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Adventure Travel – Kayaking in Johor Lama, Malaysia

By Editor on Jun 09, 2011 in Malaysia & Undergrads@Adventure Travel

Undergrads@Adventure Travel - Kayaking in Johor Lama, Malaysia

George Loo, an undergraduate from Singapore Management University, holds strong passion for paddle sports since a couple of years back. In this interview, he shares with us the lasting experience that he had while kayaking in Malaysia with his after school activities group, SMUX.

Name: George Loo Zheng Xian
Nationality: Singaporean
University:Singapore Management University (Business)

So George, do you mind sharing with us what sparked this interest of yours?

I’ve been interested in paddle sports since high school. I was a member of the canoe club but I was too fat and unfit to continue training with the rest so I dropped out. In SMU, everything is different. SMUX Kayaking is a non-competitive team where you can find awesome and supportive people who are always willing to include you and share their experiences with you. I felt at home in SMUX and it was natural that I chose SMUX Kayaking as my primary team. (:

So… where are some of the places overseas that you have kayaked before?

I have only kayaked to one overseas destination – Johor Lama, Malaysia. But it would have to be ranked as my number number 1 favourite expedition out of all the expeditions I’ve been to. That’s because it was the first time our group kayaked overseas and it was a challenge to us on many levels but we got through it as a team!

I guess that expedition would have bonded your team together even more! Can you share with us what are some of the safety tips that you would like to share to those undergraduates that are intending to kayak overseas?

Do a good scout or research of the place before the expedition so that you know the dangers that may be presented during the expedition and make sure your participants are physically ready by conducting training sessions for them.

Kayaking experience - George Loo and friends

I believe that there are definitely many dangerous close encounters that you have faced during your kayaking trips. Can you share with us one of the major challenges that you have faced?

During an expedition across Changi Naval Base almost 2 years ago, it suddenly began to rain heavily. As we were quite far away from shore and we couldn’t kayak into the Naval Base, we had to brave the storm and kayak past it (the naval base). It was dangerous because the safety boat could not see us and if we capsized, there was a possibility that we would have floated away.

Wow, it does sound like a frightening moment! One last question to sum up this interview… Which adjective would you use to describe your kayaking experiences and why did you choose this adjective?

Adventurous. The tagline for SMUX is “Adventure, Fun, Family”, adventure is a key element of our group and I think no other word would better describe our expeditions. There is something new to be discovered every trip, be it a new place, a new route, or the wonderful new friends found. Even getting to know new people is an adventure, and something that makes SMUX unique and different from other student groups is that we find joy in experiencing new adventures together.