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Many thanks for all the guys who made their way down! [inline IMG_1608.jpg] [inline IMG_1606.jpg] [inline pano1.jpg] [inline pano2.jpg] [inline pano3.jpg] Hope to see more guys turning up for our meets!

Here are some pics from my Nokia 6260 camera phone. 640 x 480. Will try to improve the quality of the pictures the next time using a proper camera. Meanwhile, here are some pics of the engine.

Here you go guys... sorry about the delay... Didn't take much... just a few ... Lined up nicely [inline IMG_1387.jpg] We do have some nice as#*s actually... will take more as# shots next time [inline IMG_1401.jpg] Presenting our resident sugar daddy's car with killer 19" wheels Watch out young sweet things! [inline IMG_1384.jpg] as usual ... a pano shot [inline pano4.jpg] Hope to see more folks turn up for the next meetup... we have to break the record

Hi all impreza fans. This is the photo of what autoexpress says is the new wrx for 2005/2006 http://forums.subdriven.com/zerothread?id=1746511 Controversial is the word. New Guy

I'm back from a road trip vacation. Lots of lessons learnt and lots of action as well. I will call this Aveo visits the Peninsular Malaysia's East Coast on Highway 3 . The very first day, we left on Wed 4 Aug 2004. Packed everything and cleared the Woodlands Checkpoint around 1030. Nothing much except that the resort's check-in time is 1500. I know this is the low period until the ND weekend where massive swells of SG tourists will start to arrive. The chances that the room will be available before 1500 is high. However, I didn't want to pass the chance to visit the Kota Tinggi Waterfalls. Last time been there was my prehistoric days in poly. Want to see what has changed. Anyway, the road in is nice and curvvy . OK for newbies to Malaysia because you have been scared away by our local media overhyping all the murder and rape cases (their local media is also guilty of that), the touristy areas in Malaysia are marked with white direction signs. Black or green words in a white background surrounded by a border that is the same color as the words. For the KT Waterfalls, just look for the sign AIR TERJUN. The Waterfalls We arrived at 1130. Dang! They made the place into some theme park of some kind! Should have left it the way it was when I visited way back in 1988. They should learn a bit for the Aussies. Preserve things the way they are. Ecotourism means preservation and conservation. Nobody learns when they see man-made structures. We just touched the water, see the big falls, snapped some pictures and ate some nasi ayam before proceeding to Desaru. Desaru Desaru is a designated tourist location so getting there means looking out for the white direction sign with DESARU emblazoned on it. We left AIR TERJUN around 1300 and reached the resort around 1400. We put up at the Pulai Desaru Beach Resort, formerly the Desaru Perdana Beach Resort. I made the mistake of booking 2 nights there at the cost of SGD 261 by making a phone call locally to the agent in Singaproe. My rating for the resort? I must say they are clean and the rooms are well furnished. Huge and airey. However like any hotel or resort, it pays if the management paid careful attention to maintenance. I think they are at the midst of it renovating the rooms when we arrived. We have a twin bed which is something not we wanted. We can't change because the rooms with the double are being renovated. But they got someone to join the beds together. We got a garden view room but it is the nearest to the beach and pool. Breakfast is your typical holiday fare. The beach is very well maintained though. Fine powdery white sand. With that I would say the Pulai is the very best that Desaru has to offer. I will give my reasons why when compared to the Desaru Golden Beach Resort. That very night, we went out to see the fireflies. Now this is what I call ecotourism. Nothing but the mangrove swamp in the dead of night with tons of mosquitos and of course the fireflies. RM 40 per person. My little sweet girl went free. The mozzies descended upon me and my girl like fresh meat. Strangely as always, the mozzies didn't want my wife. I have always long suspected that she is a witch and she might be one! Tanjong Punggai The second day, we got a bit more adventurous and took the Aveo out for a spin to Tanjong Punngai. FYI, the beach where the resorts are located is called Tanjong Penawar. Of course we spent time at the resort pool first before heading out at 1200. But we need to eat and we headed to the Desaru Golden Beach Resort. The food is OK and we took this opportunity to tour the resort grounds. The beach is just as nice but they got two nice pedigree horses there. Impressive looking fellas and I was told they have been there for ten years. Met a Singaporean who has just arrived there and he was complaining that the room is pretty shoddy. Paint peeling and furniture looks very tired. He was denied the villa which was promised by an employee when he called earlier. That is why I concluded that the Pulai is best in Desaru. We left at 1400 and just followed the sign that points towards Sungei Rengit along Highway 90.One thing I must say, it road is pretty deserted and gives you the impression you are driving in some European country road. We had to stop along the way to take pictures of the deserted highway flanked by tall flowering lalang on both sides. Conjours images of wheat fields. Finally we reached Tanjong Punggai. The beach is not a designated tourist sport. There is no white sign. A usual blue sign points us to turn left in. The only accomodation available there is the Batu Layar Beach Resort. Kampung looking accomodation. The beach shows that it is popular with locals. It is littered with holiday debris. Couple this with its isolation, nobody came to clean up but there are stretches that look untouched. There is a couple there with a tent pitched up. Romantic I must say. The setting sun was really scorching by 1700 so we headed back and ate at this resort nestled between the Pulai and Golden Beach called the Desu. Food is OK. Much more value for money than the other two. To Kuantan and beyond OK the next day, Fri 6 Aug 2004, we set off for Kuantan after breakfast. Didn't move off till 1030. Reached Mersing by 1300. We had lunch there before carrying on. Sad to say I missed some turns thanks to signs being covered by trees. I had to make U-turns after 2-3km after setting on the wrong way. Not bad but I wasted much time doing these. Passed Rompin, wife is interested in the Endau-Rompin National Park but I told her special permits are required. Finally hit Pekan and finally reached Kuantan around 1700. We should have made the left turn towards Kuala Trengannu as this will take us to Cherating but we would like to see how Telok Chempadek is like. All I can say it is a really hip place. The jungle next to a very clean beach (most city beaches IMHO