West Malaysia loop ride
Friends riding motorcycles around the West Malaysia peninsular in search of the next great adventure. Join us as we discover new people, places and experiences!
2016 Day seven – Melaka to Singapore
Day seven – Melaka to Singapore
So quickly time flies! It is already day seven…the final day for our ride this year. I woke up feeling terrible. I was literally burning up most of the night before…I took a couple of cold showers and still felt hot. I woke up this morning feeling really hot too and took a few cold showers. So I did not join the rest for breakfast outside and requested for them to get me something instead. I just hope they would get me something nice!
I also found myself going to the toilet quite a bit. I was at one stage wondering if I was having a bout of food poisoning or heat exhaustion or a combination of different ailments all at the same time! The thought of having to ride all the way back to Singapore did not make me feel any better really! I was wondering how I would even get out of the door given my recent attachment to the toilet!
Spending the morning in the air conditioned house really helped cool me down. Also the almost constant showers helped bring my temperature down. Eventually, I actually felt good enough to have coffee and the breakfast that the rest have bought for me!
Having breakfast really helped me feel so much happier. Something about my favourite foods and coffee flipped a switch in my body. I was feeling less hot and could even move around without feeling the aches! It was also time to get the house cleaned up and be ready for the handover of keys…and of course…that meant it was time to pack up the bikes as well.
Cut or no cut, it was soon time to go. I felt surprisingly good riding on the bike. All the feelings from yesterday and this morning of heat was completely gone. My stomach was also very settled! It was an amazing transformation! We rode on the North South Highway and turned out to Yong Peng…from there we headed onto route J16 towards one of my favourite little towns called Paloh. It was really the middle of nowhere but the roads there were BEAUTIFUL for riding!
It was a short ride from here to the big town of Kluang where we stopped for some refreshments at the Kluang Rail Coffee shop. I really like this simple place that serves up nicely done toasts, eggs and coffee!
After snacks it was a simple and relatively short ride back to fill up at the petrol station in Johor Bahru before heading back to Woodlands!
I hope you enjoyed the read. I can’t wait to bring you the WMLR 2017!!!
2016 Day six – Kuala Tahan to Melaka
Day six – Kuala Tahan to Melaka
My day started early. For some reason I was wide awake before the sun came up. I decided against trying to get back to sleep. Instead, I went for a walk around the compound of the hotel. Walking around in the wee hours of morning brought out a very different side of the place.
Eventually the rest of the gang got up as well. We got some breakfast, checked out, crossed the river and gathered our things around there.
We had to leave our stuff there and walk to the car park to get our bikes. The car park is located about 300 metres away. It was not easy walking in our gear with boots on and all but at least we did not need to carry all of our stuff with us as we walked. We loaded up our bikes and then Eric announced to me that he was low on fuel! So we had to go look for fuel…apparent he really did not have much left and we were now worried if he had enough to even get to the next station!
Asking around we realised the nearest station was about 40–50km away at Padang Piol. So we kept our fingers crossed and started off! As we rode out on this road we were enjoying ourselves really. It was a nice and easy ride. It was really quite fun as the heat of the day has not hit yet. We went along quite smoothly until we came upon a lady who seemed to be stranded by the side of the road in a tiny little car with her two young children. So we stopped to help out.
The first thing to do is to get her car and her little family to a safe spot that is out of the sun. Sounds like a simple thing but with the damage on the tire it took a bit of effort! Eventually we could do a better assessment of the situation. It seems that her rear right tire was completely delaminated! There was a long strip that was flapping about…and while the tire remained inflated…you could not drive along at any reasonable speed without damaging the tire well and the body work! They did have a spare so we set off to try and get the tire replaced. Unfortunately, this car had one of those security tire nuts and the socket for that security nut was nowhere to be found! We thought the next alternative solution was to cut out the piece of rubber that delaminated so at least you could drive the car slowly to the service station. Unfortunately, no amount of cutting and sawing would cut the piece of rubber off as it was steel belted! ARGH!!! Very frustrating! In the end she called around and found someone who would help her out. At that point we gave the family whatever water and snacks we had so they would not dehydrate nor starve and had to ride off. We still have the problem of Eric’s petrol running out!
We got to Padang Piol and filled up eventually and started riding south towards Temerloh! The ride itself was uneventful now and we made swift progress! At Temerloh, we parked along the river and went for lunch at what is now one of my favourite places for a fish meal! This place is called Kedai Makan Pak Usop and they specialise in a local Malay dish here called Gulai Ikan Patin. This fish (Ikan Patin) is a deep river fish that has the best balance of firmness and juiciness…lean and fat…flavour and texture that I have ever tasted. It has got to be one of my very favourites! And the way they make the Gulai Ikan Patin here is with a local fruit that we call the King of Fruits…yes…the Durian. They make it in an exquisite soup that is simply magical! You HAVE to give this a try…it is a MUST try!
Lunch here is simply special. I just need the fish and the herbs with the Tempoyak and I would be a very happy man! Go try it!
When lunch was over we started making our way down to Melaka. We were prepared for the long ride as usual. What we were NOT prepared for was the HEAT! Did you realise reading this now for so many days that I did not mention rain other than that one time when we were heading to Georgetown? Well, that is because there was absolutely NO rain! It was just heat, heat and more heat! This is not a rant really…I just wanted to be very clear about how much heat we have been experiencing in this ride. It was really quite unprecedented. Chris had one of those thermometers that you can hook up to the bike and it would read the ambient temperature. Most people think that temperatures in Malaysia range from 25C to 35C. What people forget to factor in is the heat the road absorbs and then reflects, the heat from the vehicles next to you and the heat coming from your engine. When taken together the effects can result in a much higher temperature…our highest ever recorded temperature was at a traffic junction in Negri Sembilan registering at a whopping 55C!!! The thermometer went bust after that…hahaha!!!
The ride to Melaka was relatively easy outside of the heat. We got there eventually and started to head out to look for some dinner.
