gambar u lagi bagus.
Jangan minum manis manis, orang tua tak perlu banyak gula hehehehe.

Unknown said...

basikal jepun....sungguh nostalgia. masa2 kecik2 dulu arwah chik ado basikal unta - jenama Raleigh!! i used to ride it, with my legs bawah palang and my armpit around the saddle. hehehe
nowadays - budak2 dah ada basikal sendiri yang model khusus for them.

that is very enterprising of Tuan Pa- memborong, mengubah suai, meningkat mutu, dan menjual kembali!!

teringat semasa di vietnam - berpuluh rubu basikal di jalan raya pada setiap masa....

pakpayne

Pak Zawi said...

Pakpayne,
Kalau ada basikal unta jenis Raleigh original mesti best. Saya pun belajar naik basikal cara begitu juga sampai luka luka. Budak sekarang tak perlu luka.
Ae Pa memang enterprsing.
Kalu balik buleh kayuh basikal keliling kampung pakai semutar.

LITTLE DEWA said...

uncle
saya sempat naik basikal kargo tuh (org kg panggil gitu...)
it was my grandad's, siap ade palang di tengah...
hihihi

Pak Zawi said...

little dewa,
Naik dok atas palang atau dok atas karier kat belakang? Zaman silam dapat naik basukal atok pun dah suka. Zamansekarang dah nak dok atas motorsikal je.

Anonymous said...

Zawi,
A very nice write-up on bicycles... which brings back late 60s' memories while in lower forms.
As scout members, we had many many bike excursions. Jerang Perdah, Jerang Pasu received us more than once. Ah.. the goodness of those trips.
It was in Jerang Perdah we had our first and only experience of being 'locked up' in the police station.
When night came, it rained very heavily. The river was swelling very fast. The policemen tending the Jerang Perdah station came to our 'tents' and offered the use of the station as our hotel for the night. A few of us slept in the lock-up.
Thank you Mr. Policemen of Jerang Perdah of Nov/Dec 1965. They were overly concerned of our safety. Can we say the same to the current members of the police force?

Fauziah Ismail said...

Salam Pak Zawi
I was checking prices of bicycles (before the price hike) and found out that it can be really expensive.
Lucky for me I know how to ride a bicycle (my brother sampai sekarang tak pandai nak basikal). Learnt it late though (masa Form Three).
But the weather and the terrain (some parts of the city and town are hilly) do not permit us to be bicycle users like those in China and Amsterdam.

Pak Zawi said...

Yeebody,
Oh you are such a lucky person to have experienced sleeping in the police lock up at Jeram Perdah. Were there anu bugs there?
I will go over to Jeram Perdah to take some photograph of the place.
Suhaimi Jaafar did made some comments on my blogs pertaining to Hostel Life. He came in as anonymous but somehow he left some markings to indicate wheo he was. After a few emails to and fro we managed to establish communication. He is on emails with Azmi too. Anyway he is based in London now but he indicated his willingness to meet up with old friends. Something good came out of my blogging.

Pak Zawi said...

Fauziah,
You could make do with some second hand bikes from China which were made for the Japanese market or were even made in Japan and thus of high quality. Only problem is how to send it to KL. My son has taken one home in his SUV and will be coming back for another one this August.
Lucky thing the North Kelantan terrain is as flat as Amsterdam and so it is conducive for biking. I wont be surprised if people will take to biking again. School children are using the bikes now and no more the motor bikes which is a good sign.
You need to learn how to ride a bike only once and once you have it you can always ride again anytime.

Anonymous said...

zawi

ur blog reminds me of 2 songs...one , 'basikal tua dari melaka 'by j sham and two , 'le bicyclete de belsize '( cycling in belsize park in london ) by engelbert humperdinck .

do u know the songs ? it was very popular in the 60's during the pop yeh yeh era..it was such a melancholic decade .

at the sis hostel it was the songs from sangam , dosti and kashmir ki kali..such a sweet memory..songs of the 60s still ring loud in my ears , it just don't go away after 40 long years..thanks to youtube for bringing me back in time .

there is a cinema in wembley called sangam in the 70s and they show the film sangam almost everyday..sadly , the cinema today is an income tax office..

and there is this theatre here in london that perform the play 'the mousetrap' by agatha christie and it has been on almost every night since 1952 and is still going strong..what a mean feat !

is j sham still around ? engelbert still is..if one is lucky to get a ticket at the wembley stadium he does perform there occcasionally .

is the bicycle shed still there at the school ?

sj

Pak Zawi said...

