Big bikers rumble to Shangri-La

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THE Kuching-based Sarawak Big Bikers Group (SBBG) pride themselves on being the first local motorcycle group to have ‘conquered’ a distance of about 11,000km on a round trip through three countries — Thailand, Laos and Yunnan Province, China – in just 20 days.

BREATHTAKING: Enjoying the view at Shangri-La grasslands.

The nine true-blue big bikers, comprising eight SBBG members and a biker (by invitation) from IkatanMotor Besar Indonesia Pontianak (IMBI), started out from a hotel in Port Klang on August 30, 2012, braving unexpected weather and tough travelling conditions to reach their final destination — Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, China — on Sept 6.

In Thailand, the convoy stopped in Hat Yai, Chiang Mai and Chiang Khong before crossing Laos to enter China, stopping at Jinghong, Lincang, Dali and finally Shangri-La.

On the return journey, the convoy stopped at Lijiang, Jingdong, Jinghong (China), HuayXai (Laos), Chiang Khong, Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi, Chumphon, Hat Yai (Thailand) and Port Klang on Sept 18.

Convoy organiser Raymond Teo described the expedition as “breathtaking” and exhilarating.

He said at one stage of their cross-border journey, they had to ride for a continuous 10 days, negotiating tricky terrains such as narrow and steep mountain passages — some over 3,500m above sea level — and passing through roads under construction and landslides amidst fluctuating temperatures — from as low as four degrees Celsius to 15 degrees Celsius.

“But we were really fortunate because Mother Nature had been kind — there were no heavy downpours. With good teamwork and constant encouragement among fellow bikers, we managed to cruise through all the challenging situations.

“Besides, the experiences gained from the expedition have boosted our physical and mental readiness to embark on even greater challenges next year,” Teo added.

The idea of riding to Shangri-La was first mooted at one of the group’s routine ‘teh tarik’ gatherings in the middle of 2011 where the members decided to tackle the 11,000km ride in August or September the following year.

However, it was only in March this year that the group started discussing the itinerary and the logistics involved seriously.

SHANGRI-LA AT LAST: SBBG and IMBI members at the monument of Shangri-La, Yunnan Province, China. (From left) Kamil, Albert, Harry, Raymond, Ho, Nelson, Teo, KC and Jeffery.

Breathtaking scenery

According to Teo, the scenery along the way was absolutely fascinating — from stunning mountains with majestic snow-covered peaks, colourful grasslands and lakes to raging gorges and unique and ancient architectures of diverse cultures in the different countries they traversed, not forgetting the hospitality of the local people.

All in all, Teo said the experience was a good motivation for the group to look forward to planning their next adventure.

“The reality is that we have learnt a lot from successfully completing the task (11,000km journey to Shangri-La) we set out to accomplish,” he added.