Here we are walking along outside the house deciding what to have…see how dark and red my face has become!
One should never miss the experience of Jonker Walk in the evening…
Chris wanted to get some pineapple tarts…
I was feeling so hot we needed a beer at the Geographer’s Cafe
We also decided to order some of this for supper!
After that it was really back to the house and shower and have supper and sleep. I was feeling quite feverish and exhausted too! Time for bed!
2016 Day five – Kuala Tahan
Day five – Kuala Tahan
*From memory…enjoy!
This is a very special place…Taman Negara (National Park in Malay). I have always wanted to come to this place…I have heard about it since I was in school and never had the opportunity to visit. It was awesome to be here and I was super excited to get on with exploring what this place had to offer.
We started with breakfast at the restaurant. It was your usual international buffet breakfast done very nicely at the edge of the forest. I found it to be a little ironic that we were having such an elaborate breakfast in what must be the most pristine forest in all of the country!
After breakfast, we went for our morning trek. Joe would be our guide. Joe is one of the locals who worked hard learning English and eventually qualified himself to be a guide here. He was very knowledgeable about the flora and fauna, very humourous and extremely passionate about the environment here. We went trekking into the forest, climbing up to the canopy walk…and then further upwards onto the summit before descending back to the hotel. Here are the pictures and videos of our adventure.
Finally! I get onto the canopy walk!
This is where it gets a little tricky…
Then it is upwards to the summit…1.2km up to the top!
Bukit Terisek is the name of this mountain…
Are we there yet?
Taking a break before the final push
On we go! Why do I keep looking into the camera?
The beautiful sounds of the forest…and the wonderful antics of Chris…
The summit!!!
After that it was time to get down the mountain back to the hotel for some lunch!
After lunch, we got down to the jetty and onto a long power boat for some rapid shooting.
Joe seems to be having a nice and relaxing time…
And then it is time to get to work!
We made it through eventually…and then some more that were slightly easier…
Time for a video wefie…
A quick blast with some people getting wet…
The beach looks nice…but it is BURNING HOT!!!
This is how you make fire…
Ariff’s blow pipe aiming is a bit on the high side…
Chris is just the opposite!
Now its time for Eric!
We headed back to the hotel after this. Back at the hotel it was free and easy time till dinner so I took a walk and also some photographs of the place.
After dinner we took a walk around the small village before going back to the hotel to call it a night. All in all, I really enjoyed the day!
2016 Day four – Georgetown to Kuala Tahan
Day four – Georgetown to Kuala Tahan
*As I did not take any notes…the following account is my best effort from memory…enjoy!
Today would be the beginning of a very unique adventure…we were going to Taman Negara!!! I had wanted to visit this national park for a long time now…I could not wait!!!
We got out of the hotel early…without taking breakfast even. We quickly filled up the bikes and headed for the newer and longer bridge in the south of the island. Getting there was quite a hassle as the traffic was AWFUL! We did eventually make it there though…and when we got on the bridge…we could not see where it ended! It was one of the longest bridges I had ever been on…24 kilometres in fact! We rode for maybe twenty minutes before getting to the end of that bridge!
Once we got onto the mainland at Seberang Perai, we headed southwards. We eventually got hungry and started looking for breakfast around Taiping.
After breakfast, it was to be a short blast down the North South Highway towards Tapah. So I told the gang they could power on ahead and we meet after turning out at Tapah. Unfortunately…when I turned out at Tapah with Ariff…I could not see Chris nor Eric there. I went up and down the road and still could not find them. So I eventually decided we should stop and have a nice cold refreshing drink while I called them.
I had a nagging feeling that they turned out at the Tapah R&R and not at Tapah as instructed. So I called Chris and sure enough they were at the R&R. So we decided they would turn back and we would wait. They did eventually turn up and stopped for a drink as well as it was really hot!
The plan to stop at Tapah was because were needed to cross over the mountains to get to the central spine of the range as that is where Taman Negara was. We would be riding up to Cameron Highlands till we get to Ringlet, then down the other side towards Jerantut. So it was that Ariff would start, followed by Chris and Eric, followed by me, and we would meet at Ringlet.
The road up was terrible. Lots of cars and trucks and busses. Lots of pot holes. Lots of sand. All of these things took away the pleasure of the nice bends and corners. But I pushed forward and upward and eventually we all got to Ringlet at about the same time. We parked out bikes and headed into a shop for some lunch.
Even though it was a very hot day, we felt instantly cool inside the shop up here at Ringlet. I suppose the elevation really did make a difference! Anyway…it was soon time to head down towards the central spine so off we went! The way down was beautifully smooth. The roads were wide and the weather was good for quite a distance. Then it got hot…and hotter…and HOTTER still…and eventually it go so hot there was no way we could carry on and stopped at an R&R. That place was remote…and hot…there was a shop there that sold drinks in a fridge…which immediately turned warm when you take them out! Then it is more hot roads…that were really beautiful…and curvy…so it is like i’m happy and i’m not and i’m happy again.
Eventually we got to the bottom of the mountain and onto plantation roads…we were getting a bit tired then so I decided we would have one last stop before we pushed till the end.
We pushed forward not long after this and eventually made the turn from route 8 onto the plantation road that would lead us to Kuala Tahan. I told the gang that I would ride on ahead and that they should ride at their own pace. It was really a plantation road with almost zero vehicles and should be an easy ride. So I rode on ahead and soon was riding on my own…enjoying myself tremendously.
The road, while narrow, was nice and winding…no sudden turns or bends…just nice sweeping ones with long straights here and there. Really pleasant and enjoyable. I rode on for about 20–30 minutes before stopping to wait for the rest to show up.
When I checked my phone I realised Chris was trying to reach me. So I called back…but there was no signal. At that point I decided to backtrack a little so I could get some signal and eventually called him back. It was then that I was told that someone had a fall. Fortunately he was fine and they were helping him with the on-site bike repairs. They did not need me to head back so I rode ahead a bit and found a safe place to stop to wait.
