The Malaysian Foldie Issue 13, September 2014 | страница 4

Peeps

Meet your neighbourhood's friendly foldie

The farming foldie

Y.P. Chan or "Ah Pan" is living the life to the fullest as a a professional fishing guide, adventurer and farmer..

LEFT: Chan posing at the Chamang waterfalls near Bentong, Pahang.

RIGHT: With Bob, his trusted pooch at Sin Poh Farm in Mukim Sertik near Karak, Pahang.

PROFESSIONAL fishing guide Y.P. Chan or "Ah Pan" is no stranger to all things mechanical.

If you see him cycling his Dahon Dash P18 alone along the Karak - Genting Sempah route in Pahang, don't be alarmed.

The 58-year-old farmer in Mukim Sertik is a bicycling enthusiast and have been living in Karak for the last 10 years.

Ah Pan spends most of his time manning Sin Poh vegetable farm for his employer Farmer Wong

On his free time, he will cycle from Karak town up to Genting Sempah. This he added, gave him the much-needed exercise and an escape from the pressures of the daily crunch working in the farm.

"I take my bike out to Bentong, Genting Sempah and Raub, it's fun cycling and the workout really kept me going.

"One of the best thing about having a bike is freedom and I really enjoy it," he explained.

A big fan of Dahon bikes, Ah Pan has a 2010 Dash P18 and a 2010 Dahon Flo mountain bike.

The Dash P18 is his preferred "Weapon of choice", while the very rare Dahon Flo was his "Spoils of War"."I love the Dahon Flo and when I found out that it was on offer, I wasted no time in securing one unit for myself," he said. On the population of folding bike owners in Bentong and Karak, Ah Pan is also responsible in becoming an influence to new

riders in the townships.

Folding bikes, he added, had become popular since people had realized its capabilities.

"Initially, they were shocked to see such a small bike going places, especially in Genting Sempah where the slopes are long and its gradients are steep.

"Once the psychological barrier has been removed, the people became convinced that folding bikes can perform like its larger peers," he said. On the cycling scene in Karak, Ah Pan said he hopes to develop a farm-stay facility that is friendly to cyclists.

"That's my future plan.

"I hope to develop a small area in Sin Poh to accommodate cyclists can experience what life in the frontier is all about," he said.