Stephanie Chok - Crossing the Straits

Was having dinner with Stephanie Chok last nite to celebrate her 26th birthday. What a colorful life this young lass has gone through. I find it truly amazing and highly motivational to have a short chat with her. This picture really does not do her justice, but I took it to capture the moment.
I know her to be a very athletic and sportful person, but to what extent, it was about to be revealed during the conversation. In that short chat, she was relating to me her experience recently (last Saturday) of swimming the Malacca Straits to Riau, Indonesia and back. She did it all in the name of fun.

Stephanie who has done a continous 96km swim before this was convinced that this swim from PD to Riau which is a 45km each leg should be fairly easy. The way she related to me, was that she wanted to see how much shipping traffic was there in the Malacca straits ;-). They started the swim at 8:45 am and reached Riau at 10:30 pm much to the chagrin of the Indonesian passport Authority, who expected them at 2pm. She jokingly quipped, they expect us on jet ski or what?

What was also fun, she said was to swim behind a net which had captured the biggest jelly fish she has ever seen, almost as big as a racing bicycle wheel, she chuckled. It was hilarious the way she said she needs to keep up with the boat captain who had set the speed of boat and net at 3.3 knots, which was almost competition speed.

So, what else do you want to do, I asked her?. I said, she has done skateboarding, triathlon is her passion, mountaineering and now swimming across the straits of Malacca. There was a gleam in her eyes and she gave me hints on her next project. I grinned and just sat there dumbfounded but in admiration of what she had plans and also the fact this girls is so humble and down to earth. Thats the Steph that I know and like.

Till next time, i bid her goodnight, we parted - me to my next appointment.