After waiting for about 20 minutes they showed up. The fallen bike looked a little worse for wear but still very serviceable. We rode on towards Kuala Tahan and eventually got there, found parking and walked with all of our stuff down to the jetty and took a boat across to the resort.
I got us all checked in and we had time to get a shower and dinner before the night jungle trek would begin.
It was night jungle trek time after dinner. It was really dark so I could not take any real pictures. We walked along the boardwalk into the jungle for about an hour and a half before heading back to the hotel. The guide was informative but because our group was so large it was hard to hear him from behind. I did get to see some scorpions in their holes which was really cool!
That is it for day four…I can’t wait for day five!
2016 Day three – Georgetown
Day three – Georgetown
*Unfortunately I did not take any notes for the rest of the days…the following account is my best effort from memory…enjoy!
Today we were meant to go on a trip in the morning. Unfortunately, the fact that we now have two bikes that needed some urgent repairs meant that we had to put that as a priority. But something is of an even higher priority…BREAKFAST!!!
We walked up the road from the hotel a little bit, cross it, and got to NS Nasi Kandar. This place opens 24 hours…specialises in Nasi Kandar…a local Indian dish that involves mixing curry gravies on a plate of rice. But that is a little too rich for breakfast…and the dishes were also not ready…so we had roti instead!
Makan Robot Style
After breakfast, it was time to head back to the hotel and do some research! I set Ariff and Chris the task of calling up bike shops to see which ones had the parts they needed. We did not want to go to multiple shops and I did not relish the experience of running around the island trying out shop by shop randomly. I forced them to make the calls in the room. Eventually, we settled on Hot Bike and started heading there.
The lady on the other line said the shop was just across the road from the Jelutong Market. So that was where we headed. Getting to the Jelutong Market was not difficult. However, once there, looking for the Hot Bike shop was impossible! The market was relatively crowded and many vendors crowded the already narrow streets! This made some of the streets very narrow indeed. After a wrong turn, a very tight U-turn…and a super duper tight squeeze between a street food vendor, a ballard and an open drain…we eventually found the main road again. Then it was up, around and down, and around and up…and down…again and again looking for the shop since their location was not well mapped. Eventually I stopped to ask for directions…and was pointed to where we came from. After a few hard looks…we eventually found the place!
While Ariff & Chris got their bikes done, I parked mine here and went for some refreshment!
Eventually, the bikes were done and we were ready to go!
We headed back to the hotel for a spot of lunch at Ivy’s Nonya Cuisine just across the road!
That was A LOT of food…and we were all feeling VERY satisfied with lunch. After a short rest, it was time to head out to Balik Pulau for our next adventure! We called an Uber and got going!
The journey out took about 45 minutes and we eventually got there! This place turned out to be a bit of a farm!
We were here for a biking adventure around Balik Pulau…a very special, laid back village at the back of the island of Penang. Eddie was our guide. We visited many places…have a look!
It seems the male fruit has a cross pattern while the female fruit has a single line across.
The bicycle adventure took about two hours. Thankfully, we found our Uber driver waiting for us at the farm when we got back! This was good news as I was worried we would not be able to find a car so far out away from the city. It was a slightly longer ride back as it was evening rush hour…we eventually got back though…and had a nice shower and change…before heading out for dinner. I had wanted to head for Nasi Kandar at a shop called Line Clear. Our Uber driver that night suggested another place so we decided to go for it instead!
Much later that night we decided to go for…yes…you guessed it…supper!!!
Time for BED!!!
2016 Day two – Kuala Terengganu to Georgetown
Day two – Kuala Terengganu to Georgetown
We woke up early today as we had another long ride ahead of us. So we got ready and pushed off at 6:45am looking for a petrol station. Strangely, while we passed several, they were all either closed or on the wrong side of the road! I remember thinking to myself that I have not seen a petrol station close for a long time! I would love to say that we found an open station on the correct side of the road…but the reality is that we did not. We had to turn back to one that was on the other side of the road. Anyway…time to look for BREAKFAST!!!
Unfortunately…we travelled a long way and still could not find any food stalls open for business. This was quite unusual…so we kept going. One row of shops after another…one small town after another…all the shops were closed…until this one row that we chanced upon. I rode in to take a look…and realised…that of the entire row of five shops…ONE was open. So we stopped for breakfast!
I was looking forward to having some Nasi Dagang for awhile now…unfortunately…they did not have any! They did have Nasi Kerabu though…so that was what I settled for! We had a fantastic time with the food and conversations with the other customers there…and found out one of them was originally from Singapore!
Soon it was time to leave…but alas…I have a bit of a problem!
It seems one of my LED flashers was dislodged by the hard riding…oh well…there was little to do except to cable tie it back in place and move on! So move on we did. There were very few cars and lorries along this part of the route and I was really enjoying the ride. The sun was also slowly coming up and it started to get progressively warmer…and I was hit by a bit of a stomach ache! I debated in my mind how long I could hold it in before needing to go…all the while looking at my GPS map to see where the next few petrol stations would be. We rode past one…then another…and another…until about 25 minutes later I could no longer wait! I rode into a petrol station at Setiu…then out to a row of shops next to it…parked…walked straight into a coffee shop…put down my stuff…and proceeded DIRECTLY into the toilet.
For those of you who read our previous WMLR entries would know that going to the toilet during a loop ride is not exactly a fun thing. You only need to imagine the amount of things I had to remove just to be able to squat down…boots…riding pants…socks…inner pants…and do all of this in a tight, confining, usually wet and not too clean toilet stall out in the countryside…you get the picture!
When I was done I met the others at the table…they were all a little confused earlier why I had chosen to stop by a coffee shop less than half an hour after breakfast! Thankfully, my coffee was waiting for me back at the table and the guys have wised up to the reason why we have stopped. Chris recognised the place as one that we had been to previously late in the afternoon when we needed respite from the heat…Eric did not. This was the start of many “remember this place?” conversations with his reply being “no”!
