4/7
On a very nice and early morning (3.30am) of 4/7,myself and Lonerider meet up at Tmn.Klang Jaya for our ride to Hatyai.This is the 1st night or rather dark ride for me,it was nice b'cos is cooling all the way but the downside is you hv to be super alert as is dark.
Since there only 2 of us,no drama all the way.We enjoy a cool,nice and "slow' ride.Stop at B'worth for b'fast at the famous seow bak (bbq pork) mee,ok lah but not as good/nice as Lonerider claimed,(5%-95% theory).Custom clearing was a breeze,stop at Satit Hotel,Danuk to check out room for Koh Samui.We reach Chudchada Place at abt 11am,abit too late to join the bike week ride to Songkhla and since our room was not ready, we went down town to hv lunch with 2 Klang bikers from James Yap group.Not bad chicken rice!!!and if u like and can take chicken skin this is the right place,is thick and juicy!!!On the way we meet Yeoh and the Malacca group (Au Kait and Co.) at Golden Crown Hotel,sitting right in front of the entrance stair.
Then bk to hotel,check in hv a nice shower/rest before heading to town for a good massage.
As is was raining in the evening,we cannot go to the park for dinner,so we join James and the gang for seafood dinner in town.Food was nice but too much and expensive,BTH610/pax.
Once the rain stopped we went to the park,not much changes from last year. This year there is no free makan and beer,so u can see most of the tables is empty,unlike last year.Bought a couple of T-shirts for friend bk home,lepa around then it started drizzling,the next moment we was on our bike and headed bk but thanks to Lonerider,who like rain so much that he took me went rounding(lost his way).he!he! And that's for the night.
5/7
We was up by 7am,went for b'fast but very disappointed we cannot hv the keow teow fish head as the portion is too big for 2 of us so we settle for chichen and tim sum but Lonerider even hv Bak Kut Tea!! what a eater.Is here that we meet Jimmy Yap 58yrs who rides a Suzuki 150 and after some chatting with Lonerider,he decided to join us bk. and we start the exciting ride bk.
After crossing border like a breeze,Jimmy encounter jerking to his bike,so we stop at Petronas for him to change s/plug.Since he was going quite slow,he get him to head start and we join later,abt 30mins but the problem is that we still caught up with him before our next stop,so we stop again under trees/flyover.....He was doing abt 80 to 90km.
Then his bike overheat (coil) and stop before Simpang Pulai toll but was able to re start and go for abt 100 to 200m before it stop again.We discussed and agreed that he will stop/go,stop/go till he reach Simpang Pulai petronas station,which was abt 6km.We waited for abt 45mins before he arrived.Luck was on his side,meet a small lorry stopping for toilet and is wiling to take his bike till Sg Buloh RR.We help to load up the bike onto the lorry,then we head to Bidor for our lunch (5pm) but poor Jimmy was on top of the lorry holding on to his bike.We meet at Sg Buloh RR,unload the bike and head bk to Klang.His bike was ok after the cooling period but still doing 90km.
Anyway,we all reached home safely at abt 7.30pm and this will go down in record as the "most number of stop " for a ride bk from Hatyai to Klang.
Sorry guys,no photos with me.
Lonerider,if you are reading PlS download photos from your camera.
Tks.
Over and out.
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Taman Negara Ride (20-21 June 09)
(please click on photo to enlarge and click play on video attached)
On the 20th June 09, I rode with Kwa and Chew from Klang to meet up with the XtremeFreedom Bikers at the BHP station after the Gombak toll. We were joining them for the ride to Taman Negara. CM met us there after having arrived from Penang a few days earlier. After all the riders have arrived, Ong the leader of XtremeFreedom Bikers, briefed the group on the ride and there was a photo shoot (XtremeFreedom). Then we were on the way, riding on the Karak Highway and heading for the Temerloh exit. There were 12 bikes all in all plus a few cars with families (wives and kids). There’s a GTR, 4 Versys, 2 BMW, a couple of Kawa Z series, a Fazer and 1 EN500.
Those of you who are familiar with the Karak Highway will know that there are a few curves to be enjoyed along the way. And although the group consists of quite a diverse bunch of riders (some fast and some not so fast), it was not long before that everyone settled into the ride. The guys were really taking to the curves as if duck to water. You could see the smooth flow of bikes along the highway and this was quite a sight especially, if you happened to be riding at the back of the pack. The ride to the Temerloh exit was uneventful and pleasant. The weather was fine. It was not hot even when we started a little close to 9 am.
Soon we approached the exit and as planned, we had to regroup after the exit. After exiting the toll and waiting for a few minutes, all were riders were accounted for and we proceeded towards the traffic light (T junction) to turn right towards Jerantut, the next destination. But before getting into Jerantut, the group would have to refill at a station about 50km away.
While approaching the T-junction, we all slowed to a stop as the light was red. I turned to the BMW at my left to talk to him but the lights turned green. All the bikes began to zoom off to the right. I turned my throttle, expecting to follow them, but the bike didn’t move! Somehow, while at the junction, my engine died and I did not notice it. So I tried to re-start the bike a few times but was unsuccessful. I sepnt about an hour at this junction before the bike would start again, and it was with the help of Kwa and CM who had back track to help me. What happened? Well….that’s a different story. :-(
After having successfully starting the bike, we rode into Jerantut to rejoin the main group who were havin
g lunch. And since we came in late, Kwa, CM and I sat at a smaller table in the restaurant, where the main group had already ordered and had gone thru their lunch. The restaurant’s owner, taking our orders somehow thought we latecomers also wanted the same dishes as the main group and started to propose the various dishes. Ong asked the owner to speed it up for us as we latecomers were hungry. Some of us needed to go to the bathroom and with all these happening simultaneously, confusion reigned. We did not realized what was ordered until the food came. There was fried hor fun, “manee choy” and a steamed Patin fish. Well, we were hungry, so we ate. It is only when we were paying for the meal that we realized it costs us RM165!!! This was one expensive lunch and the fish alone costs us RM143!!! In case you are wondering where this restaurant is at, it is the
On the 20th June 09, I rode with Kwa and Chew from Klang to meet up with the XtremeFreedom Bikers at the BHP station after the Gombak toll. We were joining them for the ride to Taman Negara. CM met us there after having arrived from Penang a few days earlier. After all the riders have arrived, Ong the leader of XtremeFreedom Bikers, briefed the group on the ride and there was a photo shoot (XtremeFreedom). Then we were on the way, riding on the Karak Highway and heading for the Temerloh exit. There were 12 bikes all in all plus a few cars with families (wives and kids). There’s a GTR, 4 Versys, 2 BMW, a couple of Kawa Z series, a Fazer and 1 EN500.
Those of you who are familiar with the Karak Highway will know that there are a few curves to be enjoyed along the way. And although the group consists of quite a diverse bunch of riders (some fast and some not so fast), it was not long before that everyone settled into the ride. The guys were really taking to the curves as if duck to water. You could see the smooth flow of bikes along the highway and this was quite a sight especially, if you happened to be riding at the back of the pack. The ride to the Temerloh exit was uneventful and pleasant. The weather was fine. It was not hot even when we started a little close to 9 am.
Soon we approached the exit and as planned, we had to regroup after the exit. After exiting the toll and waiting for a few minutes, all were riders were accounted for and we proceeded towards the traffic light (T junction) to turn right towards Jerantut, the next destination. But before getting into Jerantut, the group would have to refill at a station about 50km away.
