West Malaysia loop ride

Day three.

I woke up today very excited as we will be heading to Pulau Langkawi on the RORO (Roll-On Roll-Off) ferry with our bikes. I have been to Langkawi before and drove around in rental cars. This would be the first time I get to ride my bike there and I could not wait to get started!

I got up at 6:30am and it was still dark outside. However, I found that Chris, Eric and LPG were already awke. I quickly showered and brushed my teeth so I could catch the dawn as it breaks. Chris and I walked out and discovered that the air outside was cool and crisp, nothing like what it felt like inside because it was warm and the air was still as the windows were all closed.

The entire place was quiet. Still. Dark. The only illumination were from street lamps that were still switched on. Slowly but surely, a tiny sliver of light…faint…muted…in a bluish hue…started to line the lowest part of the sky in the distance. I get a thrill when this happens as it signals the start of a beautiful light show that is different every day…and we were not disappointed!

Very dark in the morning still… (Photo by Chris)

We discovered a field across from the house. It was obscured by a row of trees. We walked onto it to get a better view of the sky as the dawn breaks. The faint, faded blue crept further and further up into the sky, and in its place, a stronger, bolder, more saturated magenta began to appear. Very quickly, the magenta too began creeping up and in its place appeared a bright orange band that seemed to expand indefinitely. The bands continued their journey across the magnificent sky, creating shadows and linings on the clouds as they encountered them. It was breathtaking!

Nice field…empty at this hour though… (Photo by Chris)

I am happy just enjoying the light show (Photo by Chris)

I love how serene this village felt (Photo by Chris)

Photographs will not do the light justice (Photo by Chris)

Chris made a nice panorama (Photo by Chris)

You can see the house now that it is brighter…had to park my bike outside (Photo by Chris)

A simple place but neat and cosy…this is the dining and kitchen area (Photo by Chris)

With the show over, we got back to the house and continued with our packing. The neighbours are out and about by the time we were preparing our bikes. The kids were running around stealing glances at the strangers with big bikes, the ladies were talking among themselves, it was a regular neighbourhood indeed. Soon we were done and it was time to set off!

Me blogging so I don’t forget the details of the ride (Photo by Chris)

Another iconic LPG morning portrait (Photo by Chris)

Time to get ready! (Photo by Chris)

The first order of the day was breakfast, of course. The easiest choice in this case was the Nasi Kandar shop just outside. They serve roti in the mornings. Six big bikes rolling into a food establishment in a small town must be quite a sight…especially when we were trying to park. I guess we attracted quite a bit of attention.

Parking six big bikes… (Photo by Chris)

Most important, though, was breakfast. So we quickly ordered and waited for our meal to arrive. I had my Roti Bom. A very appropriately named roti as having enough of these your heart will surely explode given the amount of butter, sugar and condensed milk within. It was delicious though and well worth the price.

This is my Roti Bom! YUMMY!!!

They also had other rotis of course (Photo by Chris)

Let’s eat guys!

Post Facebook first then eat… (Photo by Chris)

Yum yum yum (Photo by Chris)

With breakfast over, we had a brief petrol stop before heading for our first destination. Having quite some time on our hands before needing to be at the ferry terminal, we decided to check out an archeological site at the Bujang Valley.

I used my Garmin Zumo 500 to show the way. It brought us on the main highway, turning onto the road towards Bujang, eventually taking out to the rice fields…ending at a place that looked quite deserted and abandoned. There was a sign saying something about the place being historical. I wasn’t sure if we could walk inside but since the gate was left open I decided it was an open invitation. The place turned out to be a bit of a disappointment as there were no signs explaining the excavation sites nor their significance. Still…we took some time to look around.