Suhaimi,
Please register a Gmail account and you can make comment under your own nick of Suhaimi or SJ or anything you prefer.
Basikal Tua was sung by the late Sudirman Hj. Arshad. That song is an evergreen. I should have put a Utube of that song on this blog. I will try to do it later as it is most apt for this blog.
J Sham who is famous for his No 66 Jalan Seremban song is now an active organizer of cat shows. He is also the Chairman of the felline society of Malaysia.
I can still visualize the old radiogram at our old hostel blaring loudly the songs of Engelbert's, Tom Jones and our own Ahmad Jais. Your mentioning of those days is bringing a flood of memories to me too as those days of the hostel life was the fondest of memories to me. I will post some pictures of the school as it currently look to give you and idea of how it is now. We have pictures of the Mother of All Gatherings as Major (R) Chong Chow Kar called it. That should give you an idea of how we all look as of 2005 when the event was held. I bet you wont be able to recognize many of them anymore as like me, our features has changed over the years except for people like Azmy Omar, Ghani Senik or Awang Che Seman to name a few.
For your info the famous landmark i.e. the railway station has taken a new look with the completion of the new station to replace the old wooden one. The two cinemas of Rex and Garuda was gone a long time ago as cinema went out of fashion with te advent of television.
The bicycle shed is of course long gone as also the old biology lab next to it where you showed me live sperms under the microscope. Upon reflection now I know where they came from as they were still alive and kicking until the heat of the microscope killed them off. I bet you won't remember that.
Ahh there is so much to remininsce, I will have to continue to blog about it again just to keep them on records. Trouble is I can only recollect certain things but forgot many more. Top most on my mind is to blog about the finall debate of 68 where the Yellow House represented by Chow Kar, Rohani Ibrahim and nobody could recall the third speaker pitted against the Blue House led by me and assisted by Aloysius Chan and the 3rd speaker is another name non of us could recall. Chow Kar even forgot that he won the debate. I could remember the title of the debate 'House of Worships Are A Waste of Money' proposed by the Yeallow House. Maybe Mr. Loo Hock Guan could recall as to who were the the third speakers as he was the chair for the debate. Could it be you representing the Yellow House as the 3rd speaker?

Berisman said...

Pak Zawi,
Thanks for your posting.It reminds me of my childhood memories riding small bike(sewa 50 sen)...

Btw,I love to get that bike with the fatso sitting on it;-)How much does it cost?
How I love to ride that bike all the way to Rantau Panjang and have lunch there with you.May be ,one fine day...
--Pak Adib

Unknown said...

I got my first bicycle at standard 3, and my second when... wait, I don't have second bicycle. Should I get one now? It will help me save some money here and there...(ok ok, it is the petrol).
This is the first time I heard of this Abe, although I hail from Rantau Panjang.

Pak Zawi said...

Pak Adib,
You had to rent a bike in those days eh?
That bike isn't for sale and isn't mine either. A new friend rode it all the way from Nilam Puri to show it around. It isn't a bike from China or Japan either. An almost similar one made in China cost something about RM500 in Kota Bharu. If you are keen to have one I will make inquiries on availability as the last time I saw it put on sale was quite sometime ago. It is really a nice bike to ride and the braking system is based on the BMX system where you just try to reverse pedal the pedal crank. It is a marvellous piece of technology and the original owner bought it from after it was displayed at an expo in Kota Bharu. The original gave it away to the present owner who lives in Nilam Puri.
We can always ride my other bikes of course. I will show off my other bikes in the next blog InsyaAllah.

Pak Zawi said...

Akmal,
At your age and agilty you should be riding a bike in your new campus. Kuantan is quite a flat area and you wont have to exert yourself much there.
'Abe' lives in Kota Bharu but does his business at his father's house in the low cost hosing area behind Pantai Timor. He maybe known by other names over there, probably by his real name.
You are still quite far from Rantau Panjang being in Gual Periok hehehehe.

rauhunt said...

