West Malaysia loop ride

Spending the night in a luxurious hotel can make for a good rest. And while the Lee Guesthouse was not luxurious by a mile, I had one of the best rests in the entire trip last night. I chalk that to the easy, homely and comfortable feeling that I get with this quaint little guest house.

We have a long ride ahead of us today and everyone got up early in hope that we can avoid the rush hour. The sun was just peeking out as we began packing our bikes!

Early morning in Kota Bahru
(Photography by LPG)

We were all in a good mood knowing that we are making our second major direction change…SOUTH! Do not get me wrong here. It is really nice to wake up every morning knowing that there is nothing to do except get on the bike and explore new places…but being on the road for a few days in a row can be rough…and I can fully understand why heading in the same direction of home can put a smile on the gang’s faces.

Our ride would take us back to Jeli, then it is time to head down Route 66 towards Dabong, followed by Route D29 to Gua Musang, and finally Route 8 (and 10) to Temerloh. That is the plan…

My very good friend Murphy visited us a few times already in this trip. He was with us on our first day when the gang got separated, he visited us again on the second day when Chris’ mirror fell off. He must like us a lot because he visited us yet again on our third day when Alex dropped his bike near Balik Pulau. I realized he was strangely absent yesterday…and perhaps that was his way of giving us a break because early this morning he showed up again just as we were about to set out.

For some unknown reason, my headlight did not come on this morning. I tried the high beam switch…nothing. I tried restarting Anker…nothing. So out came my tools so I could check the bulb…guess what…the bulb was fine. Tried re-seating the socket…nothing. Changed the bulb just in case my eyes were playing tricks on me…nothing. At this point, I decided to try the “Pass” switch (you know, the one you use when you want to flash your high beam at someone momentarily)…and it came on! Wow! At least one thing worked.

My headlight decided to take a break this morning
(Photography by LPG)

We were delayed by more than half an hour by this time and I decided that we should push off just so that we had a chance to get to Temerloh before night fall in the hope that I did not need my lights. So we put everything back in place and headed off. Strangely enough…my headlights worked for this stretch…hmmm…

We rode south for about 40km before turning into Machang to look for breakfast. I chanced upon this place just beside the road where many cars were parked…looked like a good spot for some local breakfast! As usual, we attracted a lot of attention getting our bikes parked right in front…and some folks eventually decided to take some pictures with the bikes!

I could not resist stopping in places like this for a local meal

I was bewildered by this place. There was a lady doing barbeques at the front, there were curry dishes, vegetable dishes, sweet cakes and loads of other delicious looking local goodies! I decided to have some Nasi Dagang for my breakfast…see how gorgeous it looked! What I liked best about it was the dessicated coconut! Woohoo!!!

Nasi Dagang...YUMMY!!!

The Nasi Dagang and Kopi-O-Kosong breakfast was way beyond expectations. I enjoyed it tremendously. Sadly though, we did not have time to stop and enjoy more of the delicious food on offer. So it was back to the bikes for the next leg.

The more astute reader will realize that we have not filled the bikes up with petrol this morning. So our next stop would be the petrol station just before Jeli to fill up our bikes before the big push south. Alex informed me that he was feeling a little tired from the long riding over the last few days. So I decided that we will have a longer stop at Dabong so he could get a power nap. This works well too as the others can go exploring.

The ride to Dabong along Route 66 was as expected…it was a road that goes through several villages and plantations. Simple curves and easy riding all the way…which can sometimes be the most dangerous riding especially when you are tired or sleepy. We got to the turn off for Route D29 and eventually got to the entry way towards Gunung Stong.

I had wanted to stop by Gunung Stong last year but we did not get to because we were running really late by the time we got to this point. It was great that we managed to get here this time round. The ride into Gunung Stong was a stunning one. There was a steep climb, then a descent…and then a gentle ride to the base of the mountain…and all that time we could see the magnificence of the Jelawang Waterfall. This is  highest waterfall in South East Asia standing at 305m high and has seven (7!!!) tiers altogether! WOW!!!

The view of the majestic and magnificent Jelawang Waterfall at Gunung Stong

Just wait till the video is ready if you are struggling to see the magnificence of the waterfall as a panorama simply shrinks everything down.

We parked at the Gunung Stong National Park, I paid the entry fee of RM2 for everyone, and then got everyone sorted out…that meant Alex got a place for a nap, I got a place to just relax and play with the FIFA12 game on my iPhone, and the others got a chance to trek up to the waterfall and take some good pictures! PERFECT!!!

The Harley bikes parked side by side at Gunung Stong

The base of the Jelawang Waterfall
(Photography by LPG)

Where is the top???
(Photography by LPG)

An idyllic bridge at Gunung Stong
(Photography by Chris)

This gentleman guided Nabil all the way to the top...apparently he ran while Nabil struggled! GAWD!!!
(Photography by LPG)

We stopped here for about an hour and started to get ready to leave. This was also the point where Nabil would be leaving the gang to head back home a day earlier in order to handle an urgent matter that came up just the day before. So he set off for his solo journey home. We arranged for him to call me at his rest point so we can continue to be in contact. Meanwhile, the rest of us would head south towards Gua Musang on Routes D29 and 8.

It was almost noon by the time we left Gunung Stong. So while we did not have a long way to go to Gua Musang, the extreme heat made the ride almost unbearable at times. I was very glad when we found a place for lunch at a bus station in Gua Musang. I remember just plonking myself down on the chair and stoning out just because it was so bloody hot! I lost all interest in photography…opting instead to just sit in a daze while my brain cooled down.

Lunch was nothing spectacular. After all, this was a bus station…and we know how the food can be at bus stations. Still, I was glad to have had two ice cold drinks to set me up for the next leg towards Temerloh. We set off eventually and decided to fuel up near Kuala Lipis which was another 90km or so away. This part of the journey saw some very interesting detours…it looked like the roads were under major work…I hope they were not trying to straighten them out!