The guys were confused about this place so they waited for my signal before proceeding onto the sand (Photo by Chris)

Narrow roads here…would be tough to do a U-turn! (Photo by Chris)

We’re surrounded by padi fields…very nice (Photo by Randy)

Place looked historical so I motioned for the guys to come on over

All parked…let’s take a look (Photo by Chris)

The place looked deserted (Photo by Chris)

But these structures protecting other structures meant this place had obvious importance (Photo by Randy)

We were very curious what these structures were (Photo by Randy)

There were some really big areas that were covered too (Photo by Randy)

Look at all those leaves! (Photo by Randy)

Eric in his best dance pose (Photo by Randy)

Very intriguing structures… (Photo by Randy)

Good thing I checked on my iPhone and realised that we were at the wrong place. Apparently, this place was an excavation site that was open to the public some time ago and is no longer in use today. There was an archeological museum located a few kilometres away near the Merbok village which housed all the important artifacts. It so happened that as we were getting ready to ride, a villager showed up and shared that many people came here by mistake too as the GPS pointed them here erroneously. Interesting how this was not rectified after so many were led astray….in any case, now armed with the power of Google Maps, we made our way.

Google Maps took us authoritatively…left and then right…then straight…and more lefts and rights….until we eventually turned into what looked to be a park of sorts. We tried to parked our bikes at the entrance when a lady in uniform gestured to me beckoning us to head on inside where there is a more suitable car park. It was definitely better as it was level ground and quite big. We park d next to some shady trees for shade and proceeded into the museum gallery.

We found the museum! (Photo by Randy)

This place had a nice spacious car park (Photo by Chris)

The main building up those stairs (Photo by Chris)

We could not agree where we were… (Photo by Randy)

We were at the base of the hill…at Merbok

This should be an interesting place to visit… (Photo by Chris)

Interesting maps of the region (Photo by Randy)

So many different types of stone artifacts… (Photo by Randy)

Looks like some religious influence from India too (Photo by Randy)

I was intrigued by all these artifacts man (Photo by Randy)

This was one of my favourite ones…does this remind you of anything at first glance?

I am a big fan of stone carvings

This must be a milling wheel of sorts (Photo by Randy)

Looks like a drawing of sorts… (Photo by Randy)

Some really nice vessels here (Photo by Randy)

These large heavy stones were used to support the pillars (Photo by Randy)

I thought these were grinding stones…turned out they were conduits for holy water (Photo by Randy)

Eric was enjoying the air conditioning (Photo by Randy)

Errr…what do you think these are?

Pretty looking stones!

Finally…pictures of the site that we were at! (Photo by Randy)

So these structures were called “Candi” (Photo by Randy)

Interesting structures…this Candi

Kedah turned out to be a major archeological site (Photo by Randy)

The exhibits were arranged very nicely

I liked the lighting and air conditioning too

The gallery was very impressive with many artefacts excavated from the surrounding villages dating back many centuries. There were many structures of Hindu and Buddhist origin. Candis of different shapes and sizes that were use for worship and prayer were discovered. Some square, others rectangular, yet others octogonal. They were very impressive especially given the period they were constructed so long ago before mechanisation! There were also other artifacts and jewellery pieces on display. It was interesting that long ago there was obviously trade between the people here and India and some other civilisation from far away. I never knew that given all I have learnt in history classes were about Melaka!

The area outside was very nice too…

Had to get a photo with Chris next to this word…look it up!

We enjoyed our time at the museum, not only because of the artifacts and education, but also for the superb air conditioning! Sadly, we had to leave or risk missing our ferry ride to Langkawi. So reluctantly we made a move.

Ready to ride! (Photo by Chris)

Eric the racer… (Photo by Chris)

The selfie expert… (Photo by Chris)

Let’s go! (Photo by Chris)

This time round, I had both the Garmin and Google showing the way, unsure which would bring us there correctly. I decided to trust neither at our first turn as one pointed left while the other pointed right. I decided to follow the advice of one of the security officers at the museumto head right towards Kampung Yan. I was really glad I made that call as we passed through a beautiful series of bendy roads, a delightfully simple village, and most importantly, a coastal road with occasional beautiful glimpses of the vast ocean that lay to our left!

