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My dad and I were in Singapore Sep. 21-25 to attend my cousin's wedding. Thanks to the diplomatic efforts of our very own Ambassador-to-All, Chito Frondoso, I was able to get in touch with some of the members of their members namely John and Ricky prior to our trip. They were very friendly and would eagerly await our arrival in Singapore . With all the pre and post wedding activities, however, we were on a very tight schedule and I wasn't actually sure if we could find the time to meet up with the Singapore MX-5 club. On September 22, in between the Garden Tea Wedding held at noon and the reception held in the evening, our schedule for the following day became clear and I was able to find a window of opportunity to meet John. With this, I immediately sent him a text message telling him that I was free from 2 to 5 P.M. Around 2:30 on September 23, the phone in our hotel room rang. It was John at the lobby. I went down to meet him. Some of our members will remember him as he was in Manila earlier this year and was actually able to join one of our Club meetings. He drives a Galaxy Gray on Tan 2.0 3rd Generation MX-5 ( Miata , NC ) with a 6-speed paddle shift. John dearly loves to drive and has crossed many borders, traveled to many countries, gone to many track days in the Sepang F1 Circuit, and racked up 36,000 fun-filled km. in his 10-month old NC. John said that with the limited time we had that afternoon he would take me on a city tour. If we had more time he could have planned a longer drive. Due to obligations for the wedding, my dad was not able to join us. John and I proceeded to the parking area to get the NC and as we exited, I noticed that he pulled a card out of an electronic device that looked like a more sophisticated E-Pass. It had a display showing your remaining balance. Turns out, the card is used to pay parking and highway toll fees while the electronic device functions like an E-Pass. Interestingly, in Singapore , they also get charged when they enter the city center. There are electronic arches at the entry points that automatically deduct the toll fee from your pre-paid balance. Imagine getting charged to enter Makati or Ortigas! No wonder why there's no traffic in Singapore . We darted around the city top-down passing through key areas and even stopped by a Mazda showroom to check out the NC Power Hardtop Convertible. Unfortunately, it wasn't available for public viewing until sometime October. Another interesting thing I noticed was that there were electronic sign boards that show you your estimated travel time from where you are to where you are going. And that's in minutes! Brilliant! Singapore is so small that after covering half the country we still had time left. John drove into a park and offered to let me drive his car, to which I happily obliged. John chose this place because it was secluded and had absolutely no traffic. We swapped positions and there I was on the right side of the car with the shifter on my left hand. This was going to be my first time to drive a right-hand-drive car and drive in a country that keeps to the left. At first, it was difficult as everything was the opposite of what we are used to here in Manila . It was also my first time to drive a 3rd Generation Miata so I was now overloaded with nervousness and excitement with so many new things before me. A part of me was trying to get oriented to RHD while another part was savoring the moment of driving top-down in a 3rd Generation Miata with the fresh, flowery Singapore air in my face, hearing its exhaust note, and feeling the road through the chunky, 3-spoke, paddle shift steering wheel. But after I while I got used to it all and John was already telling me to nail it on the straights and even through the corners. Before I knew it, it was almost 5 P.M. and we had to head back to the hotel. John dropped me off. We bid each other our goodbyes and I thanked him for a day well-spent. After about an hour, my cellphone rang. The number was not familiar to me and was not displayed as a name on my cellphone (probably it was the operator's number that was displayed since I was roaming). Nevertheless, I picked up, and to my surprise, it was John on the line saying that they were going to have a Sunday Morning Breakfast Run to Malaysia and asked if we would like to join them. "What perfect timing!" I said to my self. This got me really excited as I wasn't expecting to be able to travel to Malaysia on this trip so I rushed to check our schedule for the following day, and to my delight it said that I was free. My dad still could not join us because he had to be with our relatives. I confirmed attendance with John and asked him if another member could spare a seat in his Miata for my other cousin who was also traveling with us and was also free on Sunday. John happily said