This leg was also one where I wanted to make up for lost time as it was getting late and I wanted to get to Temerloh before nightfall! So I rode a little faster up front for minutes at a time and then slowed down to wait for the rest to catch up. The traffic was heavy too for some reason and that contributed to a slower than usual ride as well. We did eventually get to a petrol station just 10km out from Kuala Lipis though. As usual, I chose to stop purely because I felt so dehydrated from the heat I simply had to get some liquids into my system. I remember there was a pick up truck at the petrol station with a completely collapsed front left wheel! Geez!

It was great getting time to rest and get hydrated. Amazing how a little water goes such a long way! Teng asked the lady at the counter how far away she thought Temerloh was and she said 25-30km. He was buoyed by her answer…until he mentioned it to me because I told him it was at least another 150km away. I guess the lady was thinking about Kuala Lipis!

In any case, we soon set off towards Kuala Lipis in search of Route 1506. However, the road I took us on eventually led to a police post with a barrier. It looked like the entry point to a plantation! I stopped short of it to consult with my trusty location advisor (Google Maps) and found that we were indeed on Route 1506. The police told me that this route would lead towards Gua Musang and not Temerloh though…so we had to back track to Route 8 and head south towards Bentong instead. So…another Google Maps blunder there!

We got to a point along Route 8 where we had to turn into Route 64 towards Temerloh. This route looked really nice on the map with curves aplenty and so I was very happy to turn into it. However, the situation was rather unfortunate as many of the first few kilometers were under repair. There was absolutely no asphalt left on some stretches of the road with many potholes and bumps to boot! The transitions from tarmac to dirt were not too bad…but the transitions back from dirt to tarmac were terrible because the tarmac would be a few inches higher! That made for a painful bump for the bike…and for the butt! I found myself riding off to the grassy patch whenever I had to do those transitions just to avoid the bump. Good thing this only lasted the first few kilometers.

The next stretch was really nice actually. The road had the requisite bends and curves…and the serenity of the villages along the way just made it that much more of a joy to ride here. The gang has developed a familiar pattern of riding long and curvy roads where I would go forward at a brisk pace and slow down further up front. This made for some joyous riding! Thinking back…this could rank as one of the nicer roads around for a relaxing ride!

All good things come to an end…so they say. This turned out to be true as there was another stretch that was really bad near Damak. I rode through it as quickly as I could in the hope of finding better tarmac ahead. I heard LPG calling me on my intercom a little after that informing me that he has not seen Chris for quite awhile. We decided that he would head back a few kilometers to check while I found a safe place for the rest to wait. That check took quite awhile…and not only that…I could not get a network signal on my phone!

It felt like an eternity before LPG called me back even though it was only about five minutes. Time sure passes slowly when you are worrying about something. We found out that Chris was caught out by a huge pothole which damaged his front wheel. They eventually caught up to where we were waiting and that was when we realized his front tire was badly punctured as well. From the looks of it, the wheel took quite a beating with the pothole and probably ripped out the tire wall. It was a good thing we had the necessary tools for a repair…and it sure was a miracle that Chris managed to repair it sufficiently to continue the ride.

Where we stopped along Route 64 to wait for Chris...

Tire repair in action...
(Photography by LPG)

It was a massive tear and took three tire worms to seal!

It was dusk by the time we continued off. I was double worried as now we have a rider without headlights (me) and one with a risky tire (Chris). We rode slowly until we got to a petrol station so we could fill up his tire to a good pressure before continuing towards Temerloh. Thankfully, his tire held up well…and my headlights decided to work from there on! Woohoo!!!

We were all rather tired by the time we got to the hotel. So we decided to get checked in quickly and then head out for dinner by the river. We went out on fewer bikes for dinner just to give Chris’ tires a rest.

Heading out for dinner at Temerloh
(Photography by Chris)

Alex got a ride on the Fazer!
(Photography by Chris)

The fantastic spread at Temerloh

Dinner was a fantastic spread of Patin Fish (what Temerloh is famous for) and other fun stuff like Tempoyak (a durian based condiment). It was a fantastic way to end a long day!

