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!
2015 Day five – Langkawi to Kuala Lumpur
Day five.
I fell asleep last night on the sofa while I was trying to take some notes on my iPad. I must have been more tired than I thought I was. Good thing too as this would be our last morning in Langkawi and we face a long ride to Kuala Lumpur.
Hahaha! (Photo by Chris)
I was up at six this morning. Some of the guys were already up and about, packing their stuff and getting ready. I had my shower and started to pack as well. Packing was getting easier now that I have done it a few times and I finished in a matter of minutes. With some time on my hands, I walked around outside the house looking to see if I could take a few pictures of the place. For the first time, and maybe the only time, I actually took out the tripod that I had brought along for the trip!
Hehehe… (Photo by Chris)
Still dark outside
Looks like Chris needed some repairs (Photo by Chris)
We also had an unexpected visitor (Photo by Chris)
Is it time for breakfast? (Photo by Chris)
Bala brought Fried Beehoon and Nasi Lemak for breakfast this morning. It was those cute small packs so everyone had one of each. We needed to leave the home stay a little earlier today as we anticipated a 20–30 minute ride to the ferry terminal and we needed to get there early so that we do not miss the boat. So we quickly finished up breakfast and headed off.
Gotta be good eh? (Photo by Chris)
Boohoon for breakfast this morning!
Nasi Lemak as well! OMG!!!
Gotta pack all the stuff up! (Photo by Chris)
All geared up and ready to go! (Photo by Randy)
We really enjoyed this place (Photo by Randy)
Especially this table and bench where we had a fantastic evening with the whiskey (Photo by Randy)
The ride to Dermaga Tanjung Lembung was a nice and easy one. The air was still cool and traffic was light on a Sunday. The landscape was magical this morning, almost like it was beckoning for us to stay a little longer. Tempting as that was we had to move on as we had plans for the next couple days.
The ferry has not yet arrived when we got to the terminal. We rode through customs and onto the waiting area like bosses…just to be told by one of the officers that we needed to get tickets and go through customs checks before getting onto the ferry. So we had to turn back and get with the process. Unfortunately, the office has not opened yet and there were already a few people waiting outside the doors.
Customs & ticket office not open yet
Might as well take some photos!
We got our tickets!
We did our thing while we waited for the office to open…chatting…taking pictures…having a bit of fun the way only guys know how. Eventually I saw people streaming into the office and requested for LPG & Chris to help get the tickets for the group. It took them awhile…perhaps because of the queue of people…or perhaps just because it was the well oiled machine of efficiency. Whatever the case, we were soon in possession of our tickets and headed for the customs inspection.
Customs inspection was an interesting affair. I had thought given the amount of scrutiny some of the cars ahead of us had that they would at least want to check some of the boxes we had on our bikes. However, when I walked up to the officer, he simply asked if we had anything to declare. When I said “No” after consulting with the others in an open manner, he waved us through. No fuss whatsoever!
Getting back onto the ferry felt familiar as we met some of the same folks who came over the other day. We also managed to secure the same room so we could put our things and some could have comfortable nap. It took awhile for all the vehicles to show up and load up but we eventually got underway and headed back towards the mainland.
We’re on the ferry! (Photo by Chris)
There were more vehicles on this trip
Everything is secure!
We have a full house this morning!
I like the bridge!
Waiting for them to raise the ramp!
The last vehicle to board!
Enjoying the upper deck
Interesting that this vessel was registered at Port Kelang!
They’re raising the ramp!!!
And off we go!
Bye bye Langkawi!
The ride back on the ferry went by quickly. As usual, heading back always seems faster than heading out. I wonder why that is?
We had a long way to go and so I decided we would take the highway. The ride from the ferry terminal to the NSHW was more than 40km out and it took us almost all the way to the Thai border! I was hoping as we were riding out that it would be worthwhile avoiding all those traffic lights and tight roads on the more southerly route. When we finally got to the highway, we had a quick petrol stop and proceeded on our way south towards Kuala Lumpur.
I don’t know what it is about highway riding that bores me. Perhaps it is the idea that it is a highway, or the lack of challenging and fun bends, or that people seem always in a rush on a highway. Whatever it is, I definitely do not enjoy riding on highways, even when I am rushing for time. Somehow, highways always seem to be hotter to me. Perhaps it is the sheer number of vehicles going quickly, or perhaps the lack of cover from foliage that always seemed abundant along the smaller roads. Whatever the case may be, I was feeling very hot and bothered by the heat and humidity that afternoon.
It became almost unbearable and eventually I decided it was time to turn off and look for some lunch so we could all cool off. It was good timing too as I was definitely feeling hungry by this time. The turn off coming up was for Gurun and Jeniang. Two towns that I have never heard of before. Perfect! Turn off we did and I decided we would head towards Gurun. We rode for about 5km before we saw possible places to eat. Unfortunately most were closed…strange for such an hour but perhaps this was not a town where people usually eat out. Eventually I decided to explore a little estate that we had passed about 2km back and we found a place that was open.
What a hot day! Good thing we found a place for lunch! (Photo by Chris)
Khairi Cafe was quite the place. Located in Taman Ria Mesra 2, it was probably the only shop open for lunch. It was an unpretentious shop operated by a very friendly man who makes the roti and goreng goreng while his wife makes the lauk pauk. Goreng goreng refers to all the fried carb dishes that you can find around Malaysia like Nasi Goreng (fried rice), Mee Goreng (fried noodles) and Beehoon Goreng (fried vermicelli). Lauk pauk refers to the traditional Malay dishes that accompanies rice like Fried Chicken, Chicken Curry and Sambal Eggs. So this was a good place for lunch indeed!
My lunch today…yummy!
We had a longer lunch purely because it was so hot outside. I had to use the toilet quite urgently too…which probably added to the length of our visit. The toilet was very interesting (according to Chris). That sounded a little nice…and a little worrying. I found out for myself what that really meant when I got in. Here goes…
The main door was made of zinc and had one of those latches to lock from the inside. Unfortunately the latch was not working. There was a urinal by the wall next to the door that led to the toilet seat. There was a small basket inside the urinal where they placed a few pieces of hand soap. Perhaps to keep the place smelling good. Nice touch! The door to the toilet seat could not be closed because a hinge was bent out of shape which left the door large uncloseable. To use that seat, one had to somehow lock the main toilet door. By now I was in a bit of a hurry…and definitely more than bothered. Thank goodness I found they had a nail fixed to the door frame and a scrunchie attached to the door. This allowed for the door to be “secured” from the inside. A very thoughtful safety feature as one could easily open the door from the outside should there be a fire emergency, for example.
With the door secured, I proceeded to remove my riding boots, then socks, then riding pants, then inner pants, then put the sock back on so I could put my foot back into my boots so I could finally stand on two feet again. Now I could finally get to what I was trying to get to from the start!
Interestingly, there was no toilet paper to be found. There was no bucket of water lying around either. No tap with a hose within reach inside this second door. The only hose was behind the wall where the urinal was. You can imagine what one would have to do to access that. Still…I was very thankful there was a toilet when I needed one! Adventure is a double edged sword!
We still had quite a bit of distance to cover so we had to get going if we wanted to get to Kuala Lumpur before dark. This is also a long highway stretch so I decided to let the various riders go at their own pace and arranged to meet at the Tapah rest stop. So off everyone went!
I was riding at a nice relaxing pace when Eric first overtook me, followed by LPG. Traffic was a little heavier than expected but smooth flowing. It was more pleasant now that we were travelling at a good pace. At some point I started to feel like something is not quite right because the number of vehicles on the road increased dramatically. Average speeds started dropping and I eventually overtook both LPG and Eric. At some parts, traffic was almost at a standstill. It reminded me of the time when I rode up to Kuala Lumpur from Singapore the day before the eve of the Chinese New Year!
I eventually had to make a fuel stop. I spotted Chris as I was exiting and he told me on intercom that LPG just turned in to fuel up. He had not seen any of the others. So I headed on. Impossible as it mad seemed, traffic actually got heavier the further I went! I eventually spotted and overtook both Anthony and Randy. They must have gone pass me while I was fueling up. It was good to spot them as now I know everyone is around the same stretch of road.
