Rogue Rider : Project Taiping - Port Weld, Part 4

Chasing storms
The weather in Taiping is unforgiving.
I managed to get back to the hotel in time to experience a heavy afternoon downpour.
Only this time round, I was dry and in the comfort of a hot cuppa coffee.
As I waited out the storm, there was room to reflect.
The ride from Taiping to Port Weld, short in terms of distance as it seems, was very educational.
In a single sweep, I managed to see so many things.
Even Taiping per say, is a town that is worth visiting during the different time of the year..

Ngah Ibrahim's fort near Matang

A last sweep and meeting the Taiping Foldie Fans
I made arrangements with Coach Jamell and his gang to meet up for a cup of coffee in town.
He mention Yut Sun coffee shop and told me to ask for directions on how get there.
I did a Google search and nailed the location.
Back at the hotel, I took an afternoon nap.
At 06:00pm sharp, I set up the bike and rode out towards town..

Taiping Lake Gardens

A HDR capture of the lakeside

What I like about Taiping is the fact that cyclists are accepted here.
And its also a great place to see on a bicycle, I shit you not!
With two hours to burn, I made my way to the Taiping Lake Gardens. There, I rode up to the War Memorial, which turned out to be a row of headstones.
At the same time, lots of cyclists rode past including joggers on the well-laid path.
Cycling along the Lake Gardens, I found myself on the path towards town.
That was where I met Coach Jamell who shouted out my name.
He was with a group of cyclists and we kinda indulged in small talk.
Later, Jamell led me to a bicycle shop who deals with Dahon Folding Bikes
The owner told me that he had four bikes and are selling the folding bikes really well.

Taiping's Colonial architecture is in dire need of conservation..

From the bike shop, I rode towards Yut Sun coffee shop.
This is one place that opens at night and is known for its Hainanese food.
There as a write-up by Sunny Foong, an ex-colleague of mine and also my guru who taught me on how to set-up the pages for Star's Metro Southeast edition.
I ordered a plate of chicken chop which is just average. Cost me about RM9 including a cup of coffee. The brew is pretty decent, but I think the chicken chop could be better.

The chicken chop

Later, Cikgu Azis came. 
I met the man in person at the CFAL4 in Penang last month.
He is a nice guy and very accommodating.
Azis knew that a solo rider wants and told me that Taiping had lots to offer.
He was joined by Coach Jamell and his family, Adib Chevy and Tok Chiru.
These are the guys who started the folding bike movement in Taiping.
We chat until it was que for me to leave.
I set my Sigma Powerled Pro to high beam and rode towards the hotel.
It was already 10:30pm and since the chicken chop really didn't do squat, I decided to ride towards Kamunting for supper. 
After a filling meal, I made my way back to the hotel and spoke to the elderly Malay man who helped me in visiting the places of interest in Kuala Sepetang.

All good things must come to an end..
My alarm rang at 06:30am.
I have to ride out towards town to take another route towards the train station.
When I rolled down the bike, I met the caretaker and thanked him again.
The Sun was already out in its full glory and it was a wonderful morning
My goal was to score a plate of char koay teow in town..

Breakfast in Taiping

An awesome treat: char koay teow

The aim is to get to the Taiping train station by 09:15am and wait to board the Butterworth - Singapore express train to KL Sentral.
That was not an issue since I had plenty of time to spare.
After a good meal, I rode down Jalan Stesen which leads to the Rail terminal..

Historic: with a new and modern station nearby, this wooden shack will fade away..

I found out that I had ample time to pack my bike, re-set my gear and hunker-in for the ride home.
Took me a couple of minutes to organise things and before I knew it, the train came. 
Only a handful of passengers boarded the express train to Kuala Lumpur.

Mission accomplished!