Yesterday was fantastic. An easy day riding around Penang and the nearby areas, discovering a fantastic beach with great food and a wonderful ride on one of the most twisted roads I have ever been to. It would be hard to top! At the same time, our ride today would take us onto one of the most scenic places in West Malaysia…Route 4…and I am stoked! We would be heading east today. Starting from the island of Pulau Pinang, all the way to the north eastern city of Kota Bahru. The best thing about today’s ride is that we will be on Route 4. The last time I was there it was late into the night and I saw a wild elephant by the side of the road and a sky filled with stars. What would today be like? Read on to find out! While the journey today would be a relatively short one, that last stretch going up towards Kota Bahru was new to me and I did not want to get there too late. So we arranged to meet for breakfast at 7am. Unfortunately, I was up late and only got to the breakfast place at 7:30am. The rest of the gang were done with breakfast and almost ready to go. So I grabbed a quick bite, packed up the bike and got ready to leave as well. It was 8am by the time we finally left the hotel. As usual, the first stop would be for petrol. We were experts with filling up the bikes by now and everyone was ready in a jiffy. We had to wait a little though because Nabil, the one who took the best care of his bike, had to oil his chain and pump up his tires. I don’t do these things because I had a Scottoiler installed (thanks to Ethan) and generally ignore my tires. I pumped them up with Ride On TPS and nitrogen so took it for granted that they would be fine throughout the trip. Of course, that was a little foolhardy of me…still…I am generally too lazy to do things manually. In any case…Nabil got ready soon enough and we headed off! The easy way to get to the mainland was by the bridge. But since I still was not able to get any footage of us getting on and off the ferry the last three times, we decided to go on it and try to get some footage. Third time lucky obviously did not work for me…maybe it would work the fourth time! The roads towards the ferry terminal were nice and empty as it was a Sunday. The morning was rather pleasant too…until we got to the area near the harbour. There must have been some kind of bicycle race or a ride-a-thon going on as there were so many bikes at one of the roundabouts. There were marshals blocking traffic so the cyclists had safe passage as well. So we waited until they were through and then started off again. I was so distracted by then I followed the cyclists path…and ended up in the wrong place! Nothing a quick U-turn would not solve though and we were eventually back on track towards the ferry terminal. This time round, I made sure my batteries were freshly charged and my memory card was properly formatted the night before…so…I got the footage I needed! YES!!! What was cool too was that the ferry was literally empty! With the ferry almost half empty, there was a lot of space for bikes…and for walking around. It turned out to be the best ferry ride I have had for a long time! For some reason, the breeze felt cooler and the ride felt smoother when there is so much space! I remember thinking that it would be nice if the rest of the day would feel the same…lots of space for an easy and enjoyable ride! All too soon, we were docked on the other side and headed out on Butterworth. I headed towards the direction of Kulim. This first stretch would be mainly express way riding and it was relaxing. We were passed by a group of riders from Penang on Ducati and Kawasaki bikes. They were going pretty quickly compared to our relaxing pace of 90kph. It was good to see them though…and always nice to have bikes to admire along the ride! There was one of those openings leading to a bike lane that came up eventually…and I debated if we should use it. As usual, I decided not to and headed pass it as the toll booth was at least half a kilometre away. Unfortunately, I quickly saw that there was no bike lane further up and waved for the riders behind to use the bike lane. Four of them made it fine to the bike lane but the first three of us did not. Thank goodness the road was empty as we had to make a quick U-turn to get to the bike lane…I did not want to repeat what happened the last time I had to go through a toll booth on a non-bike lane! We eventually caught up with the others further down the road. The plan for today was to ride the first stretch in a leisurely pace until we get to Gerik, fill up, do a photography run until we hit the public jetty at Tasik Temenggor for lunch. The ride went according to plan to Gerik. I briefed the gang on the photography run. We would be riding in formation in a relatively slower pace. I would go ahead and stop about one kilometre ahead, get off my bike, and take the photographs of the gang as they rode pass. They would then stop further down the road until I join up with them and we would repeat this until we got all the photographs we wanted. As expected, it took us three runs to get the pictures we needed but it was well worth the effort!

Alex on his Harley Davidson Softail Deluxe

Eric on his Yamaha Fazer FZ6S

Nabil on his Honda Hornet 600

Chris on his Honda CB400 SuperFour Project Big

Teng on his Harley Davidson Sportster

LPG on his Honda Shadow 400

It was really sweet of everyone when I caught up with them at the end of our last photography run as they tried taking a picture of me on my bike. The picture turned out very nice too! Thanks guys! We rode the rest of the way to Tasik Temenggor and crossed the first bridge towards the public jetty where we planned to have lunch. I remember the jetty from our ride back in 2010. It was a very relaxing spot with some simple food places and I was really looking forward to a nice lunch. Unfortunately the place turned out to be badly flooded. One of the locals told us it was flooded for a month and the water was not subsiding! There was litter everywhere and kids standing around with nothing to do. It looked really sad. While they did still serve some food here, it was clearly not the best place to stop for lunch. I decided to head back for a couple kilometres and have lunch at the Banding Lakeside Inn instead. This was the place we put up for a night last year and they were very hospitable. It turned out to be the right decision as the place was still as relaxing, peaceful and scenic as I remembered it to be! The people were equally friendly and made us feel very welcome! The view from the lunch place was excellent too! Many of us were torn between admiring the view and ordering food!

The view of Tasik Temenggor from the balcony of the Banding Lakeside Inn

  The food was great…and dessert was even better! We took the opportunity to order up some cheesecake to celebrate Nabil’s birthday properly. I think he was a little embarrassed when we sang him a birthday song! Hahaha!!! The sun was high up in the sky by the time we were done with lunch and we decided to stay a little longer just to avoid riding in the heat. Many of the riders took the opportunity for a power nap…others were chatting or taking photographs of the beautiful scenery outside. It was time to go eventually and we got back to readying our bikes for the next leg. I decided to make this next stretch free and easy as it would be a nice long stretch of mountain roads all the way till our next stop: the Titi Wangsa Rest Area. So I briefed the riders and let them head out…and reminded everyone to be safe! I decided to ride at the very back since I rode at the front so much. It was really relaxing to be able to take my time and get ready while the riders rode off one by one. Eventually, I rode out at a very leisurely pace…enjoying the cool breeze even though sun was high up. The ride to the top of the mountains was a real highlight for me. The views were fantastic, the bends were long and easy and the road was practically empty! What more can a rider ask for? The kilometres flew by and all too quickly I was at the rest area. We stopped to admire the view and breeze.

Check out the view!!!

There something about the mountains that is magical
(Photograph by LPG)

Chris & Eric enjoying the place

The next leg was to be a 40-50km stretch of heavenly roads leading down the mountains towards the town of Jeli. It would be another free and easy leg. Again, I decided to ride at the end of the pack. I am running out of superlatives to describe the road…so it is probably best to wait until I get the video done so you can see it for yourself. One stretch of this road was under construction and we had to stop for awhile as they only had one lane for traffic to flow. Fortunately, it was just 1km almost at the bottom of the mountain so I was able to wait patiently…and then rode on fresh tarmac…till the end of the construction zone where I came face-to-face with a paving machine! I realized then that I was supposed to ride on the other lane instead! I wonder if the rest of the cars were on the same lane as me and what they would do when they got to that same spot! We met up at the petrol station just outside Jeli as planned and rested there for awhile…excitedly talking about how great Route 4 was for everyone!