This stretch going towards Tapah was quite challenging in that it was the most crowded stretch for the day. There was a never ending stream of cars, trucks, bikes…and even an ambulance! I remember that it bothered my quite a bit as I could not figure out why traffic was so heavy…there were no holidays or festivals that weekend…strange! I was glad that I eventually arrived at the Tapah stop. I decided I should have enough fuel so skipped the station and waited at near the exit for the rest. It was around 4:30pm by this time.
It turned out that I had quite a bit of a wait so I decided to blog while I waited. Many other bikers rode by, tooting their horns and waving as the rode pass. Such is the bike culture here…very fraternal…and I quite like it. The folks started showing up one by one eventually. When everyone finally showed up, we decided to have a minute of silence as it was also the day of LKY’s funeral. I felt quite affected by this event for some reason.
Just after our minute of silence…
We decided to stay in convoy as we left the Tapah rest stop as we were approaching Kuala Lumpur and it was probably going to get dark by the time we got there. Good thing we were heading for Subang and not the city centre! Everything was going according to plan for awhile. I did lose sight of a few riders now and then but they always showed again soon after. This is what happens when you have a convoy of this size in heavy traffic situations.
I received a call on my phone at some point so I picked it up on my intercom. My heart skipped a beat when I heard Randy’s voice on the other end of the line. It was usually bad news when one of my riders called me on the phone rather than used the intercom. The last time this happened LPG called me and we ended up delayed for close to an hour with a serious technical problem.
Randy uttered a word that I never want to hear while out on a ride. Any ride. I was informed that there was an accident involving a car and Chris. My first reaction was to check if he was OK, then if his bike was OK. The good news was that both were OK. So I pulled the group into the next rest area at Rawang to wait for their arrival. I was very relieved when they rode into the rest stop. Long rides can tak a toll on anyone. Long rides in heavy traffic is even more strenuous. So we took a bit of time for everyone to get refreshed before pushing on. We were not far from our destination anyway and could afford a bit of time.
The accident… (Photo by Randy)
How did the impact end up there? (Photo by Randy)
It was past six in the evening when we pushed off for the final leg to Subang. It was definitely getting dark. I was also very aware that LPG had problems with his headlights and getting a little worried about his ability to see if it got too dark. So I took the E35 highway because it had a bike lane which I hoped would make his ride a little easier and we did not have to contend with cars. It soon started to rain too. The GPS strangely knew that we were in the bike lane and kept asking us to get onto the main expressway…that was a bit of a bother because this expressway did not allow for bikes at the many toll booths. So we stayed in until the very end and eventually turned into the Federal Highway and onto the exit for Subang Jaya.
It was 8:30pm when we pulled up along the house that would be our home for the next two nights. Three hours later than I had originally planned, much wetter, hungrier and more tired. We were all comforted by the fact that Racquel was there to greet us, followed by FK, the owner.
Parking the bikes in tight places can be a challenge but we were seasoned “park the bikes in tight places” bikers by now. So in went Anthony, Eric, LPG, Chris, Randy, and finally, myself. It always amazes me how we can fit so many big bikes in such a tight space!
Parking in tight spaces takes a bit more effort (Photo by Chris)
The house was wonderful. Not the largest by any stretch of the imagination, but certainly the cleanest and most comfortable. The entire place was air conditioned…almost…and every one worked well. FK told us that the roads were probably packed because many people went back to their home town to do the grave cleaning ceremony in advanced of the actual festival of Ching Ming. Finally I felt better knowing a probable reason for that heavy traffic!
We unpacked, showered and got ready to head out for dinner at a place just a few minutes walk away called Ah Lye. This place opened till 10pm so we were in good spirits walking out at 9:10pm. Unfortunately the shop decided to close just as they saw us walking there at 9:20pm. That is terrible if you ask me. Completely unprofessional.
In any case, we decided to take a walk to another part of Subang Jaya about 2km away to a place called Restoran Hock Him. They were open and served some simple local Chinese food which hit the right spot!
Our dinner spot…Hock Hin (Photo by Chris)
Hokkien mee…this is a KL speciality!
Fried lard…gotta have these to go with the noodles!
Another KL speciality…cantonese style “smooth egg” hor fun
Amazingly delicious and succulent spare ribs
Japanese tofu with omelette on a hot plate
Simple stir fried vegetables with salted fish
One thing is for sure. Nothing like a good hot delicious dinner after a long riding day…and boy…did we have a very long day! Not only did we travel an amazing distance…we also had heat, traffic, rain and an accident to handle. I was glad we got to Subang Jaya safe and sound. Time to call it a night!
Day 1: 511km
Day 2: 568km
Day 3: 161km
Day 4: less than 100km
Day 5: 620km
2015 Day four – Langkawi
Day four.
I did not sleep much last night. It was great fun chatting and staying up late. I finally got to sleep at 3pm and woke up this morning at 7am. I am excited though because we would be going for a very special adventure today!
Morning view out the balcony (Photo by Chris)
The day started quietly, and to be honest, quite slowly. Everyone was getting up a little more lethargic than usual. The funny thing is that I had told the guys that we would be doing water activity and Anthony was completely prepared to head out this morning just in his rash guard and swimming tights. I did tell him when I saw him that he might want to pull on a pair of shorts…just in case. Hahaha!
Bala came by with Nasi Lemak and Kuih Muih for breakfast around 830am. I always enjoyed the Nasi Lemak Bungkus here in Malaysia. The rice is steamed with coconut milk and has a very distinctive and addictive aroma with just the right hint of coconut flavour. The rice also comes with sambal, ikan bilis, peanuts and boiled egg. I just love the simplicity and robustness of the flavour of this local favourite…and definitely one of my favourites!
Our breakfast spread!
An assortment of kueh kueh
More kueh kueh
Can’t wait to see what is inside
So much variety!
How can anyone not LOVE this simple nasi lemak?
Chris enjoying his breakfast
Breakfast definitely perked me up! The news that the owner will be changing the air conditioning unit for the room downstairs was added bonus. I did think it would be tough to get it fixed that late on a weekend in a slow and relaxing place like Langkawi. In any case, our pickeup arrived at 9am as planned! So armed with little knowledge of what is in store for the guys, we set off!
The ride to the Kilim Geo Park where we would embark on our exciting journey was a relatively short one. In a matter of minutes, we turned into the jetty and were promptly advised to wait till our guide arrived. There were many people at the jetty…many more than when I was here back in January. Perhaps it was the usual weekend crowd. There were also a bunch of people wearing what looked to be white T-shirts with a Germany flag printed on the front. They were people of Malay descent…strange to see what looked to be a family wearing Germany flag T-shirts.
Waiting for our guide to arrive (Photo by Randy)
The Kilim Farst Geoforest Park map (Photo by Randy)
In any case, Khirien – our guide – arrived not long after. He brought along with him four others: a young couple from Japan, and two girls from Penang. After a short briefing, our party of 10 joined the throng of people walking onto the platform and stepped into our boat. We set off slowly as everyone was busy putting on life vests…and eventually sped away from the jetty and the crowd…only to arrive moments later at another platform full of people.
On the boat heading towards the first activity (Photo by Chris)
Our boatman! (Photo by Chris)
Enjoying the short ride (Photo by Chris)
Khirien shared with us that this was the entry point to what is known as the Bat Cave. There were two major types of bats in the cave. The insect bats with ugly faces (according to Khirien) and the fruit bats with pudgy faces. I jest. The insect bats have large ears and nostrils that open to the front. They look a little nasty to be fair. Fruit bats, on the other hand, have really cute little faces. Big eyes, small pointy ears and nostrils like a little doggy. The first time we saw the bats hanging down from the cave ceiling was quite awesome. I would never have guessed those were bats! So many many many of them! He shared lots of interesting facts about bats with us…including how they were nocturnal, how they would hunt, how they slept upside down and not fall down etc. I will not share those here so you can have a chance to hear it directly from him when you visit the Geo Park!
