Sin Poh Farm Ride: Part 2

Looping back to Karak

After a good fishing time at the farm, we rode off towards the Pahang-Selangor raw water pipeline.
This is a relatively shorter route to town from Sin Poh.
We had to ride on a dirt track towards a suspension bridge and connect to a housing estate in town.
This is roughly about 8km offroad and the distance was shorter than we've expected.

Riding along the Pahang-Selangor raw water pipeline

One of the large water pipes along the route

The raw water transfer area

Crossing a suspension bridge

Mud everywhere!

We rode along the dirt track and found it to be amazing.
Michelle said that if we had invited other cyclists -- especially newcomers, we would have gotten a mouthful.
"They'd probably give you a fucking for leading them into a path with plenty of mud!," she said.
It didn't help when we took the wrong turning and rode around in a circle.
That's how people got lost in the trail.
With a little bit of patience, we found our way back to Karak town and linked up with Ah Pan and Farmer Wong.

Dirt everywhere!

Parking the bikes at Yik Kee restaurant

Prawn noodles: Farmer Wong's favourite dish

Cleaning up the bike before loading it into the car

We had lunch at Yik Kee restaurant, one of Karak's favourite makan places.
There, Farmer Wong treated us to his favourite dish: Prawn noodles.
The portions were large and I must say that Yik Kee is consistent in terms of quality.
We had large Giant River Prawns (macrobrachium rosenbergii) for lunch and it was a deeply satisfying treat.
The Sin Poh Farm route is quite a fun ride from Karak town and seeing as it is, we do have plans to do more exploration in the area..

Sin Poh Farm Ride: Part 1

A holiday plan...

I've made arrangements to meet my buddy Ah Pan and Farmer Wong in Sin Poh Farm, Karak.
The plan was to drive to Karak town and ride to Sin Poh Farm.
And on Christmas Day, the traffic was breezy.
We took about an hour to get to Karak and set up our bikes for the ride.
I did put up an event for other cyclists to join in, but I guess that on Christmas day, no one would want to get their bikes dirty, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
In town, we met Ah Pan and had breakfast and as usual, we chilled out at one of the coffee shops to have some dim sum and their fried noodles.
From town, we rode out to Sin Poh, which is about 10km away.

Michelle trying out her new smartphone

Riding along the Karak-Kuantan road

Crossing the new bridge leading the farm..

Riding along an abandoned field

Almost reaching the farm

We didn't have much difficulty getting to the farm.
The roads were pretty clear and after riding about 7km, we reached the Bentong Community College.
This is the junction leading to Sin Poh and after clearing the unpaved road, we made a left-turn and this was where the fun began.
The Dahon Jetstreams took it with much ease and a full-suspension folding bike really took the bumps and thuds on the uneven terrain.
Even with an 8-speed ride, Michelle had no problems maneuvering her bike.
We arrived at the farm and Ah Pan was already waiting...

Catching up with some fishing.. 

Our plan was to ride to some of Ah Pan's fish ponds and fish there.
It's been a while since Michelle had fished and this was a great opportunity to catch up with our past-time.
We tried to lure the tilapias there with some bread and managed to hook up a few.
I was told that there are chichlids in the pond weighing in at 2kgs.
But these are a bit tricky to land as they feed only late in the evening.
Nevertheless, Michelle and I tried our luck at fishing at one of the ponds.
I had my trusty Daiwa Caldia KIX 2000 spinning reel paired with a Storm 6' 0" pack rod.
These are easy to transport in a backpack.
Michelle, on the other hand, had my Shakespeare telescopic rod and a 10-ball bearing ultralight reel.
These are really fun to haul and use and when your life depends on it, you can get food through fishing.

Taking a break at the farmhouse

Michelle, trying out her luck

A nice tilapia landed

Removing the hook for release

My Daiwa Caldia KIX 2000 spinning reel

Hooking up a tilapia

We continued to fish at the pond and decided to call it a day after 11:30am.
The plan was to ride out to Karak town and have lunch there before driving back to Kuala Lumpur.
Even on Christmas day, we had a lot to do.
At the farm, we caught up with Farmer Wong and Ah Pan.
A lot has changed at Sin Poh since I first visited the farm more than nine years ago.

Return to Sin Poh Farm...

Catching up with an old friend...

I received a call from Ah Pan, an old friend of mine.
He has been living in a farm for the past eight years and its really doing him some good.
Prior to that, he stayed in a shophouse near Taman Dato Harun in Bandar Sunway.
After the motorcycle repair shop he ran and wound up, this guy had moved out to Karak and worked for Farmer Wong, a mutual friend of ours.