Alex & Chris relaxing at our last petrol stop just outside the town of Jeli

The last leg from Jeli to Kota Bahru was a short one…less than 100km. So we set off at around 4:30pm in our usual formation. The ride was an easy one until we got onto the stretch of Route 8…our last stretch before hitting Kota Bahru. There is something to be said about Route 8 as the stretch that joins Bentong to Gua Musang is fantastic but the stretch that joins Machang to Kota Bahru was just one long, narrow and straight dual carriageway. The traffic was horrendously heavy by the time we got here as it was rush hour (yes, Sunday is a working day in Kelantan it seems) and everyone was rushing to get home! I have to say that the drivers and riders here are some of the most impatient that I have seen anywhere. The traffic was so heavy there was hardly any room for overtaking…yet people do overtake…and they do so in a very erratic and exaggerated manner…swerving out and in very abruptly. I was not surprised to see an accident along the way. We got to Kota Bahru at around 6:30pm and stopped to lookup the directions to the Lee Guesthouse where we were putting up for the night. Google Maps made it look really simple and so we headed off…only to get a little lost because the roads that we saw on Google Maps for this part of the world was obviously dated! We went on for a bit before deciding to ask for directions and eventually found the guesthouse…nestled at a place that was not shown on Google Maps at all! So be sure to write me if you want to stay over at the Lee Guesthouse and I will give you directions. The guest house turned out to be a semi-detached house that the owner decided to convert for people who want a more local experience. The neighbours were playing badminton outside when we arrived and were very friendly.

The Lee Guesthouse

We had to park our bikes in the porch area just because we wanted them to be within locked gates and not parked outside. As you can see, the area was a really small one and it was going to be quite a challenge to park seven big bikes in there and still have room for us to get in and out. We eventually did it though…in our very first attempt!

Safely parked in the Lee Guesthouse porch...a master class in parking!

The owner of the guest house was friendly and helpful. He stocked up the place with drinks and snacks…and wrote the prices down for us so there was no misunderstanding. I allocated out the rooms and arranged for everyone to get cleaned up and head out for dinner at 8pm. We decided to walk out for dinner and found the mall nearby without problem. The walk out was a rather pleasant one too.

The Mydin Mall near the Lee Guesthouse

We decided to eat at one of the food stalls we found while walking to the mall eventually. However, Alex bought some nuts so we could enjoy them with some of the beer we knew were waiting for us in the refrigerator back at the guest house.

Dinner at Kota Bahru

Our dinner was an authentic spread of local Malay cuisine. We also scouted a dish that was called Mee Kung Fu. Not knowing what it was, we decided to order a portion just to try. We took turns to guess what this mysterious sounding dish would be. Turned out it was Cantonese Noodles…they probably spelled Kwong Fu as Kung fu! Hahaha!

There was a football game on while we were finishing dinner…Manchester United were playing Wolves…and some of us were hooked onto it! We eventually decided that it was better to forego some of the action and walk back to the guest house to enjoy the rest of the game with some beer and nuts. What a fantastic game it was…Manchester United scored FIVE goals! FIVE!!! Man…it was one good game! It was the best way to end a fantastic day…as long as you were not a Wolves fan that is!

There is nothing like waking up in the morning knowing that there is a nice long day of riding ahead. We arrived last night at the Firefly Park Resort here in Kuala Selangor and had a nice evening watching the fireflies. At the same time, due to the rain, our gear were soaked! It was good this morning to find that everything had dried out overnight and that we would be able to start our ride comfortably with clean and dry gear…for me anyway! To be more specific, everything I washed last night was nice and dry. Strangely though, the spare socks I had in my bag was damp! The rain has somehow found its way there yesterday. Oh well…I’ll have nice socks blowing in the wind as I ride today!

Our route today would take us from Kuala Selangor to Pulau Pinang, a familiar and favourite destination for many. Today’s ride would be a shorter one and everyone was looking forward to it!

As the gang was getting ready to leave, packing things and warming up their bikes, I took the opportunity to walk around the resort and got some pictures.

The chalets that we put up in last night
(Photography by Chris)

While still scenic, the river was nowhere as enchanting as in the darkness of night

Glad to see they were serious about protecting the natural habitat and the fireflies

Did not see this at all last night, what a nice and peaceful place to relax!

Getting ready on the second day always takes a little longer as the routine has not set in yet. However, the gang was ready to go in short order. I took the opportunity to get a picture of the entire gang…and strangely enough…this would be the only photograph with everyone in!

The gang ready to leave the Firefly Park Resort

I decided to mount my GoPro Hero HD camera on my bike this morning so I could film some riding. As usual, the first stop for the day would be the petrol station to fill up the bikes. The ride out from the resort to the petrol station was really good, especially the first 2km going from the resort to the main road. It was the perfect kampung road (village road for those who do not understand Malay). Unfortunately, I realized after filling up that I had neglected to empty out my memory card and it was full…so nothing could be captured! Oh well…there would be plenty of other roads to film over the next few days. So I quickly emptied out the memory card for the next leg. On to breakfast!

Emptying out the GoPro Hero HD memory card at the petrol station
(Photography by Chris)

Breakfast would be at an Indian Muslim joint nearby.

Breakfast at Kuala Selangor

Anker resting in the shade...can you see where the GoPro was mounted?

Breakfast was a simple affair of Roti Canai, Nasi Lemak, Kopi & Teh. We did not spend too much time here as we were all eager to get back on the road. Remember how Chris could not use the Sena Alex lent him yesterday because it was not charged? Well, it was charged up last night and we synced it up with the other two Sena units. Now we could ride and stay in contact! LPG in the middle and Chris at the end of the pack…yeah!

Chris & Teng...ready to go!

The next stretch of road turned out to be quite a let down. It was long and straight. Not only that, there were many bumps along the way that shook me to the bone. No, I am not talking about potholes…rather they were like terribly stubby speed bumps. Why would anyone build a road with such stubby speed bumps? Still, it gave the opportunity for some in the gang to stretch their legs a little. I soon got weary of the road and looked for a way to get out…and eventually found a detour via route 58 to Ipoh.

Route 58 was a much better ride than the previous stretch of route 5. The road was less bumpy…and less straight…but there was more traffic…and the weather started to get HOT! It was not too long (about an hour) before I felt it necessary to stop so everyone could get hydrated. We did not cover much in that last leg…but that is how it is on long rides sometimes. So while we rested and cooled ourselves at the stop…I mounted my GoPro facing the back so I could film everyone in the gang on the next leg.