As we continued on our journey, we rode through long stretches of paid fields. Now and then we see farmers on tractors ploughing the land with large smoky clouds of dust as they tilled the soil. It was a captivating and beautiful sight. We rode along these long stretches and through villages on narrow roads that had unexpected twists and turns. Some stretches had a heavy flow of traffic and both GPS had trouble pointing to the right direction causing us to make several U-turns. The slow ride through some heavily trafficked sections coupled with the hot sun caused a biker to drop his bike. By now we were seasoned enough not to panic but to help him pick up the orange bike so we could move on with little fuss.

Several wrong turns later, we ended up on a long straight stretch of road with a strong wind blowing from right to left. It was a very long stretch with this strong wind. I felt as if my right nostril was assaulted by the wind and it felt larger than my left nostril after awhile. The wind was indeed that strong! At some points I felt compelled to turn my face into the wind, facing right, just to balance out the force of the wind on my nostrils!

Thankfully, while the heat grew more intense, the road eventually pointed west to give my right nostril some respite. We eventually rode into what was the Kuala Perlis Ferry Jetty area. I stopped by the Langkawi RORO office to pick up our tickets from Nurul before finding a plac to park our bikes so we could have some lunch before boarding the ferry for the two hour ride to Langkawi.

Nurul helped us with our tickets!

Langkawi! Oh yeah!!! (Photo by Chris)

Lunch was a simple affair of Nasi Berlauk at a shop right opposite where we parked our bikes. There were not ,any options available so we had to make do. One standout of this place was the sambal which the lady brought out from the refrigerator! Cold sambal with hot Assam Pedas gravy on lukewarm rice…hmmm…I guess beggars can’t really be choosers! It was satisfying nonetheless.

Very hot day for sure…but the food and drinks were good!

Chris chose to have laksa (Photo by Chris)

With lunch done, it was time to get our bikes onto the ferry. We rode round and onto the jetty where two ferries were docked. The entire dock were filled with Mercedes Benz cars. It seems these were the cars used for the just. Included air show on Langkawi! Wow! I met a Harley rider here with his son. He was originally from Kuala Lumpur but is now residing on Langkawi. How nice! He was taking a different ferry from us: the Langkawi Auto Express. That ferry was uber modern. A twin hull wide decked ferry with lots of space and cuts through the water with extreme ease. I guess that was also why it costed more!

I have to say that I felt a little disappointed seeing the Langkawi RORO ferry docked right next to the Langkawi Auto Express. They were night and day apart. Where one was a twin hull, the other was a traditional single. While o e had bow thrusters, the other had no such luxury. While one had a massive deck, the other had a narrows all one. Still, I felt a sense of relief to be able to ride onto the ferry and get away from the heat of the hot sun beating directly on us. The folks working on the ferry were also cheerful and friendly which made the whole place much more pleasant!

Which ferry would ours be? (Photo by Randy)

RoRo was the one on the left! (Photo by Chris)

All parked!

Six big bikes do not really take up much space!

As usual, no series is complete without one of these (Photo by Randy)

Enjoying the breeze (Photo by Chris with Randy’s phone)

Lots of space still on this ferry

So many Merc’s on the ferry next to ours! (Photo by Chris)

Parking the bikes on the ferry was a simple affair. Deciding what to keep on the bike and what to bring upstairs for the two hour journey proved to be slightly more difficult. A few of us were fussing with boxes, bags, helmets, jackets and stuff…trying to decide what can be left there. Eventually everyone started to move upstairs. I was surprised that someone whispered to me that we had a VIP room! Turned out Eric (I think it was Eric) commandeered one of the rooms that they probably used for Karaoke and it then became our very own private cabin. Nice work Eric!

Total of three decks on this ferry…

Having a bit of fun

Going upstairs (Photo by Randy)

Can’t stop taking pictures (Photo by Randy)

Anyone wants a Merc? (Photo by Randy)

Alright folks…let’s get outta here!

The more “relak” kinda captain

Always happy on a ferry!

Or maybe not!

Our private suite!