Ah Pan and his pooch Bob

 Honoring my word.. 

I gave my buddy a call and set a journey to visit him at Sin Poh farm in Karak, Pahang.
This is one of the few vegetable farms in the country to be awarded the Good Agricultural Practise certification by the Department of Agriculture.
I view this as a huge success for its owner Farmer Wong who worked for three years to achieve his goal.
Now, there aren't many sincere and honest men out there, Wong and Ah Pan are the exception.
And being accepted as their friend was truly an honour.
Back in the real world, I deal with scumbags, ass-kissing corporate people who are 100% fake.
This makes my stomach turn.
Meeting with a bunch of friends who appreciate your company and respects you for what you are, that is truly a feeling money can't buy.
I caught up with Ah Pan over some tea in Karak town
He told me that he is interested in a plot of land near Farmer Wong's place.
And in a world that is uncertain, there is hope for an old-timer like Ah Pan.
I told him that I will help in any way I can to market his Farm stay to the world...

The Fish farmer.. 

Feeding his commodity..

In the past year, Ah Pan has been busy rearing freshwater food fish.
His main commodity are the Tilapia (tilapia mossambica) and the grass carp.
This pellet-fed fishes can fetch as much as RM12 per kg and there has been some interested parties in the harvest.
If he keeps it up, the haul will be ready by the end of this year.
We are looking at some good money for the Farmer to roll.
Living in the farm, Ah Pan had been diligently feeding the fishes and the results can be seen..

Some good old fashioned fishing..

The Climbing Perch

The Sin Poh experience would not be complete without a fishing trip at the pond.
I've done some good fishing here and with Farmer Wong's awesome ponds, choices are aplenty.
They were aiming for Tilapias and the haul would be divided among the farm workers as their meals.
Nothing is wasted here.
While Ah Pan, a fishing guide himself and champion angler - did most of the work, landing a good catch, I struggled a bit.
My tackle was not suitable for the pond. The line was simply too thick. But I persevered and landed a small Tiliapia.
Then, my luck changed.
Slowly, but surely, I began landing some ikan Puyu or the Climbing Perch.
This primitive air-breathing fish is nothing but amazing.
I used to catch them at a decommissioned waste treatment pond near lake Titiwangsa in my late teens.
Now, what's interesting was the fact that I kept on landing this little fellas with fish pellets as bait.
Slowly as time dissolves into the late hours of the evening, I had at least 10 climbing perches.

Our humble haul..

Catch of the day: A snakehead landed with my telescopic rod

A last-minute surprise..

I hooked up a piece of fish pellet on the hook and casted it into the water.
While waiting for a bite, the guys were doing really well, filling up a basket with fish.
Then, I notice my line going out.
"Ah, another puyu!," I thought out loud.
The line became taut and when I set the hook, I felt a heavy tug.
This was not a perch. 
My cheap-assed Shakespeare telescopic rod began to bend as I let the drag on my ultralight reel do the job of keeping the fish on the end of the hook.
Now, this rod and reel combo doesn't seem ideal for such a situation, but it surely held up to the brute force of the fish that was on the other end of the line.
Farmer Wong said it was a snakehead.
Slowly, I let the small Shakespeare Dimension 10-ballbearing reel do its job, and reeled in a table-sized Snakehead. 
I estimate this fine table fish at 1.2kgs and it was my defining moment.
Despite a slow start, I managed to land a predator with my travel rod and reel set.
This inspired me to look at "Cyclofishing" in my future outings.
After packing up the gear, we brought the haul back to the farmhouse where it would be divided among the farm workers.
I parted ways with Farmer Wong and Ah Pan and assured them that I would be back for more visits.
Later, I took the rest of the climbing perch to my in-law's place where they were released into a pond.

A day at the farm..

Good friends are hard to come by these days..
I met Farmer Wong eight years ago.
We were introduced by Steven Leong, a bio-technologist who had worked and lived in Japan for some years.
His company, Shimamoto agriculture, is one of the leading bio-technology ventures in Japan.
Leong taught Wong on ways to manage a sustainable farm.
The formation years were tough.
Wong had worked his ass off for two years before he got the formulation right for his compost fertilizers.
His hardwork paid off after the Pahang agricultural department had awarded him the state's first Good Agricultural Practise certification.
In short, Wong's produce is able to reach any market - especially those who are concerned about pesticide abuse.
Although not entirely organic, Wong's vegetables are treated with the mildest insecticide.
We've became good friends with a lot of common interest.
One of them was firearms and knives.
Recently, Wong had surrendered his .22 Ruger rifle to the police.
He took ownership of a .243 Winchester Browning BAR rifle.
I had a chance to try it out and after firing a few rounds, I was impressed with the performance of the gun..

