The 2nd edition of the
ASEAN-India Car Rally (AICR) was held from 25 Nov to 21 Dec 2012. Starting from
Yogjakarta (Indonesia), the Rally passed through Singapore, Ipoh, Hat Yai,
Phuket, Bangkok, Siem Reap, Phnom Penh, Ho Chi Minh, Pakse, Savanakhet,
Vientiene, Chumphone, Sukhothai, Hpa An, Nay Pyi Taw, Mandalay, Ka Lay, Kohima
and Guwahati (India). India Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Heads of
State of all ASEAN nations witnessed the ceremonial flag-down at the Rally’s
final stop in New Delhi.
The following is a daily account of Leslie
Chang who is the leader of the Singapore team.
Photos: Ernest Chua / TODAY
HCM City to Kratie to Pakse, 7th Dec
2012
We returned to the Reunification
Palace where the
morning's shower delayed flag-off by 30 minutes.
Of course, the participants were in high spirits
despite the rain.
We have often heard stories about the incredibly
high number of motorcycles and the ridiculous traffic congestion in Ho Chi Minh
City. Thus, it was entirely unexpected when the local authorities stopped
all traffic wherever the convoy passed.
Also, thanks to the escort of Road Marshals (as
seen here on bikes with Rally flags) we were able to get out of the city in a
fraction of the usual time required.
We will always remember the special arrangement
provided by our Vietnamese hosts. Here is a closer look at some of the bikes
used by the Road Marshals.
Tran Duc Hieu is a member of
the Vietnamese team. It is noteworthy that Hieu and I had never missed an
edition of the China-ASEAN International Touring Assembly since 2006. So we
were overjoyed to see each other again on the Rally. Hieu is an ardent bike
collector and can be seen here (in the event's yellow shirt) with the group of Road
Marshals moments before we left the Cua Khau Hoa Lu border.
Crossing into Cambodia, James
represented the Singapore team to greet H.E. Hor Sarun, Undersecretary of State
for Tourism, at Tropeang Sre border.
While we were having lunch, the advance party
prepared our passports for the evening crossing at Cambodia/Laos border.
During
a rest stop before sundown, 2 of the members in Car #
23 swapped their roles. James played the part of the ‘boss’ while
William performed windscreen cleaning.
Under the moonlight, our lady boss, Neerja
Bhatia, bode farewell to H.E. Hor Sarun on behalf of the convoy at Tropeang
Kreal border.
We
had breakfast at Vietnam, lunch at Cambodia; guess where we were headed for
dinner? A short drive from the Laotian customs, we had dinner next to the
waterfall (part of Mekong River) at Khone Phapheng Resort. Unfortunately,
nightfall prevented us from taking in any of the scenery. Our night halt was a
further 2-hour drive north at Pakse.
Pakse to
Savanakhet, 8th Dec 2012
All participants were ferried by coaches to Vat Phu - a UNESCO world heritage
site in Laos. Poh Heng is seen here being welcomed upon our arrival at the
Information Centre.
Vat Phu is
located at the base of mount Phu Kao.
One of
Mahindra’s commercial taglines,“Quest for Freedom”, is aptly reflected in this
picture which was taken along the baray of Vat Phu. (P/S ~ The vehicles in the photo were actual
Rally Cars driven by crew from the Organisers.)
After the morning tour, we
returned to our hotel in Champasak to collect the Rally Cars. Indian Ambassador to Laos PDR, Shri C. Gururaj Rao, kindly flagged-off the convoy for our onward journey to Savanakhet.
Although it was dark when we arrived at the Dao
Savanh Hotel, there was no sign of
fatigue due to the relatively short distance travelled for the day.
The dinner
and cultural programme which were held in the ballroom of the same hotel
started off as a hushed affair.
Fortunately,
the tempo went up a few notches when we celebrated Vineet’s birthday. He was so
happy that he wrote me these words shortly after the Rally:
”...our sincere thanks to you and Team Singapore for
making this trip so memorable for us. It is impossible to forget the humor and
the fun you all have added to this memorable trip. Personally for me; this trip was a never to forget
affair, as it coincided with my birthday. I would never forget the day's
journey on 8th December and the evening in Savannakhet with B’day
wishes and cake, and indeed the wonderful gift from you and Team Singapore.”
Vineet is one of the members from the friendly and helpful CII team.
Savanakhet to
Vientiane, 9th
Dec 2012
Laos
is a quiet and peaceful country with possibly the youngest population among
ASEAN countries. Along the rally route, we saw many female students in their
traditional dress of Laotian skirts. Here, William is seen waving to thank the
students who had lined the streets to welcome the convoy.
At
the lunch reception which was held in Paksan Hotel, William continued to be
charmed by the young Laotians.
The
route from Savanakhet to Vientiane runs almost
parallel to the Mekong River. Except for some dirt sections due
to road work, the drive through the series of valleys was pleasant.
This Hummer-inspired vehicle was
one of the support cars provided by the local host to serve as a sweeper car
for the convoy.
The majestic stupa of Vat That
Luang is an unmistakable landmark of Vientiane.
As seen in Poh Heng’s smile, we
were warmly received by the local authorities at the entrance of Vat That
Luang.
This was followed by a closed-door
visit in the premises. Our team members took the opportunity to pose in a photo
for Orient Watch – our official timepiece supplier.
On our way to Donchan
Palace Hotel, we passed by the Victory Gate (a.k.a. Patauxi Monument).
HSMM Group, a local company,
sponsored the gala dinner. Singapore
Ambassador to Lao PDR Mr Dileep Nair was among the list of dignitaries. I took some quick shots of the participants
from Brunei, Indonesia and Malaysia who were at the dinner in their team
outfits.
