Chamang, revisited..

Taking the weekend off...

I rang up my trusty kaki Ah Pan who lives in mukim Sertik in Karak, Pahang.
The intention was to tell him about my visit to the farm he is currently residing in.
A night before, I've packed my bike and fishing gear.
This was a "two-in-one" trip incorporating some light cycling and fishing..

Meeting up with Ah Pan in Bentong, Pahang

Rolling out.. 

My plan was to link up with Ah Pan at kedai Basikal Bentong and ride out from there.
So, I drove up to the Karak Highway and got off at the Bentong exit.
It was a short drive to the bicycle shop and when I go there, Ah Pan was already waiting with his Dahon Dash P18.
I quickly set up my bike and rode out with the man.
It took me about 45 minutes to ride up to the Chamang falls, our intended destination.
Been a while since I rode in the area and the road was clear of all traffic.
There were only some motorcycles along the way and Ah Pan was already waiting near the falls.

This way to Chamang waterfalls..

Working our way to the top of the hill

The gradient

At the falls with Ah Pan

The man and his tricked-out Dash P18

Boats, bikes and gadgets..

As far as I've known Ah Pan, he's been a big fan of the Dahon Dash P18.
The model he had was the 2011 edition which is one of the best there is.
We hung out at the falls and a group of tourists started to flock the observation area near the pool.
They spoke in Malay but what intrigued me was the fact that most of them had Chinese features.
Then I asked one of them: "Dari mana Auntie?"
"Kami orang Melaka...," said a lady in the group.
I realized that they were Peranakan Chinese from Malacca who came all the way to have a glimpse of the Chamang Falls.
Their next destination was Raub where a durian party was held.
We decided that it was best roll out and the first thing that greeted me was this steep 1km climb out of Chamang.
It was no sweat on my Tern Eclipse S18.
On the low-gear, I crunched all the way, rolling down towards Bentong where we made our way to a part of town to have some pig trotters noodles.

Rolling along Ah Pan

A large moth

Posing a shot with my old buddy Ah Pan.. 

A fruitful day.. 

We ended up the ride at the Bentong bike shop where I met up with my host, Farmer Wong.
I've known him for nearly 10 years and I've been going to Sin Poh Farm which he owns to chill out
The plan for the rest of the day was to go there to hangout and later fish at one of his ponds.
We set out to Karak town to have some lunch.
I picked up two cans of beers and drove up to the farm where we caught up on lost times.
Having some time alone gave me some time to reflect.
It also made me appreciate the long friendship I had with Ah Pan and Farmer Wong.
At Sin Poh, I am always welcomed.

Farmer Wong checking out my bike

Ah Pan and his favourite pooch: Bob

Farmer Wong and his catch

Batman, Ah Pan's latest pup

Dinner!

We went out to fish at one of the main ponds.
I used to have plenty of luck fishing there, but it was clearly not my day.
Farmer Wong was the champion angler and when dusk started to set in, it was my cue to leave.
I made my way to the new road leading out to Karak town, but had overshot the junction by at least three kilometers or so.
After backtracking to the junction, we ended up having dinner in Karak before I drove back to Subang Jaya.
The Chamang ride was fun and catching up with Ah Pan and Farmer Wong was definitely worth my trip!

Cherating - Chukai, Part 01

Spontaneity..

I had a couple of days off over the weekend and it was perfect for a short excursion out of town.
All it takes, was a simple route and we're on our way.
For this effort, I'd circled out Cherating in Pahang because I have been there many years ago.
The plan is to book a chalet, set up our bikes there and ride off along the coastal route to Kemaman.

Tanjung Inn revisited..

So, I did some searching on the internet.
Found a chalte in Kg Lama Cherating and the rates were pretty decent.
There this place called Tanjung Inn. 
They charge RM90/night for a hut with a fan if you book through the internet.
Walk-ins pay RM20 less.
With the chalet's number on hand, I called and they had rooms.
I sealed the deal by leaving them my name and phone number. The guy on the end of the line sounded like a foreigner.

And the weekend finally came.. 

 I packed the bikes the night earler, we are going at the bare-minimal.
The Tern Eclipse S18 is an all-inclusive bike, there's no need to pack lights and blinkers.
All we did, was pack our spare change of clothes, bring an ice-box, bike tools and one side of the smaller Ortlieb backroller pannier..
I prepared the car for the 3-hour haul to Cherating via the East Coast Highway and it didn't took us long to arrive at the junction towards the Kg Lama Cherating.

