Soul of the Solo Warrior - Part 3

All good things..

Despite the short stay in Malacca, I've had a great time.
The goal was to get as far as I could and I did it.
So, the next order, is to head down to Melaka Sentral and get a bus ticket home.
I walked down to Jalan Temenggong to have breakfast and found it at Cheng Fong coffee shop.
They serve some really awesome soup noodles there.
After a fill, it was time to head out towards Bachang where the bus station is located.

Supper from the night before: wantan mee

Enjoying a hearty breakfast

Yong Tau Foo noodles at Cheng Fong

Weekends aren't really great for taking the bus

So, I reached Melaka Sentral around 8:30am. 
Went straight to a ticket counter and got myself a ride back to KL.
When I was about to board, the entire luggage compartment was full with stuff.
Boxes, suitcases and cargo had literally filled up the compartment.
The bus driver was nice, he went to the ticket counter and got me a refund.
I gave up after the buses were full. 
The next thing that popped up on my head was a ride back to Port Dickson.
All the buses were full and well, fuck it! 
Sure, I could push as far as Subang Jaya. But I would reach there rather late and the bad road conditions near Kg Lombong wasn't something that I had in mind.

My preferred stay in Malacca

Malacca town - Sg Udang

I rolled out towards Tengkera and made a turn to Klebang.
The day was bright and clear.
As I slowly progressed towards Tangga Batu, the Sun was already out in its full glory.
My aim was to go as far as Port Dickson, then towards Sepang and probably get a ride home from there.
The journey to Sg Udang was smooth as I made a pit stop at a nearby Shell petrol station in town.
There, I refilled my water bottle, in anticipation of a long ride.

At the Sg Udang recreational forest

Monkey crossing

Sg Udang - Masjid Tanah

There's quite a distance to cover from Sg Udang where there was a series of climbs.
With the Eclipse S18 and it's 18-speed drivetrain, it wasn't so bad.
I rode past this route before with my Dahon Speed P8 two years earlier.
At Masjid Tanah, I tried to locate the taxi stand to ask for a chartered ride to Seremban.
While trying to do so, I made a detour and was nearly hit by a motorcycle that was speeding on the main road. What an ass!
The rider beeped his horn and shouted. I raised my hands to signal my turn, but this guy was just uncooperative.
While zipping past the town area, I noticed a white guy on his touring bike. He had his tire fixed at the shop.
And seeing how things were done, I guess the bike shop owner is no strangers to touring cyclists.
I found the taxi station and asked about a charter to Seremban. It was RM150 one-way, take it or leave it.

A brief stopover at Masjid Tanah

Masjid Tanah - Kuala Sungai Baru

To cross into Negeri Sembilan, I had to pass through Kuala Sungai Baru.
By the time I left Masjid Tanah, it was already getting hot.
There was a series of short climbs along the way and I found myself at a junction towards Kuala Sungai Baru.
I had lunch in this town, a quick fill with nasi campur. 
Fried fish and vegetables came up to RM4.70.
I can't complain about the moderate quality of the food served.

Pasir Panjang

Kuala Sungai Baru - Pasir Panjang

I stopped for 20-minutes at the most.
Got back on the saddle and rode towards the Kuala Linggi bridge linking Malacca and Negeri Sembilan.
While I was cruising towards the Akademi Laut Malaysia, I saw a cyclist on the opposite side of the road.
He waved at me and I returned courtesy by doing the same.
My destination was Sungai Raya, a small village after the bridge crossing.
From Tanjung Agas, its a short ride to the junction leading to Pasir Panjang.
I cleared Sungai Raya in a breeze and reached the junction and a serious of climbs towards my destination.