We pushed off towards route 4 soon after in order to try and arrive in Georgetown before the evening peak hour traffic crunch. I remember how incredibly tight it can get during rush hour! The roads were still relatively quiet at this time of the day and we made good progress. This part of the route is not the most scenic with a mix of villages, small towns, plantations and a few landfills, so making up time makes sense. The good news is that the road condition was great making for a nice smooth ride at a good speed!
We got to the Shell station at Jeli just before noon. This is a good place to fill up before heading across the mountain range. This, unfortunately, is also a station that does not take credit cards at the pump so filling up required the usual prepayment at the cashier.
The plan here was for a free and easy ride up the pass to the very top. Ariff would he’d out first on his YBR as he would have the slowest speed given the engine capacity, the inclines and the altitude. Carburetors will struggle at higher altitudes which will starve the engine of air and fuel making steeper inclines a real struggle. Chris and Eric will follow about 15mins after and I will head out about 5–10mins after that. I pulled the guys over to a corner for a short briefing so they were clear about the plan, what to do while on the pass, what to expect with the corners sometimes having reducing radii and double apexes and where to meet at the top. Ariff started off soon after!
Before long, it was time for Chris and Eric to head off…and soon it was my turn. The road here is really beautiful…long sweeping bends with fantastic vistas to one side of the valley below. Simply beautiful! As usual, we met up at the rest stop on the top of the mountain.
Of course, no ride along route 4 is complete until we stop at the Banding Lakeside Inn! So we stop for a very relaxing lunch at a super scenic restaurant!
We rode off after that down the mountain towards Gerik…then on towards Georgetown. We encountered some rain along the way and it got a bit heavier so we decided to take a break at a petrol station.
We were feeling very cheerful as we started to ride off after the rain…it was still bright…we were feeling cool and dry…and we did not have far to go! This means we had the opportunity to arrive in Georgetown way before it got dark! This stretch of road was quite straightforward as it led directly to Butterworth. The only annoying bits were when we had to go pass an exit. While cars could just drive straight on the expressway, we had to ride in the bike lane…which meant that we had to turn OUT at every exit…then make a turn and get back IN! We eventually got used to this though and kept going.
At some point I noticed that there was only one bike in my rear view mirror…so I slowed down and eventually stopped. This is the time when I pull out my phone and make a phone call to see what had happened. It seems Ariff could not get his bike to move! So since both Chris and Ariff were stuck somewhere behind, Eric and I made a U-turn to look for them. We found them stopped at the side of the expressway…thankfully safe at the ramp. It seems Ariff’s clutch won’t bite! Eric spotted another problem with Chris’ bike as well…his rear tire was shot and needed an urgent replacement!
At this time the only person I knew to call was my trusty mechanic, Ah Chun, who advised me that we could replace the clutch with one from the RXZ or the 125Z. The good news is that after allowing the bike to cool down, Ariff could get it to move. I guess he must have really stressed out his bike! We looked all around the small town there and eventually found a motorcycle repair shop. However, the people at the shop were completely unhelpful. They seemed to be more interested to close up shop than to earn some extra business! It really turned me off. Eventually I decided that we would just ride slowly for Georgetown and solve the bike problems the next day. So we rode slowly and eventually got on board the ferry.
We got to the hotel eventually and quickly showered so we could go for dinner. We settled for the Japanese place across the road as it was nearby.
We had other dishes which I did not take pictures of…as eating was deemed way more important that night! After dinner we had ice cream at the 7-eleven. Later that night, a few of us went to the coffeeshop next door for some late night supper!
There is only one thing on the menu after this…SLEEP!
2016 Day one – Singapore to Kuala Terengganu
Day one – Singapore to Kuala Terengganu
This is one of those rides where I am writing up the blog almost a year after it completed…in fact…I am writing this blog less than a week before the next ride! It has been a very busy time but I am glad I am finally getting to it.
We started up early at 6am meeting with the gang at our usual spot over at Mandai. Following that we went out over the causeway. One thing that I noticed immediately was the throng of people walking on the bridge over to Singapore. It was a little worrying having to be careful not to hit anyone. The bridge was just so full of pedestrians…and this bridge was NOT built for pedestrians really! We did eventually get across and filled up at the petrol station.
With our bikes filled up we went in search of breakfast. I was looking for a place that served good roti prata (or roti canai for Malaysian folks) and in my research I stumbled on Onn Kitchen. Pictures and reviews were good all round so we made a bee line there. Good thing we were the first to arrive as their regular customers came in fast and furious soon after!
With both the bike and the stomach filled up satisfactorily, it is time to head to our next stop. The roads are now starting to fill up…more traffic as more people getting out for their morning commute to work…it is Monday after all. Still…we were making good time…and the road started to clear as we rode further away from the city. More and more I filled my lungs with breaths of fresh air and feel the excitement of a brand new ride…it was AWESOME!!!
The start of a new ride is an important time whenever we ride with a new member in the gang. This is a time to assess the capability of the member…how he accelerates and brakes, how he perform overtakes, how he takes the corners and maintains speed and so on. Get this right and the rest of the journey will be easier. Neglect this and the rest of the journey can not only be painful…but also dangerous. Our new member, fortunately, was doing OK in most situations…except for maintaining a reasonable speed through the corners. A little bit of instruction and short demonstration ride solved most of this thankfully.
We pulled into Mersing not long after…as usual…it is time for the gang to get their SIM cards!
Eventually we got back on the road and pushed north. This would be a scenic leg as we hug the coast…the roads open up with big corners that brings on the smiles…no traffic…no rush…just beautifully paved roads that is perfect for riding.
The sun was getting higher up the sky and it was getting warmer as we went further. We eventually made a stop by the sea to enjoy the breeze!
Before long we got to Pekan…and this means…LUNCH!!!
