CAITA 2012 Daily Report - Day 1

Initiated by the state government of Guangxi Province, the primary objective China-Asean International Touring Assembly (CAITA) is to promote the overland connectivity between China and ASEAN countries.  Dubbed as the harmonious modern “ Silk Road ” as well as the “largest, broadest and longest automobile assembly race in Asia ”, it is one of the main events leading to the annual China-ASEAN Summit that will be held in Nanning City , China .  (Official Website of CAITA: http://carally.org/)

The following is a daily account of Leslie Chang who is the Singapore representative for the event.

Day 1, Singapore to Penang  28^th Aug 2012

The group had earlier parked their cars at Thistle Hotel in Johor Bahru before crossing the causeway. This morning, they returned from Singapore by coaches to collect their cars.  Together with my co-driver, Irene, and Singapore journalist, Ernest Chua, we drove our Hyundai Tucson 2.7l to join the group at their residence. It was raining but the Durian Party (a last-minute surprise thrown in by past participants from Malaysia) held at the covered car park was very timely in lifting spirits.

The group travelled the North-South Highway at a steady pace and arrived in Penang at almost 8 pm.  This Thailand-registered Toyota Camry came along for the Bangkok-Singapore-Bangkok sector. 

 

Alas, it could not start after lunch due to a flat battery. Some of us attempted to jump start the Camry using different cars and cables, but to no avail.  Then someone approached a worker from a nearby tyre shop. He brought along a new battery and nothing else! The worker simply turned his new battery upside down onto the existing one so that their terminals of both batteries were in contact.

The engine fired up instantly - leaving most of us puzzled as to why even our best efforts couldn't kick start the Camry.  Was it due to the tremendous transfer loss when using the jumper cable? Perhaps it was simply a case of Malaysia Boleh!

The spirit of Malaysia Boleh is much alive as the country prepares for its National Day. A senior citizen is seen here proudly waving his country flag as the entourage drove by.