While approaching the T-junction, we all slowed to a stop as the light was red. I turned to the BMW at my left to talk to him but the lights turned green. All the bikes began to zoom off to the right. I turned my throttle, expecting to follow them, but the bike didn’t move! Somehow, while at the junction, my engine died and I did not notice it. So I tried to re-start the bike a few times but was unsuccessful. I sepnt about an hour at this junction before the bike would start again, and it was with the help of Kwa and CM who had back track to help me. What happened? Well….that’s a different story. :-(
After having successfully starting the bike, we rode into Jerantut to rejoin the main group who were havin
g lunch. And since we came in late, Kwa, CM and I sat at a smaller table in the restaurant, where the main group had already ordered and had gone thru their lunch. The restaurant’s owner, taking our orders somehow thought we latecomers also wanted the same dishes as the main group and started to propose the various dishes. Ong asked the owner to speed it up for us as we latecomers were hungry. Some of us needed to go to the bathroom and with all these happening simultaneously, confusion reigned. We did not realized what was ordered until the food came. There was fried hor fun, “manee choy” and a steamed Patin fish. Well, we were hungry, so we ate. It is only when we were paying for the meal that we realized it costs us RM165!!! This was one expensive lunch and the fish alone costs us RM143!!! In case you are wondering where this restaurant is at, it is theRestoran Tokyo, located at S1 & S2 Taman Intan in Jerantut. But I must be honest as well. The restaurant had a sign in Chinese stating the price of fish in per 100gm. Unfortunately, we d
id not see earlier on. It is only when we returned the next day to order lunch (but no fish) that we saw the sign. I suspect that this restaurant is famous for the fishes they serve. Why? Cos’ when we were having lunch, delivery came with a big fish. It is really very much bigger than the one you would see in the markets.
After lunch, the group proceeded towards Kuala Tahan, which is part of Taman Negara. After a short distance of about 15 mins, we turned off the main road at a sign pointing towards Taman Negara. This road was narrower and not very well maintained. There were some holes and it was quite common to see small stones on the road. After a while, we went thru a stretch of the same road that was very oily. There were palm tress around and we were going thru a plantation. I guess this is due to the oil palm fruits falling off the trucks which carried them from the plantations for processing. Probably during the journey, some of the fruits had falled off onto the road and got crushed. Overtime, this crushed fruits left behind the oily layer on the road. 2 wheelers must be very careful when passing thru this stretch. I dread to think what it would be like when it drizzles and the film of oil is brought to the surface on the road!
The journey to Kuala Tahan had some interesting stretches with curves and it undulates with slopes that prevent riders from seeing over the top of the slope until you are up on it. Usually when I ride, I tend to use my sights as the primary source to read the road ahead. Due to the limitations on the use of sights, navigating thru this particular road would require o
ne to depend on road signs as a major source of input to help us anticipate what lay ahead, e.g. the road curving to the left or right. Anyway, after riding for about an hour, we finally reached Kg. Kuala Tahan. We would be staying at the Persona Village Resort, which is about 10 mins bike ride to the jetty.
Persona Village Resort is divided into 2 parts. The first consists of the reception, dining area and some chalets. This is the section that we can ride to. Then this section of the resort is connected to a second section via a suspension bridge over a chasm of about 30 ft deep. The second section of the resort consists of chalets only, and the Klang group stayed here.
Upon arriving at about 2pm, we waited at the reception/dining area while Ong sorted out the rooms etc. While waiting, we were told that the boats needed for us to go for the various activities in Tmn Negara had been fully booked for the day, and to RV at the reception at 3.30pm, so that we all could go to the jetty to book our boats for the next morning’s activities. CM went around o gather a group so that we would have 12 pax to a boat.
So we got our key and went to our rooms. After about 15 mins wait, we go our keys and proceeded to cross the suspension bridge to our chalets, They were all air-conditioned, complete with hot water shower. Not bad for RM65 twin sharing. We started to unpack and relax and very soon tt was soon 3.30pm. We met at the reception with our bikes and rode towards the jetty. Upon arrival, I noticed that this “jetty” area had been developed from what was once trees and just “jungle”. This was the spot that was directly across the river from the Mutiara Resort. About 20yrs ago, Mutiara (I think it was called something else then) was about the only “resort” around. Across Mutiara was this little floating restaurant/canteen thing then. Now, the place opposite the Mutiara has developed with more floating restaurants, a few “motels” and a sprinkling of resorts. There’s a lot of people on this side of the river who are mostly are tourists. I venture to guess that this was probably because this side of the river had more rooms or accommodation space than that was available from the Mutiara, and Mutiara is also more expensive!
We proceeded to book a boat for the next morning and then spend some time having drinks at the floating restaur
ant, just relaxing and taking in the environment. There were motorized boats all over. Some smaller ones would take you across the river for RM1 each way. Then there are some big and small boats meant for excursions, just like the 12-seaters that we have booked. Here, the river is like the highway of the city. Boats are just going up and down the “lazy river”, ferrying people to their destinations. I call it lazy because the water was flowing quite slowly and sort of gives you the feeling of a laid back atmosphere.
After having lazed around for a while, the group decided to cross the river to “recce” the Mutiara. Kwa, CM, Stephan and I went across, paying RM1 each. Upon arriving on the Mutiara side of the river, we had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the main compound of the resort. Noticed that there’s a welcoming committee, complete with drinks and traditional instruments. But they did not “welcome ” us with their music or free drinks since we were not the resort’s guests. We just walked around the grounds of Mutiara, looking it ove
r and enquiring about the price. On the way back, we again had to descend down the stairways, and decided to stop and chat with the hotel staff. Somehow the conversation went on to the topic of rainy season, and we were told that most rainy seasons, the river would swell. However, sometimes the water level can rise to where we were standing, which was more than 20ft above the current level! Just imagine the amount of water it would take to fill up the place and to raise the water level that much! I think it must be a very fast and raging river by then. No more lazy river and no wonder these guys have floating restaurants!!! They would just float, anchored and following the water level. However, 
I would not sure too sure about the patronage by that time. (Click on picture to enlarge. Each yellow segment that I have inserted is approx 5ft, based on the man standing by the river. Count the number of segments to the middle of the stairways)
After a while we continued down to the river to get a boat across. Luck for us, there were 3 boats waiting for passengers and the boatmen called out to us. Kwa, enterprising as usual, managed to bargain with one of the boats to take us across for RM0.50 each.
All of us boarded the boat but I know someone was waiting to see if this boatman would stop the boat halfway across the river and ask us to pay another RM0.50 each just to continue the journey to reach the other side. But he did not do that. :-)
Upon re
aching land, we proceeded to ride back to the chalet and to freshen up. There’s going to be a BBQ for dinner. On the way back, Stephan wanted to buy a pair of slippers so that he may use them for the next day’s water activities. However, we both ended up with the “Adidas Kampung” for RM8 per pair. I think it is a better alternative to slippers as it offers better protection.
Dinner time. There’s food at the buffet trays, but the preparation was not fast enough for all the hungry folks. We finished up the fried mee and rice as soon as it came out and had to wait fo
r it to be replenished. Some of the cooks were out BBQing the chicken, fish, prawns and lamb near to the dining area. So we paced our eating. Then beer arrived. Chang brought his mini music system and very soon, we were having a session of food, drink and music! And to say we are staying at Tmn Negara, in tune with nature!Towards the later part of the evening, jokes were flying around, probably because the beer was talking. By then, food was abundant as in most BBQ, the later the evening, the more food gets cooked! It was a good and enjoyable evening with some good fellowship amongst the bikers.
Sunday morning. All those going for the boat ride were supposed to meet at the floating restaurant by 9am, ready to roll. CM, Kwa, Chew, Stephan and I rode to the jetty at 7.30am for breakfast. By 8.30am, I could see my fellow boat-mates congregating at the floating restaurant for breakfast too. All to soon, it was time to start the boating adventure But before we could start the journey, we were told that we need to have “permits” to enter Taman Negara (RM1 each person plus RM5 per camera). Kwa went ahead to arrange to this by crossing the river to the Mutiara, where t
he permits were being issued.
