GREAT OUTING AND ADVENTURE FOR LAND ROVER OWNERS AT JANDA BAIK
Janda Baik in Pahang, blessed with great outdoors and just a 45-minute drive from Kuala Lumpur, received a thumbs-up from adventurous Land Rover owners during their recent two-day, one–night Land Rover Road Trip outing. On a cloudy Saturday morning, a 10-vehicle convoy comprising a Range Rover, a Discovery 4, two Freelander 2, three Freelander 1 and three Defenders, set off from the Land Rover Malaysia’s Jalan Ipoh branch in Kuala Lumpur.
Their base camp in Janda Baik was the brand new Chendering Hills Resort, strategically located on top of a hill. The easily accessible Janda Baik, with its rustic kampong-like feel, has numerous resorts of varying sizes that dot the jungle hamlet. The air is fresh and streams refreshingly clear and chilly. The highlight of the two-day, one-night event was undoubtedly the basic level off-road session, a first for many of the Land Rover owners. Most of them were more familiar with scaling multi-storey car parks rather than hills with deep and muddy ruts.
After a hearty lunch and a short briefing, the Land Rover owners made their way down from the resort to the off-road territory. Except for a fair bit of loose gravel and some muddy patches, the unpaved trail was quite manageable. The Land Rovers’ unique Terrain Response system was quickly put to good use, many activated for the very first time.
The river crossing was undoubtedly the most exciting part of the off-road session. With water level at less than two feet deep, the entire convoy, including a Range Rover, made it over to the other side in no time. For many, driving with water sloshing about just inches from the window was a scary experience despite knowing the capabilities of their Land Rovers. Drivers had to be careful not to have their thumbs caught by a spinning steering wheel as their vehicles went over an uneven riverbed filled with rocks, pebbles and sand.
The convoy then proceeded into more challenging territory with a series of slopes. Again, these were tackled with aplomb by the Land Rovers, with the innovative Hill Descent Control (HDC) function proving its worth by assisting the vehicles in a controlled descent or ascent where loose gravel and dirt could result in sudden traction loss.
The iconic Defenders proved to be most at home in these rugged terrains. With experienced Land Rover Malaysia staff behind the wheel, one of the vehicles was used to demonstrate its remarkable off-road abilities by repeatedly descending a steep slope into the river before climbing up again. Dark clouds hovering above provided an indication of more excitement to come. The skies soon opened up and the shower quickly turned the dusty trail into a slippery and slimy river of mud. However, this enabled many of the drivers to experience first-hand the workings of in-built safety functions such as Electronic Traction Control (ETC) and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). Together, they ensured that the Land Rovers were in total control at all times.
Although the original plan was to drive deeper into the trail to a vantage point that promised a spectacular view of the whole of Janda Baik, a landslide the evening before had put paid to that mission. Amid intermittent rain, the convoy decided to turn back. The return river crossing was even more challenging as the water level had risen due to the rainfall. Nevertheless, all the Land Rovers made it across safely, including a Freelander 2 driven by banker Penelope Gan with her mother in the passenger seat.
Gan, who had handed over the wheels to a Land Rover staff at the earlier crossing, was glad that she managed to drive her own vehicle across this time. “Definitely scary but so much fun! Guess this is why I have always liked the Land Rover brand,” she exclaimed upon guiding her Freelander 2 safely up the river bank to the applause of fellow participants.
The next morning’s programme was a sweaty affair. After a hearty breakfast, it was time for the Land Rover Amazing Race. Participants had to roam Janda Baik on foot to look for clues and complete tasks that included river tubing, decoding a numbers puzzle and building an s-shape domino with bricks among others. Despite lots of running around in the blazing sun, all the participants enjoyed the fun-filled affair.
The outing, which marked the return of one of the most popular customer programmes by Land Rover, saw the coming together of several familiar faces. Sprightly 82-year old Mohd Osman Ismail and his wife Aminah Abdullah came with son Mohd Rozaini and his girlfriend Waina Leong in their silver Freelander 2. It was their third Land Rover Road Trip, having previously taken part in the trips to Koh Samui, Thailand and Gopeng in Perak.
“It would be nice to drive to Thailand again, perhaps, to Hua Hin!” suggested the adventurous retiree who has travelled the world with his wife and was about to embark on a month-long Trans-Siberia rail trip from Moscow to Beijing after the outing.
Businessman and Land Rover enthusiast Chow Fook Mun brought his wife, son, daughter and a friend in a Discovery 2 and a Freelander. “Most Land Rover owners like me look forward to these road trips as they are enjoyable and stress-free,” said Chow, who incidentally celebrated his birthday at Janda Baik.
Land Rover Road Trip regulars – Eric Tham and his wife, Diane – brought their niece Zoe along for this outing. Together they were part of the winning team in the Land Rover Amazing Race, making their trip a memorable one.
As with every Land Rover event, it was not just fun all the way. Land Rover Malaysia took the opportunity to do its charitable part for the local community by donating daily provisions to the Orang Asli people from Kampung Chemperuh.
It proved too soon for the participants to bid goodbye to the quaint little jungle hamlet, having enjoyed her seductive charms. However, the good news for the growing legion of Land Rover owners out there is that the Land Rover Road Trip is back!
Over the years, road trips to places as far as Phuket and Koh Samui were undertaken with great success. There had also been numerous other road trips to off-the-beaten-track places within the country, and Land Rover Road Trips always offer something new, adventurous and fun.
This first road trip for 2011 proved to be a first for many in their off-road experience as well as wholesome fun for the entire family. It was no surprise that the Land Rover Road Trip to Janda Baik was greeted with much enthusiasm by Land Rover owners.
For more information on the Land Rover and Range Rover models available in Malaysia, please contact Tel: 79602800 or visit www.landrovermalaysia.com.my
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