Underboning the World - 2 Symbas, 1 Couple, No Sense

[Underboning]

After breakfast, we rode to the offices of Worldlink Cargo to see Ms Goh. We finalized our shipping arrangements and left our Carnet documents with her so the paperwork could be started. Our bikes will fly on Eva Air, a Taiwanese carrier, from Georgetown to Taipei, and then on to Los Angeles. All in, it should cost around 2200 USD, which is still less than it cost to fly our bikes from Toronto to Cape Town, but more than we'd hoped.



In the parking lot, I spied this interesting shotgun exhaust on a Honda Cub and briefly thought about getting out the tools to see if it would fit our bikes. We hurried back to the room to purchase our tickets to LAX. Re's been watching the airfares, and right now, there is a relatively inexpensive flight from Georgetown to LAX, via Kuala Lumpur and Tokyo, on Malaysia Airlines. Fortunately, the fare was still available, so we bought our tickets for June 11. They are 670 USD each, which is the best fare we found by several hundred dollars. After we received the confirmation email, we both started to feel a little depressed that we are, in fact, going home. We knew this day was coming, but now it's here, and we don't like it.

After a kind of subdued lunch, we returned to the Star to find that Anh had a surprise for us. He had kindly brought us a package of good quality, fresh durian. For those of you who've never been to southeast Asia, durian is a well loved fruit in the region. Most westerners find the taste and smell highly objectionable. We first ran into it in Vietnam two years ago, when we walked into a store and thought their refrigeration system had failed and everything in it had turned. After seeing and smelling it through the rest of the region, we decided to give it a try in Indonesia, in the form of durian ice cream. There it was served as a parfait of durian flavored ice cream layered with a durian puree. Re described it as tasting like rotten onion ring farts and maple syrup. Not a good combination. Since we've been back in southeast Asia, we've become more accustomed to the smell but had yet to try it again. In conversations with Anh, he stated that the durian grown on Penang is famously better than anywhere else. He also explained that there are many different varieties, some sweet, some bitter, and that we must try it.



The package he brought had a combination of the two kinds, and Re made the mistake of choosing the bitter one first.


(this is an embedded video, it's kinda large but the look on Re's face... )

The look on her face was priceless, and she very politely tried to finish it. After sniffing all the pieces, I chose one of the sweet ones, and it wasn't too bad. I ended up eating three pieces of the sweet, but none of the bitter. Re gamely tried a bit of the sweet, but just couldn't eat anymore. While the actual eating of the durian wasn't so bad for me, but the burps that I experienced the rest of the afternoon were ghastly. At one point I looked up to see that Re had been brushing her teeth and her tongue for at least five minutes, and we eventually ate an entire bag of sour gummy rings in an attempt to cleanse our palates. Unfortunately, the taste stayed with us until after dinner. It was a good distraction from the earlier events of the day.


(the Corner Bar on a less popular night. I always take Re to the nicest places...)

Later, at the Corner Bar, we met Alex and Ashley, a couple who are backpacking through Malaysia and Thailand. Alex is from England, and Ashley is from West Virginia. They met a few years ago in Kathmandu and have been meeting up ever since. They had just spent a couple of months in the Philippines and were on their way to Koh Phangan for a month. We didn't end up leaving until around 2:00 am and made plans to meet for lunch before we said goodnight.

[jdgretz]

At this point, I've lost track - when are you guys due to hit Los Angeles? Will the bikes be there at the same time?

I presume you'll have all the tools and stuff you'll need to get the bikes running once they are un-crated, but is there anything you need on arrival? Beer? Soda? McDonald's? Can of gas? Lunch?

jdg

[Underboning]

Originally Posted by jdgretz

At this point, I've lost track - when are you guys due to hit Los Angeles? Will the bikes be there at the same time?

I presume you'll have all the tools and stuff you'll need to get the bikes running once they are un-crated, but is there anything you need on arrival? Beer? Soda? McDonald's? Can of gas? Lunch?

jdg

The bikes arrive on June 10th and we arrive on the afternoon of June 11th, around 3 pm. That's probably too late in the day to start the Customs process, especially since it will probably take an hour or so to get ourselves through Immigration. So I guess we will be looking for a hotel close to the airport and then try to get the bikes on the 12th. We will probably end up staying somewhere in the LA area on the night of the 12th and then start making our way north. No more McDs for us, if we are in the LA area it'll either be In-n-Out, Pachanga, or (if we can get there) Cafe Versailles for the best Cuban this side of Key West. (We lived in El Segundo for about 18 months back in 2000-2002, I think I left a wallet there somewhere...)

[Underboning]

Our plan was to get on the road as soon as we finalized our shipping, but that was before we met Alex and Ashley. So after a late and kind of short morning, we met up with them for a lunch of duck and pork and rice at Jit Seng.



After a delicious lunch, the four of us went to Penang Bowl, where we spent the rest of the afternoon enjoying good company and bad bowling. I bowled the best game I think I ever have and won the first game. Re then won the second, and Ashley won the third. A good and silly time was had by all, but I think we're all going to be a little achy tomorrow. Later in the evening we met up again for dinner, and after I ran back to the Star Lodge to watch F1 qualifying, we met back at the Corner Bar until after 2:00 am again. I guess we won't be riding tomorrow either.

