NISSAN TREASURE HUNT - A NISSAN CRA2Y WEEKEND

A Nissan Cra2y Weekend

KUANTAN, 15 Aug 09: What a cra2y weekend! On Saturday, we joined the Nissan Treasure Hunt as a family for the second straight year. We had a major accident along the way but somehow the four of us escaped unscathed. In the end, we didn't finish the hunt but ended up with the biggest prize. The following day, I was involved in the organization of a motor hunt for the Kota Kemuning Residents Association (PPKK) but could not be there to congratulate the winners and one of the treasures that I had crafted a couple of weeks before the PPKK hunt had a spooky coincidence to my situation - am elated that my plea was answered by Nissan!

The Biggest Prize

Thousands of treasure hunts or similar events must have been organized ever since it made its debut in this country. Can you try recalling what was the biggest prize ever given away? I made my hunting debut in late 2001 and since then I have seen many big prizes being given away. One house, a few cars, a RM50,000 credit and several all-expenses paid overseas holidays were amongst those that I can recall. However in my opinion, none of these material prizes can compare with the prize that my family won in today's Nissan Treasure Hunt. We literally won the prize of our lives!

Call it Fortunate or Unfortunate

The Nissan Treasure Hunt was just like any other hunt, with route questions, treasure riddles and 2 puzzles to ponder along an 8 hour journey from Petaling Jaya to the Swiss Garden Resort in Kuantan. We were one of the last few cars to flag-off from the Edaran Tan Chong Motor showroom that morning - my fault as I had some unfinished office work that I just had to get out of the way that morning before we left town.

The hunt brought us to Bentong, Mentakab, Temerloh before ending in Kuantan. During the journey, when we were on the East Coast Expressway (LPT) heading towards Kuantan, it started to pour. The heavy rain together with the mighty cross winds made driving conditions difficult and dangerous. After the Gambang toll, the rain had slowed to a light drizzle and the roads were beginning to dry up.

At around KM210 of the LPT, all of a sudden I lost complete control of the steering wheel. My 11 month old Sylphy had aquaplaned on a patch of stagnant water on the road, spinned out of control and smacked hard into the centre divider and road-side railing a few times before coming to a complete stand still. All this happened so quickly that none of us had a chance to scream.

Fortunately all of us were wearing safety restraints and except for some minor knocks and bruises, we ended up unhurt. The same couldn't be said of the car though which was somewhat wrecked. Thinking back, we were also very fortunate that there were no other vehicles around (the nearest vehicle was a trailer which was about 400m away) when the mishap happened - otherwise it could have been curtains for us!

The Sunshine after the Thunderstorm

The entire crew from Edaran Tan Chong Motor (ETCM) was truly fantastic throughout our ordeal. One of the first people to arrive at the accident scene was Datuk Dr Ang Bon Beng, a very considerate and charming gentleman (who also happens to be an executive director at ETCM), who was on his way to Kuantan. He was instrumental in ensuring that assistance from ETCM arrived in the shortest time possible and offered us many comforting words. He and his wife also graciously helped look after the kids for the rest of the afternoon, ferrying them to Kuantan and feting them with tea (taking them away from the dangers of the highway).

Our family is also very grateful to a host of other good people from ETCM who assisted us with everything from medical needs, towing assistance, transportation, police report, insurance claims, to our meals on that day.

We also have Mr Khoo Cheng Pah, a Sales Director at ETCM, to thank for insisting we take part in the I'M NISSAN CRA2Y photo contest, which eventually won us a spanking 12 Megapixel Fuji camera.

Our prize winning photo (borrowed from Autoworld) - A truly cra2y family!

And that was not all we won that night. We also won a consolation prize for finishing in last place. Cameron walked away with an IPOD perhaps for being the bravest kid out there. And saving the best for last, Datuk Dr Ang, announced at the end of the prize-giving ceremony that ETCM will be replacing my wreck with a brand new Sylphy. Glad someone heard my plea (so spooky, huh)!

T4 from PPKK Hunt: Decipher these picture clues to discover the type of seasoning I desire.
Answer: A bottle/packet of SOS Tomato
My Plea: Help Exchange My Damaged Toyota (Nissan)!

Am I Nissan Cra2y

Just to repeat my short speech that night. I have always associated my Sylphy with good looks, fuel efficiency and passenger comfort. Now I can add passenger safety as another plus point. You can say that I experienced first hand its superior safety design that was instrumental in minimizing the risk of any serious injuries to me and my family.

Part of the Sylphy's award winning 6 star safety design - a 2.5 inch thick metal piece at the front end of the car.

And with a caring ETCM team to boot, why wouldn't I be Nissan Cra2y? The Murano will be next on my shopping list.

Errrr ..... but maybe not as Nissan cra2y as this man, who may just give you a prize for counting correctly the number of home-made Nissan accessories he had on that night.

An obliging Jayaram posing with his creations.

Winners (L-to-R): Sam, Ee Wen, Margaret and Chai with Datuk Dr Ang Bon Beng in the centre.

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Nissan Treasure Hunt
(Maximum score: 100 pts)

1st: Chai Koh Khai, Margaret Sha, Woo Ee Wen, Sam Rahman (98)
2nd: Yeap Heng Boon, Pavananthan, Lily Loh, Ho Mun Yee (87)
3rd: Teng Wei Chiat, Yeoh Ban Lye, Cecilia Yew, Jayaram Menon (85)
4th: Kok Pooi Hoe, Tan Tsiau Way, Tan Chee Chiew, Wong Yean Khong (83)
5th: Raslan Khairuddin, Mohd Redzuan Taib, Shamsul Zahuri, Azeman Saarin (72)
6th: Chow Chin Keong, Phuah Kah Keong, Kuan Peng Neoh, Kuan Ean Neoh (64)
7th: James Jian Tee Jiang, Pauline Siew, Yvonne Siew, Sunny Cheang (62)
8th: Fahruddin Najumudeen, Mahazer Mohammed Desa, Raja Nor Fazilah, Nor Azmi Baharum (59)
9th: Lee Kean Leong, Lee Shee Hou, Christine Lim, Lew Meei Jen (57)
10th: Shahrullrizal Sulaiman, Fathullah Razak, Zaini Nyuziri, Ariefulddin Taijulddin (56)