are very well maintained). There are excellent accomodation not within our budget. We left the place of course and went north on Highway 2 into Beserah. Wife is whining on how long the journey is. I've never been to these parts and was all excited by all this. Daughter was wailing and I actually had the idea to go to the northern most resorts namely the Suria Cherating or the Impiana. Of course I don't know where they are just that they are along Highway 2. So I have to make do. I didn't make any reservations and I had the idea to go where the wheels take us. An enthusiasm not shared by my wife. Let's just leave our daughter out of this equation. Firstly I stopped at the Swiss Garden Resort and Spa. They only have a room for a night. I was hoping for that because I know how exhorbitant it can be with a resort with that kind of name. Next is the Duta Village Beach Resort. From the looks, the resort is gives a kampung rustic look but the room rates don't look very kampung . Again I was given only one room for one night . Overjoyed I left and came upon the De 'Rhu Beach Resort. They have a room at a very affordable RM 135 per night and we can have it for two nights! Whoopee. Wife should be pleased. Includes breakfast! But my joy was shortlived. My concept of accomodations is a room, bed, shower, TV, A/C. Wife is all the above but better stuff. Well, I found out why it costs RM 135. The room is rather tired looking. Towels are there. The bathroom door's veneer is peeling off and the shower is leaky. These made my wife very displeased. I should have brought her out backpacking before the arrival of our girl. The resort became very noisy as well because of three companies having their family day there. I noticed that the resort is pretty popular with the local Malay folk. We explored the beach. My wife was even more disappointed. The sand was the grayish looking type. Muddy looking like the type you find in mangrove swamps. For a moment she was mislead to thinking Cherating is a sham! I explained to her that this is actually Balok Beach or Pantai Balok. In Malay, Pantai is beach. This beach is famous for raging surf but we soon discovered the whole of this area is raging surf. Could be the season. After dinner, a pretty early snooze. Cherating and surrounds After breakfast, got in the Aveo and went up towards Cherating. I made the mistake of going straight and found myself in Kuantan port. Damn! Should have made the turn to go towards Chukai. Wasted some time going back. Finally we came to two famous resorts that you always hear about in NATAS fairs. The Holiday Villas and The Legend. I took a chance that there might be a public access area between the two resorts. So I turned in to The Legend but didn't enter it instead opting to go further inside. Yes! There is a public access area. Resort cleaned beaches without paying for the resort. Hehehe.... Spend the whole morning there. The surf is strong. Waves come crashing in. Fun. Finally wife is pleased. Little girl was having fun. Going to have many strong tanlines. Looking to my right at the Holiday Villas beach, it is mostly filled with Western tourists. Couldn't see what kind of tourists are at the Legend though. We dried up and went for lunch going into the Legend. We went to the cafe and saw a friend with his family who drove up last night reaching at 2100. They spent the morning recuperating in the hotel room. We took the opportunity to wash off the sand off our feet in the toilet. We still have our swimwear in our clothes. Much sand lodged inside but we didn't care. It is finally revealed that the resort is filled with mostly Singaporeans. After lunch, we drove up further north and hit Pantai Cherating. Over here the beach is not as clean as resort beaches but it is definitely more fun. Small motels and huts lined the entrance. The only resort that strikes me with familiarity is the Residence Inn. Looks really peaceful. Over here while walking along the beach, we came to the famous P1 chalet of the Cherating Mini Motel. It is the only one with a full glass window facing the sea. The kind gentleman staying there was filming his family playing at the water. I asked him how much the motel chalet costs. An astounding RM 30 for non-A/C and RM60 for A/C. Should have shut my wife up and drove up here last night! He offered us the next chalet, P2 to use but have to wash up before his friend comes back. We turned down the kind offer as he was mislead to thinking that we didn't have any accomodations. Crashing surf as before but there are more people on this beach. It is hip with many accomodations offered to backpackers. The beach is filled with lots of marine life. Cones and tiny crabs crawl everywhere! The natural "lagoon/wade pool" has fishes swimming in it as well as amateur windsurfers practicing. You can walk really far out on this beach and it will still be at knee to waist level in water. Finally we drove off to Pantai Chendu. We passed the famous Club Med Cherating (first in Asia), followed by the Impiana and the Suria Cherating before we saw the white sign pointing to Pantai Chendu. The beach was more isolated with more locals on it. Lots of dead fallen trees with their buttress roots on the beach giving it the sense of isolation. This beach struck me just like Tanjong Punggai. Its isolation is marvelous. The wind and surf are the only things I hear. The night drive Again, wife began to whine, daughter started wailing and we returned to the De 'Rhu. By evening, I wanted to try driving on a truly dark road with nothing but the reflectors showing the lines. So I suggested to have dinner at the Impiana. The Impiana looks very fine as a resort. The cost per night is RM 175 on weekdays and 195 on weekends. Pretty good I must say. Better than the Pulai at Desaru. Food is OK but I doubt I can really get accomodation the night before. The resort is filled with a Baptist church members on a church retreat. The beach facing rooms are nice and I spied out that they have four post beds and canopy. Ooh la la! Romance for an all night romp for hot blooded honeymooners! I can think of many creative uses for the any of the four bed posts! the rooms don't use curtains but bamboo roller blinds. Very rustic. By then it is too dark but I can see that the beach is well maintained. After dinner, a drive back along the winding roads with very little or no lighting. Awesome experience but to hit the speeds I did in the day would be foolish. I stuck to the 80-90 speed limit. The return After breakfast, left the resort at 0900. Reached Mersing at 1200. Thanks to my stupidity to go back via JB because I live in Woodlands, the jam was horrendous. Reached back to Woodlands by 1630. Next time, I will leave via JB and come back via 2nd Link. I don't feel tired and felt invigorated by the drive. The next year, I will try going to Trengannu. Tanjong Jara would be good. See the turtles and then hop back to Cherating, then Rompin then back.