Adjusting the GoPro mounting...
(Photography by Chris)

Filming the gang turned out to be quite a laugh. I had expected that they might wave as they road behind me…but nobody really waved except for LPG. They simply rode on as if nothing was happening. Just as well since the camera was not mounted in a particularly firm spot and the video was rather shaky especially when going over speed strips and uneven road surfaces. I stopped after 40 minutes of riding as the heat was getting unbearable again. We found a nice little hut at the side of the road and decided to take a break there. I took the opportunity to mount the camera facing the front again so I could film the gang from the back of the pack.

This would become a familiar sight...
(Photography by LPG)

Chris in another one of his poses...
(Photography by LPG)

Welcome shade from an unforgivingly hot sun!

It was high noon by the time we left this nice and shady little hut by the roadside. I decided then that we had to head for Ipoh quickly so that we could grab lunch! Filming the gang from behind turned out to be harder than I expected as there were six riders to film! I did get some nice shots though…phew! The rest of the way to Ipoh was relatively straightforward, no major incidents and no further stops.

Everybody knows that Ipoh is famous for a very special brand of Hor Fun (flat rice noodles), Chicken Rice and Tau Geh (bean sprouts). Some even say that Ipoh is famous for beautiful girls…though I beg to differ (as some in the gang vehemently objected). We wandered around Ipoh looking for a store that offered their unique speciality and eventually found one.

Lunch place at Ipoh

This place had an air conditioned dining room which was welcome relief! We filed into the dining room and took up two tables…one for us…and one for our gear! It was SO nice to be able to sit in air conditioned comfort while enjoying the fantastic food on offer!

In fact, it was so comfortable in the dining room we stayed there for almost an hour! The lady at the shop next door was very chatty. While we were packing up to leave, she wanted to serve us coffee samples and asked many questions about our trip. I thought it was interesting that she was giving away coffee samples in a shop that sold fruits! In the end, we decided to get two pomeloes from them. Apparently, they could tell if the pomeloes were of the sweet or sour sort. We, of course, wanted the sweet variety. Teng tried his level best to bargain and even posed as an Ipoh local…to no avail…hahaha!

Just as we were about to start up the bikes, Alex requested to have coffee across the road…he likes his local coffee so we decided to oblige him. In reality, I think we were all happy to delay riding in the heat for a little longer! We had another 30 minutes of relaxation…and fantastic local coffee…then decided to push on towards Pulau Penang.

Teng suggested during coffee that we might want to go via the NSHW (North South High Way) as there was a nice tunnel that cut across the mountains. We took up his suggestion and headed towards the NSHW. This turned out to be one of the best moves in the day as the tunnel was wonderfully cool…and this particular stretch of highway was both scenic and curvy…really curvy! Woohoo!!! We eventually exited at the Taiping (Utara) exit and headed back onto route 1 for the rest of the journey.

Alex rode up to me after about an hour and indicated that he needed a drink. I was going to stop further along as Teng mentioned a place for some local Assam Laksa near Sungai Jawi but decided to stop anyway just so he could have a break. We found a shady spot off the main road and cooled off there.

Cooling off at a shady spot near Sungai Jawi

It was a short ride to the Laksa place Teng mentioned…I had a nice serving of the local delicacy even though it was just a couple hours after lunch. This was a kampung version of the dish…quite different from the ones you would find in Georgetown. I enjoyed it very much!

The gang looking forward to savouring the local delight

Ask around for "Wan Li" if you want to try the kampung version of Assam Laksa

We were now only about 50km from our destination. However, because it was the end of the working day, the traffic made the ride quite a bit longer! We eventually got to the ferry terminal in Butterworth at about 6pm. Some of the riders had never experienced the ferry to Pulau Pinang so this would be a real treat for them! I was also hoping to capture some video footage and was really looking forward to it.

Riders waiting to board the ferry
(Photography by Chris)

Teng, our Penang Kaki, is a seasoned ferry commuter!

All aboard...waiting for ferry to leave port

The ramp is finally up and we are making way!

One of my favourite memories of Penang...the ferry!

Thankfully, the ride from the ferry terminal to our hotel (1926 Heritage at Jalan Burma) was a short and easy one…even with the evening traffic. We got there soon enough and the gang was having a laugh outside while I checked us in.

Alex rode the biggest bike this time round!
(Photography by Chris)

The plan was to freshen up and meet again in an hour for dinner. So we got to our rooms and showered, washed the clothes, changed and returned to the lobby to meet up for dinner. We decided to take two taxis to the dinner place at Gurney Drive. It was a short journey costing us only RM10 for each taxi. The place was crazy crowded as usual…but we found ourselves a table and was impatiently waiting for food to arrive!

Impatiently waiting to order food and drinks!

Our strategy was simple. Have a few riders go around ordering food and have the rest sit at the table to ensure nobody took any of the seats we needed. I, of course, decided to sit at the table while the others went to order food. Hahaha!!!

I certainly did not want to negotiate this throng of people!
(Photography by LPG)

After having so much food and drink (I had three glasses of the Ambula drink!), it was time to head back to the hotel. I thought it would be a good idea to take a slow and leisurely walk back to the hotel especially after such a heavy meal. While some others though I was crazy…I was just glad they decided to go with the plan…if only just for the first part!

One of Teng’s childhood friends joined us that night as they wanted to catch up. As we walked back, we stumbled upon a new courtyard along Gurney Drive where some young people (Geez…I sound so old when I say that!) were playing in a band. They were playing some Kenny G standards…and for a night like this…I wasn’t complaining!

Band playing in a new courtyard along Gurney Drive
(Photography by LPG)

We eventually moved on towards the hotel, only stopping in order for me to get myself a Grande Ice Latte at Starbucks (I had a craving for some reason). We ended up walking all the way back to the hotel. The walk did take us almost 45 minutes but I felt a lot better. Walking after a major meal always made me feel better…I hope the rest felt the same way too!