Once Kwa came back with the permits, we were ready to roll. First stop was the canopy walk. The boat took 12 of us up
the river and we disembarked at the designated spot. After a brief hike thru the trees, we came to this “station” where we had to purchase tickets for the canopy walk. Thereafter, it was free time “up there”. Views from up at the canopy were fantastic , and being so closed to the leaves that were “high up there” was really a great feeling…......peaceful....... serene.........., until someone yelled "a-yeeooo-yeeeooooooo", thinking he was Tarzan.
id not see earlier on. It is only when we returned the next day to order lunch (but no fish) that we saw the sign. I suspect that this restaurant is famous for the fishes they serve. Why? Cos’ when we were having lunch, delivery came with a big fish. It is really very much bigger than the one you would see in the markets.After lunch, the group proceeded towards Kuala Tahan, which is part of Taman Negara. After a short distance of about 15 mins, we turned off the main road at a sign pointing towards Taman Negara. This road was narrower and not very well maintained. There were some holes and it was quite common to see small stones on the road. After a while, we went thru a stretch of the same road that was very oily. There were palm tress around and we were going thru a plantation. I guess this is due to the oil palm fruits falling off the trucks which carried them from the plantations for processing. Probably during the journey, some of the fruits had falled off onto the road and got crushed. Overtime, this crushed fruits left behind the oily layer on the road. 2 wheelers must be very careful when passing thru this stretch. I dread to think what it would be like when it drizzles and the film of oil is brought to the surface on the road!
The journey to Kuala Tahan had some interesting stretches with curves and it undulates with slopes that prevent riders from seeing over the top of the slope until you are up on it. Usually when I ride, I tend to use my sights as the primary source to read the road ahead. Due to the limitations on the use of sights, navigating thru this particular road would require o
ne to depend on road signs as a major source of input to help us anticipate what lay ahead, e.g. the road curving to the left or right. Anyway, after riding for about an hour, we finally reached Kg. Kuala Tahan. We would be staying at the Persona Village Resort, which is about 10 mins bike ride to the jetty.Persona Village Resort is divided into 2 parts. The first consists of the reception, dining area and some chalets. This is the section that we can ride to. Then this section of the resort is connected to a second section via a suspension bridge over a chasm of about 30 ft deep. The second section of the resort consists of chalets only, and the Klang group stayed here.
Upon arriving at about 2pm, we waited at the reception/dining area while Ong sorted out the rooms etc. While waiting, we were told that the boats needed for us to go for the various activities in Tmn Negara had been fully booked for the day, and to RV at the reception at 3.30pm, so that we all could go to the jetty to book our boats for the next morning’s activities. CM went around o gather a group so that we would have 12 pax to a boat.
So we got our key and went to our rooms. After about 15 mins wait, we go our keys and proceeded to cross the suspension bridge to our chalets, They were all air-conditioned, complete with hot water shower. Not bad for RM65 twin sharing. We started to unpack and relax and very soon tt was soon 3.30pm. We met at the reception with our bikes and rode towards the jetty. Upon arrival, I noticed that this “jetty” area had been developed from what was once trees and just “jungle”. This was the spot that was directly across the river from the Mutiara Resort. About 20yrs ago, Mutiara (I think it was called something else then) was about the only “resort” around. Across Mutiara was this little floating restaurant/canteen thing then. Now, the place opposite the Mutiara has developed with more floating restaurants, a few “motels” and a sprinkling of resorts. There’s a lot of people on this side of the river who are mostly are tourists. I venture to guess that this was probably because this side of the river had more rooms or accommodation space than that was available from the Mutiara, and Mutiara is also more expensive!
We proceeded to book a boat for the next morning and then spend some time having drinks at the floating restaur
ant, just relaxing and taking in the environment. There were motorized boats all over. Some smaller ones would take you across the river for RM1 each way. Then there are some big and small boats meant for excursions, just like the 12-seaters that we have booked. Here, the river is like the highway of the city. Boats are just going up and down the “lazy river”, ferrying people to their destinations. I call it lazy because the water was flowing quite slowly and sort of gives you the feeling of a laid back atmosphere.
After having lazed around for a while, the group decided to cross the river to “recce” the Mutiara. Kwa, CM, Stephan and I went across, paying RM1 each. Upon arriving on the Mutiara side of the river, we had to climb a flight of stairs to get to the main compound of the resort. Noticed that there’s a welcoming committee, complete with drinks and traditional instruments. But they did not “welcome ” us with their music or free drinks since we were not the resort’s guests. We just walked around the grounds of Mutiara, looking it ove
r and enquiring about the price. On the way back, we again had to descend down the stairways, and decided to stop and chat with the hotel staff. Somehow the conversation went on to the topic of rainy season, and we were told that most rainy seasons, the river would swell. However, sometimes the water level can rise to where we were standing, which was more than 20ft above the current level! Just imagine the amount of water it would take to fill up the place and to raise the water level that much! I think it must be a very fast and raging river by then. No more lazy river and no wonder these guys have floating restaurants!!! They would just float, anchored and following the water level. However, 
I would not sure too sure about the patronage by that time. (Click on picture to enlarge. Each yellow segment that I have inserted is approx 5ft, based on the man standing by the river. Count the number of segments to the middle of the stairways)After a while we continued down to the river to get a boat across. Luck for us, there were 3 boats waiting for passengers and the boatmen called out to us. Kwa, enterprising as usual, managed to bargain with one of the boats to take us across for RM0.50 each.
All of us boarded the boat but I know someone was waiting to see if this boatman would stop the boat halfway across the river and ask us to pay another RM0.50 each just to continue the journey to reach the other side. But he did not do that. :-)Upon re
aching land, we proceeded to ride back to the chalet and to freshen up. There’s going to be a BBQ for dinner. On the way back, Stephan wanted to buy a pair of slippers so that he may use them for the next day’s water activities. However, we both ended up with the “Adidas Kampung” for RM8 per pair. I think it is a better alternative to slippers as it offers better protection.Dinner time. There’s food at the buffet trays, but the preparation was not fast enough for all the hungry folks. We finished up the fried mee and rice as soon as it came out and had to wait fo
r it to be replenished. Some of the cooks were out BBQing the chicken, fish, prawns and lamb near to the dining area. So we paced our eating. Then beer arrived. Chang brought his mini music system and very soon, we were having a session of food, drink and music! And to say we are staying at Tmn Negara, in tune with nature!Towards the later part of the evening, jokes were flying around, probably because the beer was talking. By then, food was abundant as in most BBQ, the later the evening, the more food gets cooked! It was a good and enjoyable evening with some good fellowship amongst the bikers.Sunday morning. All those going for the boat ride were supposed to meet at the floating restaurant by 9am, ready to roll. CM, Kwa, Chew, Stephan and I rode to the jetty at 7.30am for breakfast. By 8.30am, I could see my fellow boat-mates congregating at the floating restaurant for breakfast too. All to soon, it was time to start the boating adventure But before we could start the journey, we were told that we need to have “permits” to enter Taman Negara (RM1 each person plus RM5 per camera). Kwa went ahead to arrange to this by crossing the river to the Mutiara, where t
he permits were being issued.Once Kwa came back with the permits, we were ready to roll. First stop was the canopy walk. The boat took 12 of us up
the river and we disembarked at the designated spot. After a brief hike thru the trees, we came to this “station” where we had to purchase tickets for the canopy walk. Thereafter, it was free time “up there”. Views from up at the canopy were fantastic , and being so closed to the leaves that were “high up there” was really a great feeling…......peaceful....... serene.........., until someone yelled "a-yeeooo-yeeeooooooo", thinking he was Tarzan.After the canopy walk, we went back to the boat to “shoot the rapids”. This was probably the most exciting part of the day. There were thrills and spills. Everyone got wet as expected and didn’t mind. Heart rates went yo-yo but mostly up and if your heart rate did not go up during this ride, I think you better see a doctor! As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. For the following 1 million words, please see attached video.