A worker and her dogs

These pooches provide added security to the farm

With the new firearm, Farmer Wong can keep his property safe.
Next up, is probably a pistol.
Sin Poh produces a yield of four to six tonnes of vegetable a day.
Their market covers Bentong, Raub, Kuala Lipis and Gua Musang.
The rainy season it seems, is actually boosting sales of leafy vegetables with prices soaring high as demands had tripled.
Wong is happy with the fact that his crop yield is steady.

A beautiful piece: The Browning BAR rifle

Ah Pan's pet project
Wong's Man-Friday Ah Pan, who is also an old friend of mine, had lived at Sin Poh farm for eight years.
He takes care of Wong's two daughters and only son Wong Wei.
Recently, Ah Pan had embarked on an aquaculture project.
He is now rearing Tilapias and Grass Carp for sale.
After four months, the fishes are growing on a steady pace..

Feeding time: Ah Pan at work

When the harvest is ready, there is at least a huge revenue for the income generated from the fishing ponds.
On a hindsight, Ah Pan told me that his nephew, Sherman, who is also a friend of mine, is planning to acquire a plot of land next to Farmer Wong's.
I hope this venture will work as eventually, he will set up a homestay near Sin Poh..

Raub revisited

Optimising my off days..
I had a few days off.
The previous working days were spent on proof-reading my new book.
Now that its going to print, I can sigh with relief.
One year of ding-donging and yo-yoing between emotions was put to rest.
So, I rang up Ah Pan, an old buddy of mine who wanted to show me his new project, a budget homestay on the foothills of Raub in Pahang.
Since I met him, Ah Pan had been living in Bentong for eight years.
He was very excited to show me a villa, which is rented to corporate big-wigs.
Its owned by a developer and was named after his daughter.
The name's too cheesy to mention.
Anyway, I took a drive from my home in Subang Jaya to Karak where I met Ah Pan and Farmer Wong, another friend of mine.
We had breakfast and parted ways.

Breakfast with my farmer friends

A beautiful view of the mountains in Raub

We drove towards Bentong and made a turn near the Fraser's Hill junction.
The villa is located near Sang Lee, a Chinese village some 15km away.
Seems like its a good cycling route.
But the road leading towards the junction is laden with heavy traffic.
I was really surprised with the villa that the developer had built.
We met him at the reception area of the accommodation facility.
A night at this villa costs about RM8k. They have three of such facilities that are fully equipped.
To me, its just another yuppie getaway.
I heard that the place was used for some high-powered meetings. So, all those Snakes, Crocs and Lizards would hang around to talk business.
Since the owner was busy, we went over to the proposed budget accommodation on the other side of the road.
At this point in time, it was just a worksite.
I don't know what Ah Pan had told the guy because he had expected some publicity from my visit.
But seeing as it is, the guy was not hospitable. So, after we inspected the site, we drove back to Karak town to meet up with Farmer Wong's arms dealer for lunch.

A posh set-up

The Samo-mobile mkII on its maiden long-distance voyage...

A view from the budget homestay site..

I don't see any prospect in staying at the villa because the cost is out of this planet.
As for the budget homestay, there's nothing yet.
But the route is something that I was really interested in.
Perhaps in the future, I will organise a short scouting ride from Bentong to Raub using the Sang Lee route..

Karak > Lanchang Ride - Part 1

A follow-up
Last month's ride from Karak - Bentong via Kg Cinta Manis, Sertik and Mempaga had inspired me to conduct another ride towards Lanchang.
The plan was to ride from Sin Poh farm towards Kg Sertik using an offroad track nearby.
I had no idea of the terrain and ground conditions as much of my plan was based on past experiences using the route with a 4x4 vehicle.
To get things going, I rounded up some experienced riders through the Malaysian Foldie Forums and its Facebook page.
After listing the requirements for participation, I had a handful of people who signed up for the ride.
This was strictly for experienced riders as the trail is expected to be tough.