We sat at the courtyard outside the hotel and chatted for awhile. Some went to get some beers from the 7-eleven store nearby. It was a nice evening to kick back and relax after two long days of riding. Then, it was time to get some shut eye. Tomorrow will be another fun and exciting day!

The first day of a loop ride is always special and eventful. I reminded the gang to have a good rest before the ride, especially the nights leading up to the first day because many riders have trouble sleeping the night before the ride due to the excitement of it all. Interestingly enough, this was true today as well as several of the riders reported this morning that they had trouble sleeping. I was a little troubled with the news…but at the same time…I was thrilled that everyone was so excited for the ride to begin. This is a good thing!

We had arranged to meet at the SPC station along Tuas Road before setting off at 6am. I was surprised to find that Nabil was there at 5am! As it turned out, he had so much difficulty getting to sleep he simply decided to get up and head off earlier! I have to say that this ride is different from the previous ones as I was not the first to meet up! In fact, when I did turn up, almost everyone was there already! This was fantastic because it meant we were able to start off on time at 6am. Wow!!!

Our route today would be a really long one…almost 600km! Here is the route we took.

The ride over the second link was an uneventful one. Everyone went through without much of a hitch…except for the fact that LPG forgot to bring his Touch and Go card. Thankfully, we only needed this card at the first toll booth…and maybe at the very last one if we choose to return via the same checkpoint. We quickly met up again at the first Petronas station just outside Gelang Patah. We all filled up our tanks, bought whatever last minute provisions that we needed, and headed off.

The first leg of today’s journey was really meant as an easy introduction to some of the situations that the riders will face on West Malaysian roads: long straights, sweeping bends and tight corners; dusty roads, heavy vehicle traffic and the occasional pothole to in places that can surprise any rider. The first real test was along Jalan Sawit between Pekan Nanas and Kulai. This is a relatively short stretch of road (about 30-40km) with relatively light traffic and some very exciting bends and corners. The gang quickly fell into a rhythm and things went relatively well. The only tweak we had to make was to ensure that not only do we look out for the rider behind, we also wanted to close up the gaps when we get to a straight so that the pace was not slowed down too much.

Alex asked me when we were going to have breakfast and I told him we will only have breakfast when we got to Melaka. He must have felt hungry because he got so worried with my reply. When it became obvious to me that we would not arrive at Melaka until lunch time, I decided to make a stop at a small row of shops along the road in the town of Chaah. Some of the towns in Malaysia have really interesting names, don’t you think? I mean…just say it out…Chaah…hahaha!

Row of shops in the town of Chaah

The bikes were glad for the rest

Always nice to chat at a stop

Waiting impatiently for the gang to get seated and order breakfast!

Breakfast was a delightful fare of Malay cuisine. Some had Nasi Lemak, others had Mee Hailam.

Nasi Lemak was on offer

Me? I had the best breakfast there…Mee Goreng with Ayam Masak Merah and this vegetable dish that I cannot remember the name for. It was fantastic!!!

My Mee Goreng breakfast!

We ended up spending an hour at the breakfast place because we were also trying to synchronize our Sena helmet communicators.

Sync guys...sync!

Alex brought his communicator but decided to loan it to Chris as Chris was riding as the last man…however…after spending quite a bit of time installing it on Chris’ helmet, we realized that Alex did not charge the communicator! Hahaha!!! This also meant he had to use his earphones for his music!

Busy selecting songs for the next leg

We eventually set off again and headed north along Route 1. Traffic turned out to be rather heavy and several riders were stuck behind some big trucks in a number of occasions. At one point, one of them told me that we were missing our last man. I was not too worried because we were not making any turnoffs at that time and Chris eventually caught up with the rest of the gang. We stopped to fill up somewhere along the road and quickly set off again in order not to lose time.

Teng is happy after filling up

As we continued on, I decided that we would head over to Port Dickson for lunch instead of Melaka. So we turned of at route M149. As our last rider (the one who takes the position at the rear of the gang to ensure nobody gets left behind) was caught up by traffic, we had time to stop for a quick rest while we waited for him to catch up. We also took the opportunity for some group pictures when he caught up with the gang.

The gang at the routes 1 & M149 turnoff

Chris and his Mr Universe pose

Taking the M149 turned out to be a serendipitous decision as it was one of the best roads for the day! You just have to feast your eyes on the little yellow sign by the side of the road to know what I mean.

My favourite road sign ever!

The road was virtually clear of traffic and the corners were fantastic! I remember my buddy said that I love corners…and he was right! I do enjoy riding on roads with many bends and corners. After all, that is where the thrill is! Long straights are no fun at all. But alas…the thrill was a short one.

We got to Melaka soon enough…and yet as soon as we got there…I was dying to get out of the place as the traffic was horrendous! Melaka was extremely crowded and the roads were jam packed! This made for some really slow riding. The slow riding, coupled with the very hot day, simply made the ride a little tedious. I was really glad when we eventually got out of Melaka and started to head towards Port Dickson on Route 5.

Route 5 to Port Dickson

The roads opened up again…the trucks were virtually gone and the riding was fun again. While route 5 was certainly not as thrilling as route M149, it did provide lots of twists and turns…and plenty of excitement! The one big problem was the heat…it felt like an oven!

We were tired and hungry by the time we got to The Regent Resort Tanjung Tuan at Port Dickson for a stopover. However, I came here in the WMLR2010 and remember it vividly. The setting by the sea made for a very relaxing spot for a rejuvenation of the body and soul. We plunked ourselves down at the Coconut Grove (the beach bistro) and had ourselves a royal feast.

Settling down at The Coconut Grove

The food took awhile to get out and some were obviously deflated!

Where is the food???

It was a strange place to have a meal on a biking holiday…but hey…I figured we deserve a good break given the long ride we had so far. The best thing here are the drinks. They have a strange mix of drinks here and I had something called Green Ice which was a concoction of Kiwi & Apple. I decided to stay clear of carbs and ordered the lamb chop for my lunch…which looked rather interesting to say the least. It was satisfying though!