After the boat ride, we went back to the chalet so that we may get cleaned, pack and checked out of the chalet.
Once everyone was ready, we gathered at the reception and Ong was there to help us with the check out. As we waited for the rest, 5 of us slower riders decided to ride out first so that we may have lunch (and we were hungry) before the ride back to KL. After saying goodbye to the rest of the group, we headed back to Tokyo restaurant for our lunch (simple dishes and no fish). After lunch, we refueled in Jerantut and started our journey back.
The journey b
ack saw a few of us testing our bikes for speed and some welcome home showers wetted us as we near KL. Our next RV was at the Genting Sempah Petronas where the 5 of us had a short rest, topped up our tanks and said our goodbyes. We went our separated ways. The Klang riders had to endure a very heavy downpour as we near the Damansara toll area, but all managed to get back safe but wet.
Overall, it has been a good weekend. Good fellowship and ride. There was fun and there were new friends made.
Once everyone was ready, we gathered at the reception and Ong was there to help us with the check out. As we waited for the rest, 5 of us slower riders decided to ride out first so that we may have lunch (and we were hungry) before the ride back to KL. After saying goodbye to the rest of the group, we headed back to Tokyo restaurant for our lunch (simple dishes and no fish). After lunch, we refueled in Jerantut and started our journey back.
The journey b
ack saw a few of us testing our bikes for speed and some welcome home showers wetted us as we near KL. Our next RV was at the Genting Sempah Petronas where the 5 of us had a short rest, topped up our tanks and said our goodbyes. We went our separated ways. The Klang riders had to endure a very heavy downpour as we near the Damansara toll area, but all managed to get back safe but wet.Overall, it has been a good weekend. Good fellowship and ride. There was fun and there were new friends made.
Until the next ride…
This is IHVR. Over & out.
This is IHVR. Over & out.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Blue skies & everything nice
(please click on the pictures to enlarge)
“Until next week, here’s wishing you blue skies and everything nice” said the DJ to his list
eners in the 70’s English radio program. This was his signature closing note. Listening to radio programs was about the only in house entertainment for me then. We did not have a TV nor phone. But those were the happy, carefree days of my youth. In the 70’s blue skies were common everyday sights.
Fast forward to the present day esp. for the Klang Valley, I sometimes see grey sky instead of blue, even when it is a sunny day. This is due to the pollutants in the air that we have introduced over the years, in the name of progress. So you can appreciate my delight when I saw blue sky, white clouds and vast arrays of gre
en at the Bertam Valley of the Cameron Highlands. This is also the site of the first tea garden in Habu, Cameron Highlands when BOH Plantations was founded in 1929 by J.A. Russel. This is also where our Malaysian Nature Society have their dorms and chalets, the place where I and the rest of the bikers would be staying over.
The floor and walls were made of wood, reminiscent of the buildings that I used to see in the smaller towns. The wooden railing at the corridor reminds me of my home
when I was in primary school. Again, it was like a welcome home thing! And this would be our home for the next 24 hrs.
-IHVR-
“Until next week, here’s wishing you blue skies and everything nice” said the DJ to his list
eners in the 70’s English radio program. This was his signature closing note. Listening to radio programs was about the only in house entertainment for me then. We did not have a TV nor phone. But those were the happy, carefree days of my youth. In the 70’s blue skies were common everyday sights.Fast forward to the present day esp. for the Klang Valley, I sometimes see grey sky instead of blue, even when it is a sunny day. This is due to the pollutants in the air that we have introduced over the years, in the name of progress. So you can appreciate my delight when I saw blue sky, white clouds and vast arrays of gre
en at the Bertam Valley of the Cameron Highlands. This is also the site of the first tea garden in Habu, Cameron Highlands when BOH Plantations was founded in 1929 by J.A. Russel. This is also where our Malaysian Nature Society have their dorms and chalets, the place where I and the rest of the bikers would be staying over.On the 9th May 09, a group of bikers including me started out from the Rawang R&R and headed towards Cameron Highlands from Klang was via the NS Expressway, exiting at Simpang Pulai. The riders were Roberto Yeoh, CM, Terence, Graham, David, Jalil and I. Terence’s friend, Joe joined us at Simpang Pulia.
While riding the NSE, Roberto took the lead at a steady 150 kph. CM’s EN500 was almost at full throttle but he managed to keep the pace. Me? I was the guy behind the EN500, trying to play sweeper. But someone else though that this apek need some looking after, so David (?) was usually behind me. All this was fine until we started to climb towards Cameron Highlands. The younger ones were soon zooming away and eating up the bends and curves as if there’s no tomorrow, and were all “outta sight” in no time. But hey, no problem man. That’s what this ride was about…to enjoy the bends and curves!
We rode up to Cameron Highlands, passing thru Kg. Raja, Tringkap, Brinchang and Tanah Rata. While making our way up thru these places, we chance upon groups of people on the road and some were carrying kavadis celebrating Wesak. Though not a big as we would see in KL, they liven up the ride with their colors and sounds. And of course, our bikes were able to squeeze thru the traffic jam that the celebration had created.
After having arrived at Cameron Highlands and still on the way to our destination, I somehow found myself tin the front of the group. This was probably because the guys waited for me near the turn off to Kg Raja and due to the jam, I managed to get ahead of the other riders. Taking lead, I turned off towards Sg Palas, thinking that this was the way to go to our MNS chalet. But Yeo, who came later told me that this was the wrong way and we all had to U turn back to the main road. So it was while doing this U turn that I made my famous “red jacket tumble”!. Those of you who have seen me fall from my bike before would know what I am talking about. My famous “red jacket tumble” is when I started out from a standstill position, then when I tried to maneuver the bike to another position, I then loose the balance due the weight of the bike falling on one leg. At this point, I had to let the bike fall, with me taking a tumble. Usually, there is no or minimal damage to the bike, e.g. a minor scratch here or there. So far, I have been very lucky to get away with just a bruised ego. And luckily (as always) I have had the help of my fellow bikers to help me pick the bike up. Thank you guys. You know who you are! Why red jacket? Cos I usually wear a red riding jacket, and somebody else that I know did the same thing on a Fazer, and also wore a red jacket!
Continuing the journey, we soon came into Tanah Rata and decided to lunch there. CM and I decided to buy a few pieces of cooked chicken from a Malay stall as take-away. It would serve as part our dinner that night. After lunch, we continued with the journey and arrived at Habu within a very s
hort while. Turning into the road that would take us into the tea plantation, we could see the neatly arranged rows and rows of tea planted along the slopes at the sides of the road. This road was narrow and undulating with lots of bends and blind corners. There were road signs asking us to use the horn at these corners…and my horn died. Why? I dun know! So I have to make sure that I follow another bike who used the horn. The road had loose gravels so we had to be careful so as not to slip on them. Soon, we came to a bend and Joe noticed that Jalil’s white ER6 rear tyre looked a little flat. So all of us stopped and everyone tried to help. It was here that I got to demonstrate my skills in repairing a puncture. I even took out my air compressor to pump up the deflated tyre! (Actually, this was the first time I was doing it, but don’t tell anybody! Hehehe)
hort while. Turning into the road that would take us into the tea plantation, we could see the neatly arranged rows and rows of tea planted along the slopes at the sides of the road. This road was narrow and undulating with lots of bends and blind corners. There were road signs asking us to use the horn at these corners…and my horn died. Why? I dun know! So I have to make sure that I follow another bike who used the horn. The road had loose gravels so we had to be careful so as not to slip on them. Soon, we came to a bend and Joe noticed that Jalil’s white ER6 rear tyre looked a little flat. So all of us stopped and everyone tried to help. It was here that I got to demonstrate my skills in repairing a puncture. I even took out my air compressor to pump up the deflated tyre! (Actually, this was the first time I was doing it, but don’t tell anybody! Hehehe)After the puncture repair, we continued with our with journey and Bertam Val
ley soon opened up to us. The view was really something and this was when it struck me, that “blue skies and everything nice” feeling. It was a take-me-home moment, back to the time when I was much younger and life was simpler. Country side wa
s really country sight and not concrete jungle! Some call this déjà vu. Even the road was a part tarred part gravel track and it snaked along the slopes of the hills that created the valley. This winding road soon came to a place that had some orange sp
okes planted vertically near the edge of the slope, marking the place where we would park our bikes. The group got off and started to admire the view. Roberto point
ed to a eucalyptus tree nearby and told that group that koala bears eat the leaves of the tree for food. He even plucked some of the leaves, rubbed them and passed it around for us to smell…like eucalyptus oil (ahem..I think the oil came from the tree lah).