Pokcik Zawi,
Sayo pon dulu (1985-2006) duk rumoh muroh situ jugok ..hehe tp tok prase pulok ado kedai basikal blake Pantai Timur. Tapi perase la koho ramai ore situ naik basikal (warna silver biasanya). Lagipun R.Panjang kecik jah ..buleh ronda2 ngan basikal. Tok payoh guno minyok ...minyok gamat pon tok payoh hehehe

Pak Zawi said...

rauhunt,
Sebenarnya tak ada kedai di situ. Dia operate dari rumah ayah dia je. Jiran-jiran dia jadi repairer dan retailer. Pak Mat adalah seorang dari retailer dia. Pada hari stock baru tiba dengan lori, kawasan tersebut akan jadi sibuk mcam pasar borong dengan orang ramai datang menunggu. Oleh kerana sekarang dah ramai penjual mungkin dah kurang la sikit.
Penggunaan basikal pasti bertambah sekarang bab harga petrol dah meningkat begitu sekali. Ia adalah satu perkembangan yang baik kerana orang kelantan akan mula excercise untuk kesihatan.

jaflam said...

Salam Zawi,
Agreed with you that we should consider bicycle seriously for short distance travel, especially in flat and less busy towns. In Ho Chi Minn City, Vietnam bicycle is the order of the day and the car always give way to the bicycles.The City was just full of bicycles.

We have to change the mindset of our car driver here who can be of danger to cyclists. Its definitely cheaper and environmental friendly.

Pak Zawi said...

D Jaff,
It is already happening in Kelantan. More people own bicycles now and start using them again. Bicyles are no more associated with poverty as most people are poor now.
How to educate Malaysian drivers to give way to cyclists? Beats me.
The use od bicycles was once promoted by CAP in Penang but the idea didn't seem to pick up. The country's leaders must start it. In Xian China there are dedicated bicycle lanes so their usage is convenient. Here cyclists are treated like pariahs and they will honk you off the road. maybe if more people use bicycle, things will be better as there is power in numbers.

Anonymous said...

Assalamu'alaikum Ayoh Awi

Betullah saya pun ingat nak aktif naik basikal. Ada 4 basikal dirumah, tapi kawasan rumah sya ni berbukit tak rok nak kayoh, tapi bagus untuk riadah. Harga petrol nak naik, banyak kesan dari kenaikan harga ini, mohon doktor tak naik bayaran rawatan kalau tidak makin sakitlah......tapi mungkin minyak gamat makin laku....

Terima kasih

Pak Zawi said...

Mad,
Waalaikummussalam. Bagus sekali jika Mas guna basikal. Kalau kawasan berbukit sila guna yang ada gear. Lagi banyak gear lagi baik bab kalau bukit curam pub bolih daki.
Kawasan berbukit amat sesuai untuk excercise.
$ biji basikal? Di Malaysia atau di Mali?

Unknown said...

Wow ! Super Zawi. Great idea. I didn't know there is such a shop at Pasir Mas. I think I saw it somewhere along the way to Pasir Mas but I thought it was the normal bicycle shop. I like the foldable one. Maybe I can fold them and put it into my kancil car. Will check that out soon. So, when is your group's next outing ?
Wow, how nice it would be to cycle around for work. hehe...

Anonymous said...

Salam Pak Zawi,

It is indeed fun to see you and your bike-against-price-hike gang cycling together on the street, apparently promoting an alternative way of dealing with the latest mayhem.

I might try it too. But in JB? Hmmm. I have to ask the policemen to have their eyes on me before i get mugged hehe

Anonymous said...

testing..my gmail a/c keep on bouncing

Anonymous said...

fabulous..my gmail is up and running now..i haven't use is for such a long time..probably it has forgotten me .

did i get the song wrong ? my apology if i did . i think i got the lyrics wrong but the song right , even though it is not direct associated with old bicycle .

the lyric of the song was " kereta lembu..dari melaka..di bawa pula olih lembu perkasa " i remember going to a friend's place in tampin ( melaka side ) and he showed me j.sham's house . those days in melaka kereta lembu was a popular mode of transport in melaka just like bicycle was elsewhere , probably that's how i was trying to relate the song to bicycle .