Michelle at Farmer Wong's house in Karak

 I planned it in such a way, the team would spend a night at Farmer Wong's house in Sin Poh Farm.
So, to make it happen, I gave Ah Pan, my old buddy a call to get clearance to camp at the farmhouse.
Sin Poh farm is an award-winning vegetable producer in Pahang and is also the first farm of its kind to be awarded with a Good Agricultural Practise certification from the state agriculture department.
As for the ride, we had Andrew Ng with his wife Hui Min, Patric Yee, an old kaki including Master TT Siang and his wife Angela.
All in, we had seven riders including Ah Pan and a 14-year-old kid.

Stage one: Karak > Sertik
The alarm clock blared at 05:00am. 
I woke up and immediately packed my thermarest sleeping pad.
After a breakfast meeting with the rest of the exploration team, we set up our bikes.
This was also my first ride with the Ay-Up headlights which worked very well.
Our bikes were perfect for the road conditions.
At 06:30am sharp, we rode out towards a rubber plantation and made our way towards a fruit orchard some 1.5km away.
The coarse and loose gravel road had proven to be really tough as the tires couldn't get a good grip.
At certain sections, we had to push the bikes as it was next to impossible riding up the loose gravel.
Puncture was also a main concern, but most of the bikes were using a 20" Schwalbe Marathon Supreme tires.
The only small bike in the ride was Angela with her Curve SL. 

Lights on: At the early stage of the ride

Re-grouping at a hilltop

Daybreak: A scene from the trail

 We cleared some 2km in to the trial and everything had looked fine.
I had no idea that the terrain was so rough and undulating, it seemed like we were riding a mountain bike hash.
The suspension on my Dahon Jetstream EX had taken the knocks and bumps very well and with a 27-speed drivetrain, climbing the unpaved trail was not an issue.
Michelle too had done the track with ease on her Dahon Jetstream P8.
We reached the end of the trail at the rubber plantation and rode through a tunnel across the East Coast Highway.
At the end of it, the trail continued until it joined-up with route C138 towards Sertik

A group photo at the entrance of Felda Sertik in Pahang

Mission: Karak

The world is out there..
It was a long weekend and there has been a couple of inquiries about leading rides to routes outside the Klang Valley.
Initially, I suggested a ride from USJ 2 - Morib.
But I wasn't that keen as its been done before.
This is mainly to induct new folding bike cyclists to try out long-distance rides.
Based on experience, baby-sitting is no easy chore. So, I left it as it is.
A couple of more experienced ride leaders had offered rides outside KL, so, that's where most of the newcomers were headed.

A path less-traveled 
I've done a couple of rides in Bentong, Pahang.
And Karak has still remained at large: unexplored with a folding bike.
My plan was ride towards Kg Cinta Manis and cycle to Kg Sertik and Felda Mempaga.
This is a 50km detour from a straight-forward ride from Karak to Bentong.
It takes only 20km to and 20km fro to this town.

Scenic: The route towards Bentong from Kg Sertik

Into the unknown...
Well, the truth to be told, I have never cycled to Kg Cinta Manis.
So, to sum it up, Kg Sertik and Kg Mempaga remained much as an unknown destination.
When we set out, much of the route was pure guess work.
I lifted a map of Google and plotted a route.
To get things going, I made mention of this on the Malaysian Foldies Forums and its Facebook page.
It drew some attention and a friend actually questioned my decision on not taking any newbies for the ride.
I simply told him that its going to be tough and riders without experience would pose as a liability.
To sum it up, this ride is not for beginners. However, I did have plans to conduct an easier ride to cater for cyclists of all levels of experience.
So, I made it very clear on Facebook and it didn't bother me if some folks are pissed off with the conditions stated.
My intention is not to conduct this exploration ride wholesale, but rather, with a group of reliable people.

Old is gold! Ah Pan and his heavily modified Dahon Dash P18

The small team
On the ride day, I made arrangements with CK Toh to car pool towards Karak and meet Sin Tai Lim, a senior citizen who had been cycling his Dahon Speed P8. 
We left Subang Jaya rather early and experienced the Raya rush on the Karak Highway.
My plan is to meet up with Ah Pan, my old buddy who is now residing in Sin Poh farm in Mukim Sertik. 
We made it to town just 10 minutes late. The initial plan was to meet at 07:00am. Ah Pan brought along his employer's son Ah Wei and his buddy. This 10-year-old had grown so much, he is also pretty fast on the road.
After breakfast, we set out towards Kg Cinta Manis on the Karak Highway. This is roughly about 5km away.

