Visit to an oil palm mill in Johore – Sat, Jun 14, 2008

Hi to all members,

Eleanor and I are trying to arrange a visit to an oil palm mill and the details are:

Date: Jun 14th, 2008, a Saturday.   Time: Meet at a pre-arranged place at 7.30am

Duration: 8-10 hrs.  Estimated time back in Sgp: About 10pm, depending on the customs and immigration jam.

Costs: to be advised. This will cover the cost of renting a bus. All meals will be shared

All members who ae interested please register in this thread.

As an alternative, we are also considering using our cars instead of renting a bus if the numbers are small. Those members who are willing to drive please indicate here. The usual mode of payment for the owner/drivers for their fuel will be made. If we have 10 to 12 interested members, we can drive up in 2 or 3 cars, avoiding the hassle of arranging for a bus.

Can someone here also please tell me the usual practice of how the costs are shared in your earlier trips. Please use this thread for all your questions and Eleanor and I will try to answer them.

Let’s have a show of hands to see how many are interested.

Cheers to all,

Eleanor and Charles

 

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29 thoughts on “Visit to an oil palm mill in Johore – Sat, Jun 14, 2008”

  2. Hi Mei Foo,

    Ok, now we have 3 persons. Keep the date free and can you let me have your h/p # in case I need to contact you in a hurry?

    Cheers

  6. Hi Mei Foo and Danz,

    Thanks for your response. We now have 5 persons. Let’s see by this Mon if that is all and we can plan the details.

    Eleanor, Can I have your hp # pls?

    Thanks all

  8. Hi Dennis Ha,

    I have registered you as a participant.

    Info to all :

    The owner of the oil palm mill has just changed the date to Jun 21/08. He says he will set up an itinerary soon and as soon as we receive it we will put it up here.

    Hi to Catherine Ho,

    It was interesting meeting you and I have also registered you as a participant pending confirmation of the trip.

    Hi to Caroline Gee,

    Gee, it was nice meeting you today in CBC. Thanks also to Terence for his generosity in inviting us over to his club and buying us lunch. Thanks Terence, you generosity is unbounded, may it return to you five fold.

    Gee, Pity I had to miss your great nasi lemak due to my upset stomach. Next time I will take special care to avoid any accidents so I can taste your cooking. You can always tell quality when you see it.

    I have to use this thread to reply as I could not find the CBC post. What happened? The post has disappeared!!

    Cheers to all.

  10. Hi again,

    The trip is now confirmed on Jun 21st, ’08.
    We will be meeting at MacDonald’s in Serene Centre, at the junction of Farrer Rd and Bukit Timah Rd at 8.15 am. We will then drive over to JB and meet the owner’s representative there. Breakfast will be somewhere in JB. followed by the visit to the mill and lunch.

    After lunch we will also visit a residential and commercial complex, also in JB and that should bring us to about 4-5pm.

    We then have the option of having dinner in JB.
    We should be back in Singapore by 9 to 10pm at the same meeting point, ie MacDonald’s at Serene Centre.

    Costs will be S$10 each payable to the car drivers. There are no other charges.

    If agreeable, please register on this same post.

    Those who registered earlier need not re-register. They are:
    1) Charles Chua, 2)Eleanor Chan 3)Harold
    4)Mei Foo 5)Danz Huang 6)Dennis Ha
    7)Mary Chan 8)Catherine Ho

    Should the interests escalate, we will rent a bus, mini or normal and share all costs equally.

    Cheers to all again.

  12. Hi,Charles Chua,

    I’ve set aside 14 June and would like to join all of you. However, I’m sorry that I can’t make it on 21 June.

    Disappointed to give it a miss.

    Regards

    Meifoo

  13. Hi to Eleanor, Dan Huang, Dennis Har, Catherine Ho, Mary Chan and Andrew Yeung,
    The visit is now confirmed on June 21st/08.

    We will meet at 8.15 am at the MacDonald’s outlet in Serene Centre. We will clear customs at Woodlands and a company car has been arranged to meet us at Johor Baru. We will then follow the car to the palm oil mill.

    Thereafter a lunch has been arranged and also 2 visits to the owner’s property developmnents in JB, both residential and commercial.

    After these visits we will have dinner in JB and should be back in Singapore by 9-10 pm. We will disburse from the same Serene Centre meeting place.

    I have h/p nos of all the above registered members and will sms them the same details.

    Should anyone be interested there are still some places left.

    Cheers to all.

  15. Hi to Eleanor, Danz H, Dennis Har, Catherine Ho, Mary Chan and Andrew Yeung,

    Just a reminder about the visit to the oil palm mill this Sat., Jun 21st. Please meet at MacDonald’s in Serene Centre at 8.15 am. Plan to be back at about 10pm perhaps, depending on the immigration jam. We will go in one car. So Danz and others who are driving to the meeting place, I hope you have recce’d a parking place for your car.

    I will send you an sms reminder also, to keep on your hand phone. Don’t forget to bring your passport.

  16. Hi Charles,

    Jessie Teo want too join in too. How many do we have now, and how many cars going?

    Those who drive, you may park your car along Jalan Harom Setangkai, there is no white line!