i remember the song " basikal tua " by sudirman too and its ever so pervading . its so sad how such a great talent was taken away from us so prematurely .

nobody ever thought that sudirman could beat anita sarawak for the coveted award of the best asian performer at the royal albert hall in london way back in 1988 . when siti nurhaliza performed at the same venue in 2004 she paled in significance when compared to sudirman . i wonder who could ever replace him .

i am glad that you still remember those yesteryear songs of our era but the romantic old hindustani songs still reverberates in me no end..

it would be great to see how all the old friends look now but i am sure that i will fail to recognise the majority of them , this is especially so for all the ladies that are all covered up now .

i still remember the ole oak tree ( is it pokok sena ? )standing proud infront of the railway station in pasir mas . i used to trod the rantau panjang to pasir mas trail but i read somewhere that there is no more rail service from those two points , so i just wonder where does pasir mas station serves..gemas ?

oh yes...i can recall those 2 cinemas , rex and garuda , our teachers used to drag us to watch the epics like 10 commandments , ben hur and the like , but the significance of those movies only comes to us later in life .

ohhh i definitely can't recall the sperm episode...sure its not one of my pranks ? i can't help laughing my head off when someone on telly here referred to the eels as giant sperms haha .

it would be great if you could blog all those memories of 4 decades gone past , at least we can compare notes and have a good banter .

ohh about the grand finale ? i can't recall the debate at all but one thing for sure it was not me whose the third debater..i was no orator at school so i wonder myself .

i remember fondly our english teacher mr loo hock guan...if not for him my english would be pidgin as ever..he even presented me for being the best bed maker at the hostel...i last bumped into him in '78/79 at ene plaza ,..he was teaching at stamford college at the building..he lived in cheras then and the last time i heard of him was on the web and he was teaching in penang . should you be touch with him at any time please convey my warmest regards .


sj london

Pak Zawi said...

kbguy,
If you haven't got one yet, better get two now. One should be a folding bike and the other one a city bike. You can use it to move around in Wakaf Baru to go to the market or buy nasi kerabu.
Mekasar near my place is the center of the bike now. Call me first before you come so that I can get you a better deal or choose for you a good one. If you want a good bike be prepared to spend about RM500. An ordinary one with gears and light sensor should be around RM300.
A folding bike should be below RM200.

Pak Zawi said...

hilmi,
The bikes come from via Johor but I dont know where exactly. Batu Pahat is one of them but the one in JB I have to find out.
There is strength in numbers so never cycle alone.
I know of a person who lives in Bangi but cycles to KL whenever he needs to go to KL. He is as fit as a fiddle.
Time ofr us to make cycling a culture so that we can burn some calories off. This is the best way to move around for short distances.

Pak Zawi said...

sj,
You had glitches with gmail too? That means it wasn't localized as we had that too but it didn't affect Blogger though which is under Google too.
Kereta Lembu? It was sung by Helen Velu. She's from Melaka and of the same era as J Sham.
I dont dig Hindustani song but I dig the Beatles with Azmi.
I have taken some photographs of the railway station and will blog about it soon. It is a brand new one now and I regret for not taking some photos of the old one before it was demolished. The route to Rantau Panjang was stopped a long time ago as the train was used to smuggle rice from Thailand to Kelantan and KTM was losing money all the way on that sector as nobody paid any fares. Pasir Mas is one of the top income earner for KTM beside Wakaf Baru for destinations to KL and Spore. It is considered a safer mode of transport compared to the express busses which are often involved in fatal accidents.
Mr Loo Hock Guan is now residing in his home state of Penang. I will send you his email and contact number. Havent met him for sometimes now. Unfortunately he wasnt able to join us for the last gathering in 2005 due to prior engagement.
You and your pranks hehehehe. Only very recently (after almost 40 yrs later)that I know you were the one who drenched me in my bed on that rainy night at the hostel. In revenge I did the same to Ghani Senik who was sleeping on the upper deck of my bed. What a mistake. Both of us had to sleep on a wet matress with a wet blanket. I wrote about it in one of my stories on hostel life Part 2. Hope you will recall the incident. Anyway I didn't suspect you as you were too timid to be able to pull off such a prank. How wrong looks can be. Must have been my big mouth that made you drench me as I think we never had any quarrels between the two of us. So much to reflect eh?
The late Sudirman had the stage presence. When doing a live show which I had the luck to see, his one hour show kept us glued to his every antics. Datuk Siti Nurhaliza will pale in comparison though she has the vocal prowess. Only Anita Sarawak is anywhere near him in terms of stage presence.
I have put the link to some pictures via SIS'68 on top of my side bar. Azmy told me that he had given the URL to you. Just click on it to see some photos and contact numbers of friends and teachers. The emails may not be correct anymore as many had used their office emails and since most if not all are retired, they become obsolete.
I will do my best to blog about the old days when we were playful school children even though when we were in form 5.