ley soon opened up to us. The view was really something and this was when it struck me, that “blue skies and everything nice” feeling. It was a take-me-home moment, back to the time when I was much younger and life was simpler. Country side wa
s really country sight and not concrete jungle! Some call this déjà vu. Even the road was a part tarred part gravel track and it snaked along the slopes of the hills that created the valley. This winding road soon came to a place that had some orange sp
okes planted vertically near the edge of the slope, marking the place where we would park our bikes. The group got off and started to admire the view. Roberto point
ed to a eucalyptus tree nearby and told that group that koala bears eat the leaves of the tree for food. He even plucked some of the leaves, rubbed them and passed it around for us to smell…like eucalyptus oil (ahem..I think the oil came from the tree lah).After a while Jalil decided to pump up his tyre again, and thereafter the day tripper
s (Jalil, Terence, Graham, David and Joe) departed 
for their ride back. As they rode their way down the slope, they appeared like little dots in the distance. Roberto, CM and I grabbed our stuff and proceeded to climb some steps to the MNS chalet. For those who do not exercise regularly, climbing this flight of steps would probably require a couple of stops before one can get to the top. I stopped twice.
s (Jalil, Terence, Graham, David and Joe) departed 
for their ride back. As they rode their way down the slope, they appeared like little dots in the distance. Roberto, CM and I grabbed our stuff and proceeded to climb some steps to the MNS chalet. For those who do not exercise regularly, climbing this flight of steps would probably require a couple of stops before one can get to the top. I stopped twice. Arriving at the top of the steps, I noticed the MNS logo at the side of the chalet. Looking over the place, I noted that the ro
of had some green things growing on it. Wow, we were really this close to nature. There are 4 units of the chalet, all arranged in a long house style. Each unit would have 2 rooms and each room wou
ld have 2 beds. Entry to the rooms was from the common corridor share by all units. Upon entering the room, there was also a back door that would lead to a common kitchen and bathroom for each chalet. This meant that 2 rooms shared a kitchen and bathroom. There’s a fluorescent light in each room and a few at the corridor. There were also some chairs and tables at the corridor for us to use.
of had some green things growing on it. Wow, we were really this close to nature. There are 4 units of the chalet, all arranged in a long house style. Each unit would have 2 rooms and each room wou
ld have 2 beds. Entry to the rooms was from the common corridor share by all units. Upon entering the room, there was also a back door that would lead to a common kitchen and bathroom for each chalet. This meant that 2 rooms shared a kitchen and bathroom. There’s a fluorescent light in each room and a few at the corridor. There were also some chairs and tables at the corridor for us to use. The floor and walls were made of wood, reminiscent of the buildings that I used to see in the smaller towns. The wooden railing at the corridor reminds me of my home
when I was in primary school. Again, it was like a welcome home thing! And this would be our home for the next 24 hrs. The cool weather was good, and we lazed around at the chalet, just admiring the view before us. The valley was in front of the chalet, and to the right was a flat topped hill. Roberto said that there was an airstrip up there and it was used during the colonial days. Not sure if it is still maintained or any plans landed there recently. All around were just tress and rows and rows of tea.
After about an hour, I saw a 4x4 drove up to where we were and I told Roberto that his friends had arrived. Sure enough, Roberto went down to meet them, and one by one, they came up the steps. Some were panting away. They were Eloisa, Lucy, David and “Melayu”. Very quickly, they settled in and we introduced ourselves. The rest of the afternoon was for lazing around.
After a while CM & I decided to ride down to the valley where the workers’ quarters were so we may recce the place. Saw a Tamil school, kindergarten, some children playing football, 2 sundry shops and a factory. Apart from these, it was mostly houses for the workers. It was like another world, isolated from the one that we are so familiar with. Slow paced, and very quiet. After a while, we all then went back to the chalet. Getting bored, Roberto went off to hike up the hill at the back of the chalet and I followed. It was a trek up the hill through the rows of tea. There was not proper path to trek, not as I had thought it would have with the neatly arranged rows of tea. I had to use a route which was a little drain created by the flow of water as it eroded away the soil. Sometimes the “drain” was deep, sometimes shallow. Sometimes the undergrowth obscure where the foot should go. Since I was on a slope, I was constantly aware that I had to ensure proper footing or risk rolling down the hill, like in Jack & Jill!
After a while CM & I decided to ride down to the valley where the workers’ quarters were so we may recce the place. Saw a Tamil school, kindergarten, some children playing football, 2 sundry shops and a factory. Apart from these, it was mostly houses for the workers. It was like another world, isolated from the one that we are so familiar with. Slow paced, and very quiet. After a while, we all then went back to the chalet. Getting bored, Roberto went off to hike up the hill at the back of the chalet and I followed. It was a trek up the hill through the rows of tea. There was not proper path to trek, not as I had thought it would have with the neatly arranged rows of tea. I had to use a route which was a little drain created by the flow of water as it eroded away the soil. Sometimes the “drain” was deep, sometimes shallow. Sometimes the undergrowth obscure where the foot should go. Since I was on a slope, I was constantly aware that I had to ensure proper footing or risk rolling down the hill, like in Jack & Jill!
Halfway up, I decided to stop as there was a lot of “thorns” stocking to my short
s and shirt. These thorns were very similar to the “love grass” that we would find in the fields, only bigger; about 1 inch long. Not sure if these were from the tea. Looking up, I saw that Roberto was already perched on top of a rock that protruded out from the tea, as if saying he's the King of the Hill! After a short rest, I went, back to the chalet. Wanting to clean myself up, I went to the bathroom to try out the gas powered water heater. There were so many pipes running all over that it took some time for me to figure out how it worked. I also showed Lucy how their hot water system worked.
s and shirt. These thorns were very similar to the “love grass” that we would find in the fields, only bigger; about 1 inch long. Not sure if these were from the tea. Looking up, I saw that Roberto was already perched on top of a rock that protruded out from the tea, as if saying he's the King of the Hill! After a short rest, I went, back to the chalet. Wanting to clean myself up, I went to the bathroom to try out the gas powered water heater. There were so many pipes running all over that it took some time for me to figure out how it worked. I also showed Lucy how their hot water system worked. After having washed, I started to look into cooking dinner since the time was about right. I took out my instant noodle and found that the gas regulator for the stove was leaking. This made it dangerous to cook as the leak could lead to a fire, and I do not want to be remembered as the one to burn down the MNS chalet! So I went over to the next unit to use their kitchen. Cooked my instant noodle and heat up the chicken we bought from lunch. CM brought some bread and had the chicken with bread. One this was I forgot to bring along tea or coffee. So we had water with the food for dinner.