A short briefing before heading to the cave
Let’s get inside!
Magnificent bats! (Photo by Randy)
Hush…they’re sleeping soundly! (Photo by Randy)
Listening to what Khirien was saying (Photo by Randy)
The cave was also home to a magnificent display of stalactites and stalacmites. Stalactites hang down from the ceiling of caves while stalacmites rise up from the ground. These formations are formed when water seeps through the ceiling of limestone caves. The water collects calcium carbonate and when this comes in contact with air, solidifies and forms the stalactites. Water that falls to the ground before solidifying form stalacmites. They grow at an average of 9mm every 70 years! That means those stalactites we saw started growing more than 30,000 years ago! Awe inspiring!
Stalactites & stalacmites in this cave! (Photo by Randy)
Watch your heads!
Smile guys!
Gotta crouch across!
This fella is always taking photos! (Photo by Randy)
Look at the stalactites! (Photo by Chris)
We walked on the boardwalk outside the caves and saw the mangroves of Langkawi for the first time. There were many monkeys around. Khirien explained that some of these monkeys can get quite aggressive and that we should avoid eye contact with them…especially when our teeth are showing. Apparently they take that as a sign of aggression.
While the monkeys were certainly interesting, what was more interesting to me were those strange stalactite formations that seem to bend. For some reason they did not form straight down but seemed to bend outwards like how a tongue might bend out should we stick it out of our mouths. There were a couple possible explanations for that…but the one I liked best had to do with the effect of the wind.
This stalactite seems to be bending… (Photo by Randy)
Back to the jetty! (Photo by Randy)
We got back to our boat after that and the boat headed out at speed…for a bit longer than just now. We eventually entered a channel where several sailing boats were moored. There were some nice looking boats here for sure! We were headed for a place called the Hole in the Wall restaurant and fish farm. What a quaint name! The owner of the establishment shared with us later that the name was coined up because this entire area used to be a cave formation…thus…hole in the wall!
Woohoo!!! (Photo by Chris)
What a pretty sight! (Photo by Randy)
Approaching the “hole in the wall” (Photo by Randy)
Welcome to the Hole in the Wall floating restaurant (Photo by Randy)
This entire place is floating on the water! (Photo by Randy)
Waiting to get onto the next activity (Photo by Chris…or Khirien using Chris’ phone)
We were paired up for the kayaks. Anthony partnered with Randy, Chris with LPG and I with Eric. We had to put on life vests and choose our paddles, then it was kayaking time! I brought my phone along so I could take some pictures along the way. Khirien passed us dry bags too in case we wanted to keep anything dry while out in the water. I could not wait!
I spy something blue!!! (Photo by Chris)
Can’t wait to get on board!
We’re all set!
This picture reminded me of the show “American Gladiators”
And we’re off!!!
Eric was really good with the kayak. I was sitting behind and could see how he was paddling. The paddles gliding into and out of the water without fuss. Effortless. Smooth. Quiet. It was a pleasure to watch. It was even more pleasurable when we realised we were the fastest kayak of the bunch! We did get bored at some point and decided to ram some of the other guys just for a bit of fun…hehehe…
Our guide, Khirien.
LPG & Chris shared a kayak
Love the view!
Anthony & Randy shared a kayak
The only bit that was a bother were the powered boats that criss crossed the channel. There were so many of them going in and out, leaving wakes that would upset the direction of the kayaks every now and then. But I guess that is par for the course. Everything became a lot better when we headed into the mangrove channels. It was calmer. Shadier. Cooler. Quieter. Much more relaxing. It was really amazing that there were no mosquitoes or sand flies! Unfortunately, the tide was kind of low that day and many of the channels were inaccessible. The ones that we could access were also too shallow after awhile so we touched bottom and needed to turn back. It would have been nice to kayak through the channels…next time!
Cooler in the shade!
Because of the low tide level, we spent quite a bit of time in the open channels. One of these open channels were a popular spot for the powered boats and their passengers. The boats would speed over to the crook of the channel, raise the outboard motors and rev the engines hard to churn the water. I was amazed that this turned out to be a call signal for the Brahminy Kites! There were so many of them flying all around, soaring, cruising, diving, all over these powered boats. Khirien explained that these boatmen would come with bags of chicken skin and feed the Kites with them. Some of them bring up to 4kg per day! My goodness! According to him, there would be hundred over boats every day heading here. This was really sad to hear because these magnificent birds will eventually lose their ability to hunt naturally. They will also become a lot weaker due to the unnatural diet of chicken skin. They will also accumulate too much fat. They will lack calcium. So their eggs will have shells that are too soft. Which also means new hatchlings will not have sufficiently strengthened when they hatch. All in all, this is not a good turn of events for Langkawi!
Cooling off in the mangrove…while the power boats were outside feeding chicken skin to the kites!
So quiet and peaceful in here
After this we headed to a part of the waterway that was unique in that one side was mangrove while the other side was a stunning wall of limestone. As we were paddling through, a Brahminy Kite followed and watched over us. I felt very protected and privileged to be able to see that spectacular bird at such a close distance! We stopped here for awhile as Khirien shared with us a bit more about the mangroves. Why they were important. How they propagate. What fauna one could find in them. There was so much to learn about them!
Love these high cliffs
Resting a little bit and having a laugh
Resting before the long paddle back
Let’s try a kayak we-fie!
Now let’s get Eric into the shot!
On our way back to the Hole in the Wall, we stopped by the crook of one of the open channels for a bit of a rest. Chris, Randy and the Japanese decided to have a dip to cool off. Eric went in for a dip too…though he went in due to a pressing need…hahaha! It looked like they were having lots of fun…until they tried getting back into the kayaks. At that point, those of us already in the kayak had more fun. Hahaha!!! I bet they all found new muscles that day!
Do you know what he was doing in the water?
Now there are three of them!
This is a giveaway expression!
Rafting to help them get back up
It was soon time to head back to the Hole in the Wall. After putting away the life vests and paddles, refreshing ourselves with cold drinks and water, it was time for lunch. Everyone had fried rice with Tom Yam soup. I guess everyone was hungry by then and polished up the food in record time! After lunch, we had a chance to look at some of the fish that they farmed here including garoupas, stingrays, tilapias and the wonderfully sleek trevalis. I swear I saw some banner fish as well…I wonder if those were also for consumption.
Simple lunch…at the hole in the wall
A scary looking bowl of tom yam soup
Here’s a professional we-fie with the entire gang!
Relaxing after lunch
I had the opportunity to chat with the owner of the Hole in the Wall. He was easy going and shared with us that the entire place was put together by hand…and how maintenance was always on-going but not complicated…and how he was training his kids to do more of the work. I was struck by his simplicity, humility and generosity.
The owner of the establishment…build by hand!
I also saw here a group of people who were having their high school reunion. They were commemorating 30 years after graduation! I spoke with one of them and realised that they were my age! Then I realised that their T-shirts had the Germany flag colours on the sleeves as well! Turned out those were the colours of the Sarawak state flag…but they came from a school in Kedah. Maybe those were their school colours? In any case, it did solve the puzzle of why so many people wearing these colours.
With lunch over, it was time to head back to the jetty and our home stay. We showered quickly and put the clothes into the washing machine so we could finish the laundry and hang up the clothes to take advantage of the hot sun while we head out for other activities…and boy did we have activities planned!
Time to head back!
We headed first for Cenang Beach. It was a hot sunny afternoon and we were all feeling the heat by the time we got to one end of Cenang Beach…especially since the traffic slowed to a walking pace here! We had to ride to the other end of the beach to have the BEST fruit based ice cream in the world…according to me at least.
