Jetstream Adventures Series 04: Taiping - Part 3

Riding back to Taiping..

We checked out Port Weld and it was a brief affair.
After taking some photos at the famous train station, we rode off.
The afternoon sun began to strain our progress, but we gained ground by moving forward to Simpang Empat...

The famous signboard in Port Weld..

Workers sorting out dried shrimps

Salted fish left to dry under the hot sun

We rode back to Matang and connected to the flyover that crosses the North-South highway.
From there, Simpang Empat was not too far in the distance.
In this small town, there are some really interesting fast food joints.
There's a McDonald's and Kentucky Fried Chicken drive-through and dine-in facility.
With the dark clouds looming over the horizon, I can see that Maxwell Hill was fully covered in mist.
That was when I told Michelle to pull over at a roadside coffee shop.
By the time we got fully settled-in, it started to rain..

Matang

Crossing over to Simpang Empat

A bareback cyclist

Hawker food, the best in Taiping!

We entered town after the rain had stopped.
The landmark was a hawker centre near the Larut-Matang area.
It wasn't hard to find it as I've been there before.
And as soon as we found the makan place, it was packed to the brim.
Lucky for us, there was a table and I wasted no time ordering the food.
I had a plate of char koay teow while Michelle settled for some nyonya kuih.
For RM3 a plate and the excellent taste, I can't complain.
We had ice-kacang and some pork satay before heading back to the hotel where the car was parked.

Entering Taiping

Pork satay 

Char koay teow and ice-kacang

The lovely pork satay

Happy camper! Michelle and the ice-kacang

The hawker centre

After a good fill, we cycled back to the hotel, packed up our bikes and gear.
By 3:30pm, we were on the road.
The journey lasted about four hours straight.
We reached the Subang Jaya toll about 07:30pm and the traffic jam was really bad.
I decided to head to Chitta Mall and had our dinner there.
Michelle and I celebrated our successful outing with some beers and burgers.

Summary

Taiping - Port Weld is definitely an easy ride.
For bikepacking, plan your trip in advance. Avoid public and school holidays.
If you love adventure, take the train. The experience is well-worth it.
You can also ride from Ipoh and stay in Taiping.
If you don't have time, drive straight to Taiping, book a hotel for your night stop and ride out early in the morning..