OK I thought it will be fun to show off some pictures with cars and beautiful natural or chick scenery. Keep it real please. Only photos from your actual holidays and not some stuff you got off the net. I'm currently in Scotland. Rented a car from Avis in London and have been driving it around the UK. Top: This is a picture of the Aegean Blue Peugeot 307 SW somewhere in the mid-Lothians near Edinburgh. Below: Same car today at Glen Etive in the Highlands of Scotland. Photos not edited except for size. A note about the 307 after >1000 miles in it; it sucks! Good ride and decent handling for a station wagon, bear in mind but the brakes are soggy, lifeless stearing and hopeless gear stick. The gear is horrible! The gear change is loose and notchy. You have to jiggle and wiggle the stick into place then yank it out again. My left wrist hurts from the strain of stirring it around and from my watch slamming into my hand each time I changed gear. I'm a very experienced driver and this is the worst manual shifter I've ever encountered. It's worse than a 7 tonne truck's. Twice so far, I nearly got into an accident when I couldn't get into the right gear or couldn't even slot it into any gear! Definitely, a car in my sxxt list.

OK here are some of the pictures that I've gotten scanned so far from the trip to Sepang yesterday... Some Formula BMW action to us off.

Hi folks, Here are some of the photos taken during our recent outing... *********************************

here are the photos of the day...for those who are there, remember to 'pay' $1 per download...hahaaaa

Here are more photos of the meet up ... enjoy!