The Locals at their Best

You may have heard me complaining about the crazy drivers HERE and how much they like to honk HERE. Not to mention how I abhor their arrogance and rudeness and impatience and queue cutting.

However, I do find them a helpful lot. And they will go at length to help you when they do. Especially when it concern cars. (And probably other things, which I am yet to encounter)

I hear stories how they would help you if your car get stranded by the road. Perhaps because my friend is female. But helped they did and got their clean white thope dirty. And one thing they don't like is getting their thope dirty.

When my lover got stuck in the mud in front of our house, one guy even tried pulling our car using his sedan which of course will not work. He then called up his freinds who came with powerful landcrusiers. Mind you they don't speak english and neither does my lover speaks arabic.

The first time we went to the dunes, my clever lover who for one reason or another did not want to deflate the tyres. You need to deflate the tyres when you get on the sand, otherwise you'd get stuck.. As expected we got stuck. A local guy saw us and immediately helped us. We were quite deep buried in the sand. the tyres I meant. With all his might, he helped pull us with his modified Nissan Petrol.

Last weekend we went to the dunes. It was a day trip. On our way back home, we had difficulty getting up on the steep slope. Since there were 11 cars and some of us are newbies, we knew this would be a tough ride. I have been to the dune so many times, I am beginning to be able to tell the difference between the routes now. And I know this one is quite hard because it has bumps on the slope breaking the momentum as we ram up. Look at the photo. can you see the bumpy ride as the car go up the slope?



Anyway the sand was slightly wet and the slope was overused. As we gathered there looking at Mr. Zulu Leader attempting to go up the slope, a few locals drove by. One in a hummer and the other in Patrol. It was dark. The only light was from our car and their car. They passed us many times and went off. The next moment they were up on the dune. We were on a flat land surrounded by dune at that time.

In the dark, their headlights look like the eyes of lions watching us. Except that the hummer had a lot of spotlights on its roof. They kept circling us.

After a while there were a group of Quad bikers. They definitely look like roaming hyenas ramming up their engine as they ride by. they kept circling us too. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that we are in deep trouble. But somehow I didn't feel that way. The locals here are never known to be of violent type. AT least as far as I know.

Sometime later we found out that they were actually scouting for better route for us. Later we followed him climb up the better route. Wahdah wahdah, he said. The only problem with this new route is there is a sharp turn to the right and if not careful we might fall into the ridge. Apparently the group of bikers parked themselves at the sharp turn and put up their lights and make a lot of noise. Just so you know that they are there. We made noise as we pass them too.

They are young, those two locals who helped us. In their early 20s. Know shuai shuai english. They even ask whether we want them to guide us out, which we said we are ok.

Correct me, but somehow I am getting skeptical with our young malay males. Especially the one who perhaps in our country can be equate to mat rempit. My view is that they are a menace to society, who would go at great length to show that they are boss. Why don't they use their skills to something beneficial to society beats me. Surely after modifying their bikes, the would know more about repairing them for instance. Alas we are society who like to be users and not learners. We find it hard to take pride on know-how and hands-on.

With them roaming in our housing areas, you would think they would scare the robbers away, but they are the one who we are afraid of. They somehow take pride being a group of kids that are scary to society, rather than taking pride as a group who can help.

Can calling them Mat Cemerlang change their purpose in their life?

Anyway as usual some photos of the latest trip. The weather was nice. Later in the evening, the sky was overcast, the inland sea looks nearly like Lake district or the Loch. It was really nice. View it HERE.