I am not the most observant person going.

I remember my mum asking me if I had seen this or that person wearing this or that, usually jewellery or something fancy or new, and nine out of ten times, I wouldn’t have/didn’t. She was flabbergasted at my ‘ability’ to not notice people and/or what was happening around me. It’s not that I didn’t care or didn’t want to be aware. Some things/people just didn’t register on my radar. Still don’t.

My husband is equally bad. We call each other out at our useless sense of observation. I kid you not. We almost walked or stepped on some seals sunning on a beach in New Zealand. These are not small animals and yet we didn’t see them until we were too close for comfort. I think they got out of our way. Stupid humans😊, yes.

Anyways, on a recent drive from Cherating, an east-coast resort town in Pahang, to Kuala Lumpur, I surprised myself as I actually noticed vehicles on the highway. I know its a given for safety reasons. But this time, I also took note of their logos, company names, and the cargo they were carrying or not.

My husband and I mostly enjoy looking at and talking about the landscape –  dense jungles, undulating mountains, oil palm plantations, and open fields – along most of the East Coast Expressway – Karak Highway. This time we multitasked. We vehicle spotted.

First vehicle we or rather I spotted had a sign –  ‘Explosives Team.’ Yes, really. I only managed to fleetingly catch these blue words on a white van as I drove past it. Bar any other information, I thought the company/organisation was either so proud of its employees that it described them as being explosive or their job actually involved detonating explosives. But, where though in Malaysia? Hmm.  

Next was a truck advertising ‘Ikan Bajet’ or Budget Fish. Curious, we had more questions than answers. Who/what is Ikan Bajet? Who are its customers  Where are its outlets? What fish?

I Googled, later. Not while driving, naturally. Ikan Bajet is an importer and supplier of fresh frozen seafood, not just fish. The 100% Muslim Bumiputera-owned business says it eliminates the middlemen so that it can sell its imported seafood wholesale and retail at cheaper prices – almost half the market price. The company’s portfolio includes fish, shrimp, squid, and crab.

With outlets in Selangor and Johor, Ikan Bajet owns freezer trucks (maybe like the one we saw), cold room storage stores, and serves a large customer base. Impressive.

Next was J & T Express. We’ve both received deliveries from this company. I like the red and white company logo and tag line, ‘Express your online business.’ Without any basis, I assumed it was Malaysia-based. Nope. Established in Indonesia, the delivery operator arrived on local shores in 2018. The company is present in countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, UAE, Mexico, and Egypt.

This is interesting. ‘J&T, whose Chinese name means “speedy rabbit” was founded in 2015 by entrepreneurs Jet Lee, former CEO of Oppo Indonesia, and Tony Chen, who had founded the smartphone brand in 2004[1].’

‘Oppo is a private Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer and technology company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong[2].’  I know Oppo. Oppo mobile phones are everywhere.

Then, we spotted a Lalamove van. I first heard of Lalamove from niece number 3. She had used it to transport herself to her home, when the company hadn’t yet introduced its ride service for humans/people. How? Hmm. Anyways, I used the delivery service for an aluminium trim that was needed to frame our bathroom tiles. Prompt and easy.  Again, I thought it was a local company. Nope.

Set up in Hong Kong by Chow Shing-yuk and some others in 2013, Lalamove came to Malaysia in 2018. It also has operations in countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Brazil, and Bangladesh.

Bear with me. Founder Chow Shing-yuk was born in mainland China and grew up not rich in Hong Kong. He studied at Stanford University, US on a scholarship, and later worked as a consultant at Bain & Co. in Hong Kong.

This is more interesting.  He played poker online. Turned professional. Eight years later, earned HK$30 million or US$3.8 million in winnings, which he used to start his company Lalatech, originally called EasyVan, with two others[3]. Lalatech operates as Lalamove outside China, and as Houlala in the mainland.

We also saw several large open-top lorries, the old-fashioned ones, with no cargo heading towards KL. It seemed a waste logistically, financially and timewise, but there may be good reasons for travelling empty.

Noticing and talking about the other road users was quite fun and informative. Almost like playing ‘I spy with my little eye’ on a long car trip. It made the under three-hour drive, which in parts is twisty and winding, a little less tiring, and long.