It was a bright and beautiful
morning to start off the day, and precisely at 8.15am, Mr. and Mrs. PY Wong
arrived at the rendezvous point in their 1954 MGA. Ghaffur arrived in his red
MX5 shortly after, and then three newcomers, James, Jeff Tan and Danyl Mun
arrived in two modified MX5’s. At about the same time a yellow Fiat Punto,
which had been lurking inside the shell petrol station, came out and we met
it’s owner, Sam Ho, Julia and two kids. Benny was the last to arrive in his
MX5, and since he had a slow leak from one of his tyre valves, we waited until
a tyre shop was open to fix the leak, and at about 9.15am we set off to
Gohtong Jaya via Batu Caves and Hulu Yam. Alas the two new MX5’s couldn’t join
us as Jeff, James and Danyl had to go to work, so we had 4 rag tops to start
the drive, all with their tops down.
The weather became better (ie
cooler) as we drove towards Gohtong Jaya, and as usual there were second and
third looks from passers by, especially when they noticed an MGA in the group.
Even a group of policemen at the approach to Gohtong Jaya cheered us on, it
must have been quite a sight to behold four rag tops without their tops!
We only had a short stop at
Gohtong Jaya, since we had started later than planned, and we regretted
leaving the cool mountain air, a perfect opportunity for open top driving, but
the drive to Bentong via the KL Karak Highway gave us an opportunity to bring
our speed up. As we approached Bentong, it started to drizzle, so Benny
suggested we put our tops up. PY already had a skimpy top on, (he calls that a
bikini), and since there were no back and sides, it would be a little wet
inside the car. But the rain didn’t dampen our spirits, and we passed Betong,
turned towards Fraser’s Hill, and somewhere near the Gap Benny had the
opportunity to bring his top down again. We reached The Gap at about 11.45am,
and as we had to wit until 1pm before the road uphill was opened, we sat down
to lunch at The Gap Rest House. This was where Colonel Elias (CE) and his two
kids joined us, and this time CE brought along his Merc 300SL convertible. The
rain came again over lunch, and let up slightly with a drizzle when we made
our way up the hill, and upon reaching the top, the weather was good enough to
let PY and Ghaffur complete a 9-hole round of golf, while everyone else went
on a walkabout.
At 3pm we had nasi lemak and
teh tarik at a stall in front of the riding grounds (the children were
disappointed as there was no rides available that day) and after tea we
convoyed to the new Fraser’s Golf and Country Club, where the carpark provided
a fine opportunity to photograph the five topless vehicles. CE had remarked
that this is the first 2dc outing where all the vehicles are topless! But our
joy was shortlived when there was a torrential downpour, so having put back
our tops we sat down in the deserted clubhouse for small talk. Except PY,
whose MGA minus the bikini was looking more like an aquarium, so he drove it
under the porch and sponged out the water.
Pretty soon it was time to
go, and we left Fraser’s Hill when the road down was open at 6.00pm. A short
pit stop was necessary for us to fill up the petrol after KKB, and on CE’s
suggestion we proceeded to the Sg Buloh R & R via Rawang, where we had a Satay
dinner, minus Benny who missed the turning, and PY, who probably didn’t want
to take in water at the R&R.
Overall, an inspiring drive,
even with the wet weather, but something we all look forward to if another
cool drive can be arranged.
Participants:
Benny, MX5 (leader)
PY Wong, MGA
Sam Ho, Fiat Punto Cabriolet
(photographer)
Col Elias, Mercedes 300 SL
Cabriolet
Ghaffur, MX5 (writer)