Chilling out near Pasir Panjang

Pasir Panjang - Port Dickson

I have about 25km to cover from Pasir Panjang to Port Dickson.
While I was in this small town, I rolled over to a Caltex Petrol station and had a cold beverage.
It felt good to get out of the heat and in an air-conditioned room, its a bliss just to down a can of isotonic drink there.
I figured out that if I can reach Port Dickson before mid-day, the chances of getting into Sepang or Salak Tinggi before late in the evening would be good.
After filling up my water bottle, I began my journey towards Port Dickson.
It was series of rolling climbs and before I hit the town's Polytechnic, I saw a stall selling coconuts.
Since it was so hot, I pulled over to order a piece of coconut and drank it with some ice.
While I was at it, a chartered car driver pulled over.
He is Pak Busu and drives a 1.6 Proton Saga.
The man was having his lunch at the stall.
I walked over to him and asked if he's willing to take my fare.
The man gladly obliged and wanted RM130 to send me back to Subang Jaya.

Sayonara Malacca!

Coconut juice for the soul..

Pak Busu's car

The Road Warrior goes to the back seat

A car number feared by many Chinaman.. 

Ending the ride and homeward-bound...

I waited for Pak Busu to finish his meal, then boarded this car and was taken to his second wife's home.
He said his wife was not feeling well and asked for some goreng pisang which the man had gladly obliged.
During the ride, I learned that Pak Busu is an influential figure at the taxi station. He said Kuppusamy shouldn't have charged so high for the chartered car hire to Malacca.
I didn't argue with him and kind of enjoyed having a conversation with him.
In less than 45-minutes, we were in Sepang.
Pak Busu headed straight for the ELITE highway and I knew at that very instance, I was bound for home safe and sound.

In the car bound for home

Home at last! 

Getting some love from my girl..

Happy endings

I asked Pak Busu to drop me off at Putra Heights. 
There, I paid him RM130 for the car hire and began to deploy my bike.
Took me a few minutes to set up my ride and before I knew it, I was rolling down from Putra Heights to USJ26, where I began my 205km journey down South.
I reached home around 4:45pm and had ample time to do my laundry.
My kidz were happy that I was home and this was sort of a time out before the World Car Free Day ride the next day.
So, what did I learn from this experience? 
I found the link to Banting and beyond and that a ride from USJ to Land's End is pretty possible.
With time as a factor, I knew that it was possible to do the 220km ride from USJ to Malacca in one day, provided if I started way early in the morning.
Ideally, for a more comfortable ride, I can break the journey in Port Dickson and continue cycling the next day.
Surely, there's plenty of room for improvement..

Soul of the Solo Warrior - Part 2

Going solo, points to ponder..

So, there I was, Sepang on the horizon.
Take a right turn, and its Lukut.
But, before I continue, a lot of people had asked me on how to cope with loneliness while on the road.
For starters, I am a Lone Wolf.
It would be great if I can rope along a fellow rider so that its not boring.
But again, I've done a lot of things by myself. I've ridden my bike from KL to Singapore along on many occasions and cycling is no exception. 
The longest ride I've done in a day was 194km and I did it all by myself.
To take on the road alone, one must be highly independent.
Mental strength is also the main criteria. If you are a wimp, and whine a lot, going solo is definitely not for you. (Well, that's my personal opinion, some folks out there may take this

and rip it apart and argue among themselves - especially on Facebook..)

Having a meal in Sungai Pelek

My late lunch

Sepang - Lukut

It's just a short distance to cover, but this route is paved with pain.
The area is hilly and there's a lot of climbing to do.
From Sepang, it seemed to be a rather short route.
I made my way towards Tanah Merah, I noticed that the traffic was very heavy.
And for me, it's uncharted territory.
I have never cycled beyond Bagan Lalang.
Slowly, but surely, I made my way towards the Bukit Palong junction.
It was a fast downhill roll towards Lukut town and by the time I got there, it was already late in the afternoon..

Lukut - Port Dickson

I had a short distance to cover. 
But before that, I took a break at a Petronas gas station near Lukut.
There, I had time to reflect.
I've covered about 110km so far. And its getting rather late.
At Lukut, I made a decision to end the ride in Port Dickson.
There, I will hire a chartered car to Malacca where I was supposed to meet Ah Xiong, a friend from Singapore and a fellow foldie.
Slowly, I inched towards Port Dickson.
By the time I got there, it was almost 5pm.
With another 80km to go, it's impossible to reach Malacca before midnight.
And it's not safe to ride alone at night.