Food can really get to you if you are not careful…so we headed out again! The next big town is really a small city…Kuantan. This place always gets to me because we usually get here around 2pm…and that is when the day is at its hottest! This time is no different. The worst is to get stuck behind traffic lights. So we pushed ourselves to get out fast…and once out…we needed another break!
The road from here up to Kuala Terengganu is mostly coastal with a little bit of industry here and there. I usually let the gang stretch their legs when there is a long straight stint and this is exactly one of those. Both Chris and Eric went on ahead while I rode behind Ariff. I was enjoying the ride very much…going not too fast…not too slow…just making good progress along a very comfortable road. At some point I caught sight of some toilet paper flapping in the wind in my rear view mirror. I turned around briefly to take a quick look…and to my horror…my the cover of my top box was nowhere to be seen! Good thing the contents inside the box…which were my toilet paper roll and my tank bag where I keep my phone, wallet, passport and other things…were all still there. Phew!!!
I walked back along the road for about a hundred meters or so trying to look for it but to no avail. I guess I should count myself lucky that nobody came along waving their arms madly with a top box cover in their hand! I decided then that I would simply ride on without a cover.
I eventually caught up with the guys and we found the place were would be staying at for the night. It was a simply but nice little homestay. We quickly changed and headed out for dinner. Unfortunately one of our favourite places by the airport was closed so we eventually settled on an alternative close by.
We went back to the homestay after getting some provisions from a 7-eleven nearby, got our showers…had a nice relaxing chat…and went to bed.
Time To Start Planning for WMLR2016!
The time has come to plan for the next instalment of the West Malaysia Loop Ride! This would be the seventh edition and I must say that I am so excited about what this ride has to offer!
I have had many folks ask why I remain so firm about riding in West Malaysia and my answer has been, and continue to be, the fact that this place still has so much to offer. On this seventh loop, I am thinking of some brand new destinations and activities. One is a place I have wanted to get to for the longest time and another is a dire-discovery of a place that I had been to before.
I can’t wait to get started! Watch for the route plan coming up shortly!
2015 Day seven – Kuala Lumpur to Singapore
Day seven.
This was the final day of the ride and boy did I have some cool riding planned for the guys. I was definitely leaving the best for last in terms of planning…in my mind at least! As it was also a day with not too many kilometres to cover, we decided to get a bit more sleep in and only arranged to be ready at 9am.
Everyone was up by the time I was getting ready. It was good to see that a routine has settled in and everyone had a good idea of how much time they would need to get ready given the number of bathrooms and toilets available. So we set off on time and headed for breakfast. The Federal Highway was nice and pleasant today as we came out after the peak hour traffic jam and took the bike lanes whenever possible. We turned off at Kerinchi Link and headed towards the Mont Kiara area, eventually turning into Publika to park our bikes. It was amazing that we got here in such a short time!
Breakfast was back to basics roti at the Banana. Yes, the shop was really called Banana. Not Restoran Banana. Not Banana Leaf. Just Banana. I don’t know why this is so…but what I do know is that they have really good roti here. I had the Roti Bom as usual with the fish curry and sambal sauce. It was very yummy indeed! I also ordered some Putu Mayam for the guys.
Putu Mayam…not so easy to find this dish these days
My Roti Bom…this is a killer roti man! So yummy!
You only get the Curry & Sambal combo in Malaysia!
Enjoying breakfast on our last riding day
We spent quite a bit of time here at Banana as I wanted to bring the guys for lunch just outside Kuala Lumpur. We had a nice and relaxing time chit chatting about everything under the sun. It is amazing how there always seems to be something to talk about! Even more amazing is how time flies so quickly by!
Soon it was time to head out and we immediately felt the fury of the mid afternoon sun. It was almost directly overhead and it was shining with all its might and made the roads feel like a super big oven that is set on high! We rode on courageously through the heavy traffic, squeezing into small side roads, going over road bumps, squeezing between rows of cars…until we got onto the AKLEH (Ampang Kuala Lumpur Elevated Highway) which was completely clear! Then I realised we were heading the wrong direction so we did a U-turn and it was also clear! Woohoo!!!
Like any road in KL in the mid afternoon of a working day, it will not be too long before something shows up to slow you down. And so it is that we had to exit the AKLEH into Jalan Ampang…heading towards Bandar Baru Ampang. This stretch is mercilessly hot…with lots of traffic…and traffic lights…which always seem to be turning red just as we approach. Before long, any memory of that easy stretch on the AKLEH was forgotten, replaced with concerns about dehydration and heat induced drowsiness.
A stop was necessary just to maintain some semblance of sanity. A water break of major proportions…yet…mindful that lunch was a mere 10–15 minutes away…and that too much water would diminish that experience. Tough decisions indeed! We eventually pushed on and made a turn onto Route B62 which would lead us to the lunch place…and boy…B62 was worlds apart from what we had experienced the entire morning! The road had so much promise. Turns. Corners. Elevation. Magnificent views. Before long, unfortunately, just after a few minutes we had to turn off to where we would have lunch!
At this point I signaled to everyone to be on first gear as this place is not one of those that you can access right beside the main road. In fact, to get to the restaurant, we would have to ride down a very steep incline that stretched about 200 metres. Does not sound like a lot of distance but it sure can get daunting when the incline is around 30–40 degrees. Plus the road here is not exactly well paved!
We parked and walked into what looked like a market with fruits and vegetables on sale, passing through a very long grilling area, then into the seating area of the restaurant. This place was built around a man-made lake…at least I think it was man-made. The place was constructed with wood and felt very relaxing and rustic. I felt it was a little touristy but I loved it anyway! We took our seats at a big round table. With our helmets, jackets and gloves off, we were able to sit back and enjoy the draft that is blowing from the fans around us. The view out onto the lake was quite spectacular as well.
A view of the lake…
Another part of the same lake (Photo by LPG)
Very quiet and peaceful place… (Photo by Chris)
Waiting for our lunch!