Time flew by quickly at The Coconut Grove. I do not know why this would not be obvious given the amount of food and drinks we ordered! I decided it was time to push on as we still had half the day’s journey to cover before we get to Kuala Selangor.

Time to pack up and get going

As we rode away from Port Dickson, it became clear that we had to make up for lost time. The heat and traffic took quite a toll on the gang. So I decided it was time to break from tradition and take the North South Highway (NSHW) in order to make up for lost time. We started off at a good pace and was chewing up some serious miles…until the sky decided to open up and pour.

Putting on rain gear beside the NSHW

The rain provided some relief from the heat from the afternoon. It certainly cooled me down to the point where the ride was enjoyable again. Getting to Kuala Selangor required a ride through Shah Alam. The best way to get there was to take the KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) exit so we could avoid the traffic in Kuala Lumpur. So we took the exit with the KLIA sign and proceeded on.

It was immediately strange that we encountered a toll booth. My memory of the KLIA exit was that it was an express way and that there were no toll booths. I found out soon enough that we took the wrong exit. The correct one was one exit down. This meant we needed to make a U-turn. At the turn, LPG contacted me that he could not see our last man. So we waited for him to catch up.

Unfortunately, he did not show up for the next 10 minutes. This meant he was no longer riding on the same road as we were. I called his phone but there was no answer. Presumably, he was still riding…I decided then that it made no sense to keep waiting and that the best thing to do was to ride to an easy to recognize place for a rendezvous.  The obvious choice was the KLIA! It made sense too as our protocol was for the lost rider to contact me on my phone as soon as possible. So I knew we would eventually be back together as a gang.

Taking the correct exit now, we headed towards the KLIA on the E6 express way. Our last man did eventually call me while we were riding and we arranged the rendezvous. So all is set! Here is a picture of where he called me from…can anyone guess where this is?

Can you guess where this is?

We encountered a toll booth along the way and I spotted shelter (it was still raining then) so I decided to stop and rest there while we waited. It was an ideal spot as our last rider would have to get through this same spot on his way to the KLIA.

Can you spot the missing bike?

It turned out to be quite a wait given the distance that he had to cover to get to where we were. But eventually he did arrive and we were reunited!

The gang...reunited!

We were relieved that he was fine. At the same time, we were curious how he could have missed the turn since everyone else made it. It was quite a story. As it turned out, he had a large windscreen fitted on his bike. This was helpful in that it prevented wind and other road debris from hitting you while you rode. Unfortunately, a large windscreen can be disastrous in the rain…see…you need to close the visor of your helmet when you ride in the rain so the rain does not get to your eyes. This means that you would fill up the helmet with warm and humid air as you exhale. This, in turn, means that the visor will fog up…unless you have a stream of cooler air to ventilate your helmet. The large windscreen prevented cool air from hitting the helmet…which, of course, means that his visor was completely fogged up! By the time he cleared the fog, he thought we rode much further ahead…and you know the rest of the story. What a perfect storm of events!

Now that we spent another hour in the same spot, it was starting to get dark. It was time to push on just so we can make full use of whatever available light we had. So it was back to the bikes and ride along the E6 towards Shah Alam. The aim was to get onto the E35 (Guthrie Express Way) which would lead us to Kuala Selangor. Getting to the E35 was not a problem…however…the express way system here in KL is rather confusing. There are lanes for cars…and a separate lane for bikes…and if you miss the entry into the bike lane, you get stuck on the car lanes. This in itself is not too bad as our bikes can handle the speed…but it was a nightmare at the next toll booth.

You see, in most toll plazas in West Malaysia, there is a dedicated by-pass lane for bikes that you can easily access when you get to within 10m of the plaza. In this particular one on the E35, the by-pass lane was accessed via the entry into the bike lane…about 500m BEFORE the toll plaza. This meant we were now stuck on the car lanes with no way to get through. So we had to wait till a car has paid the toll just to squeeze through. It was scary as there was no allowance of space at the barrier…in fact…I was almost hit by the barrier as it started to come down after the car has gone through! Good thing everyone managed to get through safely.

It was really dark by the time we got out of the E35 onto route 54 which would lead us to Kuala Selangor. The rain was not showing any sign of stopping either. This last stretch of road was the most difficult that we encountered the entire day. We found ourselves riding in pitch black, with no street lighting nor reflectors on the road, our headlights reflected back by the heavy rain…making for a terribly difficult ride. I hit quite a number of potholes and bumps which took the wind out of my chest too! Thankfully, we eventually found the Firefly Park Resort…and we got there in time to catch the last firefly tour too!

I had thought that there would be no firefly tours with the heavy rain. I was wrong. So we went on the tour…well…five of us did. I have to admit feeling a little let down when I saw the place. The river was dark. The waiting area looked bare bones. The guides were…well…not too impressive. But we put on the life jackets and went onto the boats. Then the tour began. The boats were virtually silent…powered by electric motors…we glided on the dark water towards one of the banks. And then the magic happened.

As we neared the bank, the trees lining that area starting lighting up. It was a beautiful sight! Almost like christmas lights. The fireflies emitted a serene white light. It was not bright by any standard…but there were so many of them they took my breath away. Not only did they glow…they twinkled…and to top it off…the fireflies did not stay still! I kept looking ahead at the next stretch of trees and they would be dark…but they would all light up as soon as we got near. At one point, the entire river bank was lit with these beautiful, ethereal and captivating fireflies glowing and twinkling in the dark night. One of them even flew close to me! It was electrifying! This experience alone made the entire night ride worthwhile.

The twenty minute ride felt more like five minutes…way too fast. I could have sat there in the boat for an hour just watching the spectacular light display. However, it was time to get back on land…towards dinner!

One of the eating places remained open so we could get some food into our empty stomachs.

Waiting for our food

We had simple local fare which did not taste great…but was satisfying none the least. What more when we had the cute company of this little kitty?