Haya Ismail said...

Bro, mogok naik minyak ke..nih naik beskal nii...tak pe mari kita rame-rame naik beskal..tak payah isi minyak...:)

FiSHY@iKe said...

erm... i think im going to ride a bicycle la after this price hike, but jap, if nak beli baru, sebab hage minyak naik, hage basikal pun sure la naik kan? adoi, *sigh* have a great day sir!

Pak Zawi said...

Kak Teh,
Kenapa gambar sampai terbaring ni.
Naik basikal la Kak Teh bab nak jimat minyak sambil excercise. Lagi pula basikal dah beli lama tapi tak kayuh.
Jom kayuh basikal. Kalau di Pasir Mas saya kasi pinjam Kak Teh satu.

Pak Zawi said...

Nueiz,
Beli basikal second hand la tak mahal. Jual la kete Saga tu murah-murah dapat beli banyak basikal. Kasi satu biji kat Akmal. Duit lebih beli kamera lagi syok. Akmal pun dah nak beli EOS 450D. Awak macam mana?

the seminarian said...

interesting posting you got there -mmm - should start a new business - bicycle rental in town - in view of the petrol hike - hehehhee got time check out me blog too !! cheers !

J.T. said...

Hi Zawi

With the ever rising price of petrol (otherwise known as "gas" over here), I think we might eventually have to go back to cycling. Of course, here we may have another option - horses. But I think having a bicycle is cleaner and cheaper. With horses, one has to make sure they are well fed and healthy. Also, I am not too keen having horse 'droppings' in my backyard! haha

Pak Zawi said...

The Parliamentarian,
You better start the business soon. If you need supplies of bikes for rental, come to Pasir Mas and I will show you around. If you buy in big numbers you can get a special price. Somehow I cant find access to your site however I tried it. I tried to go in via your profile. Please help me.

Pak Zawi said...

jt,
Having horses are fine as long as you have helpers to groom them and clean up the droppings. All the more so if you have a ranch the size of those they often show on TV. Being the wife of a multi millionaire will help too.
Bicycles are more practical as it is also a very good way to work out a sweat and it is of very low impact. Remember our bones and ligaments will not be able to withstand high impact activities like jogging as we get older.
Get a bike if havent got one yet.

Anonymous said...

Good morning, Pak Zawi.. How are you? Hope everybody is fine.

Your bicycle built for two brings back old melodies ( for me.. lol )

Do you know this children song? :)

"Daisy, Daisy
Give me your answer do
For I am crazy over the love of you
It won't be a stylish marriage
I can't afford a carriage
You will look so sweet, upon the seat
On a bicycle built for two "


Used to cycle around town, to school, even to PCB during schoold days.. But now, 40 years later, I only allow my children to cycle in the kampung roads where we are staying.. :(


Stock take over, but still busy with the preparation of starting another new outlet..

Have a nice day.. :)

Pak Zawi said...

Mrs. Lim,
I didn't know the full lyrics of that song until you wrote it down. I know the melody of the song as it was used as our 'College Anthem' during my college days in Serdang. The lyrics were modified with naughty words. As an illustration 'on a bicycle built for two' became 'on a bed made for two', and I tell you that wasn't the worst yet.
Oh you cycled to PCB too? We did that too. Then the Jambatan Sultan Yahya was yet to be opened but pedestrians and cyclists were allowed to cross.
Another new outlet? Where will it be this time? Will there be any in Pasir Mas? Pantai Timor is opening up here soon.

Anonymous said...