Calming our pooch down.. 

Preparing the bikes.. 

Rolling out

Approaching a dangerous stretch.. 

A short and sweet ride..

We weren't gunning for epic long rides in this part of the east coast.
Initially, I drew a rout to Kijal, but on second-thoughts, I kept it short and rode as far as Chukai town in Kemaman.
After setting up the bikes, we took it for a spin and noticed that the tires were deflated.
So, back to the car and remedial works were done.
We had the pressure up to 50psi on the Scwhalbe Big Bens and started our journey towards the junction to Kemaman.
This is a familiar route to me as I had spent some time squid-jigging off the coast of Southern Terengganu.
We set out to the border demarkation and snapped some photos there.
While entering Terengganu, I guy shouted out my name from a Nissan Navara pick-up.
It was my neighbour Barran.
Later, Suzie, his wife messaged me on Facebook messenger.
I rang him out and learned that he was taking a break at Ruby's resort.
This place belonged to his sister and I told him that I would swing by and pay him a visit.

At the border demarkation

Waiting for lunch

My favourite hangout in Chukai

Hailam mee

Boxed crabs

By mid-noon, we rolled into Chukai town.
I told Michelle that we are going to have some lunch at restoran Kemaman, our usual joint.
There is a row of eatery along Chukai town's main road. 
A few are quite famous with tour buses queuing up.
But frankly, they were overrated.
And best of all, these makan places are related to each other.
We parked ourselves at Restoran Kemaman, ordered a plate of Hailam mee and two pieces of boxed crabs.
The rest of the time we were there was getting hydrated with a glass of iced Chinese tea.
I find the food to be pretty decent and our bill came up to RM27. Not bad.
From Chukai, we rolled out towards Pantai Chendor back at the Pahang side.
Michelle and I took a break at a Shell petrol station and there, we chilled out and hydrated ourselves with a cool can of 100PLUS.
Some Muslim motorists were staring at us for drinking openly in the Ramadan month.
We kept our composure and rolled towards Chendor.

Leaving Terengganu

Entering Pahang...

Official bussiness only

On a sandy beach next to the blue sea in Chendor..

We hung around Chendor, snapped some photos of the deep blue sea and our bikes.
The day was getting hotter and hotter.
After spending some time there, we explored the shoreline a bit and this led us to a dead-end.
I spoke to a resident there and was told that a small stream separates the beach.
So, it was a cue for us to roll out towards Ruby's Resort in Cherating.
This was about 8km from where we were and that's just a short roll away.. 

Rawang - Batu Arang Ride: Part 2

In the big country...

The journey from Kundang to Kuang was breath taking.
Lots of greenery and clean country air.
We rode past a few fishing pay ponds and Kuang town was in the horizon.
Cikgu Chin led the cyclists past the town area and into the outskirts of Batu Arang.
We rode past some housing area and rolled into the town square.
I've never been to Batu Arang and found this town to be rather fascinating.
There is a monument in the town square which was still under construction.
We gathered around and took some snapshots before moving into a fruit stall where Cikgu Chin had arranged for a durian tasting session.

Moving towards Kuang

At the monument in Batu Arang

Hui Min and Michelle

At a local bicycle shop

Learning from an old-timer

A makan place in Batu Arang

The newbie's blues..

We stopped at a local bicycle shop.
One of the guys said he had some issues cycling and that the gear was not shifting well.
The bike shop owner told the new guy that there was nothing wrong with his bicycle.
"You need to change your gear in order to ride on flats and climb hills, there is nothing wrong with your bicycle...," said the old-timer.
Well, I guess if you have very little knowledge in bicycles, you tend to jump into the wrong conclusion.
So, that was the case.
The new fella was happy to pedal his bike around and learned that he actually has gears on his bike to make the journey even smoother.
But, seriously, a long ride like this would be tough for a beginner.
We rode around town and to my surprise, the layout in Batu Arang looked rather similar to Sungai Lembing in Pahang.

Our Jets

Durian time!

The local fare at a coffee shop

Down time!

After the durian session, we went to the other side of town to see the remnants of a brick factory.
The long chimney from the brick kiln can be seen from a distance.
Michelle and I took some shots at the area before moving on.
While waiting for the others to re-group, we learned that one of the cyclists had a flat tire.
All of us rode towards the downed cyclist and a the time, a few guys were attending to the cyclists.
I noticed from a distance that they were fumbling all over.
Then, I offered help by fitting the inner tube into the tire and got it inflated. The bike was up and running in no time.
My take on this: too many cooks spoils the broth.
To make matters worse, some of the guys actually don't know how to patch and change an inner tube. A lot of time is wasted by fumbling around and hoping to get it right.
We fixed the problem and moved on from Batu Arang to Rawang.

