Tentatively we have agreed that our transland journey would encompass 4 to 5 phases :
Phase 1
Kuala Lumpur London via Burma [ hopefully they open up their border by August 2013], India , Nepal, Pakistan [ a fast one thru Pakistan insayaallah !],,,thru to cross Kyber Pass to part of Southern China, on to Iran, Turkey, Bulgaria, Croatia, Bosnia, Germany, Switzerland, France, Holland...and London.
We will go at pedestrian pace and probably 2 months would be enough.....[ Peng, you to check out on the National Geographic, on sights and views that are to be visited along the way]. Then garaged our vehicle somewhere in France.
Phase 2
[probably late 2013 or early 2014]
We do the Muslim Conquest route in the reverse order,
Andalusian Cordoba and Serville, cross over to Morocco, Tunisia, Libya [ Nato insyaallah would be out of Libya by then and some semblance of peace prevail insyaallh after they have finished with the Libyans !], Algeria, Egypt, Syria [ same expectation ], and finally Turkey, ending in Istanbul.
Phase 3
[sometime in mid 2014]
From Turkey, we go to the Stan's, backtrack to Moscow and do the trans-Siberian across Russia up to Vladisvostok, Beijing, Hanoi Vientiane, Bangkok and finally KL.
Phase 4
Crossover by ferry to Medan, Sumatera and drive northward to Bandar Acheh and from there southward to Jakarta, Bali, Timor, and crossover to Darwin by ferry . Drive via Alice Spring down to Adelaide, Tasmania, crossover to Auckland, Milford Sound and Doubtful Sound, right down to Invercargill.
What have I missed ?
Africa from Cape Town to Egypt !
We need some armoury training with some Ak45....
If we are still around, yes Africa, why not.
Peng and Bab, the million ringgit question is WHAT VEHICLE ?
I have already got my Hilux single cabin which I can co-drive with my son..
Bastamam suggested a landcruiser, an old secondhand for both of you.
I think a 4.2 litre one would be ideal but that would push up your diesel/petrol bill.
What about a 1997 Prado ?
Doc Man can perhaps give his experience with a Prado 1997......Doc Man , give us your input on your Prado please....and I am still waiting for you to say , " Yes , I will join you guys ! "
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doc man,
you are a prado man. tell me more about this animalpower wise,driveability on slippery hills, mud terrain. maintainence and repair, spare parts availability, price,road tax
how to source a good one ,boleh bawa round dunia atau tidak ..at this age.
what is your recommendation.
i want a vehicle that is reliable, free of electronics, and decently cheap that if i have to leave it in a a desert somewhere or in nepal, i can leave it without feeling 'i am ' bleedings'
any recommendation.
if i use those older landcruiser with big cc like 4.2 litre or 4.7 litres how do i reduce their road tax.....someone told me can register as vintage car...10 % road tax
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You never give up with me Nik. I appreciate your effort.Actually I was about to agree to become crazy like you to go along for the test run to Bangkok.But, that seem to be just a scout trip to you.
Prado is a good car, smooth suspension on normal road and off road. It is good for our old body musculature when it swing left & right. Plenty of space.
Petronas was using Prado on their Silk road run few years ago, amongst others. The series was shown on TV which I followed.Ample power for your purpose, good & proper selection of tyres. Don't aspect you to go through deep mud. Probably more on sandy stone slippery hills.
You go for good bargin price in 2nd handshops in KL. A good mechanic have to test ride the car for you and hear & look at the engine. Who else, my confidence is my Ah Seng, the local kampung China man of Temangan.Road tax $1450, I think. Price about 20-30K, my guess. Go see mudah.com.
I have driven mine in flood water 2-3 ft of rushing water in Tanah Merah & Jeli, when I was caught in flash flood.
But there are some electronic, which can die! But you can carry spare board.I had a problem with electronic which control the idling speed, control or something. Had to be check by a computer. Per check about $60.00 at that time, 10-12 yrs ago.The original board cost >$4,000 from Toyota. But manage to get 2nd hand one for only $1,000 by my mechanic.
Best still, went to radio shop in KB, brought both to compare, he repaired the faulty chip costing only $2.00. So, I carry the repaired one for spare. Parts to be carried with you can be easily by the mechanic, such as the front rod & ?? , the front bar, steering ?.. Tak ingat all the name.Kena buka buku to identify the part which need regular changing. Bearing, belts, spare alternator, water pump, oil pump, filter, electronic ignition, carburetor, etc.
Your best choice, travel in style, no hassle about breakdown will be the double cab hilux. Get the Toyota UMW guys to supply you with two or three new Hilux. It is peanuts to them...compared to the exposure they can get from you guys. I magine, 3 years on the road, 3 or 4 'half crazy over 60 year olds' driving around the world. It has never been done in a hilux. They will love it.
Go for the petrol one. Not many mechanic are well equip to handle diesel engine I think. Need to check the free availability of diesel everywhere.
The new one probably good suspension, comfortable for the body on rough terrain.
Or look around for a good secondhand twin cab hilux, few years old could bring down the price so much.Good point since the car in available everywhere in the world, so no problem with spares.The canopy at the back, custom made from Thailand, would give security to your things.If you guys prefer diesel,I would recommend the new 3.0 litre turbo diesel hilux anytime rather than an old Prado.