Hitting the road to Port Dickson

Clocked about 120km in 8 hours

Malacca-bound

I rode straight into the bus station. 
There, I found a chartered car office and asked if anyone would drive me to Malacca with my luggage.
The manager who heads the station introduced me to the driver, Mr Kuppusamy.
He wanted RM150 for the trip. 
I haggled down to RM100 and he agreed.
There, I folded my 24" Tern Eclipse S18 and loaded it onto the back seat of the Nissan Cedric.
Mr Kuppusamy told me that the car was formerly used in Singapore as a taxi.
With more than 80km to cover, I had about one and a-half hour's drive from Port Dickson.

In the chartered car

My room in Malacca

The traffic jam in Malacca was horrendous.
We reached Klebang and the cars came to a halt.
I told Mr Kuppusamy to drop me off at a Shell petrol station.
There, I have about seven km to complete my ride into Jalan Laksamana Cheng Ho, where my hotel is located.
I was to bunk in for a night before heading back to KL the next day.
In Malacca, I stayed at Hotel 7, which is quite bicycle friendly.
The weather was foul as it started to rain.
I rode towards Bandar Hilir and made my way towards Bukit China where the hotel is located.
My priority was to check-in, freshen up and meet up with Ah Xiong.

With my host in Malacca

Ringo's classic bar

Memoirs of a staff correspondent..

I used to work in Malacca and I loved it there.
The pace was moderate and its pretty easy to find good stories.
I stayed in Malacca for nearly a year back in 2004 before moving back to KL.
So, that said, I do know of some good makan places in town.
My plan of the day, was to meet Ah Xiong for dinner and near Jalan Temenggong, there's no shortage of food.
Ah Xiong told me that he would host my stay. We had some good food and beers and talked a lot about cycling.
He told me that he used to cycle a road bike before getting a Dahon Vigor P9 which he uses frequently.
After dinner, we walked to Jonkers street and hungout at Ringo's classic bar.
A lot has changed since I last stayed in Malacca.
I did a short tour with my wife back in 2012 and two years later, the changes were really drastic.
I chilled out with Ah Xiong until midnight and decided to call it a day before hitting the road to Melaka Sentral to board a bus back to KL..

Soul of the Solo Warrior - Part 1

Joining the dots...

I've always been curious about the link between Subang Jaya and Jalan Kebun.
This is a passage to Banting and Jenjarom and I've explored at least one of the routes via Jalan Kebun.
That's roughly about a 15km detour into Kota Kemuning and looping back into the kampung road to Jenjarom.
Banting is roughly about 35km away from Subang Jaya via Kampung Lombong.
Such, is a route that caught my attention and I managed to get a few days off from work to carry out an exploration ride from Subang Jaya to Port Dickson.

The plan

On the first part of the ride, the task was to locate an underpass underneath the bridge linking Puchong and Shah Alam.
If I can find the linkage, I would cycle to Jenjarom via Jalan Kg Lombong which connects to Kg Kebun (this road leads directly into Klang town).
From Jenjarom, I will cycle towards Banting, Morib, Batu Laut, Bagan Lalang, Sungai Pelek, Sepang and Lukut.
The exercise is to go as far as I could in one day.

Murphy's Law...

There are times when you have had everything planned out, nature takes charge.
It rained for hours in the morning.
I waited until it died out and started rolling out towards Puchong.
My initial plan was to leave at 6am in the morning, gaining the time advantage.
But, I had to wait it out.
My kidz were getting restless as both parents are away.
Michelle, my wife was in Darwin, Australia, attending a conference.

The bike, all prepped for the ride

Rain. Spoils everything..

My dog is not enthusiastic about the ride

A treat for the girl...

