AMK 1.0

Sometimes, when you need to get things done, you have to it yourself..

I made some on-line purchases from Jenson USA. 
This is a trustworthy bicycle shop and so far, I've had some really good experiences shopping with them.
I paid for two AMK 0.5 first aid kits and the AMK 1.0 kit including a Mavic rain jacket which was on sale.
The 1.0 kit went for USD$12 (Now, with 12% price reduction at USD$9.99) and is the 'perfect' size for my Ortlieb hip pouch.
I had two AMK 2.0 kits purchased from my friend LC Keong of Outdoor Gear Malaysia. 
These were a tad 'too big' for solo excursions, but nevertheless, they proved to be indispensable for a group trip with more than four people.

Contents of the personal First Aid Kit

The right size: my AMK 1.0

Getting it back.. 

I had the kits sent to Vincent Lau, my brother in-law who was in the US for nearly a month.
It was shipped to his hotel in Houston, Texas.
After a few disappointing attempts to source for the kits locally, I've decided to take matter into my own hands and its just great to finally sink my paws on the kits.

Some personal modifications..

The kit came with a 'survival kit' which is not necessary for bike rides. 
I removed it and replaced the plastic pouch containing a compass and a whistle with some wound management items.
A large Smith and Nephew 'primapore' adhesive plaster fits nicely in the kit.
I also included some 3M 'Nextcare' plasters that are not available in the country.
The wound management kit is enough to take care of cuts and grazes which is most likely to occur.
For treating and cleaning wounds, I've added a set of Betadine swab sticks. This is similar to the TADgear swab kit which I bought way back in 2004.

The Betadine solution and now, available in swab kit for wound management

Summary

The AMK 1.0 packs enough bite for short trips in your personal pack or hip pouch.
To make it more versatile, you can discard some of its bulky contents to suite the purpose of your trips.
At USD$12 (RM38), its a small price to pay. I am glad to have solved the problem of packing a large First Aid Kit with the AMK 1.0 and with the AMK 0.5 kit, I am thinking of a way to maximise the contents in this small medical storage pack...

RC Eye - One

A curiosity item.. 

Quad-copters are the rave among Radio Controlled scale model enthusiasts.

These vertical take off and landing RC aircraft are stable and can be programmed as a drone to capture aerial photographs.

Well, that of course, are systems that are worth a five-figure price.

I went to the AMCORP Mall recently and found a shop that sells 'compatible' Lithium-Polymer (Li-Po) batteries for my Kyosho Minium AD helicopter.

The last time I flew my chopper was a year ago and when the battery pack starts to swell, this spells trouble.

I was lucky enough to score three Li-Po battery packs for RM30. This was a steal!

Then, I took a trip to another RC shop nearby.

The shopkeeper was not that friendly and it was like talking to a robot.

When I asked about quad-copters, they wanted to sell me the DJI phantom which looks like a cheap toy.. But there's more than meets the eye on this RC aircraft.
I asked if they had something smaller and was shown the RC Logger RC Eye One.
This is as good as it gets.
For RM190 a pop, she's ready to fly!
Best of all, the spares are also pretty cheap. You can get a pack of spare batteries for RM70 including its USB charger.

Ready to fly: The RC Eye One mini quadcopter

The low-down...

Well, basically, the RC Eye One is a basic quadcopter. It can be rigged for three different levels of skill set from beginner, intermediate to expert.
Despite its tiny size, you can be easily fooled by its simple appearance.
The RC Eye One comes with four powerful DC motors and its 7.4 volt Li-Po battery can yield a flight time of 3.5 minutes. 
That's not too bad if you have extra battery packs on standby.
The RC Eye One's remote control is like a Sony Playstation controller.
One stick on the left is for throttle/rudder and the other stick is for roll/nick.

The RC Eye One in flight

First flight..

I finally had the time to take the RC Eye One for its maiden flight at a playground near my house.
This was a perfect opportunity for me to see if the aircraft's built-in self-stabilizing features could really live up to its claim.
On the first few attempts, I found that flying on a nearly depleted Li-Po battery pack won't give the lift that the quad propellers would generate
So, I changed a new pack and started to fiddle around with the aircraft's throttle.
After numerous attempts, I managed to get the RC Eye One to hover about 12 feet in the air and slowly descend for a smooth landing on the grass.
This was followed by several more attempts before I was satisfied.
Since the rudder controls are integrated with the throttle, it takes some skills to fly the RC Eye One.
I guess its going to be more practice until I get a perfect hover..
The RC Eye One will later enjoy new accessories like a wireless camera and a computer link..

