West Malaysia loop ride

The Penang island is a mere 295 square kilometers in size…slightly less than half the size of Singapore, the Pearl of the Orient is everything that it is fabled to be. It seems Penang is the ONLY state in Malaysia that has a majority of Chinese (all other Malaysian states has a Malay majority). This explains, I suppose, the variety of Chinese dishes that is so popular with visitors.

I was the first to wake up this morning…as usual…and got ready for the ride. I had planned a relaxing ride all around the island so the gang can experience Penang in a way that most people would not have. I was eager to set off early because I remembered how long the trip took when my dad used to drive us around back in the 1970s!

Alex and Tony came out not long after I got myself ready. We (just three of us this morning as Dan wanted to have a little more rest) decided to take a short walk out for breakfast. We had some Penang prawn noodles for breakfast at a place just down the street. Unfortunately, the coffee stall wasn’t open at that time of the morning (around 7:45am) so we had to find coffee in a different shop…and we did just next door! I had an additional tosai as well…and Alex had a chapati…hehehe! It was really nice to take it easy after two hard days of long distance riding on slow bikes…what a luxury! However, we did not ride here just to sit around and chat…so we headed out soon after.

Dan was still sleeping when we got back to the hotel room…but he woke up with a start because he wanted to pass us the key to the lock that he used to lock up his and Tony’s bike. He was going to go back to sleep but eventually decided to get up and join with the ride…so the gang was back!

We headed out around 10:30am and started riding up north towards Batu Ferringhi. The ride out was an easy one…I decided we would ride slow and relaxed today just to have the change of pace permeate everything we did today. Setting off at 10:30am did have benefits…we essentially skipped the rush hour traffic…the roads were very clear and we had an excellent ride all the way to Batu Ferringhi.

I like Batu Ferringhi. No, I don’t like that place because of the tourist attractions…but one with many fond memories for me…you see…my mom and dad used to bring me to this beach when I was young and I always enjoyed those outings. Further more, the beach at Batu Ferringhi is littered with many large rocks, making it look very dramatic. I love the way the waves crashed on those rocks and how the the spray seemed to come alive!

We had a whole day’s itinerary ahead of us…so we moved off from Batu Ferringhi and headed towards Teluk Bahang. I saw an access road that seemed to lead towards the beach and took it. While it led to a private gate, we decided to park at a spot next to the beach. You know how the movies always portray the beaches at Hawaii or Brazil? Can you picture those long stretches of sand? The waves? The throngs of thongs?? Hahaha! Now I don’t mind the thongs if there were only girls there…but there are usually many guys there as well…and I really prefer not to see them. Well, the beach at Teluk Bahang was a LONG stretch…and on top of that…the sand was powdery white…AND IT WAS EMPTY!!!

I read in some motorcycle forums that people who own TW200s like to take them to the sand…you know…dunes and beaches. They always looked like they were having so much fun. So I decided to take my bike to the sand this morning as well…and it was GREAT FUN! I did not stay on the sand long though because I wanted to take pictures so you can also see this fantastic place…but you will have to wait because…yeah…you already know why. Hehehe…while we were here…I went around taking pictures (as usual), Alex decided to do some work (he looked like he was doing some work), Tony was taking pictures of Dan frolicking around. Hahaha!

I took the gang to Kampung Nelayan next to see if we could rent a boat to take us out to one of the beaches that can only be accessed by boat…or a VERY LONG hike. I found a tour operator at the Taman Negara Pulau Pinang (a.k.a. Penang National Park). We packed our lunch at a stall outside the park gate and headed off to Monkey Beach. It was a short boat ride of around 15 minutes…and then all you see is a beautiful bay with lush vegetation, swaying coconut trees, hammocks, benches…and jet skis! We quickly settled down to have our lunch…hot rice, beef curry, fried egg, fried chicken drumstick, lemak curry gravy…YUMMY!!!

With lunch over, it was time to get to the Muka Head lighthouse. Dan did not come along as he was barefooted (he took off his boots and left them at the tour operator’s shop), and Alex didn’t want to stress himself out. Hahaha! So Tony and I set off for the trail that would lead us to the lighthouse. Unfortunately, we had to walk across the entire bay to access the trail. I found out during this walk that it was a lot harder to walk on loose, powdery sand than the tight, packed sand nearer to the waves. So with my riding pants and boots, my camera and bag of photography gadgets, I walked on this tight, packed sand towards the trail with Tony.