yes and we were all set. They were going to pick us up at the hotel at 5:15 A.M. the following day and would be back at the hotel before lunch. John was at our hotel on the dot. It was still cold and dark when we got down from our hotel room to meet him. While waiting for Ben, John handed me and my cousin immigration forms to be filled up. Just as we had completed them, Ben arrived in his Silver 2nd Generation MX-5. My cousin rode with Ben and we immediately took off heading for the rendezvous point which was the Gelang Patah Esso Petrol Station. We headed North West towards the Link to Malaysia . While cruising on the highway, I notice 2 cars with very bright HID's behind us. The lights quickly got closer and closer to us and blasted past us in no time. It was an E46 M3 and a 5-Series BMW. We caught up with them at Immigrations. John is a law-abiding citizen. As we went past immigrations to meet up with the rest of the group at the petrol station, I wasn't surprised to see the 2 Bimmers there also. Just like in the Petron SLEX Station, this is where car groups assemble before going on their runs. Cars kept coming. Some of the cars I saw were an M3, a Z4, a 996 GT2, and a 996 Turbo. Aside from the Singapore MX-5 Club, the BMW Club, the Porsche Club and the Accrord Euro R Club were also there. One by one the MX-5 fun-runners arrived. This was the Fun Run Group as John would say. They just love to drive and are the ones who would jump at any opportunity to go on a fun run from one country to another. In addition to John and Ben, the members present were: Allan, Black 2nd Generation; Eugene Saw, Black 1st Generation; James, Blue 2nd Generation; Chun and Rina, Red 2nd Generation (previously had a 1st Generation); and Eugene Aw, Honda Civic EG Hatchback (usually the sweeper) With everyone, present it was time to take off for Johor. It was going to be a 100 km. drive on smooth, flawless roads going top down on a 3rd Generation MX-5. I was already telling my self that this was going to be a blast and what more could I possibly ask for? Then John hands me my very own key to the Miata and says that it was time for me to take over. Wow! As we rolled onto the highway, I reacquainted my self with the NC and RHD. It was still dark up to this time and I felt like I was in one of our Christmas Season Sunrise Runs. The roads are like the STAR Tollway only a lot longer, smoother, and other road users do actually have road manners. By the time the sun was up, I was already comfortable with the car and driving on the opposite side of the road. I gradually picked up speed until I reached 180 km/hr. There we no other cars on the highway for miles and miles. We were on the fast lane when I first saw a slower car also on the same lane. Not knowing how the slower car in front would behave, I let go of the throttle slowing down to about 160. This is about the slowest we would go for the whole hour on the highway. John tells me that the car will just move away. At first I didn't believe it because I knew in my mind that I was still in Asia in a country very near the Philippines where road rules and manners are imaginary. I thought that maybe if we were in the States or Europe that the slower car in front would actually move over. But to my surprise, the car traveling at around 120, I would say, moved to the next lane as we were approaching. I was so amazed that even after passing the car that looked like it was standing still, I was still looking through the rear view mirror as it moved back in to the fast lane. In spite of that, I still felt that I just got lucky and was following an educated driver so when another slower car came up, I tried it again and again and again until I was able to gather that John was indeed right. Amazing how road users there can practice road courtesy and those here couldn't. While chatting with John, he said that when they go on runs there are portions such as this long highway wherein in it is pretty much free for all ? the convoy breaks up and everyone could go as fast as they like. But what I remember more is the rule that whatever happens, whether convoy or free for all, everyone protects each other by keeping an eye on their fellow club members at all times. They are always aware of what is going on in front of and behind them. We eventually reach our exit and stop at the end to regroup. What an adrenalin rush! I'm sure by now you're already dying to know what the NC is like to drive. For me, the NC felt a lot more refined than our NA's and even NB's. On bad roads it didn't rattle as much and on the highway it wasn't as nervous running at high speed. On the power side, it pulled cleanly and instantly and probably on this car I would not feel the need for a Supercharger. But that wasn't all that mattered. I was more concerned with the simplicity, naturalness, and purity that make a Miata a Miata. Otherwise, Mazda