The Rafflesia Ride: Part 3

The wrath of nature...

Patric and I wasted no time in preparing dinner.
With the little daylight left, there wasn't much time to work with the leftovers we had.
So, we kept things at the minimal.
And in the icebox, there was a large tilapia where Patric had given instructions to fillet.
It started to pour heavily as the camp cooks had struggled to prepare dinner.
There were some leftover roast duck, chicken and the main course was deep-fried tilapia fillet.
And right there before our eyes, the river swelled.
Water mixed with mud had gushed down the stream where just hours earlier, the guys were taking a dip.
I can hear the crushing force of the water against the rocks and this was rather eerie.
Siang and Captain Yew were observing the raging river and issued instructions to evacuate the scene.
Time was not wasted in getting the job done as we packed our stuff, moving the bikes to higher ground as parts of the farm house began to flood..

The last frontier: Kg Hulu Geroh in Gopeng, Perak

A great shot by Patric of me riding up Hulu Geroh

After an ass-busting hike, Coke is it!

MIchelle, posing at Kg Orang Asli Hulu Geroh

Better safe than sorry..

We played the waiting game and after two hours of waiting, the water level on the river began to subside.
Its only then when we decided that it was safe again to move our bikes back to the farm house.
During dinner, we reminisced on how people got killed by ignoring the danger signs especially when camping too close to a river.
Deforestration also did not help in this case as we noticed that most of the hills surrounding the farm has been cut down.
We were glad that nothing untowardly happened during the storm and continued to savour our dinner.

Raging wild: the river next to the farm house

Cool as cucumbers: Patric and Roger at the dining hall

Reflections of a bikepacker...

After the good meal, we cleaned up and prepared our sleeping quarters. 
Its a long ride out the next day and we wanted to ensure that nothing gets left behind.
During supper and a few beers, Siang and Angela opened up on their past experience with a larger group of cyclist.
I found it amusing that a cyclist with only a year of experience is now regarded as a 'guru' among the beginners.
Well, I guess some people needed their role-models.
We continued to chat until midnight and decided that it was best to hit the sack to get some rest..

Capt Yew leading the way out.. 

Michelle and Roger

Possibly the best asam laksa in Gopeng

Late breakfast..

We improvise...

Much of the foodstuff we brought was depleted.
So, for breakfast, I gathered all the instant noodles and whipped out a meal.
The guys had no issues downing the meager breakfast I had dished out.
Later, we made some arrangement with the birding group to transfer our luggage to the deer farm.
This took off the load on our bikes as we rode out empty.
The rough terrain had taken a toll on our wheels as Michelle had noticed my rear rim wobbling.
While negotiating a pothole, she had a fall and the impact had damaged the bike's fender stays.
Its not difficult to fix this problem as we slowly made our way to the Gopeng Hills laksa stall.
By the time we got there, the birding gang were already finishing their laksa.
We had a round of noodles before cycling back the farm.
It didn't took long for us to get there and after packing up, we parted ways.
I thanked Capt Yew for rigging up the trip and gave him a copy of my book.

Happy camper: Patric with a copy of my book..

I told the gang that we were headed to Kampar for lunch and then break off towards the Klang Valley via the North-South highway.
We agreed and followed-up with Kampar's 'seating man' char koay teow.
After a good fill, we parted ways.

Summary

Spare the weather, the ride was a success.
We kept our expenses to the minimal with the generosity of Mr Chung who hosted our stay at his farm house.
The Rafflesia ride itself was a real experience. Despite the lack of training and our physical state, we were glad to make it in and out alive.
This ride will pave way to more outings throughout the year and I hope to maintain the lean crew that we have.
For the record, we were the few cyclists with small bikes to reach Hulu Geroh and that is something that we could be very proud of.. Hell, I won't be surprised if some internet cycling celebrity would take this route and promote this as his own ride for his personal glory. Getting there first is