As usual, we ordered lots of food. Salt baked tilapia was a big favourite. Pineapple fried rice, grilled pandan leaf wrapped chicken, crispy morning glory vegetables, sambal squid with petai beans and a mango salad. Each dish bringing more oohs and aahs from the gang as they polished off one morsel after another. Dessert too! We had mango with sticky rice and ABC (Air Batu Campur – a local ice dessert with ice cubes, coconut milk and lots of beans, corn and jelly). We definitely took our time and we were all looking forward to the next leg – Route B32!
Sambal Squid with Petai Beans
Crispy Morning Glory vegetables
Pandan leave wrapped chicken
Belacan rice…with nuts!
Refreshing Young Papaya Salad
Salt Baked Tilapia…the star dish for lunch!
Serving the salt baked fish (Photo by Chris)
ABC…or Air Batu Campur…basically Mixed Ice Cubes…
Best of the lot…mango sticky rice dessert!
The allure of Route B32 notwithstanding, it was still a very hot day and the sun was beating down on relentlessly. Still, it was time to go with an entire day’s journey ahead of us! We refreshed ourselves, put on all of our gear and started walking out towards our bikes. I reminded everyone about the steep incline that we will now have to ride up and to use a low enough gear to maintain momentum so we can get up safely. With that, I powered up, waited till everyone is ready and moved off.
I kept my bike pointed at the top of the first in line, maintained a smooth and steady throttle, and progressed up that incline. At the mid-point I kicked down a gear, turned slightly to my right and continued to apply smooth throttle until I was at the very top. Then I waited near the exit so there was enough space for the rest to safely form up behind me when they got up. I counted them one by one as they appeared in my rear view mirror. One…two…three…four. Where is number five? After a minute I wondered if number five had a mechanical problem or some other difficulty. So after informing the rest to stay put, I requested for Chris to follow me back down.
The situation became obvious the moment I made the turn to head down…number five had fallen. I could see the bike laying there at the turn but could not see the rider. That was, in a way, good news. I saw him walking towards the bike…which was more good news…with a few local workers following…even more good news. We made a U-turn at the bottom and headed back up again. The plan was to assist. Unfortunately, my bike had absolutely no traction when stopped on the incline and kept sliding back. This left me no choice but to move to higher ground.
Took quite a few people to get the bike off the ground (Photo by Chris)
When I eventually was able to stop safely, I saw that his bike was on the side stand. Good to have helping hands! I saw, too, that they were going into shade to rest after the exertion so I went on up to get the rest to get into shade as well. I also shared the situation with them as they were at her curious what was taking so long. By now, everyone was feeling the effects of the sun…so it was time to hydrate.
It was to be another 10–15 minutes before I saw Chris riding up. But he was on the KTM. Randy decided to walk up…and Chris eventually went down to retrieve his Honda. They took longer because the bike fell a second time it seems. This time round, the side box sustained some damage. So we took it off the bike and started working on it.
Working on the panniers (Photo by Chris)
There is something causing it not to close properly (Photo by Chris)
It is common for adventure touring bikes, the side boxes sustain the most damage in a tip over because the entire weight of the bike, plus the contents contained within all that luggage, would go crashing onto them. Some people choose steel boxes thinking they’re more capable of handling that extra weight and shock, others believe hard polycarbonate works better, yet others believe soft molded plastic, being more pliable and light, is better…and some just decide to use fabric side bags to avoid the possibility of fall damage. In this case, the box was made of pliable soft plastic with some steel reinforcement panels.
We have lots of tools available for the job (Photo by Chris)
Always good for a pose! (Photo by Chris)
Everyone working hard on this (Photo by Chris)
One of the boxes, in this case, was split open at the front. Three sections of the front panel were ripped out of the box leaving a large enough gap to be worrying. We tried every possible way to put it back together again. Hammering. Pressing. Pressuring. Removing screws. Putting in screws. Aligning. Realigning. Every possible combination of ways too.
It cannot be that we still have not fixed this (Photo by Chris)
Ohhhh…but it is still not resolved… (Photo by Chris)
Are we almost there? (Photo by Chris)
We eventually found th very best way…using bungee cords!
Brilliant!!! (Photo by Chris)
With the box finally reattached to the bike and secured with a million bungee cords, we took one last breather and prepared to finally head off. But as luck would have it, it was third time unlucky for the bike as it fell just as we were about ready to ride off. I could see the entire episode this time round and realised it was a combination of heat exhaustion, uneven ground and a riding posture that was hindered by a large tank bag which prevented rider from reaching the brakes on time.
It was a long hot day… (Photo by Chris)
Let’s secure the right side as well (Photo by Chris)
Thank goodness for good crash bars! (Photo by Chris)
So we got off our bikes and pulled up the KTM. Rolled it to level ground. Freed up space in front of the seat. Then we all rested under the shade. It was getting late now and we had quite a lot of ground still to cover so I decided we would have to take a rain cheque for Route B32. Everyone agreed it was better to make up some time by taking the highway south instead. So that was the new plan.
It was four in the afternoon by the time we pushed off from the restaurant. We made our way back into the Kuala Lumpur traffic, rode through Cheras, then to Sungai Besi toll plaza. By that time we were tired out again due to the heat. So it was another hydration stop before making the big push to the south.
So hot! Best to hydrate! (Photo by Chris)
When we headed off, the weather started getting cooler and I felt a sense of relief. Finally, some respite from that extreme heat! By the time we got to Nilai, it was nice and cool…in fact, the sky was filling up with darker and darker clouds..eventually…it started to rain. It was great to feel the cool rain on my jacket as it really cooled me down. I gradually began to forget the heat and started to really enjoy the ride. The rain did not stop. Instead it got heavier…and heavier…and just when I thought it could get no heavier…it got heavier still. In fact, it was so heavy it was pouring down in sheets, completely obscuring our vision!
The road was now super wet and puddles were forming. Puddles are not good for bikes. There was always the risk of aquaplaning and I did not like the idea of that possibility. Unfortunately we were nowhere near a rest stop and traffic was still heavy…though slow. Just then, a truck on the left hit a major puddle and the splash caused my bike to veer to the right…and into a big puddle. Thank goodness for waterproof riding gear!