I endured the ride till the train had reached KL Sentral.
On my mind, I was too lazy to cycle home from the transit terminal. So, I paid for a cab to take me home so I could rest.
The ride to KL Sentral costs RM37 one-way and the other way round was RM39. The bikepacking journey was complete with these factored-in.
A return ticket to Taiping costs RM56, while the hotel was RM106 for two nights. Meals came up to RM30 in total, incidental expenses were kept at bay around RM30 throughout the trip.
I think the most expensive thing was the cab ride.
The train was okay and you have to be really patient throughout the journey.
On the whole, I clocked-in a total of 77.8km in Taiping and Port Weld.
To sum it up, it was a great experience and from the knowledge gained, I can't wait to ride again in Taiping with Michelle.
My most likely recce ride is Kuala Kangsar in the months to come..

Rogue Rider - Project Taiping - Port Weld, Part 3

Destination: Port Weld

I've been fascinate with Kuala Sepetang - the present name of Port Weld where one of the earliest railway line in Malaysia was built.

There's nothing left of the steam engine railway but a marker stone with the numbers '1885' inscribed on it.

After a good night's sleep, I woke up ahead of the alarm bell.

On my mind, the thought was to pack as light as possible and not miss out all the essential items for the ride.

This is also a short ride covering about 12.5km.

With the bike all set up, I made my way to town and had my breakfast.

It was a piece of tai pau (large Chinese dumpling), a plate of siew mai and a cup of Kopi-O kau.

While I was having my meal, I can hear some old-timers talking in the background. 

They were gossiping about the size of my bike.

Then, after I got up to strap on my helmet, another old-timer had asked some question in Hokkien. 

I don't have a clue what he was talking about and rode off.

Hallelujah for the GPS!

Having a Garmin EDGE 800 strapped on my handlebar, I was confident of carrying out the solo ride to Port Weld.

My mind was focussed on two things: keep on going and stay safe.

I keyed in 'attractions' and the Port Weld Railway Station came on-screen.

After pressing 'Go', the GPS led me towards the outskirts of town and to a flyover leading into a village.

It was a safe and smooth ride - literally on a straight line towards Port Weld.

I rode past two other villages, an oil plam plantation, underneath a bypass on the North-South Highway.

The route joins with the Taiping - Port Weld road and later, I learned that I had cycled on the actual railway line. The tracks of course, were long gone...

The road to Port Weld

Taking a break off the Taiping - Butterworth route

The oldest trade in the village
Port Weld is know for its charcoal kilns.
Generations of people here had worked on producing charcoal for local consumption and export.
I made a detour into the area's famous charcoal kilns and found one at the edge of the industrial area.
A middle-aged couple, who were really friendly had strucked a conversation with me. We talked a bit and they gave me permission to photograph mangrove lumber being processed into charcoal. What a trip!

At the charcoal factory

A worker preparing mangrove timber for smoking

The earthen kiln where the wood is processed into fuel

Big shrimpin!
Kuala Sepetang is well-known as a seafood production centre.
The symbiosis between mangrove and the marine life is obvious here.
Shrimps thrive in the muddy coastal area which also serves as a buffer during violent storm.
In short, this is truly the 'river of life'.
Port Weld, on the other hand, is a just a small town with many commercial fishing landing site.
I found a shrimp processing centre owned by a Malay family and spoke to them.
They were nice enough to allow me to capture the activity on camera and as we were talking, I was told that the Mee Udang shops are usually closed on Fridays. What a bummer!
But, as a saving grace, one of the ladies pointed out to me a stall off the main road that serves a killer shrimp noodle dish.

Shrimping is a big income earner for this village

A man sorting out his catch

Port Weld at last..
It took me somewhere between two to two and a-half hours to ride to Port Weld.
When I got there, there was a hive of activities.
I cycled past some of the seafood processing centre and found that this is an excellent place to just hangout and take pictures.
My intention was to find the a stone marker that says: "Port Weld" and snap some shots there before pushing off.
With the GPS, it was no sweat.
I set my camera, took some shots and was on my way.
Before heading back to Taiping, I wanted to try the Mee Udang and did just that.