Ready for some killer ice cream! (Photo by Randy)
This place looked like a fruit stall. Smelt like a fruit stall. Sounded like a fruit stall. OK…a fruit stall does not really have a sound does it? Anyway, the point is that you would never guess that they served some of the best ice cream around just looking at it from the outside. I ordered three different flavours for the guys to try: Banana, Mango…and DURIAN! I gotta tell you that I am not a big fan of durian ice cream. I mean, I enjoy the fruit…but I do not really like it when made into ice cream. Still, this version of it was superb! Even Randy, the guy who does not eat any durian, tried it and found it to be good! More than that, it was at this point that Eric began making strange sounds that seemed to have stemmed from his obsession with the ice cream…and hamburgers!
Looks like a fruits shop! (Photo by Randy)
They’ve got all sorts of fruits!
Why are there people sitting at the back? (Photo by Randy)
Ohhh…there is someone making ice cream!
Now we ALL want some ice cream!!!
Look at that super duper ice cream! Durian flavour too!
Randy does not like durian but he enjoyed this ice cream!
We also ordered mango and banana ice cream (Photo by Randy)
By this time, LPG was low on fuel so we headed for a petrol station to fuel up. Chris noticed that some guys who were there tried to pick up some girls who were pumping up their tires. I guess this is a popular pick up joint in Langkawi!
We headed back towards the north east after this to ride on the cable car. They called it the Sky Cab. This is apparently the steepest cable car ride in the world and the incline at one stretch was 42 degrees! Not only that, this ride had the longest free span for a single rope cable car in the world at 950m long! We simply had to ride this. Unfortunately, tickets included…and mandated…a visit to the Sky Dome as well. I welcomed the Sky Dome when I stepped in though as it was nicely air conditioned. It was welcome relief from the hot and humid weather that we were experiencing the entire day!
Enroute to the Sky Cab! (Photo by Chris)
LPG riding solo (Photo by Chris)
Love the empty roads are Langkawi (Photo by Chris)
Those clouds looked menacing! (Photo by Chris)
Can you see how steep that rise is for the cable car? (Photo by Randy)
Waiting for the tickets… (Photo by Randy)
Still waiting for the tickets (Photo by Randy)
We were looking forward to this bridge! (Photo by Randy)
Waiting waiting waiting… (Photo by Randy)
Lots of waiting today…
Enough about the Sky Dome. We were lining up for the Sky Cab. While there were quite a lot of people, the fact that we were there at this time of the day (around 6:30pm) meant that the crowd was thinning. We got to our gondola quite quickly and the best news was that each gondola could take six! Perfect!
We’re next!!! (Photo by Randy)
Our gondola is here! (Photo by Randy)
Let’s go guys! (Photo by Randy)
We’re in!!! (Photo by Randy)
The ride up was amazing! Started off a bit like a roller coaster, then the swinging came to a stop and all we could hear was the sound of the wind whistling softly as it blew through our opened windows. The quiet was the perfect soundtrack to the magnificent view that unfolded as we climbed higher and higher. We could see not only the cable car station, but the coast line of Pantai Kok, then the islands beyond, and the islands beyond that. It was a really spectacular sight!
Nice view there…Eric…move aside man! (Photo by Chris)
There were two highlights to the cable car ride. One being the viewing platform at the midway point, the other being the Sky Bridge at the end point. We stopped at the midway point to have a better view of the landscape. There were quite a number of people here taking photographs and selfies. It did have a magnificent sight! Unfortunately, we learnt that the Sky Bridge was closed. This was a curved suspension bridge spanning two summits supported by a single structure. It would be quite the adventure to be able to get on! Too bad it has been closed for all my visits (since September 2014) and is still closed!
Time for a we-fie!
Now this is what I call a view! Man!!!
These mountains remind me a little of Titiwangsa!
Bright shirt! Hehehe…
The entire platform… (Photo by Randy)
The Sky Bridge…that was unfortunately closed! (Photo by Randy)
We bypassed the top station and headed back down as there was really nothing exciting there except for the Sky Bridge. We rode off towards the airport area for a grilled fish dinner at Restoran Najjah.
They sure open late! (Photo by Randy)
Waiting again…this time for food!
I discovered this place on my last trip to Langkawi back in January quite by accident and found the food to be delicious and reasonably priced. We ordered plenty of dishes including TWO grilled tilapias! Man…we must have been hungry…I think. Anthony commented after ordering that he would like to have some dessert after dinner as he saw someone bring out an Ice Kacang dessert. I remember mentioning that he should wait till the end of dinner before deciding as he may not have the stomach for it by then!
Simple omelette…it takes skill to make this taste so good!
Tom yam soup!
Ayam Masak Merah…a wonderfully tasty chicken dish!
Sotong in a Spicy Sauce
Fried prawns!
Long beans…
Grilled fish!
Halfway through dinner, Anthony mentioned that he can still have dessert…if we all shared. That was before the fish arrived. By the time we were halfway through the two fish, he surrendered! It was that much food! Fantastic food too!
We went straight back to the home stay after dinner as we would have an early start tomorrow. So it was that we wound down and got ready for the night. Tomorrow would be a long riding day!
Day 1: 511km
Day 2: 568km
Day 3: 161km
Day 4: less than 100km
2015 Day three – Sungai Petani to Langkawi
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
2015 Day two – Jerantut to Sungai Petani
Day 2
We woke up early this morning anticipating a long ride. This would in fact be the longest leg of our journey. I had some trouble sleeping as the pillows and mattress in my homely room had a “homely smell” too. I had to cover that pillow with a thick bed cover and sleep on top of that…the entire time having some of that homely smell wafting through the thick bed cover. I experienced quite the miracle that night as somewhere in my state of homely loathing I actually fell asleep!
I asked the rest if they managed to get any sleep. Most managed to get some but Randy had the short end of the stick as his bed had bugs. Poor fella had to fight with the bugs half the night and ended up sleeping on the bed cover as well.
I guess waking up at 6am does not really work (Photo by Chris)
I have no idea what Eric is doing man (Photo by Chris)
These guys look awake for sure (Photo by Chris)
The morning ritual of getting ready (Photo by Randy)
We got ready quickly and left that homely place at 730am…a little later than I expected because I had to entertain a very persistent but unexpected guest. Good thing too as it was not exactly a simple “guest” to manage given the amount of layers I had on. Thank god too that the flush functioned without any problems. Finally a feeling that slightly resembled home!
The ritual of fueling up followed by a hunt for breakfast followed. It is usually a hit and miss affair – the hunt, not the fueling up – and I was not entirely hopeful we would find anything given we were headed up north. As luck would have it, we stumbled on a street that was lined with breakfast places that were obviously well patronised. The act of picking a place out of many is a dark art that only the very adventurous can master. So we picked the place based on where we could find space for parking along the narrow road with cars and bikes parked along both sides. Easy peasy!
Pumped up and ready to go!!! (Photo by Chris)
Don’t forget your side stand man (Photo by Chris)
Hello Hello…oh…I don’t have comms set! (Photo by Chris)
Can we go now? (Photo by Chris)
The placement chose served a huge variety of local food. Noodles with Yong Tau Foo, hand made noodles or porridge. We felt like kings and had a tough time deciding which to eat. But this too is a dark art that we had mastered…perhaps most of us but not all. So most of us had he first thing we saw that caught our eye. Which turned out to be to be the first thing anyone would see when walking into the shop as it was the first stall positioned right at the entrance. Noodles with Yong Tau Foo it was then. All except for LPG who chose, perhaps a little more wisely…perhaps not, porridge with pork and all the delights of tripe and liver and whatever else you can find inside that tasty animal.
Order order…the Yong Tau Fu looks good!
Food prep…kampung style (Photo by Chris)
Simple but effective (Photo by Chris)
All ready for a good breakfast
My hearty breakfast of Yong Tau Fu with dry noodles…yummy!!!
Y.U.M.M.Y. (Photo by Randy)
Hurry take the picture so I can eat man (Photo by Randy)
LPG decided to have something different (Photo by LPG)
We were surprised how quickly we finished our breakfast. We must have burnt a lot over the night fighting a certain homely feeling while we slept.
With breakfast over, we mounted our stallions (mares for some as they like to refer to their bikes as female…why I will never really know…all I know is stallion sounds a whole lot cooler than mare) and headed north towards Gua Musang.