It was impossible to see behind me to count out the bikes so I had to find safe places to stop so I could ensure everyone was safe. It was also fortunate that we had intercoms as that at least kept me in touch with a few others. Eventually, I decided to make a stop at the Tangkak rest area just because we had been riding in the rain for more than an hour! Strange how we were now feeling so cold when just a couple hours ago we were feeling so hot…in fact…some of us were literally shivering!
The rain was so cold it froze his jacket zipper (Photo by Chris)
No shelter for the bikes! (Photo by LPG)
Cold and wet… (Photo by LPG)
We hung about for awhile at Tangkak but felt we needed to head out as it was getting dark. Also we wanted to get to Kulai for dinner…and some of us needed fuel. So we headed out, thankful for the shelter from the rain, and that the rain has slowed down to a more manageable level.
The rest of the journey to Kulai was uneventful with a fuel stop at Pagoh. It was just easy riding in easy traffic and weather. The rain has stopped after Pagoh and it was completely dark long before we arrived at Kulai…but arrive we did at 8:30pm…much later than expected…but boy…we were so happy when we could order hot tea…with ice of course. Hahaha!
Dinner was a feast. I guess it would not be right to have a small dinner after such a tough day. I felt like the guys went through so much today and needed a fitting reward. I was, myself, happy that we had a feast! It was my second time here and we ordered some of the same familiar favourites. This time round, I will let the pictures do the talking.
A simple stir fried vegetable dish (Photo by Chris)
Nice hot hot hot soup! (Photo by Chris)
Hokkien noodles…can never get enough of this dish (Photo by Chris)
Lightly fried tofu with century eggs (Photo by Chris)
Stewed Lou Shee Fun in a claypot…oh yes!!! (Photo by Chris)
Guess who is serving? (Photo by Chris)
Even though we were cold…nothing beats a glass of Chinese Tea with Ice!
We went two different ways after dinner with some preferring to enter Singapore at the Tuas checkpoint and others at the Woodlands checkpoint. It was an easy short ride to either one from Kulai so there were no concerns about people getting lost. I headed off towards Woodlands with Anthony, Chris and LPG. We decided to fuel up at the same Shell station right at the checkpoint. In some way, fueling up at the very end at the same place we fuelled up at the very beginning felt like we came full circle. It made the trip feel complete.
I would normally end the trip report here but there is one more thing that surprised me completely. In a way, it made the trip even more complete. Remember at the start LPG made a wrong turn coming into Johor? Well, he made a wrong turn again now heading out of Johor. So we waited for him by the road…and he did eventually show up.
And so it is…like every trip…the journey of WMLR 2015 has come to an end. Every rider arrived home safely that night. They brought back with them some bruises, some scrapes, some bike problems, some added bulk to their bellies. But most importantly, I feel, they brought back with them new experiences that will embolden their endeavours, great memories that will enrich their storytelling and deep friendships that will stand the test of time.
Day 1: 511km
Day 2: 568km
Day 3: 161km
Day 4: less than 100km
Day 5: 620km
Day 6: 121km
Day 7: 466km
2015 Day six – Kuala Lumpur, Berjaya Hills & Bukit Tinggi
Day six.
Having had such a long ride the yesterday, we slept in a little later this morning and left for breakfast only around 8:30am. We would be heading out towards the mountains today for a nice and hopefully cooling ride. For breakfast, I wanted to let the guys try the fantastic yummy food at one of my favourite Malay food shops.
Morning is always so nice (Photo by Chris)
Making sure everything works properly (Photo by Chris)
Are we going up or down? (Photo by Chris)
We rode out to the Federal Highway. Traffic was brutal this time of the morning. It was peak hour traffic and everyone seemed to be in a rush. I was, once again, thankful for the bike lane on this highway as we could move forward with minimal fuss. However, this joy was shortlived as we had to turn into the LDP soon after…and that road was completely packed with traffic. Every inch forward felt like a major accomplishment. We squeezed to the left, the right and the centre, over the bridge, under the bridge, then squeezing left and right again, getting into every single available slot in order to make progress. Eventually traffic started moving, albeit slowly, and we found ourselves riding next to the One Utama Shopping Centre which is great news as this meant we were getting close!
I would normally take a right turn at One Utama and head towards Kampung Sungai Penchala through Taman Tun Dr Ismail. However at this time of the day we were not allowed to make that turn. So I followed the road till the end and had to make a U-turn, eventually turning into a road called Jalan Sungai Penchala. I was surprised to find such a small narrow road immediately after turning off from that big expressway. After a few turns, we were led up to the top of a hill, then through a short stretch of badly worn road, and then down towards some nicer roads. We eventually got to the place and parked our bikes at the back.
You get the idea that this must be quite a good place with a car park this size at the back! (Photo by Chris)
Sambal Hijau has been a favourite haunt of mine for awhile now. I love how they had so many different types of sambal (spicy salsa) available to pick from to accompany a meal. Also the large variety of lauk pauk available was simply awesome. The guys picked their food and tucked in with glee. I had to remind everyone not to take too much as I had a big lunch planned for them. It proved to be really difficult not to eat too much as the food here was simply outstanding!
Look at the big spread of food…the entire wall on the right is lined with three tiers of food! (Photo by LPG)
My god…this is breakfast???
Take a closer look!
I wasn’t the only one with a big plate of food! (Photo by Chris)
With breakfast over, we headed out onto the Duke. This was a nice easy ride on a wide and smooth expressway. Traffic was much lighter at this time of the day too. We made a stop at the Shell station just before turning into the Karak expressway. This was to be our only fuel stop for today. Everyone fueled up and then we headed onto the Karak expressway towards Pahang.
We made the turnoff at Genting Sempah and headed up towards Janda Baik. The roads here were nice and curvy and empty. The temperature became cooler and cooler as we went further and further uphill. Before long, I made a sharp left turn and we started heading rapidly downhill towards the town of Bukit Tinggi.