The hike up the trail was tough from the very start. While the were steps all the way up, these steps were laid many years ago. I remember having to walk up when my mom and dad brought me there more than 20 years ago. The condition of the trail was…well…let me just say that they could be in better shape. Hahaha! Seriously though, some of those steps were so high it took a lot of energy just to climb on. Tony was climbing like a monkey…but I was climbing like the old man that I am. Hahaha! I was perspiring in places that I didn’t realize had sweat glands…and had to take so many breaks I lost count with my fingers…just so I could catch my breath and give my thighs a rest!

Each step was almost an agony! I found myself saying “I will conquer you, Muka Head!” time and time again just to psych myself up. After what seemed to be hours, I finally heard a voice shouting…I’m here already! Wow! Light at the end of the tunnel! Still, I took two additional rest stops before stepping through the gate to the lighthouse. By then I looked like I had just stepped out of a shower! I was drenched from head to toe…and my entire body was on fire. I had to sit down for quite awhile at the base of the lighthouse before climbing the last 40-50 steps to the top of the lighthouse. I saw some large water tanks and decided to pour some of the cold water over my head and body just so I can cool down…I was a pretty hilarious sight, I’m sure! I’ll spare you the details of the last steps…except to say that the climb was all worthwhile when I stepped out onto the platform and looked out…the view was SPECTACULAR!!!  Wait for the pictures…because I am sure I cannot describe that view…except that it took my breath away…yup…again.

We meet a couple from England on our boat ride back to Kampung Nelayan. They were on holiday and spent seven days in Penang. I thought they had a good plan…taking an airplane to Penang and then renting a Honda Cub to get around the island. I started noticing many other holiday makers doing the same thing after that. Strange that I never noticed this before, isn’t it???

I had wanted to take the gang around the island as a unique way to experience the Penang island and to have a nice ride. I didn’t expect the road to be the way it was though…because it was…I am running out of superlatives here…er…GRAND! Hahahaha! Seriously again, the shortest way to get from Kampung Nelayan to Balik Pulau was around the hill that stands in the centre of the island…and the road around this hill has all sorts of pleasant surprises! Parts of it reminded me of the Jeli-Gerik road, other parts of it reminded me of the driving heaven that the Top Gear folks found…mainly deserted…many corners and bends…many hairpin corners…many ascents and descents…and some fantastic switchbacks! Wooohoooo! We stopped at a tropical fruit farm along the way to refresh ourselves and the fruit juice there was excellent! Oh yeah…we also met a couple from Singapore who were riding a Penang plated Honda Cub! We also met a Bosnian fella who was living in Penang for the last few years…all he said was…he used to ride bikes…and that it was hot in Penang…as in the weather. Hahaha!

It was getting late by then so I decided to head back towards town. Along the way, I chanced upon Jalan Pantai Aceh…a road the led us through a typical “modern” kampung in Penang. I remembered Tony commenting that he did not see many houses when we first got onto the island. The ride on Pantai Aceh showed yet another face of Penang. I am simply amazed at the diversity of this island! We also stopped by a rest stop with a beautiful vista of the western part of the island. We had a little incident then because one of the gang turned in a little too enthusiastically…and well…let me just say that some of us felt it was a close call. The good news was the beautiful view…and a little path that I explored. Actually, that path was steep…so steep that my bike was slipping even when my brakes were fully applied! Hahaha!

After this short detour, we headed back into town for food. Unfortunately, the only stall on my list that was still open was the Penang Road chendol stall…so that is where we went. The chendol in Penang is different from those in Singapore and Melaka. It was not as sweet, nor as thick…but it was ice cold…and very tasty! I gulped down my bowl and literally licked it dry!

We were feeling pretty tired by then…so it was time to head back to the hotel and then walk out for dinner. Unfortunately, it was also the time of day where the traffic was heavy as many people were heading home from work. The ride back to the hotel was through thick traffic. So as the saying goes…when in Penang, do as the Penang Kakis do…lane split like crazy! Of course, Alex’s Steed had wide handlebars…and Tony’s DR had humongous panniers…but we got back to the hotel safely…and headed out for a nice dinner of Marmite pork ribs, sambal vegetables, fish slices with ginger and onion, oyster omelette, special tofu and fried bee hoon. Unfortunately, we were all starving by then and completely forgotten about taking pictures…but like all the food that we had in Penang…dinner was super yummy!

So here I am back in the hotel room blogging about today. It took me quite awhile to blog tonight because there is so much I want to say! The rest of the gang are sleeping now…so I think its time for me to turn in as well…as we have a long ride tomorrow…along the west coast…to the Klang valley!