We rode along Route 8 through the usual plantations. It was a nice and cool morning ride and everyone had a great time on their bikes. At one point, the road opened up briefly into a two lane expressway. Randy needed to stretch his legs and decided to speed up, overtaking me in the process. He also sped past the Sungai Yong Eco Duct which I was hoping to visit. Apparently he just changed into sixth gear when he saw the sign and said “shit”. I suspect he might have used a more appropriate word but I shall refrain from writing that here so that this can continue to be a G-rated blog. Unfortunately for us…and maybe more for Randy…this two laned expressway part of Route 8 ended after about one kilometer…and there was no other obvious exits to the eco duct.
We did stumble upon an interesting looking railway station not far further along the road though so we made a U-turn and stopped across the road along a row of shops. We had cold drinks and chatted for a bit before heading across the road to explore the railway station.
Shops like these are always a welcome sight! (Photo by Randy)
Evaluating our route as we get refreshed (Photo by Chris)
Time to take a look at the trains! (Photo by Chris)
According to the folks we spoke with at the shop, this station did not welcome regular passenger trains since the floods of 2014. The trains we saw there were left there because they were badly affected by the floods. The tracks were also in bad state. All train traffic were diverted to Gua Musang from Dabong instead. When we walked over, we found the trains were covered in mud. Not just on parts of the outside but also inside. I can only imagine how terrible the floods were to see mud plastered all over the instruments of this giant locomotive. It was heart wrenching to see, too, a carriage that was quite badly mangled up. I was reminded how powerful water could be!
Trains galore!!! (Photo by Chris)
I love trains man
Chris loves trains too
I especially love long trains
Alamak…look at that fella spoiling the scenery! (Photo by LPG)
So industrial!
Wow…the flood waters were that high that the control room had mud all over
Looks like the water almost covered the ENTIRE train!
In case anyone was wondering…this is the Merapoh station
Along the track at rail marker 297
One of the carriages used for rescue during the flood
My goodness…flood waters caused this???!!!
Nice and nostalgic looking control radio room (Photo by Chris)
No station is complete without a cat (Photo by Chris)
No photo series is complete without one of these (Photo by LPG)
In case anyone was wondering…this track was not in use at that time so it was perfectly safe. Do not do this on any track that you do not know is safe!
Our chat with the folks back at the shop led to them telling us that a bridge between Gua Musang and Jeli had collapsed because of the floods too so that road would be impassable to traffic. This meant we had to divert towards Kuala Krai to Dabong before heading to Jeli. Quite a big diversion as it meant we had to head east, south east, east for many kilometres before heading back up north and north west again.
So close to Gua Musang…but no…we gotta divert…
The diversion also meant we needed to change our fueling plans. So we stopped at a station just outside Gua Musang. A few things happened here that are worth mentioning. One, I confirmed with a few other locals here that the bridge did collapse and that the only meaningful route to Jeli would be towards Kuala Krai and Dabong. Two, LPG a almost filled his bike with Bio Diesel had the credit card reader on the pump worked. Three, Randy dropped his bike spectacularly at the pump. This is not really his day, is it? Poor fella.
This was where we start our diversion taking the easterly part of Route 8 towards Kuala Krai. This road was very busy with traffic of all sorts making progress slow and tedious. We headed east and south for many kilometres before slowly heading north east before getting to the junction that pointed us north towards Dabong. We have ridden on this particular stretch called Route 66 a few times in the previous rides and always enjoyed it. The road is quieter and had many bends and straights and elevation changes taking us through villages and plantations, occasionally offering a grand vista of the mountains that we were heading for. We eventually took a break at Gua Ikan (Fish Cave) before getting back on the route to Dabong and Jeli.
Another pondok break at Gua Ikan (Photo by Chris)
Where is Eric heading to? (Photo by Chris)
That rock formation is also home to the cave called Gua Ikan (Photo by Chris)
Soon, we were able to see the magnificent Jelawang waterfall high up on Gunung Stong. This waterfall is the highest in all of South East Asia and looked awesome even from a great distance. We had originally intended to hike up to the base of the falls but had to change plans due to our diversion. Oh well, there is always another time I suppose.
The road up to Jeli from Dabong was simple and relatively wide. It brought back memories of the second WMLR in 2011 when we rode here in the late evening. It ws dusk and almost every household was sitting out in the platform enjoying the evening talking, laughing and playing games. What a contrast to city living!
We had our usual fuel stop at the Jeli petrol station. Anthony, Chris and Eric were feeling hungry as it was almost 4pm and we did not have lunch yet! They got some snacks from the shop just to get some food into their system. We carried on after they were done on Route 4 crossing the peninsula…finally heading west!
Good thing it was not the yellow or green one that is HABIS… (Photo by Chris)
Having a nice little break (Photo by Chris)
What an awesome picture of a Corolla! (Photo by Chris)
The ride up Route 4 has always been special. This road has the best combination of elevation changes, tight corners, fast sweepers and long straights that will put the rider to the test every single time. In a way, it is the perfect riding road. Today’s ride was no different. I had a great time dropping my gear down, braking when needed, leaning into the corner and accelerating out after the apex. It was an exhilarating ride. It did not take long for us to arrive at the rest stop on very top called the Titiwangsa rest stop.
This must be one of my favourite rest stops. No matter how pressed for time I am, I would still want to stop here just because it has such a spectacular view. At the very top of this part of the Titiwangsa mountain range, the temperature is very cool with a refreshing and almost perpetual breeze. From here we could see very far out and down. Truly a sight to behold and a “must” stop.
It is a big rest stop (Photo by Randy)
With a BIG view!
That brings on BIG smiles
Looks good in black and white too!
Loving that view! Everyone in!
One for the actor in the team
Not only a nice view…but also great climate!
Time for a selfie!
One with the buddy (Photo by someone with Randy’s phone)
Geez…who the heck is that! (Photo by Chris)
Even the reflection on the suglasses look good (Photo by Chris)
I will miss you Titiwangsa!
From here we continued down the mountain winding through the long sweeping bends that were on offer. One after another, the sweeps brought us further down hill with thick vegetation on either side, until quite suddenly, the view opened up to reveal an expanse of water so vast it feels like an ocean…but it is really a lake! It was the beautiful and mesmerising Tasik Temenggor, a man made lake that is 240 square kilometres in size. As we rode onto the bridge next to the public jetty there, I was shocked to see what used to be a bustling jetty completely covered with water. The only sign that the jetty was there previously were the rooftops of the police post there!
Everyone was really hungry now so it was imperative that we stop for a meal. The ideal place was right after the bridge at the Banding Lakeside Inn. We stop by this inn every time we pass through this lake because of the view afforded by the elevation of the inn. Standing on the balcony of the restaurant, we could see a big expanse of water and the big big sky that covered it. It was more like a very late lunch as it was already 5pm and we were way behind schedule.
Late lunch stop at the Banding Lakeside Inn
This coffee house is always relaxing…open and airy (Photo by Randy)
Hungry but happy…waiting for lunch (Photo by Randy)
Enjoying the view at the balcony (Photo by Chris)
And what a view this is!
My Nasi Goreng Kampung…yummy!
Where is my food? (Photo by LPG)
Eric has been riding on the WMLR since 2012 and he has been improving with every ride. He was picking up some cornering tips from Randy during lunch and was eager to try them out. The road down from the inn towards Gerik and after that towards the turnoff at Tawar would give him the perfect opportunity to safely home his skills. I did not see his riding as he was bike number four but reports from Randy later during dinner was very positive. Well done, Eric!
The light was slowly fading from the sky and we were still quite a distance from our destination. We passed by night markets and villages along the way, finally finding ourselves on a snaking stretch of road that was completely bogged down with traffic in both directions. We were by this time too tired to overtake…and even if we had the energy, there was no opportunity to!