[Ronnie Ventura]

Hey, Colin ... Am guessing you are already back in Penang now and crating the bikes tomorrow? Kinda sad I dIdn't have the chance to catch up with you and Re again before you leave Malaysia :( My Chinabike blew a fork oil seal, and can't ride it confidently over long distances, else I'd ride up to Penang tomorrow!

[DC950]

again, I've thoroughly enjoyed this report and thank you for taking the time to write it.

[gasandasphalt]

Well, I am not very happy to see your ride end. Thanks for taking the time to let me drag along.... I really admire your choice of rides.. Continue to BE SAFE. You two ROCK!!!!!!!!!! bill

[O'Hooligan]

[QUOTE=. (We lived in El Segundo for about 18 months back in 2000-2002, I think I left a wallet there somewhere...)[/QUOTE]

"Got to get, got got to get it"

[yank-in-asia]

Originally Posted by Underboning

..... No more McDs for us, if we are in the LA area it'll either be In-n-Out, Pachanga, or (if we can get there) Cafe Versailles for the best Cuban this side of Key West. (We lived in El Segundo for about 18 months back in 2000-2002, I think I left a wallet there somewhere...)

Having grown up in Westchester (LAX is actually in Westchester), there were no In-n-Out's anywhere close by. Later, after the university and residing in Hermosa Beach, I use to drive to Covina to get their burgers! When in Hermosa, Pachanga didn't exist then, but the beach area had some other decent mexican food restaurants or I'd go to East LA. Nor, did the Cafe Versaille exist then, the best place back then was all the way to La Cubana in Glendale! But, I have eaten at the original Cafe Versaille, in Miami, where some relatives now reside.

And, alas, in Thailand there is NO _real_ mexican food, usually only marginal burgers and of course no Cuban food at all! Maybe I need to make a long overdue trip back home....for some gustatory delights.

Alas, the Asian Simba journey is coming to a close. While I, too, hate to see your ride end, I thank you for all the effort you and Re have put into creating your wonderful trip report and sharing it with us!
Have only safe journeys back in farangland...
Thanks...

[Syntroxis]

Thanks so much for your report. I have thoroughly enjoyed it. You have the true spirit of adventurers.

I'm going to miss reading them.

Thanks again.

[snakebit]

Thanks to boning and boned, i've read every word. Great story, true adventure and I might even have learned something about Symba maintenance.

[Tom48]

An outstanding ride and report.

[340hp]

Originally Posted by Underboning

The bikes arrive on June 10th and we arrive on the afternoon of June 11th, around 3 pm. That's probably too late in the day to start the Customs process, especially since it will probably take an hour or so to get ourselves through Immigration. So I guess we will be looking for a hotel close to the airport and then try to get the bikes on the 12th. We will probably end up staying somewhere in the LA area on the night of the 12th and then start making our way north. No more McDs for us, if we are in the LA area it'll either be In-n-Out, Pachanga, or (if we can get there) Cafe Versailles for the best Cuban this side of Key West. (We lived in El Segundo for about 18 months back in 2000-2002, I think I left a wallet there somewhere...)

Great trip report, I have been following it since Africa.

Since you have not been near LAX for a decade some help with close proximity food is in order

The closest In-N-Out is about one-half mile north of LAX on Sepulveda (just north of where Sepulveda & Lincoln splits).

The closest real Mexican food is El Terasco, where it's been forever southwest of the airport on Main in El Segundo. If you are more adventurous, try even greater hole-in-the-wall fast food at Don Amigos just east of the 405 on Manchester (in the sketchy Inglewood strip mall next to Roscoe's Chicken & Waffles).

Welcome back to the Western World.

[Underboning]

Originally Posted by O'Hooligan

"Got to get, got got to get it"

I'm glad someone got the reference!

[Underboning]

Originally Posted by yank-in-asia

Having grown up in Westchester (LAX is actually in Westchester), there were no In-n-Out's anywhere close by. Later, after the university and residing in Hermosa Beach, I use to drive to Covina to get their burgers! When in Hermosa, Pachanga didn't exist then, but the beach area had some other decent mexican food restaurants or I'd go to East LA. Nor, did the Cafe Versaille exist then, the best place back then was all the way to La Cubana in Glendale! But, I have eaten at the original Cafe Versaille, in Miami, where some relatives now reside.

And, alas, in Thailand there is NO _real_ mexican food, usually only marginal burgers and of course no Cuban food at all! Maybe I need to make a long overdue trip back home....for some gustatory delights.

Alas, the Asian Simba journey is coming to a close. While I, too, hate to see your ride end, I thank you for all the effort you and Re have put into creating your wonderful trip report and sharing it with us!
Have only safe journeys back in farangland...
Thanks...

The food in LA was my undoing, especially the Mexican and the Cuban. In the 18 months that we were there I put on over 25 pounds! We had to get out of there. After that I was on a mission to lose 40 pounds and I have kept off most of them, but I might put a couple on when we are there.

It's funny that the biggest thing we miss from the US is the food, especially the ethnic food.