From here we headed further east towards the Berjaya Hills and up the fantastic stretch of road towards Colmar Tropicale. I had driven on this stretch of road before and made it a point to be here again with my bike. This road is filled with elevation changes and lots of corners…tight and sweeping, up and down…it is a beautiful road to ride with hardly any traffic. We rode up all the way till we arrive at the entry of Colmar Tropicale, made a U-turn and headed back down. This time we went at a relaxing pace, enjoying the cool and crisp mountain air as we meandered down to the expressway below. It was a fantastic ride!
From here we headed back towards Bukit Tinggi as that was to be our lunch spot. We turned off the expressway and into a road that seemed to lead to nowhere. I could see in my mirror that the guys were ready for me to indicate a U-turn with my hands…just to see me turning into a gate.i could then see them reluctantly follow. I guess we made quite a few U-turns before this!
The Bukit Tinggi BBQ restaurant (Photo by Chris)
Nice parking spot eh? (Photo by Chris)
This restaurant had no signboard outside. One would only find his place if one was exploring or have heard about it from a friend. I found the place very quirky with many umbrellas hanging down from the ceiling…and many wine bottles lining every wall. Very cool.
The wall lined with wine bottles! (Photo by Chris)
Ceiling filled with umbrellas! (Photo by Randy)
We definitely need a group photo with this!
It seems one photo was not enough!
We had a few dishes that were unique to this place. Seafood steam pot, fried egg on cold tofu, chilli fried green chilli and a steam fish. It was a real feast of a meal! But the highlight of this meal was something Randy had been craving for for a few days…BBQ lamb chops. They were succulent…juicy…tender…perfectly cooked and seasoned. Man…it was definitely the crowning piece of the meal!
Steamed seafood pot! This was exquisite!
This looked like just an ordinary dish of fried eggs…
But take a peek underneath and you’ll see tofu! (Photo by Randy)
Fried green chilis…simple but oh so very yummy!
For some reason Bukit Tinggi restaurants are ALL great with their steamed fish dishes!
This was what Randy was craving for the entire time…Lamb!
Hang on guys! Need a picture for the blog! (Photo by Randy)
Attack!!! (Photo by Randy)
When you’re done with the seafood, they use the bottom part of the pot to make a vegetable soup that had infused all the taste of the seafood! I had the honour to serve the soup. (Photo by Randy)
After lunch, it was time to head back to the house and refresh ourselves before heading out again for our afternoon adventure. So after a quick shower, we headed out again…this time in a taxi…and headed for the Subang Skypark Terminal. The journey there was a short and pleasant one. It was really nice. It to have to ride sometimes…we got to enjoy air condition comfort in the taxi…what luxury!
On our way to the Skypark!
We were at the Subang Skypark Terminal for one reason…to have a go at the aircraft simulators. They had two simulators available: the Boeing 737 and the Airbus A320. The Boeing, being an older aircraft, had a captain’s seat simulator complete with the yoke and rudder controls. The Airbus, being a newer aircraft, had a full two seat simulator complete with all the buttons and switches that the real airplane had. Woohoo!!!
Waiting to fly!
We took our turn at the simulators. Randy and I tried out the Airbus while the others tried out the Boeing. It was a super duper fun and educational experience flying the simulators. They even had switches for switching on the seatbelts and no smoking signs…and we had the opportunity to fly past the twin Petronas towers! What an experience!
Chris took his turn as pilot of the 737!
Me taking my turn on the A320 (Photo by Randy)
Randy learning about the controls of the A320
Flying over KL!
It was fun!!!
Captain!
We finished just in time to head out to the dinner place. It started to rain just as we walked out of the airport terminal. The driver used Waze to find a good route as rains usually mean jams in these parts. What we did not expect was the intensity of the rain. It rained so heavily that many parts began to flood and we were pretty much caged in by the waters. Every road we tried ended up in an impassable passage due to the flood. We circled around for almost two hours before getting out and finally made it to our dinner place.
Super heavy downpour at Subang Skypark! (Photo by Chris)
It was pouring the entire time! (Photo by Chris)
Flooding EVERYWHERE! (Photo by Chris)
Our very worried driver (Photo by Chris)
Teresa originally suggested we go to have crabs at Taman Megah. Unfortunately the place was closed. Even if it was open, we would have to wait hours given we arrived that late. So it was good that we settled on the Restoran Yugayong Seafood located at SS23 Taman Sea for dinner as it was right next to Taman Megah.
It was almost dark by the time we got to the dinner place (Photo by Randy)
We ordered lots of food, as usual, as we were super hungry by that time. Italy Fresh Water Prawns, Roasted Pork Ribs, Nonya Style Steam Tilapia, Paku Vegetables with a Picante Sauce (served in a Tiger Beer glass), Salted Egg Squid and Giant Clams Soup. I don’t know about the rest but I felt like royalty having this much good food in one meal!
Fresh Water Prawn that looked like a lobster!
Nonya style steam fish
Paku vegetables with a picante sauce
Stewed tofu in a claypot
Salted egg fried squid
Roasted ribs!
Giant clam soup
We went on to SS2 after dinner to walk around the night market there. Some of the guys wanted to get a massage after a long week of riding as well. The night market at SS2 was vibrant and colourful with shops lining three streets! There were stalls selling all sorts of things ranging from household items, to clothes, to electronics and food! I always enjoy walking around the night markets in Malaysia.
We headed back to the house at Subang Jaya after the guys finished their massage. It was late by the time we got back but a few of us had energy for drinks and chit chat. It was, afterall, our final night on the ride. It was always good thinking back about the experience from day one…and wishing we had more days. I guess we all had one more day to look forward to…and of course…there is always next year!
Day 1: 511km
Day 2: 568km
Day 3: 161km
Day 4: less than 100km
Day 5: 620km
Day 6: 121km
