West Malaysia loop ride

West Malaysia Loop Ride 2013. It was until I penned in the FB , I always thought it is called West Malaysia Leisure ride 2013. Maybe it should be called West Malaysia Leisure Loop Ride 2013!! 🙂

This was my first time going and I was very excited about it. Last year, I missed out the great opportunity to join them, however, I still find the time to send them off.

23 April 2013 to 28 April 2013. Simon, Chris, Eric and myself set off from first link. I was a little nervous as I am considered a new bird but excited because I get to see Malaysia!! This was a period where Malaysia is going through a National Election process and I was hoping to see many many flags!

One of my favourite stop is the coffee shop and it has to be the traditional one!  These coffee shop usually serve the authentic coffee and not the 3-in-1. The setup is very cosy, with marble table. I love the atmosphere where people read newspaper, chit-chat about politics, bread with butter, kampong half-boiled egg……yum yum!!

This beach front is along Kuantan. It is a very peaceful place where I don’t feel any conflict in my emotion and I could breathe easily when I was there. I admire the couple who spent the afternoon there, walking along the water and enjoying the moments together.

I love nature, I love flowers! This was what I found at the beach.

In a journey, I have learned to expect the unexpected. And the unexpected can be more gorgeous than the expected. We saw this palace like building over the other side of the river towards Dunggun while we were actually searching for traditional boat constructor (we couldn’t find them).

You don’t see Malaysia without visiting their night market. It is a cooking pot of cultures where we get to chat with the locals, buys local goodies, take colorful pictures! I love looking out for treasures to bring home. You don’t need to speak their language to enjoy the company , just put on a great smile and you will brighten up their days!

This was somewhere in Gerik. (Ed: Actually it was Kuala Krai). We were trying to charter boat to go over to the opposite side and also explore the river delta. Unfortunately the boatman was charging us RM500!! I was a little disappointed because I was looking forward to exploring  nature and see what are the local plants available. It is a great place for plant hunting!

Train Ride to Dabong and back to Kuala Krai! (Ed: It was Kuala Krai to Gua Musang though we did pass by Dabong along the way). The ride took us most of the afternoon. We saw mainly greens and mountains. It was a hot afternoon, a little sleepy though the scenery was beautiful!! The school kids there take free train ride to school.

Gunung Stong waterfall is pretty tall and there was a layer of clouds covering the top, creating a mystic feels. The water is cold and very clean. Along the way up there, I spotted many beautiful plants growing in their natural habitat.

I love this place best! It is called Banding Lake, Gerik. We stopped over there for lunch, overlooking from the hotel, it is the largest lake in Malaysia. You can charter boat and explore the river there. You can also go for a day trek and see Rafflesia (big smelly plant that is found only in Malaysia). I wish I got more time there. Next time I will make a special trip and stay there to explore the place extensively.

Our last night stay was in Taiping. (Ed: Our last night was in Muar). It is a quiet town similar to Ipoh. I love the slow atmosphere there and people there are very nice. I managed to start a conversation with this Indian Bookshop owner. He inherited the shop from his father and it has a history of more than 80 years. A very friendly man, agreeing to the photo shoot and standing proudly for where he is today! Thank you for sharing your story and joy!

Dear Friends!! Here serve the best coffee and boil eggs!! You can swallow the egg without the usual black sauce and pepper. Behind the shop is where the Kluang Railway is and you can just walk over, take the train pictures.

My Riding Companions!!

Chris!! He is quiet and he is funny and I can feel that he is a very caring person. I was scare out of my wit when he pillion me for dinner twice. I have to tell him to slow down please ;-). I will ride with you but I will not ride on you 🙂

Eric :-)….the funniest guy among the 4. He proof on the 2^nd last day that his 600cc Yamaha is faster than the Racing Turtle. He is right. Actually I would like to say the rider (Eric) is fast otherwise the bike cannot be any faster than the Turtle :-). I had a lot of fun with him and we chatted a lot too.

The Boss!! Aka Simon Nunis!!. He is a very technical person, no-nonsense (not all the time :-)) . Thank you for planning all the routes and arranging the stays (very good accommodations). He rides and corner like a semi-pro with a camel-like bike. Speak to him about pictures and camera and he will give you his best.

Me! Me! Aka Racing Turtle!….I ride like a pro too (L-plate pro :-))….i love seeing everything about world. Next year and many years later, I hope to continue the WMLLR (West Malaysia Leisure Loop Ride :-p) with Simon and the gang gang!! Thank you very much Simon, Chris, Eric and Paul for the great journey and companionship!!