A sunset break (Photo by Chris)
We still have quite a distance to cover (Photo by Chris)
I think my friends must have heaved a big sigh of relief in their helmets when they saw me turning into a housing estate as that usually meant we have arrived. We rode by a row of shops, then some homes, then a Surau (community prayer hall) and eventually the GPS said the words “you have arrived at your destination”.
Sometimes it can be quite annoying hearing those words when all around me I only see wilderness, or dark homes with no lights on, or some kind of school, or just nothing at all. In this case, we saw dark houses with no lights on. I stopped and proceeded slowly up the road and saw, to my relief, two guys looking at me intently and then smiled. We have arrived indeed!
They were brothers. We shook hands and chatted for awhile about what they did and why they were there at Sungai Petani because they both worked in KL, they shared with us some places we could find food…and just general conversation. Their welcome warmed us all up. Their place was a simple single storey terrace house with two bedrooms, a toilet, a bathroom, a kitchen, dining room and a living room. The place was not advertised as homely…but we all felt at home. Strange that! In conversation later we discussed this exact topic and concluded that a home, lived in previously, coupled with a warm personal welcome was what made the difference. I guess in this case it did make all the difference!
Relaxing in one of the air conditioned rooms (Photo by Chris)
I have no idea what I was doing with my iPad man…seriously… (Photo by Chris)
After refreshing ourselves, it was time for dinner. We found one of their recommended places, a 24hr Nasi Kandar shop that also served roti and goreng goreng. The food was good…maybe because it was close to 10pm by the time we ate…but nobody was complaining!
Waiting for dinner…or supper given the time (Photo by LPG)
We travelled a total of 568km today. Not bad given we crossed the peninsula and had such a scenic journey. Looking forward to tomorrow!
Day 1: 511km
Day 2: 568km
2015 Day one – Singapore to Jerantut
Day one.
This is the sixth year that we are doing the ride. I do not know what it is about this ride as even now, after doing it so many times before, I still felt a sense of excitement when I think about the ride. Perhaps there is really something very special about going on a motorcycle adventure that kept the excitement. Or maybe it felt exciting because we are going to experience different places. Or perhaps it was because there were new riders joining. Whatever the reason, I felt very excited!
I woke up early way before dawn. I felt immediately a great rush. To get ready and head out the door. Get to the bike and ride off to meet the guys. First day jitters hit me as usual. Did I forget something? Did I leave a light on? Would everything turn out right? So many questions popped into my head at the exact moment I stepped out the door. Funny how these questions arise even after answering them the first few times. Well, questions or not, it was time to go…and so I did!
I met up with Randy first as he lived close by. Randy rides a KTM 1190 Adventure. It was a monster of a bike and accelerates like a rocket. It was a tall bike…and with the panniers (side boxes for the non-bikers) installed…it was also a wide bike. I am, in a way, very glad that I did not ride that bike because that bike would get me into a lot of trouble. In a way, it was a hooligan kind of bike. But enough about the bike for now. We had an adventure to begin and begin it we shall!
So we rode off at a brisk pace towards the rendezvous point at Mandai Lake Road. The roads were quite clear this time of the morning. We met Anthony and Chris along the way too. We were the first to arrive and waited for the others. Eric showed up moments later and a catch up conversation was in full swing. It felt strange that LPG has yet to show up as he was usually quite prompt. He did show up eventually and we all got ready to push off after a short brief on the immediate leg of the ride.
For some reason, LPG dropped his bike right when we when about to head off. It proved to be too heavy for him to lift the bike up by himself as it was fully loaded up with luggage. A few of us helped him right the bike and then we pushed off for real.
The immigration and customs clearance on both the Singapore and Malaysia sides were smooth at this time of the day. We were soon gathered at the Shell station to fuel up and head north. Strangely, LPG a was missing yet again. It was puzzling until I received a phone call form him indicating that he took a wrong turn. He eventually found his way to the station, fuelled up and was ready to go.
Waiting eagerly to move off…
The road out from Johor Bahru is always a little hectic because of traffic. But it soon thinned out as the road opened up. The view in the morning is quite spectacular. Coupled with the cool morning air…it was a great feeling when the wind hits the face.
Our plan was to get to Jemaluang for breakfast. We were riding at a good pace and eventually passed Kiang Kee. For a brief moment I thought about stopping but soon brushed it off as the place was crowded as usual…on a Wednesday morning!
The shop at Jemaluang was a familiar favourite. Not that the food was the best. In fact, the noodles there was nowhere near what you can get in many other places. But the place fills me with a sense of nostalgia. It always felt like I was stepping back into the coffe shop of my childhood years. I swear this place never changed through the years and they probably still used the same furniture from then they first started business…and that was probably a time before I could walk!
All parked by the shop
My favourite simple kampung wanton noodles
Nostalgic coffee shop at Jemaluang
All the food is gone
With our stomachs satisfied, we made our way to Mersing where we stopped for Chris to get a local SIM card for his phone. I parked my bike beside this old style barber shop. The barber was cutting somebody’s hair while we waited outside for Chris. He eventually stepped out for a cigarette and we struck up a conversation. He told me he was born and raised in Mersing and saw how the town grew from then till now. How cool is that!
Small side road at Mersing
The old style barber shop at Mersing
The friendly barber
Our next destination was meant to be a beach near Pantai Lanjut. I found the place eventually and decided to recce the trail onto the beach. Unfortunately, the sand was too fine for the bikes to get through. I had a more than interesting time doing my recce and was thankful I did not drop my bike. We eventually took our break by the side of Sungai Rompin.
The quiet Sungai Rompin
Relaxing by the river
Look at me!!! (Photo by Chris)
Now look at that bike!!! (Photo by Chris)
The perfect spot to fix that bike (Photo by Chris)
We probably lingered a little too long at Sungai Rompin because as we rode out it started to drizzle. That meant stopping again for the guys to put on rain gear…so we decided to stop for lunch instead. We had a local Malay lunch and I ordered Nasi Berlauk with some sambal paru and ulam. It was very yummy!
All parked at our lunch spot (Photo by Randy)
We love these kinds of spots for a meal (Photo by Randy)
Can’t wait to tuck in (Photo by Randy)
I just LOVE this unpretentious and simple delicious yummy food!
LPG mentioned to me during lunch that he was running low on fuel. That meant we could go towards our intended direction to Muadzam Shah which was around 50km away, or back track towards Kuala Rompin 20km away. We decided to head forward. Everyone was worried during this short leg because of his fuel situation and were relieved when we got there. We stopped at the very first station there so he could fill up.
There will always be rain…even on a short 20km stretch
Followed by the hot hot sun
I have never had a good experience with this station. The last time I pumped here I was low enough on fuel for it to be worrying and one of the attendants refused to let me pump. I had to make quite a bit of fuss before the station supervisor relented. This time round, the station was crowded enough that one set of pumps ran out of fuel. So the rest of us pumped at the next station…which was bigger…better…takes credit cards…and less than 5km away! This should give you a better idea how worried we were for LPG!
We rode on heading northeast and crossed Sungai Pahang before turning west along the river. River side roads are very special, very similar to ocean side roads, they present spectacular views of the water at certain spots and can be absolutely spectacular. This road was also a little narrower than most and curves with the winds of the river. You can already imagine how wonderful it is to ride on!
There is always a pondok when we need a break! (Photo by Chris)
Look at that beautiful road! (Photo by Chris)
Eventually we made a right turn to head up north on Route 64. The surrounding started to slowly change to what we were more used to…that of plantations. The road was still very pleasant and we were having a good ride. Out of nowhere we ran into a rather large temple with a huge compound. Of course we had to make a stop and look at this rather interesting place. It turned out to be a famous Indian temple called the Sri Marathandavar Aalayam Temple.
The Sri Marathandavar Aalayam Temple
One interesting feature of this temple is the tree that you see in the picture. This tree is sacred. The history is that about 116 years ago when the Kuantan-Jerantut road was being constructed, a Ruthratsham tree was cut to make way for the road and workers noticed that blood flowed out from the cut on the tree. It is believed that a religious old man, a Murugar devotee, planted a Vel at the base of that tree and started worshipping there. What started as a very small shrine is now a huge and grand temple with many coming from far and wide for the Thaipusam and other important religious festivals for Lord Muruga.