We were finally underway. The entire ferry shuddered as the mighty engines roared and the propellers churned the waters and the silt. This reminded me a bit of the ferry ride in Penang with a notable distinction…this was a much longer journey! Many on the ferry took the opportunity to take a nap in the air conditioned saloon area, others enjoyed the breeze outside, taking pictures of the landscape as we ferried on, yet others were reading or watching the movie that was playing on the television screen. I decided it was a good time to do some blogging. Given the fact that the WMLR2014 blog was published just a couple days before the start of our journey this year, I wanted to get ahead of the curve and do it early! Let’s see when this finally gets published!

Eric reading the blog so far

The ferry ride to Langkawi is a rather pictueresque one, especially once we have entered into the channels of the Langkawi archipelago. We went pass many ruggedly beautiful islands with magnificent rock surfaces and tree lined summits. Now and then we could spot the spectacular Brahminy Kites (Langkawi Eagles) in flight. As we clear the channels, we could see the huge bay with resorts and yachts dotting the coast. Many on board were busy taking pictures too!

What a sky!

Is this SongSong Island???

I kinda like the black and white ocean…

Looks more old school…reminds me a little of “The Fantasy Island” TV show!

That is Kuah Town in the distance! The “capital city” of Langkawi

No gates here!

A view from the loo! (Photo by Chris)

Time to dock! (Photo by Chris)

The journey was very comfortable and we arrived at the terminal at 5pm, right on schedule. Disembarking was a simple affair at the Dermaga Tanjung Lembung ferry terminal at Bukit Malut. We were soon on our way towards Tanjung Rhu where our home stay was located. We rode through on Route 112 and 118, passing by the entry road to Makam Mahsuri and also a short stretch of road called the Marble Road built way back in 1962 and kept in original condition. I enjoyed the gentle bends and relaxing views along these routes. Unfortunately the GPS could not register the address of our home stay so we had to lookout for the sign board which turned out to be rather small…as expected…I had ridden past it by te time I spotted it. So another U-turn was in order!

Getting to the house required a short ride along very narrow roads. This stretch was very pleasant but I was secretly glad that we did not encounter a car trying to get out whole we were getting in. The house gate was closed at first but the caretaker opened it for us and we found places to park our bikes in the vast compound. Very nice so far!

We have arrived! (Photo by Chris)

A mini kampung (Photo by Chris)

Bala, the caretaker, welcomed us and showed us around the house. It was a big house with two floors. There is a living room on the ground floor, a kitchen and a dining room, two bedrooms with a toilet and bath, a washing room and another toilet and bath. Upstairs we find a huge den area with a well equipped entertainment centre and a huge master bedroom with attached bath and toilet. There were also two large balconies upstairs and a deck outside on the ground floor. This place definitely had enough space for us! Unfortunately, as the house faced west, it was rather hot in the afternoon and evening. It was also located quite a bit off the beach so it could not benefit from the sea breeze. One of the air conditioning units also did not work. It seems Bala,had the electricians check it out just the day before but it looks like it did. It do any good as the blower was not blowing at all. I tasked Bala to find a fix quickly To avoid further inconvenience.

The main living room downstairs (Photo by Chris)

The den upstairs where the TV is (Photo by Chris)

Blogging again… (Photo by Chris)

Not blogging… (Photo by Chris)

The hot room…aircon not working (Photo by Randy)

Bed was nicely made though (Photo by Randy)

Another view of the main living area downstairs (Photo by Randy)

This is a VERY nice house indeed (Photo by Randy)

Here’s the kitchen and dining area (Photo by Randy)

Here’s the laundry area (Photo by Randy)

So spacious lah! (Photo by Randy)

Looking upstairs you will see a nice sculpture (Photo by Randy)

Stair steps were high and steep man (Photo by Randy)

Another view of the den upstairs where I was blogging (Photo by Randy)

There was also a cosy office corner (Photo by Randy)

That’s my bed…eh…who is that with the terrible tan lines? (Photo by Randy)

The twin balconies upstairs (Photo by Randy)

Very hot…but very pretty too!