Ok le! Sound me if the boy scout route is still on the agenda.
Doc Azman
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السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته
Doc Azman and Nik Howk...
if I were to do the KL/Kayu Hitam/Bangkok, then any car will do as the highway is better than our North South Highway plus zero tolls on the Thai side.
As for choice of engines, for me the turbo diesel is preferable due to its fuel efficiency, and economy, and due to less maintenance required. Diesel is commonly used by industries and available anywhere in the world. Malaysia has a peculiar law that discourages use of diesel engines due to the ignorance of its lawmakers in Parliament. Elsewhere in the world, diesel is the choice.
The planned trip is not an off road adventure as I see it. The expedition shall stick to roads and highways we often assume that our roads are the best in the world and that all other countries do not have paved/metaled roads, I would say no modifications to stock/standard vehicles may be necessary. Perhaps heavy duty dampers may be preferred.
It does not matter if the vehicle is new or second hand and if you plan to fly back to Malaysia, the vehicles need not be abandoned but can always be donated to charities, wherever you may want to end the trip.,, e.g. the Red Crecent Society or to some Palestinian farmers in The West Bank or Gaza.
Ha,ha,ha...thinking aloud!
Grand Pa
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Grand Pa,
Your discourse and comment on car engine is revealing.......you are very experienced.
why then a cherookee 4.0 in your heyday may I ask....what was the road tax like.??
from your comment I would expect you to be a landcruiser enthusiast, or at least a Landy, unless your company was paying for the cherokeee. These Americans are guzzlers
Nik Howk,
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Nik Howk,
Funny?... I have rescued, using the Jeep,Toyota land cruisers, Isuzus and even a Suzuki Jeep in the jungles of Pahang. I even pulled a 5 ton lorry stuck in the sand on the beach in front of my house. The Jeeps are no joking matter.
politics aside, you'd be surprised of the fuel economy. You see it is simple actually, the principle is that of power:weight ratio. The engine is a powerful 200hp pulling only a kerb weight of less than two metric tons. That is akin to 200 horses pulling a small cart. Not much energy required. On the other extreme, imagine the same cart is pulled by say 20 horses, that wold take alot of energy per horse.
Secondly the American engine is a "lazy" engine meaning it has longer stroke than the bore so the engine is a high torque,low revving engine meaning, its pulling power is very good and facilitates higher gear ratios. At 110km/hour, the rev counter shall only show the engine speed at around 200rpm. That is low engine speed by any standards and that translates to economy and engine life longevity. When travelling from Madinah to Makkah in aGMC,a distance of about 450km, the driver travelled consistently at 200km/h. The rev counter showed 300rpm. I took a pic of it but it is in my old computer . I think I already posted it in this egroup.Now, you drive your Japanese car at 1110 km/hour and note the engine revolution (rev counter). You tell me.
Thirdly, you go to a work shop where you can see the under carriage of your Jap car and compare to that of the JEEP or the Land Rover. You notice that the western makes are well endowed , The ball joints, the shafts, the rack ends the tie rods etc are all solidly built, wanting in the Japanese makes. Do not take my word for it. Make the visual comparison.
The Kuantan-KL fuel consumption was no more than that of a Proton Wira. Only the road tax was prohibitive, the product of a naive government policy.
Grand Pa
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Howk,
I had the privilege of meeting Mr Sharip this pm courtesy of Mat Ali Woerr. Sharip had been participating in many long distance Petronas expedition, including Europe -Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya -Istanbul, as one of the official mechanics.
Dia kata " bawak kereta biasa pun tak apa. jalan semua bagus."
Peng
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Peng,
I am already thinking beyond Kuala Lumpur- London. Besides that, Karakurom Highway is not a walk in the park. I am thinking of our phase 2 and 3 which could be tough. If you want it easy, just take a flight to London, rent a car and travel to your heart's content sleeping in caravan parks all across Europe.
Nik Howk
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Howk,
Taking a flight to europe and travel in a rented car? no sweat, you can do that twice a year. No big deal
Are we meeting on 29th or 30th? I am getting mixed signal here, as i am beginning to get mixed signal from howk!
salam,
Peng
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Nick Howk,
No backing off. We are all heading according to your plan.See you Friday June 29th, 2012.
Bab
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Peng and Bab,
NO !.....i am not backing off.
just my alter ego telling me to be just 60 and go easy...
but my bucket list is still 'boy scout'.....the transland journey is on.
if you are wondering why i am up at this hour..terbangun tadi with a start, sembahyang suboh at 5 am !!! ingat dah pagi...ingat sudah 'missed dia'....
that is being 60........nak tidur pun takut. takut2 bangun dah 'man rabbuka !'......[http://drnikisahak.blogspot.com/2010/11/ma-rabbukawho-is-your-lord.html ]
ok we are, so what. we are proud to still be 'boy scouts' at 60, and not walking around with the help of a third leg......
the trip is on guys !!
anyone has any significant experience owning and driving the landrover defender ?
this is another vehicle we should consider especially for phase 2 and 3.
nik howk
anyone has any significant experience owning and driving the landrover defender ?
this is another vehicle we should consider especially for phase 2 and 3.
nik howk
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