Historic: The remnants of the railway station

Sumptous: The prawn noodles

A simple meal
I found the stall and ordered a bowl of noodles.
The owner was just happy to oblige.
Now, I am not a big fan of prawns. But having tasted this simple dish, I must say that the ingredients are fresh.
The shrimps are sweet and crunchy: an indication that it was a fresh haul.
And my bill came up to RM9 including a drink. This was really a treat and I hope to patronise the stall again in a follow-up trip.

The way back..

After a meal, I rode towards the Matang forest reserve.
There, I met a forest ranger and spoke to him about the accommodation facility.
Seems that a chalet costs RM80 per night (for three guests) and bookings have to be made in writing a month in advance. I'll pass on that and perhaps organize a day trip to walk on the planks on this facility.
Satisfied with my findings, I rode back towards Taiping on the busy Port Weld - Taiping road..

Rogue Rider : Project Taiping - Port Weld, Part 1

A viable plan..
I've always wanted to cycle around Taiping in Perak.
And I've been planning this for more than a year.
Prior to this, I made a brief stopover in Taiping after returning from Penang last year.
Michelle and I did a walkabout around the town area and found several good places to eat.
Since I had a couple of days off including clearing my annual leave, I made some phone calls.
One was to West Inn, a motel situated about 2.3km away from the Taiping train station.
I managed to book a room for two nights (RM48 for the first day and RM50 for the second night) and before that, secured a return ticket via KTM's intercity train service from KL Sentral to Taiping.
Now, the plan was to take a cab to the train station, then board the 08:45am ride to Taiping.
That's really simple!

My 2008 Dahon Curve SL

Weapon of choice...
My 2008 Dahon Curve SL is one of the most underutilised bike in my keeps.
For the Taiping recce ride, I plan to use it.
This is the perfect short-middle distance ride machine.
And since its also very lightweight, I can actually lug it into the train.

It's a solo affair!
For this trip, I did pass the word around.
But the response was na-da.
This did not deter me from doing what I want.
Riding solo means I don't have to take care of people.
I enjoy what I do and riding solo is what I really do best!
During my gig in Taiping, I contact Coach Jamell of the Taiping Foldies Fan.
The plan was to meet up with him and several other riders for tea.

The trouble with cabbies..
To get to KL Sentral, I made prior arrangements with Ahmad, a cab driver.
He agreed to pick me up and drop me off at KL Sentral.
But before he could do so, the man rang me up to tell me he couldn't make it.
I told him it was okay and booked a cab from a taxi company.
Now, the morning that I was supposed to leave, I receive a call that there were no cabs available.
Sensing that I have a narrow window of opportunity, I rang up a few other cab companies.
Lucky for me, one responded and told me that the cabbie was on the way.. Yaaayyy!!!

Waiting to board at KL Sentral

And so, the journey begins..
Yeah, there I was, my Curve SL and Ortlieb Flight 27 backpack in the rear seat.
I struck a conversation with the cabbie that took me all the way from USJ26 to KL Sentral.
Pick-up time was 06:58am and I arrived at my destination at 08:15.
The taxi ride was epic as we joined-in the morning rush hour.
I was relieved that I had a 30-minute advantage.
The train to Taiping was also delayed for 15-minutes.
And when the boarding call was made, I went down to the platform and boarded coach M5.
There, I was greeted by an elderly Indian man.
He was glad to have met me and indulged in a conversation.
We talked a bit until another elderly Malay man joined in.
There were three of us and later, a Japanese couple also made their way to the coach.
With all the chatter, I got really tired, plugged in my ipod to listen to some music and dozed off..

Enduring the smelly seat on the train

 There were some really interesting places that I came across from the window's view.
First, there was Sungai Siput and later, the train passed by Kuala Kangsar.
These towns will be transformed with the double-tracking electric rail project.
There were some massive work being done on the railway track and this is expected to bring in some progress to the towns up North...