With everyone unpacked and refreshed, it was time to head out for dinner. We took the scenic route along Route 113 going by the northern side of the island. This route took us through a few villages and eventually to the Pantai Kok area. Essentially we went from the western tip (Tanjung Rhu) to the eastern tip (Pantai Kok). We then rode on Route 114 through a wonderful set of bends to cross over to the central eastern side where the restaurant was located. It was a relaxing ride with a little drizzle refreshing us as we went. We, unfortunately, witnessed a nasty accident along the set of bends as a car was seen overturned at the side of the road in a ditch. Must have gone too fast. Hope the driver and passengers are alright.

Heading out for dinner! We go with fewer bikes! (Photo by Chris)

Riding out from the Eagle Eye (Photo by Chris)

Dinner was at The Roof restaurant. This place features a series of green roof terraces and looks very “Thai”. In fact, they offer a Thai inspired Chinese cuisine which turned out to be very delicious at a very reasonable price. In fact, the food was so good I forgot to take pictures of some of them before we started tucking in! It sure looked like everyone enjoyed themselves at dinner!

We’re at The Roof restaurant! (Photo by Chris)

Stop taking pictures and start ordering food guys!

Let’s take photos! Let’s have a photo fight! (Photo by Chris…and LPG…and Randy???)

Fried rice…very nice…

Fried kway teow…or flat rice noodles…

Sambal Kangkong! Yummy!!!

Stuffed chicken wings…

Assam fish!!!

Grilled tiger prawns in a salted egg yolk curry leave sauce

Another yummy fried rice…yeah…guys were HUNGRY!!!

We rode on towards Kuah town after dinner so we could get some duty free shopping done. We got there just in time as the security guards started lowering the shutters not long after we got in. We were looking for some beers and whiskey for the night…and some cigars too! I was thrilled with what we were able to find and was excited about getting back so we could enjoy the loot!

Let’s go to Kuah Town! (Photo by Chris)

Our ride back from Kuah took a bit of an u expected twist as I missed a turn and we ended up at the end of town which also happened to be the entrance to the Westin. So…you guessed it…another U-turn was in order. Maybe we should consider renaming the ride to WMUR…what do you think?

By this time we were all feeling a little hot as the traffic was quite heavy in this part of town and our big bike engines were unforgiving in blowing hot air at our legs. So it was welcome relief when we turned off onto Jalan Air Hangat where the air cooled down considerably. In fact, the air got downright chilly after awhile but we were enjoying it too much to worry about catching a cold!

I’d like to say that I found the turn off to the house easily this time round. Unfortunately, it was even more of a challenge at night as the sign was not illuminated! So clearly I missed it…again…but I was determined not to miss it ever again after this! WMUR!!???

My excitement turned to disappoint,net fairly quickly when I realised we did not have any ice in the freezer. Things did not get any better when I realised the closest 7-Eleven store was 17km away! Undeterred, Randy and I decided to head out again so we could enjoy ice cold refreshments. Many shops along the way were closed. The one convenience store open did not have ice cubes for sale. I was psyching myself up for the long 17km ride (34km to and fro actually) when I noticed some food stores were still open. Inspired with this sudden realisation, we went in to ask if they had any ice cubes they could sell…and lo and behold…they did!!! Wooohooo!!!

With our mission accomplished, we headed back for the house. This time round I found the side road without problem. Yes! And proceeded to get ready for a nice evening. But you and I know that Murphy can be rather persistent and manifested himself whe. I was uncorking the bottle of whiskey. It was a nice Glenmorangie Sheery Casked single malt whiskey…and the cork simply disintegrated. Argh!!! Attempts to rescue the whiskey using a corkscrew did not help a single bit and eventually we decided the best thing to do was to decant it as quickly as possible.

We found the perfect decanter in the form of a water jug…complete with a cover that you can pour through. With that, our troubles ended and the night got better and better. We had good whiskey, good cigars, fun conversations and great company. A perfect way to end our first day in Langkawi!

Day 1: 511km
Day 2: 568km
Day 3: 161km