While we were eating, the girls were cooking dinner for Roberto and friends. Great dishes! CM and I were invited t
o join, but we declined ‘cos we already had cooked dinner. After dinner, I brought out a surprise, my little flask of whiskey. CM surprised me with a can of Royal Stout. So the two of us spent the evening sitting at the corridor looking into the dark, which was the valley. We chatted and I put on some music from my phone. Suddenly, I saw this “thing” next to me. Looking closer, it was a spider that was coming down via his string of web. I took my phone camera and started to take pictures, which startled the spider and he went up the same string of web that he came down. The funny thing was, when he went up there’s no web left behind! Hmm…does the spider use a reel system for his web, like a fishing rod?
o join, but we declined ‘cos we already had cooked dinner. After dinner, I brought out a surprise, my little flask of whiskey. CM surprised me with a can of Royal Stout. So the two of us spent the evening sitting at the corridor looking into the dark, which was the valley. We chatted and I put on some music from my phone. Suddenly, I saw this “thing” next to me. Looking closer, it was a spider that was coming down via his string of web. I took my phone camera and started to take pictures, which startled the spider and he went up the same string of web that he came down. The funny thing was, when he went up there’s no web left behind! Hmm…does the spider use a reel system for his web, like a fishing rod? Soon, my eyes got heavy and I told CM that I was going to bed…at 10.30pm. He too joined me a little later.
Early next morning, about 5 am, I heard people moving about. I got up about 6 am and peered into the valley. The sun was about to rise over the horizon and I could see the reddish sky from the sun’s light. But there was no mist over the valley nor the tea nor the trees! Bummer! I went back to sleep.
Got up again about 7ish and after having cleaned up, I started to pack. The girls next door were already preparing breakfast and again, we were invited to join in. This time, I gladly accepted. Had bread with sardine spread, some fried rice and even a warm cup of coffee. The best meal in the last 12 hrs! Once we finished breakfast, we started to discuss plan about getting home when CM said that he will be riding back to Penang. I decided to accompany down to Simpang Pulia while Roberto and his friends chose the Tapah route. With that, we said goodbye to each other and left the chalet at about 11am. CM and I rode to Brinchang and it was close to noon. So we decided to stop and have lunch. Finishing lunch and riding down to Simpang Pulai, CM and I parted ways. He rode north and I rode south, and I arrived home at about 4.30pm. Why does it take so long? Dunno. Maybe I ride slow?
Until the next ride…
-IHVR-
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Biking Lifestyle
Ohhhhh.....after almost 9 years involve in biking lifestyle finaly I have to put a temporary stop!
Last week I sold my AT to a biker friend from IPOH.
With the Eric help; I deliver the bike to IPOH. I did sale my bike to someone who love bike very much.
After sale the bike, a lot of biking friend is asking me what is my next bike? To be true, I am not sure whether I will go back in biking or not. But I will alway update the biking activity around me and I hope those biking will keep me in the mailing list so that I know what is happen seround me.
OK, to those biker out there; ride safe and enjoy your riding
Last week I sold my AT to a biker friend from IPOH.
With the Eric help; I deliver the bike to IPOH. I did sale my bike to someone who love bike very much.
After sale the bike, a lot of biking friend is asking me what is my next bike? To be true, I am not sure whether I will go back in biking or not. But I will alway update the biking activity around me and I hope those biking will keep me in the mailing list so that I know what is happen seround me.
OK, to those biker out there; ride safe and enjoy your riding
Thursday, April 23, 2009
Kuala Gandah & Tasik Chini_11th April
Meet Up Point: Gombak RR (BHP Station)
After an hour ride, we reach Lanchang exit. From here we were heading to Elephant Sanctuary Park. To our surprise, most of the visitor to this elephant sanctuary park is foreigner; almost 95% is foreigner. There only 2 Malaysian family and 2 ‘crazy biker’ in this
sanctuary park. Well, I would like to express my gratitude to Jabatan Perhilitan for their well maintains of this park. To be true Malaysia has a nice elephant sanctuary park (although compare to Thailand is very much different) but we Malaysian do not really enjoy this facility, what a waste!
Date: 1th April 2009
Plan route; Karak H/way, Lanchang (Kuala Gandah), Tasik Chini, Tasik Bera
Plan duration: 2D1N
I feel so lazy to wake up on that Saturday morning; this maybe due to over dos OT on Friday night. I need to support my member to prepare her presentation material. Since I have already promise my ridding buddy then I have no choice to wake up! This will be his last ride before flight off to China. After prepare myself, I left my house around 8.30a.m
After the 45minutre ride via NKVE, I meet up with Woo at BHP along Karak H/way. We meet up with a group for sport biker, they are heading to Karak for nasi lemak…….they all having a nice and new bike….you may see in the photo I attach (GS1200).
After a short rest and chat with those sport biker, we start our journey.
Due to the yesterday over dose OT, I have lost my riding confident. I don’t feel like to riding fast and don’t enjoy much when we start our journey from BHP to Lanchang. Anyhow, I still try my best to concentrate riding.
Plan route; Karak H/way, Lanchang (Kuala Gandah), Tasik Chini, Tasik Bera
Plan duration: 2D1N
I feel so lazy to wake up on that Saturday morning; this maybe due to over dos OT on Friday night. I need to support my member to prepare her presentation material. Since I have already promise my ridding buddy then I have no choice to wake up! This will be his last ride before flight off to China. After prepare myself, I left my house around 8.30a.m
After the 45minutre ride via NKVE, I meet up with Woo at BHP along Karak H/way. We meet up with a group for sport biker, they are heading to Karak for nasi lemak…….they all having a nice and new bike….you may see in the photo I attach (GS1200).
After a short rest and chat with those sport biker, we start our journey.
Due to the yesterday over dose OT, I have lost my riding confident. I don’t feel like to riding fast and don’t enjoy much when we start our journey from BHP to Lanchang. Anyhow, I still try my best to concentrate riding.
After an hour ride, we reach Lanchang exit. From here we were heading to Elephant Sanctuary Park. To our surprise, most of the visitor to this elephant sanctuary park is foreigner; almost 95% is foreigner. There only 2 Malaysian family and 2 ‘crazy biker’ in this
sanctuary park. Well, I would like to express my gratitude to Jabatan Perhilitan for their well maintains of this park. To be true Malaysia has a nice elephant sanctuary park (although compare to Thailand is very much different) but we Malaysian do not really enjoy this facility, what a waste!
After spend more than an hour in the sanctuary park, we continue our journey to find Malaysia largest fresh water lake, Tasik Chini.
From Lanchang exit, we heading to Maran exit. We stop over at Temerloh R&R for some food and patrol. I have a very bad experience on the R&R price tag which I can’t believe it; it’s more
expensive than hotel price liah…..just imagine a plate of economy fried noodle+beehun and an egg will cost you how much???? It is RM5.00!!!! To be true, this is the most expensive economy noodle I have in my life! Please do not visit this stall “Rasa Bintang Timur”!
From Lanchang exit, we heading to Maran exit. We stop over at Temerloh R&R for some food and patrol. I have a very bad experience on the R&R price tag which I can’t believe it; it’s more
expensive than hotel price liah…..just imagine a plate of economy fried noodle+beehun and an egg will cost you how much???? It is RM5.00!!!! To be true, this is the most expensive economy noodle I have in my life! Please do not visit this stall “Rasa Bintang Timur”!OK, after refill our stomach and the patrol; we continue our journey. This time, I get back my riding mood! The riding toward Maran is fun and enjoy. When we reach Maran, we encounter a problem to find the road that can lead us to Sungai Pahang. With some natural direction sense, we gone through a small and un tar road. This is tough but very adventure road. After 30minute ride through this ‘trunk’ road, we saw the mighty Sungai Pahang…….so impressive to see the West Malaysia mighty river. We ride along this mighty river until we reach Kampung Belimbing. Kampung Belimbing is the jetty that normally Cub Med patrons visit Tasik Chini via Sungai Pahang and Sungai Chini. We are so lucky that we stop over at this village.
