Story and photos by Charles Chan
The ORIENT watch dealers of Singapore went on a 2-Day 1-Night annual ORIENT Driveaway 2017 from 16th to 17th August. The Driveaway includes a party of 40 people from Singapore to Maleka, Malaysia (formerly known as Malacca).
(I was invited to the Driveaway by BIG Time SG Pte Ltd, Singapore distributor of Orient watches)
Day 1 – 16th August 2017
After clearing immigration at Tuas Checkpoint, we
gathered at the nearby Petronas petrol station for walkie set up and stickering before
leaving for our first stop. There are a total of 12 cars on our convoy.
Our first stop is Restoran Bakut Soon Kee at Simpang Renggam to enjoy
our first lunch: Bak Kut Teh
Delicious!
Halfway
to our next stop, one of our convoy cars experienced a flat tire and needs to
be changed. But thanks to Bingo and Leslie, with their experience, they were able
to change the tire very well.
Our
next stop is at Wawa Kedai Serbaneka where we get to open (ourselves) and eat those fresh
durians from the surrounding plantations.
Enjoying the durians. Yummy!
Stall owner serving the drinks to our group.
Group photo taking outside the stall
After the durians, the party drove to Hutan Lipur Gunung Belumut
to enjoy the the waterfall.
Group
photo at the bridge
The girls having fun along the flowing river
But I think the boys had more fun...
But I think the boys had more fun...
After the waterfall, we went to Kluang Coffee for a factory tour. They have a guide to explain the various processes and how their coffee were made.
Showcasing how they make their coffee from scratch.
At the end of the tour, we get to try out their black coffee which to my
surprise, tastes very good!
We proceed to do a little shopping and sightseeing at the next town - Yong Peng; and had dinner at Restoran Rong Cheng.
Cold
dish (appertiser)
Brocoilli with scallop
Shark Fin soup
Roast duck
Claypot sea cucumber with pork ribs
Steamed red snapper
Drunken prawns
Looks good and tastes equally good!
After a scrumptious dinner, we drove to check in at Equatorial Hotel, Melaka to stay for the night.
My Twin bedroom
Day 2 – 17th August 2017
The next morning, after our buffet breakfast, the
group gathered at the hotel meeting room for a presentation and update on Orient watches.
Talk by Leslie
Was an eye opener experience for me as I learn more about watches, especially Orient products.
There was also great participation by the audience
Largest-collection Dealer Awards and Cash Prize to Dragon Corner Optical & Watches. Congratulations!
First stop after leaving hotel is to have chendol (locals call it cendol) at Tan Kim Hock.
We
also get to buy their products in the shop. The place is huge!
Enjoying
the chendol. It tastes very good that I have to order one more.
The cars in our convoy heading south.
Our next stop is at Sungai Rambai Gerbang Selatan - the border of Johor/Melaka
Group photo with probably the world's largest trishaw
After that, we drove to Muar for street food experience. We ordered chicken rice and duck rice. Compare to Singapore, it tastes very unique and very nice.
It was raining heavily when we reached our next stop - Plentong Go-Kart Circuit. Fortunately, we were given a sheltered tour to view the ATV's and the karts. Hopefully, next time we get a chance to ride them!
Lastly, we went to San Lou Kway Teow Kia (less than 1 km from the Woodlands Checkpoint) for our farewell dinner before going back to Singapore.
The Kway Teow Kia and the side dishes are so mouth-watering.
ORIENT Driveaway 2017 was just a short 2 days 1 night getaway and it was full of fun and laughter. Even though I was new to the trip, everyone treated me like a family. I'm very happy that I made so new friends. Heartfelt thanks to Leslie and his team for organizing this memorable event. Looking forward to next year's edition!