Cute kitty at our dinner place

It was too late to take any pictures of the place…so you will have to wait awhile to see how the place looks like. In the meantime, we had our shower, washed our gear, and grabbed a well deserved rest.

So now that Anker is ready for the big ride…it is time to get the rider ready as well. One of the things I to do was to re-stock my first aid kit. I had the intention of getting the re-stocking supplies today but my plans were changed at the very last minute because my good buddy (Randy) decided he wanted to pass me his well-stocked first aid kit for this ride.

Now I am the kind of person who would much prefer to get my own stuff than to use somebody else’s stuff. In this case though, I decided to take up Randy’s offer as I also wanted to catch up with him after his little mishap on the road. So off I went to Randy’s place, with my two boys in tow, to collect the first aid kit.

Everything went according to plan. Randy packed up his first aid kit before we arrived and passed it over to me. He took time to explain the way he organized his kit…thankfully…as he packed it quite differently from mine (everyone has their own unique way to pack things). We proceeded then to catch up with my two boys injecting some humour now and then.

I do not really know how the next part started…but he proceeded to hand me one item after another…not related to the first aid kit…but rather items like an extra GoPro battery, a GoPro extended battery adapter, anti-fog strips for the GoPro…and one of those super duper flexible and bright flashers that he uses for his cycling trips. He even offered to pass me his GoPro Hero HD so I could have two attached to my bike at the same time! Hahaha! But I decided to pass on that just thinking about the amount of time it would take me to transfer and edit the images and videos everyday!

So what is the point of all this? For me, there are a few points here. One is that I have a great buddy who is selfless in sharing what he has so I do not have to go through hoops to get what I need for the trip. Two is that no matter how many gadgets I own, Randy is always going to have at least double that…and some way more interesting too. Three…well, this one is simple…I think we should all feel very grateful when we have a buddy like this in our lives. I, for sure, am very grateful.

So thank you, Buddy…for being Mr Gadget…and for being so generous! Get well soon and we shall do the marshaling course together!

People say that time flies when you are having fun. The truth of the matter is a little different as I think time flies…regardless…and boy…did time fly! The last couple months went by in the blink of an eye (I rhymed there…hahaha!). It wasn’t that I had more fun than I usually did, really. It was probably because there were so many things to do the days just seemed to go by quicker than usual. Or maybe it is just age playing tricks on my mind. Whatever the reason, we are now just four days away from the start of the WMLR2012! It is time to get everything ready!

I took some time yesterday to get Anker ready for the ride. Here is how Anker looks like for those who have forgotten.

There were quite a number of things I wanted to get done so I thought I had better get to them sooner rather than later. Here is what Anker had for his makeover.

Visibility

One of the biggest contributors to motorcycle accidents (other than rider stupidity) is visibility to other road users. A bike, no matter what the size, is somehow almost invisible to drivers of cars, vans and trucks. There are countless accounts of riders getting hit by other vehicles from the back, the sides and the front. It is also important that the other riders can see me clearly while on the ride. This is true especially when in small towns with lots of bikes. It is easy to get lost riding at night in heavy traffic. So I wanted to ensure Anker has maximum visibility.

I purchased some LED panels with a simple blinking pattern and had them installed. I did not want those that you can get online as they tend to come in sets of blue and red which would make me look like the police. I prefer for my blinkers to be white as that would probably stand out more. I had two installed facing the front at my crash bars and two facing the rear.

They may be small…but they sure are bright! Here is a picture of the rear LED panels. The one on the left of the bike is blinking now.

And this is a picture of the front LED panels. The one on the right is blinking now.

Bright eh?

A simple solution that did not cost me a fortune…and one that will gain me much greater visibility!

Illumination

I also switched out my headlight bulb with one of the HIR (Halogen Infrared Reflective) variety. This platform emits a much brighter light without an increase in power consumption nor a reduction in life span. This is important as some of the roads we will be traveling on are very dark and a good headlight beam is necessary for illumination! I also had my spotlights switched onto my high beams so now I am fully equipped for any night riding that comes my way!

Traction

We all know that the only thing that is keeping the motorcycle steady on the road surface are the tires. No matter what the weather, traffic and road conditions are, tires that are losing treads are going to compromise safety. I had mine changed out for new ones. I decided to install the same Bridgestone Battlax BT39 tires as they served me very well for the last year.

I just love the way new tires look…and check out the grooves!

What is interesting was the test that we did as we were switching out the old tires. You see, I had installed the Ride-On TPS system last year when I first installed the tires. This system would prevent me from having to stop in the event of a puncture. I watched quite a number of videos on YouTube on how this worked but wanted to do my own test. So we plunged a thick screwdriver deep into the tire. The hole we made was slightly smaller than a quarter inch headphone jack. That was quite a large hole! Guess what happened when we pulled it out! Well, the TPS simple spurted out just the right amount and sealed the hole instantly! I am super sold on this technology! So after having the new tires installed, I went to install the Ride-On TPS again.

Mechanicals

The other areas I took care of were the usual mechanicals: brakes, clutch, chain, bulbs, cooling system, electrics and engine. One interesting thing that I had installed on Anker is the battery. Unfortunately, while I do enjoy riding a lot, the reality is that Anker is more familiar with the car park than he is with the road. I ride maybe once every two or three weeks at the moment. The problem here is that Anker has trouble getting started if I did not ride for anything longer than six weeks. So I installed a very cool battery which is smaller, lighter and more powerful than my usual Yuasa batteries. I installed the Ballistics Performance Components battery…and boy…do I love this battery! I can leave Anker along for weeks and he would start at the push of the starter button…SWEET!!!

See from this picture how much smaller it is compared to a conventional motorcycle battery.

So it would serve you well to do the same if you have the same riding pattern as I do. Of course, if you were not as lazy as I am and you are OK to take your battery out, put it on a charger at home, install it back on the bike when you want to ride…then by all means stick with a standard lead acid battery. Doing as I did will save you effort, time and worry. A win win win by any standard!

All set to go?

So Anker is all set to go…the question though is…am I?

***I will upload pictures of the lights later***