KULAI: The Kembara Mahkota Johor 2017 finally drew its curtains for the 20th edition as the Sultan of Johor and his family completed their 808km annual royal trip.
The arrival of Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar at 4.05pm at Hutan Bandar Putra in Kulai marked the closure of the KMJ 2017.
Accompanying the ruler was his daughter and son-in-law Tunku Tun Aminah Maimunah Iskandariah Sultan Ibrahim and Dennis Muhammad Abdullah, Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Sultan Ibrahim.
However, Permaisuri Johor Raja Zarith Sofiah Sultan Idris Shah, Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim and Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Sultan Ibrahim, who were with the royal entourage since day one, were absent on the final day as they were representing Sultan Ibrahim at the funeral of the Sultan of Kedah Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah in Kedah.
Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin was also absent at the closing ceremony as he was paying his last respects to the late Sultan Abdul Halim in Istana Anak Bukit in Alor Setar.
Sultan Ibrahim arrived at the ceremony dressed in a beige safari jacket which he custom tailored from his favourite tailor in Muar. He arrived at Hutan Bandar Putra in a green coloured Morgan Three Wheeler custom made for the ride. Thousands of spectators cheered him.
As in previous KMJ, which featured unique vehicles that the Royal Family used, 11 Morgan Three Wheelers imported from Britain were the preferred choice for this year's ride.
The vintage car was first designed in 1909 by Morgan Motor Company Ltd in the United Kingdom.
The royal event has become one of the state’s most iconic events where Johorean from all walks of life get to meet the royal family up close and personal.
As in all previous KMJ, this year Sultan Ibrahim and his entourage travelled to all 10 districts in the state in a journey totalling 808km which started from Dataran Bandaraya Johor Baru before the entourage made its way to Kota Tinggi and Mersing on the first day.
On the second day, while in Pulau Mensirip in Mersing, Sultan Ibrahim dived at a depth of 11 metre to witness and launch one of the biggest artificial reefs in the country in the form of a replica of the Sultan Ibrahim Building and also the placing of the new logo for the Iskandar Puteri City Council on the artificial reef structure.
While there, he also launched the newest tourism attraction in Mersing which is the Mersing Harbour Centre, a hub for small and medium scale businesses featuring marine products and local arts and handircraft.
On the third day, the entourage its way to Batu Pahat, Segamat, Tangkak and Muar after leaving Kluang. On the last day, the journey began in Pontian before ending in Kulai.
Choo Siew Lai, 50, a housewife from Indrapura who was at the Hutan Bandar Putra since 2pm, cheered for the royal family with the KMJ flags and Johor flag as the ruler make his stop at the last checkpoint.
"I am so happy that I could be here to see this as I heard this is his last year in the trip. I would not want to miss that for the world," she said.
Sultan Ibrahim was reported as saying that this KMJ would be his last before passing the baton to his eldest son Tunku Mahkota Johor Tunku Ismail.