    Danz

  17. Hi Danz,

    I don’t know how many are driving to the meeting place, but for the journey to JB, if there’s 7 of us (currently), they will fit into my car. If there are others, then you will also have to drive as my car only takes 7, including the driver.

    Cheers

  18. Hi Charles, Danz & all friends going on the Oil Palm Mill tour,

    Sorry for my silence this week. Just finished writing my exams so now back in action.

    My M’sian friend’s 4×4 can take 5 extra spaces for the estate tour so if there are a few more more coming, we would be able to accommodate. He will meet us at the Causeway at 9 am.

    Just a gentle reminder. Please check your passport if there are at least 6 months to expiry date.

    Seeya tom!

  20. Great Mary!

    Thou art comming…. It’s gd to hear that den we’ll more jokes. It’s a pity our Office boy not comming eh? Ha.. ha..
    See tml.

  21. Hee Catherine, yup, I’m cummin’. Oh dear, thou art naughty. Office boy! hahaha. Hmm, better not let him read this. He can be very sharp with his tongue.
    Cya tml.

  22. Office Boy just cum home from Peninisula Msia and he will mati susah to go again so soon. No worry tho – he has told the mosquitoes to bite you where it wont hurt but will give you that very special tingling feel which you both had missed since back to observing celibacy………….

    Enjoy…………..heee, not the sensation lah but the tour !

  23. Catherine, my misspelling of the word comin’ seems to have sent some people into quite a tizzy. Hee.
    Anyway, there is the “hummin’ bird”, so why not “I’m cummin'”? People misspell a lot here mah. So if Yan can cook, so can I, right? ;-)

  24. Hi to all,

    We had a wonderful time yesterday driving up to Johore to see, learn and smell what an oil palm plantation and refinery is like. We also spent some time viewing the residential and commercial complex which the group (Kim Loong) is building. I must say the thought of a gated, freehold landed property with a walk-in wardrobe, carpark for 2 cars for S$100k is quite tempting. Can’t say more because of the SHC ruling.

    The weather was good despite the news about a heavy downpour. Cath, thanks for your prayers, they must have worked. Also despite the traffic we spend a relatively short time clearing immigration.

    Thanks especially to Eleanor and her good friend Gooi who was the consumate host, seeing to our needs, making all the arrangements, explaining every detail and question we had and making sure we were never lost during our drive there.

    Both Dan and Ele took some photos of the group as well as the lunch and dinner we had there. I am sure they will share it with you later.

    Thanks again Ele,

    from all of us,

  25. Charles, actually it was your effort that made this trip possible. Thank you for organizing it. We are also thankful of your reminders on where and when to meet and most importantly, to bring passports.

    I enjoyed myself very much as I have not met up with Gooi for almost 4 years and this is the first time I met his family. Someone asked me if this is his 2nd marriage since his wife is so young. NO, he has been the most eligible bachelor till 5 years ago. He has never been married.

    I hope all of you enjoyed yourself as much as I do. We should go back to the same restaurant one day and do makan, yeah?

    Hope it was the same for everyone

  27. Eleanor and Charles Chua,

    Thank you both for arranging this trip to the Oil palm factory. It was very informative and thoroughly enjoyable. I enjoyed the drive through the estate of palm trees, bumping up and down in the four wheeler and sometimes hanging on for dear life and peering at the proximity of the deep irrigation ditches. ;-).It was so immense, stretching out to the horizon and the rolling hills.

    The mill was something else. The sight of several football fields of oil palm fruit, the smells and the sound and heat from the factory were something that I’ve never experienced before. It was a whole new experience, which those who came along, will never forget.

    The tour of the residential development was very interesting in spite of the hot sun beating down on us. At least I had my unbrella, hehe, but I have to admit, I didn’t quite enjoy the industrial parks very much.
    Yes, Charles, the thought of so much for just a fraction of what we pay here in Singapore, is indeed tempting.
    Well, who knows? Perhaps one day, some will retire across the Causeway if things get too tough to handle here.

    Our host Mr Gooi, was very hospitable and so accomodating. It was a pleasure meeting his lovely wife and her mother and his exceptionally bright and sociable little girl, who, at the tender age of 4 and a half, was confidently greeting and introducing herself to everyone at the table.
    We were all very well taken care of and very well fed indeed. :-)

    So, any more of such tours Charles? :-)

  28. Eleanor and Charles Chua,

    A big thank you to both for the adventure yesterday. All had been commented by three of U. What’s there left for me?

    So much commentary on the trip and I must thank the drivers esp Charles who drove the most the whole day and had his car dirtied. Can I jux wash the wheels? Ha.. ha>>

    It’s indeed an educational tour on oil palm mill and a very gd start on bonding of friendship. At least, we get to know each other a little better.

    As for the food, they were very delicious and I’ll go back for more. Yes, at the same place, Eleanor, why take out the last line? Of cz, not same tour but same restaurant. We can go shopping & eating only.

  29. Eleanor, Charles Chua and all,

    Its an interesting trip. I like industrial visit. A great eye opener for me to see the setup of a palm mill. It will be interesting to know if they also have a process for the palm tree trunk. I know that these can be process as wood products.

    May be the need visit Mr. Gooi can show us some thing on palm wood products. Eleanor if opportunities arise do let me know. Tks for the trip.

    Catherine, Mary & Charles Chua nice to know you all better as we are in one car.

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