Kuala Terengganu Ride: Endurance at Test

26July 2008 / Saturday / 10.30 p.m.

As we bid goodbye to Anoi and her family, the drizzle was felt almost immediately but we were too busy with the goodbyes to really notice that drizzle. Suddenly, the realisation of that never stopping drizzle came to alarming despair when ever since we left Anoi’s house we were still riding in that drizzle. The drizzle seemed to be accompanying all of us throughout. That drizzle became coarser almost consistently that we had to made a frustrating stop at one of the available shelters – a bus stop nearing Dungun. We were about 160 kilometres away from Kuala Terengganu.

There, at the small but adequate shelter everybody was tensed. Nobody seemed to want to be talking or chatting. Everybody was wet all over again for the second time. Everybody was deep in their own thought. May be the idea to stay for the night at Anoi’s house was a good idea after all. But Halim and Nik were quite persistent to proceed the ride while Atin & Ani and K & Azah had to succumb to that idea.

Nik then made a suggestion if the drizzle continues we would make a stop for the night at any hotel in Dungun which was 10 kilometres away. However, upon reaching Dungun Halim, Atin and K just went on riding careless of the pounding drizzle. At this point the endurance of the riders in control of the machines seemed to be put at test by Allah the Almighty. The three couples on the bike was all in their own world vrooming in the night admist the drizzle. The drizzle was as if accompanying the couples on an already solemn wet night.

Suddenly, after beating a traffic light Atin & Ani was not nearly behind Halim & Nik and K & Azah. Cold as ever, the ten minutes waiting for Atin & Ani was getting anguish for fear of any mishap. As Halim decided to turn back for them, Atin & Ani came to our view. It turned out that the “key” handkerchief that Atin used to cover his face was blown away and got stuck in his bike’s chain. Since Atin was a very experience rider he made an immediate stop before the chain broke itself. We then continued our ride and at that time it was way past midnight. We were also as wet as anything in the cold breezy drizzling night.

We, the three couples soaking wet rode again as free and easy as it could be accompanied by the drizzle vrooming in the wee hours of the day. The drizzle, the cold and the wet clothing no longer a hindrance or discomfort as the six of us silently rode through the early morning to Kuala Terengganu. The drizzle, the cold and the wet clothing had become united with us, the three couple whose endurance were put to test by the act of Mother Nature. As we rode further the kilometres reducing we gained confident and strength to reach our destination, Kota Baru. Instead of planning to reach Kota Baru before midnight our ultimate now was to reach Kota Baru safely. The warm cosy bed waiting for us at the hotel that we had made the booking became the champion trophy for us.