At the old brick factory

A boy and his bicycle

Cikgu Chin capturing the scene

Michelle and Ann

The hilly ride to Rawang

We circled around Batu Arang and found a half-demolished house with creepers growing all over it.
It felt as if we were in an old Khmer ruin.
No time was wasted in capturing the scene and all of us were excited with the find.
As we moved on, the terrain became undulating. This was spoken of by some old-timer who cycled around the area.
The average gradient was around 5 - 9%.
We finally made it to the junction linking Batu Arang to Rawang.
There, we waited for the rest to re-group and rode to the AEON shopping mall near Country Homes.

The famous wall in Batu Arang

Rolling hills

The journey to Rawang

A job well-done!

From the AEON mall, we rode towards Emerald West housing estate.
What Cikgu Chin didn't tell us, was the steep climb towards Emeral East.
We got past this and rolled down towards the Lafarge Cement factory and back to the SMK Seri Garing.
Once everyone was accounted for, we parted ways.
Some of us decided to have a late lunch in Kg Lee Kim Sai with Cikgu Chin and Cikgu Lee.
On the whole, the teachers had done an excellent job leading the ride.
Cikgu Chin told me that he will retire in February 2014 and focus on doing some adventure rides. I wished him all the best on this and told him that his rides are worth joining.

Rawang - Batu Arang Ride: Part 1

The other side of Rawang.. 

I caught wind of a ride organised by Cikgu SC Chan, a teacher in Rawang, Selangor who took up cycling seriously.
The route was from Rawang - Kundang - Kuang - Batu Arang - Rawang.
To the uninitiated, this is roughly about 56km looping around Rawang's heavy industrial areas and towards Kundang lake, Kuang and Batu Arang.
The plan was to meet up at SMK Seri Garing near the Lafarge Cement plant and ride out from there.
I told Michelle that it was time for us to join up with the foldie community as we have been totally isolated from their activities.
From his reputation, Cikgu Chin is a meticulous person who plans his ride and takes really good care of the people who cycles with him.
I know about this through friends who rode with him in Serendah.

Teacher in da house: Cikgu Chin setting up his bike

Wild country

We drove to SMK Seri Garing and found that there crowd was already setting up their bikes.
Among them, were familiar faces.
Facebook celebrity Andrew Ng and his wife Hui Min was already there with a relative who was cycling for the first time.
Cikgu Chin and his cycling buddy Cikgu Lee was seen there setting up their bikes with one of their pupils.
Slowly, one-by-one, the cyclists arrived at the school.
We were allowed to park in the compound and the cycling event was acknowledged by the school's headmaster.
We gathered for a group photo before riding out to the Lafarge cement factory where the trail begins..

Taking a snapshot with the cyclists

The headmaster posing for a shot

We were surprised to learn that Rawang is actually a small valley surrounded by hills.
There were some stretches along the route where the gradient was around 5 - 7%.
Slowly, but surely we rode up to a plateau and re-grouped.
At this point, it was clear that the more experienced cyclists were ahead of the pack.
Those with strength and stamina were not even panting after the climb.
We waited for the last guy to reach the rendezvous point and moved on.

Cycling along the cement factory

Clearing the hill

Rolling down towards Kundang

Expecting the unexpected..

Just a quarter way round the bend, I experienced a flat tire.
My front wheel was dragging as a result of a slow-release.
Upon closer inspection, I found a piece of wire embedded on the tire's wall.
It was small enough to patch and it took me about 15-minutes to recover the bike before moving on to climb a series of slopes before we rolled towards Kundang.

Helmet malfunction: my friend rode a distance before he noticed the helmet was worn the other way round.. 

Taking snapshots at Kundang Lake

Much to do about nothing in Kundang..

Kundang is a small town located not too far from Rawang.
It can also be accessed via Sungai Buloh.
After taking the scenic route from the Lafarge cement factory, we reached a busy intersection and moved towards the lake area in Kundang.
Most of us commented on the filthy public park which was a put off.
Empty cans and drinking bottles were littered everywhere.
We took some snapshots and moved on to a stall located about 500 meters from the lake and had late breakfast there.
Cikgu Chin was considerate enough to eat in a Malay stall as he was mindful about the Muslim cyclists in our midst..