The following photo essay provides a summary of Day 2 (1st Mar 09).
At 0720 hours, the Singapore team leader briefed both pilots of Car # 6 who were to lead the convoy from Penang to the Thai border crossing.
Meanwhile, all cars were decorated with the ‘Uniquely Singapore’ stickers.
And we were told to wear the official purple ‘Uniquely Singapore’ attire.
We felt so pai-seh when we arrived at Gurun R&R for our breakfast stop. The table cleaners at the R&R were wearing seemingly similar purple-coloured uniform!
But it did not bother STB’s Mr Lim Neo Chian who, in turn, took the sight in good spirit.
At the same stop, we shot group photograph, …..
became one of Caltex’s countless satisfied customers and…
bought 3rd party insurance coverage for our drive in Thailand .
We reached the Thai border at Sadao after a short drive and were accorded VIP lane for immigration clearance.
The Director of Songkhla Provincial Office of Tourism and Sports was also present to welcome the Singapore contingent.
Some guys have all the luck. And here’s one who received special attention.
The Thai police vehicles escorted our convoy from Sadao to JB Hotel in Hatyai.
And this is one of the numerous traffic marshals provided by the Thai police to ensure an uninterrupted passage for our convoy through the major traffic junctions.
At JB Hotel, we settled down quickly and attended the briefing for the next day’s progamme (the actual Rally).
The welcoming dinner was held at Hatyai Municipal Park . We greeted fellow participants from Malaysia ……
and exchanged contacts with friends from Indonesia .
On stage, we formally exchanged souvenirs with the host country.
For the rest of the evening, we watched cultural dance, …
and shared a light moment with the Vice-Governor of Songkhla Province.
The party ended on a high note with fireworks.