USJ 26 - Morib

So, the journey begins.
I rolled out from home around 9am. 
Technically, I've lost about three hours of road time.
After crossing the bridge near the LDP toll, I realised that there is an underpass that links to Kg Lombong.
The road conditions were pretty bad as I slowly crawled my way towards Jalan Kebun.
While at it, I took a turn too early. 
I veered into Jalan Punai and reached a dead-end. 
Again, time-loss.
The right way was Jalan Pipit that leads to Jenjarom.
It took longer to reach Banting as I slowly inched my way towards Kanchong Darat.
At the Morib junction, there was a turning to Jalan Tali Air.
This saves me about seven kilometers.

Jalan Tali Air

Morib - Sepang

After being on the road for nearly three hours, I finally reached the outskirts of Morib.
In the distance was Batu Laut.
The area is mainly flat and as I slowly gained the mileage, the day became hotter.
Tanjung Sepat is the next town after Batu Laut and I've been here with my wife a couple of times.
At the outskirts of Tanjung Sepat, I made a brief stop to capture a shot of the road sign.

Tanjung Sepat

The road to Bagan Lalang

I continued to ride along toward Bagan Lalang.
So far, I've done three rides to this part of Selangor. The beach area around this place is really interesting.
While I was rolling along, a group of cyclists greeted me.
They were on the opposite side of the road.
I came across more as I slowly made my way towards Sungai Pelek.
The scenery form Tanjung Sepat to Sungai Pelek is very boring. I called it the "road to nowhere" as there's nothing in between both towns.
If you experience a flat or mechanical failure, this is the place that is going to sap your energy both mentally and physically.
By 2pm, I reached Sungai Pelek.
My tummy was growling and the first place I looked for, was a char koay teow shop in town.
There, I had my fill before pushing off towards Sepang..

The highs and lows of going Solo..

When you want something done, you might end up doing it yourself...

Single-handed journey can end up in triumph or agony.
It depends on your mental strength, planning and preparation.
And if you fall sick on the road or met with an accident, you have to brace to abandon your trip or spend some time in the hospital getting well.
Some stories end up well, while some are filled with misery.

The mind game

When you decide to go on a long-haul, all you have is yourself and your bike.
All the gear that you carry is your lifeline.
Some cyclists prefer to be minimalists, carrying what they feel is just right for the ride and risk it.
While there are those who overkill their equipment list.
They tend to carry a little bit extra, an assurance that if anything would go wrong, they have what it takes to recover quickly and move on.
In this case, the cyclist who is better prepared would usually have a more pleasant day.
While on the road, planning and discipline is crucial.
You set your goals based on your physical capabilities, draw the distance so you could cover as much as you could before reaching your destination.
If you don't manage your time properly, you end up getting to your end point late.
And when you rush, many things can go wrong. So, plan ahead and be punctual.
I've seen people give up just falling short of reaching their destination. They have nobody to push them and help is not available. 
All bets are off when morale is low. But if you have the positive mental attitude to deal with this, you end up fighting your battle another day.
So, moral of the story here: "Be prepared and always better safe than sorry.."

Dealing with unexpected...

Murphy's Law always have the upper hand in anything you do.
Sometimes, even a bomb-proof and well-executed trip can go wrong.
In my case, it was an attempt to cycle 200km in a day Solo.
Everything checked out fine, but my bike had some mechanical problems.
I had to detour to a bike shop along the way and lost precious time.
My decision was to move on despite the delay and I ended up riding late into the night.
This was an "all or nothing" situation. 
I pushed as far as I could and reached the end point 194.7km, just shy of 200.
Riding in the dark and all alone, there are plenty of vulnerabilities. 
And with everything that I had, I completed the ride well after midnight.
This was a lesson well learned. Whenever in doubt, be prepared to abandon the ride.
Pride and ego would only lead to disaster.

Points to ponder

Well, if you decide to do it all by yourself, here are some key pointers:

• Train yourself in basic bicycle repair and maintenance
• Be in the best of shape, you will need it in physically-demanding situations
• Stay healthy, if you are sick, there is no point in making things worse
• Be disciplined, manage your time properly
• If shit hits the fan, be ready to call off your ride and do it another day

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..