We meet Pakcik ‘Din’ and we start chatting. He told us a lot about Kampung Belimbing history and the previous float incident that hit Kampung Belimbing. From his information we got to know that Tasik Chini Resort was close for renovation. With this unexpected situation, we decided to go back on the same day instead of stay at Tasik Chini. We also decided to take Pakcik Din boat to tour Tasik Chini.
We start our boat journey around 1.45p.m. After cross over Sungai Pahang, we cruise along Sungai Chini before we reach Tasik Chini. Along the way Sungai Chini, we can enjoy the nature scenery…..it is a nice and relax cruising.
Tasik Chini is not as big as I have image to….a little bit disappointed but still worthy to visit. It is peaceful and calm lake, it really can make you feel relax……this is totally different kind of feeling compare to our hectic environment in KL. I have snapped a few photos …..please enjoy it.
After 2 hours cruise & tour at Tasik Chini and Sungai Chini, we come back to Kampung Belimbing jetty. So coincident, once we reach the jetty, it starts raining. The rain is so heavy, we have to wait until the rain stop. It took around 30minute for the rain to stop.
We start back our journey when the rain is not so heavy; we can’t wait longer due to we still have long journey to ride. This time we are using totally unfamiliar road (which not in our map), we are just base on our natural basic instinct. We had gone through the ‘Kampung’ road which leads us to road 2.
The road is terrible; there is so many pothole and land slide. It took us around 30 minute to finish up 20km road. Once we reach to road 2, we are heading to Temerloh.
The ride from Maran to Temerloh is so challenge because the road is wet after the rain. After 45minute, we reach Temerloh town. We are looking for some hot ‘stuff’ to warm up our stomach. It is difficult to find a Chinese food stall in Temerloh town. We have to round 2 or 3 round to find a Chinese food, finally we found it. We have fried rice, ‘mun san mee’ and ‘nya po lo si fun’. The ‘nya po lo
si fun’ look good but it is tasteless……not recommended.
The day is getting dark; it’s around 7.30p.m. We have our bike to fill up at Patronas before we continue our journey to home sweet home. The road from Temerloh to Karak, is totally dark, winding
and wet. This is the 1st time we are riding in night time at a stranger road. There is so thriller and adventure…….feel so good that we are able to finish ride.
We suppose to have our last stop at Gombak rest area before us heading to our own home sweet home. Just after the Genting tunnel there is a heavy downpou; the visual ability is poor, we are really exposes ourselves to high degree of dangerous. But thank god, we able to finish the ride in one piece.
We meet Pakcik ‘Din’ and we start chatting. He told us a lot about Kampung Belimbing history and the previous float incident that hit Kampung Belimbing. From his information we got to know that Tasik Chini Resort was close for renovation. With this unexpected situation, we decided to go back on the same day instead of stay at Tasik Chini. We also decided to take Pakcik Din boat to tour Tasik Chini.
We start our boat journey around 1.45p.m. After cross over Sungai Pahang, we cruise along Sungai Chini before we reach Tasik Chini. Along the way Sungai Chini, we can enjoy the nature scenery…..it is a nice and relax cruising.
Tasik Chini is not as big as I have image to….a little bit disappointed but still worthy to visit. It is peaceful and calm lake, it really can make you feel relax……this is totally different kind of feeling compare to our hectic environment in KL. I have snapped a few photos …..please enjoy it.After 2 hours cruise & tour at Tasik Chini and Sungai Chini, we come back to Kampung Belimbing jetty. So coincident, once we reach the jetty, it starts raining. The rain is so heavy, we have to wait until the rain stop. It took around 30minute for the rain to stop.
We start back our journey when the rain is not so heavy; we can’t wait longer due to we still have long journey to ride. This time we are using totally unfamiliar road (which not in our map), we are just base on our natural basic instinct. We had gone through the ‘Kampung’ road which leads us to road 2.
The road is terrible; there is so many pothole and land slide. It took us around 30 minute to finish up 20km road. Once we reach to road 2, we are heading to Temerloh.The ride from Maran to Temerloh is so challenge because the road is wet after the rain. After 45minute, we reach Temerloh town. We are looking for some hot ‘stuff’ to warm up our stomach. It is difficult to find a Chinese food stall in Temerloh town. We have to round 2 or 3 round to find a Chinese food, finally we found it. We have fried rice, ‘mun san mee’ and ‘nya po lo si fun’. The ‘nya po lo
si fun’ look good but it is tasteless……not recommended.The day is getting dark; it’s around 7.30p.m. We have our bike to fill up at Patronas before we continue our journey to home sweet home. The road from Temerloh to Karak, is totally dark, winding
and wet. This is the 1st time we are riding in night time at a stranger road. There is so thriller and adventure…….feel so good that we are able to finish ride.We suppose to have our last stop at Gombak rest area before us heading to our own home sweet home. Just after the Genting tunnel there is a heavy downpou; the visual ability is poor, we are really exposes ourselves to high degree of dangerous. But thank god, we able to finish the ride in one piece.
Conclusion, I would like to say that this ride is full with adventure, dangerous and fun! For me, I am really looking forward to have this type of ride (maybe with a night stay over at Chini).
Final ride route: Lanchang (Kuala Gandah) & Tasik Chini. We miss Tasik Bera
Duration: Day ride
Final ride route: Lanchang (Kuala Gandah) & Tasik Chini. We miss Tasik Bera
Duration: Day ride
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
The Songkran ride (pt 3)
13th Apr – Songkran day. Got up and expected to see the people on the streets this morning. But it was very quite. No water splashing or hosing like the night before to be found. Had breakfast and proceeded to check out form the hotel. Asked the staff in English if they are celebrating the New Year and they said yes, but someone had to work! So I teased them saying that they would probably be paid more working on New Year. We then proceeded to load the bikes, getting ready for the ride back and the girls from reception came over to look at our bikes. This was when our Kwa started to sprinkle water on the girls who ran away. A little later, they came back to complement Kwa’s gesture. So, it was with this New Year blessing that we 4 bikes started the journey back.
All along the way, we saw people standing by the roadside with water guns, hoses or dippers as they tried to soak the passersby. Quite often, we would see a truckload of people at the back , complete with huge containers of water. These are the mobile “blessing” units. Like army
vehicles, they would travel slowly along the road and would splash water on passerby or have a water war with another similar passing vehicle. Of course, this was all in good fun, in the spirit of the festival.
As we traveled the roads thru the towns or areas with a smaller population, there would be instances where the merry making took those celebrating onto the road, i.e. they would wander or stand at the middle of the road and try to flag down those passing by. Some would just pour water on you while some would apply saffron or chalk powder/paste o
n you. Sometime you get scented water and sometimes color water. All these, though merry making, have to be approached with care as they do pose a hazard to traffic, and we do not know how far they’ll go in this celebration. On my part, I have been “watered” numerous times, even though my bike was moving. I found that my left side would tend to be wetter than my right side of the body. This was because the people who splashed me usually are those who stood on the roadside to my left. While riding under the hot sun, the splashing water was a welcomed blessing as it cools me down, albeit one sided. After a while, I would seek out the trucks and follow behind them slowly and I would signal those at the back of the truck to splash me! They were usually very surprised that I wanted to get wet and would happily splash me with the water. With a nod of thanks, I would then speed of until the next truck. There was once I actually pulled over to the side of the road and signal for the children to pour their water on me. Of course, they all ran over but only to my left side and I would signal for some of them to get to me right side to “wet” me.