See how the temple was build around the giant tree
This gives you a better sense of scale (Photo by Chris)
It is hard not to notice a temple of this size in the middle of a small village road
Parked the bikes along this row of shops
Before too long, we found ourselves in the company of heavier traffic. We have arrived at Jerantut, one of the bigger towns in Pahang. The GPS guided us with precision and aplomb right up to a place where the road it wanted us to take did not exist. I guess the person who marked the address had a sense of adventure too!
A call to the host quickly resolved the situation. We had to wait for her at one of the petrol stations. It was a really really hot day so we welcomed the shade while we waited.
This must be the I’m feeling hot but happy face (Photo by Chris)
More hot but happy faces (Photo by Chris)
Why this fella still all suited up and sitting on bike? (Photo by Chris)
The host showed up in about 10 minutes and led us towards the house. We rode through an interesting assortment of shops, followed by a housing estate and we were eventually confronted by what was touted to be a home stay with “homely rooms”. I take that to mean the place was homely and had the trappings and comforts of home.
Homely rooms indeed…hmmm…
I suppose like many things, home looks and feels very different to different people. Our host obviously had a more evolved sense of home than we did because she was seemingly unfazed by what was presented: on-going construction, sandy front porch, dusty floors, cracking doors, toilet seat covers that was secured with only one bolt and nut as the other side did not align with the bowl, and most interestingly, home is where the folks working on the construction sleeps.
Interesting definition of homeliness…so messy…
What a mess man…geez… (Photo by Randy)
Seriously folks…what kind of homestay is this? (Photo by Randy)
Every corner is messed up… (Photo by Randy)
O.M.F.G. (Photo by Randy)
Perhaps having a bed in the living room is their definition of homely…
The further you stand, the homelier this place looks
Chris certainly felt at home enough to want to help out
To be fair, this place was very convenient and central in Jerantut. We could find lots of food, convenience stores and even a full fledged mega mart just five minutes away on foot. Oh yes…the air conditioning in the room worked well too.
We decided to walk out for dinner as soon as possible to avoid this homely place as much as we could and settled on a promising restaurant called the Tokyo Restaurant that served Chinese cuisine specialising in fresh water river fish of the region. The food was absolutely delicious and satisfying. So much so that we all forgot about our homely place and were, once again, in the happiest of moods.
Ordering food…just say yes to everything (Photo by Chris)
New styles for social interaction (Photo by Chris)
Steamed frogs legs in Chinese herbal style – most succulent frogs legs ever!
Stewed lamb in claypot – so tender you would not believe!
Can’t go wrong with the four heavenly kings
One for Facebook before we tuck in
Yummy Tiger prawns with a yummy dry sauce
The absolute best steamed Patin Fish you can have…EVER…
We walked around the area after dinner, convinced that it was exactly the kind of exercise one needs after a good meal. No, a great meal. No again, as it was really a fantastic meal!
We wandered into a department store for awhile and look what I found!!!
Old style flasks aplenty at the department store outside
Soon it was time to head back to the homely place and call it a night. It was definitely a fabulous day one. Fun roads, good food and great friends. Not many experiences can top that!
Day 1: 511km
2014 Day 7 – Rawang to Singapore
Day seven.
Every great journey will eventually come to an end. And so it is that this epic ride in 2014 would come to an end on this day. It was a very special morning. The sun shone beautifully at the Rainforest Retreat.
How beautiful it is in the morning!
I would love to sit on this swing and watch the morning break again!
Oh well…the reality is that we have to pack up and head off because it would be quite a journey back to Singapore. So…we started with the packing and headed back.
Unfortunately I do not have pictures really of our last day to show. So instead, here are some pictures that came from Chris’ GoPro camera.
The Honda Varadero proved to be a very able bike. Reliable. Stable. Fast. It was the perfect bike for a ride like this! (Photography by Chris)
Tony proved that the Kymco Downtown could not only keep up but lead the pack when needed! (Photography by Chris)
Paul showed us all that the Goldwing can really go places in style! (Photography by Chris)
If you look hard enough, you will see that Eric can really ride his Yamaha Fazer 600 on the curvy stuff! Needless to say, our friend Chris makes light work of his Honda NC700X! (Photography by Chris)
All in all, it was a fantastic journey. One where friendships are strengthened, experiences shared and memories made. I can’t wait till the next ride!
WMLR2015! Here we come!!!
2014 Day 6 – Rawang, Shah Alam & Kuala Lumpur
Day six.
Ah…day six. The morning at the Rainforest Retreat is quite something else! The place wakes up early enough to the sound of birds chirping everywhere. A misty dew lingers on just a little longer as the morning sun rises to cast a beautiful light on the great rock that towers behind the house. It was a wonder to behold.
Misty morning at the golf course next door… (Photography by Chris)
Beautiful golden light cast upon the rock behind the house. Beautiful! (Photography by Chris)
We had breakfast in as we had lots of leftover food from last night. The owner also supplied us with quite a lot of fruits which was super yummy too! Soon it was time to get ready for a fun day!
Are you loading or unloading Eric? (Photography by Chris)
Our destination today was going to be about an hour’s ride away. So we set off soon after and headed towards Shah Alam. We were going to have some fun today with a lot more rubber!
The karting track! It was time for some karting fun! (Photography by Chris)
We got to the track at the Shah Alam stadium and got ourselves some time with go-karts. It was fun going around the track as fast as we could. Round and round. Man…this thing really grew on us. It was so fun we did not take many pictures at all!
No matter how fun karting was, it would eventually be time to go. We headed off trying to find the Moto Guzzi dealership here at Glenmarie and we found it. Unfortunately it was closed! They had gone for a bike week somewhere (maybe in Terengganu). Oh well. We ended up having lunch at SEA Park before heading back back to Rawang.
Here at the Restoran New Seaview for lunch. (Photography by Chris)
It was really hot by the time we got back so we made a stop at the coffee shop for some refreshments.
So hot! Good to have ice cold drinks! (Photography by Chris)
This kitty was going all around us and we could not resist playing a little. (Photography by Chris)
After the refreshments…it was time to laze around until dinner time.
I guess Chris is very good with finding nice relaxing spots! (Photography by Chris)
See what I mean? (Photography by Chris)
Anyway, it was soon time to get ready to head out for dinner. We ordered a taxi to bring us there so we did not have to worry about the hassle of parking in the city. This also gives us the opportunity to have something refreshing to drink while we were there!
All eager to find out what the special dinner experience was going to be like…
And then it was time for drinks!!!
So essentially this is all I get to show about the actual dinner… (Photography by Chris)
We went for the Dining in the Dark dinner experience. Teresa helped to book it and joined us for the evening. It was a fantastic experience of dining without light. Not a single bit of light. Eating just with the sensation of touch, smell, sound and taste without sight was a very unique experience. Most of us could not properly identify what we had in our mouths but the food was great nonetheless.
A perfect way to end the day I would say!
2014 Day 5 – Tanah Rata to Rawang
Day five.
Morning at the 8 Mentigi is quiet for sure. Perfect for some solitude and reflection. I woke up earlier today and decided to read the book that I brought along with me. I was re-reading The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I read this book many years before but felt compelled to read it again. There is always a reason when things like this happen. Maktub!
These couches were very inviting…especially when one is wrapped up in a light blanket! This was where I was reading my book. (Photography by Chris)
It was getting brighter ourside… (Photography by Chris)
The bikes had a layer of dew on them…all over them. (Photography by Chris)
Gotta love morning light! (Photography by Chris)
There were cheery daisies everywhere…I think they’re daisies… (Photography by Chris)
We headed out and the first order of business was to get some breakfast! Gotta fill the tummy for the morning ride down the much anticipated road.
Parked beside Restoran Fong Lam at Ringlet for breakfast!
I wonder if everyone was awake…
Whatever the case…I was definitely ready for my breakfast! Look at that hearty noodles and yong tau foo soup!