Bonked
I didn't sleep well the night before.
And it took a toll on my ride. Every stroke on the pedal was punishing and as we moved along the undulating and hilly terrain, I told Toh that we were lucky to have excluded the beginners from the ride.
Slowly, we cruised towards the Lurah Bilut junction and made a climb.
It was a 12km of torture as the gradient was between 3.5 - 7%.
On two occasions, my heart was thumping so hard, I had to get off the bike to catch my breath.
After the climb, it was a smooth roll towards Bentong town and the team re-group at Kedai Basikal Bentong.
We took a break there and rode towards Kow Po coffee shop where we had their air batu campur with their homemade ice-cream.

The road to Bentong

 

An unforgettable treat: The ais kacang

 Completing the ride
We were done with dessert and was told that Farmer Wong is already in Karak town and will be hosting lunch at Yik Kee restaurant.
There's another 20km to complete and as we rode out to the Karak Highway, the weather became very hot.
Earlier, the sky was gloomy. But we were lucky enough to be out of the rain.
While cycling I saw a familiar car driving past. It was farmer Wong. He asked about Ah Wei who overtook us in his Polygon Helios 800.
We arrived in Karak town and proceeded to Yik Kee for a feast. Farmer Wong had thrown in a generous lunch for us and we were grateful.
Later, we drove to Sin Poh farm and chilled out with Wong and Ah Pan before heading back to KL.
The 70km ride was an eye opener. There's plenty of potential when it comes to planning cycling routes in this part of Pahang.
Next up, we will try out the Sertik - Lanchang route...
 

Mission accomplished

Lunch, hosted by the generous farmer Wong

 

Perting Falls Hike

Planned hikes
The Malaysia Knife Forums is entering its sixth year in existence.
This is by far, one of the longest surviving interest group.
The group is also on Facebook where its even more active than the forums. I know this for a fact because I set it up.
So, fast-forward to our outing last month in Templer's Park: I suggested a follow-up hike and Lye Choon Keong, the Forum's secretary had singled out the Perting Falls in Pahang as the venue..

Serene: A scene from the falls

 I've never heard of this place and as soon as the mention was made, I posted a thread on the forums to round up the usual guys who are interested for the hike. Similarly, there was a campout at Batu Dam by another group. So, the numbers were pretty even.
The final tally was five people, which was a solid head-count.

Familiar route
I suggested to meet up at Bukit Tinggi, later, Keong re-adjusted the rendezvous point at Genting Sempah R&R and also offered a 4WD transfer to the trail head.
This was a welcoming move as part of the road leading to the entrance of the falls were really banged-up.
I later found out that the Perting Falls was located off the Gombak - Bentong road.
Michelle and I had cycled around this area and are familiar with the routing.
Keong led the drive with Kenny Ho and Walther trailing in another 4WD vehicle.
So far, Keong, Walther, Kenny and I are the only fellas who followed-up on the hike from the Templer's Park trip.
We had a new guy Ray who tagged along..

Lead tracker: Keong on the trail

Serenity: Scenes like these makes me pine for a hike in the jungle..

 Medium-difficulty course
Templer's park was peanuts in terms of difficulty.
Perting, on the other hand, is a little bit challenging.
Basically, its a 3.5km hike towards a drop which is pretty steep.
It took us about 45-minutes to get to the falls.
While we were hiking, Keong made mention of a Hash runner who got lost in Templer's Park.
Lost? What was the guy thinking? 
Kenny made a theory that the guy was injured. Which is quite possible and it turned out that he did got hurt and was found a couple of days later when rescuers combed Templer's Park for the missing dude.
The first leg of the hike in my humble opinion, was really interesting as we had to plough through a fern bush as tall as our heads.
Along the way, I noticed that the path which was cut in the secondary jungle was a former timber trail.
Remnants of heavy vehicle passing through this track was evident with steel pipes used as drainage.
When we arrived at a campsite near the falls, we noticed a large group of campers, about 20 people including men and women chilling out at the spot.
Some were washing their hair with shampoo on the water while the rest were just hanging out.
I spent most of my time capturing some slow-shutter shots of the falls.
Keong took out his stove and made some hot drinks for the rest of the gang.
After spending about an hour there, we began to hike out.
In total, we walked for 7km and I must say that it was an educational experience..

Educational trip: Keong explaining about the forest plants to the hikers

River crossing

The steep drop

 After hiking out to the trail head, me made a detour to the Perting Valley teambuilding camp. Keong knew the caretaker and told us that the place is a regular venue for companies to train their staff.
Later, we made our way to Bentong for ais kacang and Bukit Tinggi for a late lunch..