Pak Zawi,

My father's shop ( Jalan Pendek is the name of the road, and indeed it is the shortest road in town.. ;)) was right infront of the SKMK bus station. Infact the buses were like our private vehicles. ;D

I like cycling when I was young and I could let go both hands too.. hahah.. quite a "tomboy"..

The next outlet will be somewhere in Terengganu. No official announcement yet.. :D

So far we have outlets in Wakaf Bharu, Kedai Mulong, Pengkalan Kubor and Setiu besides where I am now.

Pak Zawi said...

Mrs Lim,
Yeah I can remember the place. It was near the former Aziz Dispensary.
Do you know whether the original Sun Too bar is still around? I know they have a new outlet in Jalan Hamzah.

Anonymous said...

Pak Zawi, Suntoo Rest is still at its old location at Jalan Temenggong.

Dr Aziz was our family doctor. Good and nice, but he looked fierce to me for I was young then.

Pak Zawi said...

Mrs.Lim,
Thanks for the info.

louis said...

Hello Zawi,

In the late 1950's and early 60's, owning a car or a Vespa was beyond the reach of most people in Ireland.

So, for most University students, Irish and overseas, about the second thing you did after unpacking in your new lodging, was to go to a pawnshop and buy a used bike. And one of the first things you did on graduating was go to a pawnshop again to resell your bike.

Pak Zawi said...

Louis,
During those daya it was the same here to0 but this is the first time I hear people buying and selling bicycles at pawnshop.
Thanks for the info.

Unknown said...

Thank you for posting the photos. I've heard of the Japanese bike "bug" that has bitten Kelantan but this is the first time I see their photos. A similar phenomenon has been hitting Cambodia for many years now. I share your interests in cycling, writing, Labuan (lived there from Nov 07 - March 08 in Pohon Batu) and photography. I see you bought a Sony Alpha 350. I plan to get a Pentax K200D or K10D early next year. We do have differences of course! One of them I notice is your gentlemanly blog. Mine is a bit loony at best and worse at worst! Hope to sembang2 with you one day ...

Pak Zawi said...

Zaharan Razak,
I am most honoured to have you visit my blogsite. An author who has penned a book is always held high in my esteem, cos this is one dream that will always remain a dream to me. This blogging is the nearest that I can consider myself to being a writer.
The Rivers of Malaysia will be an interesting read. I intend to look it up as it is another dream of mine to ride a kayak down a lazy river. The Marang River is one of the most ideal to me.
Ahhh the Asahi Pentax reminds me of my old SLR, the conventional cameras of the film type. I tried to put the photographs of the camera on that blog but I couldn't find the key to the new cabinet that my wife put the camera in. Our Balqis must have played with the key and we cant locate them. Tried to force the door open but the jati wood wouldnt budge and dare not risk breaking the lock as my wife will never forgive me should I damage the new cabinet. I am a Pentax man too but for the DSLR I fell for the Sony due to a favourable review in The Star before it was reviewed in the latest issue of Digital Camera. So far it has served me fine and being my first DSLR, I cant compare it much with any others. Furthermore I am just an amateur photographer.
Hey we have so much in common and a face to face talk will be interesting. Lets hope our path may cross soon or at least we can be chatting on the internet soon. My number is 019 9125647. Just give me an SMS should you ne in KB. I will run over to meet you.

Jolie Mendes said...

basikal jepun ni jual di kelantan je ke? kl ada tak? tq

BasikalJepun™ said...

Salam tuan tanah dan semua,
Nak promo sikit lah, jemput singgah ke:
http://basikaljepun.blogspot.com
Trimas...

william said...

Simple post but great expression of thoughts.. how do you do that? i think your a veteran blogger! am i right?

anyway I'm william
mind if I put a link back to you?


(clickable) ------> dinner jackets

Anonymous said...

cerita mak saya.....katanya pada zaman dulu-dulu arwah tuk sedara nya adalah orang yang pertama memiliki basikal di dearah besut trengganu.oleh kerana beliau berkerja dengan orang putih maka diberilah satu basikal untuk bergerak menguruskan hal ehwal orang-orang kampung di sekitar daerah besut.
bayangkan betapa hebat dan gahnya dia mengayuh keliling kampung .kemana2 beliau pergi menjadi tumpuan ......semuanya kenangan lalu.....