When breakfast and all the toilet rituals were over, we started heading down that road leading from Ringlet to Raub. We were full of anticipation…at least I was…and boy did it turn out to be one hell of a road!
There were villages dotting the hillside.
And lots of construction going on as well…looked like they were building a tunnel of some sort…
We also came across a helicopter that was about to take off from the launchpad! Tony wanted a picture taken…so I obliged.
It was a gem of a road. Downhill. Fast sweepers. Man!
They just kept coming! One sweet one after another!
I could not believe how fun this road was turning out to be. Just look at that!
We had to eventually stop for a break…as usual… (Photography by Chris)
The road eventually leveled out and straightened somewhat.
From the bottom of the mountain to Raub was more like a plantation road. Small. Flat. Fairly straight. But man…the memory of the earlier road was fresh on everyone’s mind when we stopped for lunch in Raub.
We ate at a coffeeshop there. Nothing very special about this place except that I chose to order curry noodles! (Photography by Chris)
After lunch, we rode up towards Fraser’s Hill. The roads got a little more interesting at this point.
It started to wind a little again…getting interesting…
Very interesting indeed!
In fact, the bends got tighter and tighter, wetter and wetter, until it started to pour as we started on our journey down on the other side! It was wet and slippery…but still fun!
We eventually made our way towards Rawang. It was a slow ride once we got into urban roads with many traffic lights and heavier traffic. At some point, we were quite lost. We finally found the place after a few calls with our host.
Riding up into the Rainforest Retreat at Rawang was quite the experience…especially when we got onto the large flat area where we could park our bikes.
A bit of a challenge for the Goldwing I think… (Photography by Chris)
But this view made it all worthwhile! (Photography by Chris)
Tony doing the special kungfu moves to prevent monkeys from meddling with the bikes…not that there were any monkeys there… (Photography by Chris)
Just take a look at the space!!! So much space! Woohoo!!! (Photography by Chris)
This is the main house where we will be staying. There is a deck upstairs for BBQ and stuff. Inside is a very comfortable place with a couple bedrooms and a nice living area. (Photography by Chris)
There is a pond directly in front of the living area and this is how it looks like from the deck. Gotta love it! (Photography by Chris)
We tried out hand at fishing as there were fish in the pond and explored the area a little bit. But mostly we just did some simple housekeeping with clothes to be washed, notes to be written and books to be read.
A couple of the guys went out to get some food and we had our dinner on the deck. The food was simple and basic Malaysian fare with noodles and rice and stuff. However, it soon proved to be quite a challenge having dinner on the open deck as it started to rain…and in these parts…when it rains…it pours! But the place is oh so luscious and beautiful in the rain!
As the sun was going down and the rain poured, the place took on a different personality. One that is all the more inviting and cosy in my opinion!
Anyway, back to the story, we went inside with our food and had a great time.
We all sat around the coffee table for coffee after dinner and chatted through the night. It was a very nice evening too.
Incidentally, I also finished re-reading my book here. Well, time for bed as tomorrow will be a very fun day indeed!
2014 Day 4 – Tanah Rata to Ipoh to Tanah Rata
Day four.
We embark on part 2 of our quest to ride on every access road to the Cameron Highlands. The best start to the day would be BREAKFAST! So that was exactly what we did.
After walking around and around we finally decided on a roti breakfast in a local Indian Muslim shop. (Photography by Chris)
It was pretty popular with locals too it seems…then again…who knows who is truly local? (Photography by Chris)
It was eventually time to head out and we chose to go down the Tapah road. This road was chosen because it was the tougher of the two roads that we would attempt today. It is always better to attempt the tougher road when we were feeling fresh and tackle the easier one later when we would feel a little more tired.
The ride down was super fun as expected…so fun that we did not get any pictures taken! It was just a long, winding, fun road that kept going and going…and going downhill made it even more fun!
We made our way to Ipoh for lunch and found a nice spot to park…after going round in circles because of the wonderful “one way only” roads.
Parked and ready for lunch!!! (Photography by Chris)
We had the usual Taugeh Chicken for lunch…this is a familiar favourite in Ipoh.
Soon it was time to head back up to Tanah Rata. This time round we would use the access road from Simpang Pulai. So up we go!
And of course, time for another break! (Photography by Chris)
As we made our way from the top down towards Tanah Rata, we decided to stop by a Buddhist temple at Brinchang town.
Parking outside the Sam Poh Buddhist Temple at Brinchang. (Photography by Chris)
We took a walk around the temple. (Photography by Chris)
They do have a couple really cool and retro classic cars from the 70s. (Photography by Chris)
The view outside was not that great. (Photography by Chris)
But we found beauty anyway…Chris did at least. (Photography by Chris)
I was more interested in the temple…really! (Photography by Chris)
We decided to stop by a strawberry farm on the way back to the guest house…for some refreshments…no prizes for spotting the strawberries! (Photography by Chris)
Nice and comfy back at 8 Mentigi…it rhymes too! (Photography by Chris)
We settled for a simple dinner this time round…
Nothing fantastic nor spectacular…but hits the spot when you’re hungry!
I seem to remember us having durians…but then again…maybe that was the last time when we were at Camerons…I can’t quite remember and do not have any pictures of that happening. Oh well…chalk it to age maybe.
In any case, time to stop for the day and get some rest before the final part of our quest tomorrow!
2014 Day 3 – Kuala Terengganu to Tanah Rata
Day three.
This is a special day indeed and a couple of us started early before the sun was up. Remember that beach from yesterday? Well, we went back to try and catch the sunrise.
Well before the sun showed himself…the place looked so peaceful and serene…
It was a cloudy morning which was not ideal for sunrises…but still…it was good to watch the colours as they unfolded before our eyes…and eventually, the sun shone through!
Always good to see the sun shining through on a brand new day.
There was another reason why this would be a special day…we would be attempting (over these two days) to ride on all four access roads to the Cameron Highlands! How exciting! So let’s get going.
We just love to take breaks…and we seem to be able to find plenty of reasons to take them.
See what I mean? (Photography by Chris)
This is just a glimpse of a small tiny little part of Tasik Kenyir along our route.
Transports for lumber…still a big industry here on cultivated lumber.
Just look at that beautiful road…nothing but bends!
We got our second look at Tasik Kenyir…a much better view from here too!
Who’s that on the Goldwing???
The landscape changed to that of rolling hills…it was spectacular!
It was eventually time for lunch at Gua Musang. It was nothing spectacular except that there was air conditioning! Woohoo!!! Then it was up the road to the highlands!
More breaks along the way… (Photography by Chris)
It was so hot that day we decided to stop for a water break close to the turnoff. This place was located in the right spot…but it seems it was also the right spot for flies because I have never seen so many flies in one place in my entire life! (Photography by Chris)
With the break over, we continued on and finally parked at Tanah Rata. I have been trying to contact the host for our next stay but was unsuccessful for the last few hours. So I kept trying…
Parked here waiting for me to get our host… (Photography by Chris)
We were parked here for quite awhile…I called every number I could. The local ones, the HK ones, email. Everything…to no avail. (Photography by Chris)
The guys were very nice about it…but I was super frustrated. I also looked up several possible places on the internet…calling…checking prices…checking availability…checking conditions…things that I usually do before the trip. It was not fun. (Photography by Chris)
Finally…I found a place. One that would be familiar to those who follow these rides. Eight Mentigi Guesthouse. (Photography by Chris)
This is a guesthouse in the traditional sense…with a cosy lobby too. (Photography by Chris)
With garden tables outside for guests to mingle. (Photography by Chris)
It took so long to find the place it was soon time for dinner. So we decided to walk out and have something that would suit the situation perfectly. Something hot, soupy, spicy, yummy and fast!
So it was time for steamboat at the Mayflower Restaurant.
The best thing to do after a big dinner is to go for a walk. We discovered a pasar malam (night market) and decided to take a look. It was a very small one but it was still good to see.
We decided to turn in early as we were tired after the long ride up. Tomorrow would be part 2 of our quest so look out for it!
