The Royal Malaysian Police escorts were already prepared, waiting at the side of the road as the supercars gradually got out of the Shell station in Gelang Patah R&R in rather spectacular fashion. Listening to the deafening roar of V8’s, V10’s and V12’s from the station delightedly excited the crowd… and us!*Thanks to the police escort, we took less than 30 minutes to reach the location of the highlight of the day, which was Kelab Alami in Tanjung Kupang, Johor. The convoy turned off the highway and into the village roads leading towards the environmental conservation centre.
Due to the lack of space inside Kelab Alami, many of the supercars were parked outside, at the soft shoulders. You can imagine the commotion and activity caused in the village when 30-odd supercars started parking at side of the road!
Once the participants settled down, they headed in towards the courtyard and greeted the children and teenage volunteers at Kelab Alami.
The children, called the Youth Rangers, are from all over Johore, volunteering themselves in an effort to learn about the importance of environmental awareness and coastal conservation.
The person who greeted the convoy’s arrival there was Ms. Serina Rahman, one of the caretakers of the Youth Rangers. Other than being acquainted with Ms. Serina, the entourage also enjoyed a bit of the local Johore hospitality, in the form of some light snacks and drinks. The courtyard was readied with chairs and a makeshift stage, where the kids at Kelab Alami will be presenting to the participants.
Before the kids started their presentation, however, it is perhaps prudent to elaborate a bit about the centre, and why this place is the highlight of the day (other than the supercars blazing down the North-South Highway, of course).
Formed in 2009 by Cikgu Bakhtiar Jaffar, Kelab Alami is a centre for youth development in Tanjung Kupang, a subdistrict of Johor (southwest of Johor Bahru). The impetus for its creation came by the graces of the Shell Malaysia Sustainable Development Grants Programme 2009, of which Kelab Alami is one of the many beneficiaries that year. The primary focus of the centre is environmental awareness and education. The centre utilizes the Malaysian coastal backyard along the Singapore Strait and Sungai Pulai as an avenue to educate the youth on the importance of the surrounding ecosystems and natural habitats. The Youth Rangers are not only taught to appreciate the biodiversity that is available in the nearby ecosphere, but to also “monitor the surrounding ecosystems and conduct regular habitat studies and experiments in the seagrass and mangroves (guided by scientist advisors)” (Shell, 2009, p.1). The Youth Rangers are also trained to serve as ecotourism guides for visiting schools and tourists to that area.
For more information about the centre, please head to its Facebook page here.
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As part of the highlights at the centre, the Youth Rangers gave the entourage first-hand insights on their daily lives, and conveyed what they learnt there to the eager Invasion Tour group.
Titled “Coastal Ecosystems of Mukim Tg. Kupang, Johor”, the Youth Rangers talked about the local natural habitats, mangroves, seaweed, seagrass, various fauna subsisting along the coastal regions, and the threats against sustaining the ecosystem at and around Tanjung Kupang.
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The Youth Rangers also told the crowd about their experiences visiting nearby hills and beaches.
Once the presentation was over, the organizing committee of the Shell Helix Invasion Tour handed a donation of RM7,000 to Kelab Alami, which was a pleasant surprise to the facilitators there, especially Ms. Serina.http://www.zerotohundred.com/?attachment_id=23382
The visit was cut short, however, by an increasingly heavy torrential shower, and the entourage raced towards their respective vehicles after bidding their farewells and best wishes to the gracious hosts of Kelab Alami. Once the entourage was aligned, the professional men from the Royal Malaysian Police escorted the supercars over to their next stop: Thistle Hotel in Johor Bahru. The escort bikes were essentially drenched in the extremely heavy rain, slowing the convoy down to speeds below the highway limit.
The convoy was repeatedly reminded via radio to be cautious and attentive to the traffic by Erwin Azizi in his Porsche GT3 RS.
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Upon reaching Thistle Hotel, the participants were allocated to their respective rooms, freshened up, and came back down to Oasis Restaurant for the gala dinner.
There, the participants had a relaxing evening, dining to jazz and pop music, abundant seafood, and cheerful camaraderie.
After dinner, however, the more energetic and adventurous participants continued the evening by heading over to Walker’s at The Zon in Stulang Laut.
As usual, the partial entourage attracted a crowd consisting mainly of the nearby club patrons. Thus ends the first day of Leg 1 of the Shell Helix Invasion Tour 2011. Next up - Special Feature: Lotus Autocross Competition @ Danga Bay.
Below: Additional photographs of the occurrences at Kelab Alami, Tanjung Kupang.
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