would have just produced another car and not a successor to the legend. Because the car was bigger and a lot more modern that our original 1st Generation cars, I was afraid and was already expecting it to feel like a normal car ? a sedan even. I feared that it would feel big, heavy, and not as agile as the original, losing its directness and fluid-like characteristic. If it were to feel vague and uninvolving, I was prepared. However, after driving the car both on highway and through the corners, much to my surprise and joy, the car still had the soul of the our beloved NA's. It was sensational! The right feedback and the feeling of speed were all still present and just like the original. Everything that I had prepared myself to expect had not happened. The car felt like a 1st Generation when it had to and felt like a real, useable car when it had to. As Jeremy Clarkson says, "This is smile-on-your-face motoring." I say, "This is smile-on-your-face motoring everyday." Features-wise, it had everything that we would want to add to our NA's and more. It's like the factory heard all our wishes and aftermarket manufacturer's plans and made them all standard items. The roll bar was standard as were the Bose sound system, the 17" rims, twin exhaust, leather, and more... One thing I particularly liked was the way the factory had reengineered the folding soft top. Now it folds like a clamshell and part of the top becomes the tonneau cover. It also has a glass window which makes rear visibility much better and it doesn't scratch like plastic. What's better is that you can raise the top from within the car. While at the driver's seat, all you have to do is unlock the single center latch above the rear view mirror and drop the top. That's it. No unzipping of the window, no placing of the tonneau cover, and the top just locks itself in place. Putting it up is another engineering marvel. All you have to do is press a button on the center console and the top pops up from the locked position. Lift the top, lock the latch and presto! Press, lift, latch. Simple as that. All that takes is a matter of seconds. The Miata is now something you could and would use everyday ? something that I have long been dreaming of. Given a choice, it would be a very close match between a soft top manual and a power hard top paddle shift. John took over after the highway and the group stopped at a sidewalk restaurant for breakfast. The place was nothing fancy but the food was fantastic. It was very interesting and yummy. We had Malaysia 's version of Pork Rib. It's called bak-kuh-teh. It's served in soup in a big family style bowl on the center of the table and each person gets a small bowl w/ brown rice. First, you pour some soup in your rice bowl and add pork ribs on top much like pork ribs rice toppings. When your rice is finished you have pork rib soup. The transition from rice topping to soup is almost unnoticeable. Thank you, by the way, to Eugene Aw for hosting our breakfast. On the way back to Singapore , John was the pilot and we reached 200 km/hr on the highway. We cruised at around 160-180. At the end of the highway, we took a detour as John wanted to show me more places, and withdraw some Ringgits and get gas. The rest of the group went the way we came. Gas is much cheaper in Malaysia than in Singapore - same amount, different currency. In Malaysia , 1 liter of 95 octane petrol is 1.92 Ringgits. In Singapore , it's S$1.80 or 4.14 Ringgits. When we got back to Singapore , we stopped shortly at John's house which is just a stone-throw away from Orchard Road . We were back at the hotel by 11A.M. and were in perfect timing as my dad and my uncle were at the lobby on their way to have lunch. John took my dad for a spin on his NC. I told John about our planned Miata Club Philippines 10th Anniversary Southeast Asian Run and he is very excited to join us. John told me that they were planning to go to Sepang the following week. Ahhh... How I wish I had also been in perfect timing for this. Then again, what more can I ask for a first time? The run to Malaysia was already a bonus and what's better is that I have something to look forward to next time. Thank you, John, Ben and the rest of the club for your warm Filipino-like hospitality. It's nice to know that we can feel at home when we are in Singapore . Do get in touch with us whenever you're in Manila . Thank you also to Ambassador Frondoso - soon we will have Miata friends all over the world. All in all, my Singapore and Malaysia Miata experience was time well spent. Even if it was exhausting fitting everything into my really tight schedule in Singapore , it was all worth it ? I was able to travel to Malayasia impromptu, drive RHD, and enjoy the 3rd Generation Miata and make new friends. I am still smiling 'till now.... JR Tanpinco |
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