Towards noon, we came into Klong Tom, a small town and we looked around for a place to lunch. Did I say this was Songkran?
After lunch, we continued on the road and then got separated. LoneRider and SkyRider disappeared. So it was I and Kwa riding along as we approach Trang. Somehow we got on a new highway that bypassed Trang while the other 2 Riders went into Trang. Realizing this, I SMSed LoneRider to wait in the town for us while Kwa and I U-turned back to Trang. Where about to meet in Trang, I am not sure. But at least, we would have narrowed down the area. And as the someone watching over us would have it, the 4 bikes merged into the same junction from different roads at the same time as we entered Trang! Talk about timing. Happy that we were now together again, we continued along the main road and decided to stop by a 7-Eleven for a break. Sitting by the roadside, I could see the people of Trang happily celebrating with water. As we prepared to continue the journey, Kwa started the water sprinkling of the 7-Eleven staff. Hmmn…is there a pattern here? Kwa and his water?
The scene along the road was almost the same and we arrived into Hat Yai. If you can recall, from Pt 1, I mentioned that we do not have any hotel reservation here. Time was about 4 pm and we started to look around for rooms. Came to one of the hotels that bikers frequent, and found that the owner had taken the initiative to book some rooms at a nearby “mansion” for cold cases like our. Very quickly, we grabbed 2 rooms. This was the Wanthana Mansion. Very basic and quite run down as some of the fixtures were dropping off. But we needed a place to stay, so who’s gonna complain? We parked our bikes at the bikers’ hotel and walked to the mansion.
While trying to settle in, I had to walked between the 2 places to get my things and to charge my phone (using bike’s battery). While all these were going on, Kwa went down to the road side and bought some mango pulut rice as his roommate was hungry. Once we got ourselves settled, we proceeded to walk out on the streets towards Lee Gdns.As we approach the Lee Gdns Hotel area, we could see that the main road had been turned into a party area. People were just dancing on the road while the music was pumped out from big speakers on the road side. There were “bubble” machines who made “soap bubbles” and the whole road around the place were covered by the bubbles Mostly young and some more senior people could be standing on a platform dancing away, as if in a trance. While mostly were dancing and having a good time, those at the peripheral of the crowd were playing with water. Vendors and hawkers somehow were still able to continue with their business.
We went into a bazaar type area and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. While having dinner, I got the waiter to make a hole in a mineral water’s cap. I then filled it up with ice water from the bucker of ice that most restaurant would supply to the table. This time, I would not only get wet, but would join in too!
After dinner, we proceeded to walk back and as expected, people were spraying water all over. Then, there was this driver of a truck who sprayed me with his water gun. Then he continued to drive slowly, concentrating on his driving. I sneaked up and emptied the bottle of cold water thru the driver’s window on him. Ha! Got him. But I too was “shot” in return. We then looked and just laughed at each other, smiled like little boys! Now, I can say I participated in Songkran! We then went back to the hotel.
As the evening tuned into night time, the water splashing ceased. The Songkran celebration had now ended. People would now return to their normal lives and shops, etc. would return to what they had been normally doing, if not for Songkran. We walked back to the Lee Gdns area and everything had gone back to their usual activities. After walking around for a while, we went back to the place near our “mansion” and I and SkyRider had our feet massaged. Kwa wanted a body rub so he went upstairs. LoneRider preferred his own thing and was not with us. After that, we bought more mangoes for "supper" (see how quickly they can cut a mango).
All along the way, we saw people standing by the roadside with water guns, hoses or dippers as they tried to soak the passersby. Quite often, we would see a truckload of people at the back , complete with huge containers of water. These are the mobile “blessing” units. Like army
vehicles, they would travel slowly along the road and would splash water on passerby or have a water war with another similar passing vehicle. Of course, this was all in good fun, in the spirit of the festival.As we traveled the roads thru the towns or areas with a smaller population, there would be instances where the merry making took those celebrating onto the road, i.e. they would wander or stand at the middle of the road and try to flag down those passing by. Some would just pour water on you while some would apply saffron or chalk powder/paste o
n you. Sometime you get scented water and sometimes color water. All these, though merry making, have to be approached with care as they do pose a hazard to traffic, and we do not know how far they’ll go in this celebration. On my part, I have been “watered” numerous times, even though my bike was moving. I found that my left side would tend to be wetter than my right side of the body. This was because the people who splashed me usually are those who stood on the roadside to my left. While riding under the hot sun, the splashing water was a welcomed blessing as it cools me down, albeit one sided. After a while, I would seek out the trucks and follow behind them slowly and I would signal those at the back of the truck to splash me! They were usually very surprised that I wanted to get wet and would happily splash me with the water. With a nod of thanks, I would then speed of until the next truck. There was once I actually pulled over to the side of the road and signal for the children to pour their water on me. Of course, they all ran over but only to my left side and I would signal for some of them to get to me right side to “wet” me.Towards noon, we came into Klong Tom, a small town and we looked around for a place to lunch. Did I say this was Songkran?
Well, almost all the shops were closed. No much choice. We stopped at probably the only 2 shops that were opened and had lunch there. The next time we talk about Songkran, must remember to consider where/what to eat!
While having lunch, some of the locals with their kids came around for lunch too. And Kwa started a water fight with the kids. They were having such a goo dtime that I think Kwa must be re-living his childhood years!
While having lunch, some of the locals with their kids came around for lunch too. And Kwa started a water fight with the kids. They were having such a goo dtime that I think Kwa must be re-living his childhood years!
After lunch, we continued on the road and then got separated. LoneRider and SkyRider disappeared. So it was I and Kwa riding along as we approach Trang. Somehow we got on a new highway that bypassed Trang while the other 2 Riders went into Trang. Realizing this, I SMSed LoneRider to wait in the town for us while Kwa and I U-turned back to Trang. Where about to meet in Trang, I am not sure. But at least, we would have narrowed down the area. And as the someone watching over us would have it, the 4 bikes merged into the same junction from different roads at the same time as we entered Trang! Talk about timing. Happy that we were now together again, we continued along the main road and decided to stop by a 7-Eleven for a break. Sitting by the roadside, I could see the people of Trang happily celebrating with water. As we prepared to continue the journey, Kwa started the water sprinkling of the 7-Eleven staff. Hmmn…is there a pattern here? Kwa and his water?
The scene along the road was almost the same and we arrived into Hat Yai. If you can recall, from Pt 1, I mentioned that we do not have any hotel reservation here. Time was about 4 pm and we started to look around for rooms. Came to one of the hotels that bikers frequent, and found that the owner had taken the initiative to book some rooms at a nearby “mansion” for cold cases like our. Very quickly, we grabbed 2 rooms. This was the Wanthana Mansion. Very basic and quite run down as some of the fixtures were dropping off. But we needed a place to stay, so who’s gonna complain? We parked our bikes at the bikers’ hotel and walked to the mansion.
While trying to settle in, I had to walked between the 2 places to get my things and to charge my phone (using bike’s battery). While all these were going on, Kwa went down to the road side and bought some mango pulut rice as his roommate was hungry. Once we got ourselves settled, we proceeded to walk out on the streets towards Lee Gdns.As we approach the Lee Gdns Hotel area, we could see that the main road had been turned into a party area. People were just dancing on the road while the music was pumped out from big speakers on the road side. There were “bubble” machines who made “soap bubbles” and the whole road around the place were covered by the bubbles Mostly young and some more senior people could be standing on a platform dancing away, as if in a trance. While mostly were dancing and having a good time, those at the peripheral of the crowd were playing with water. Vendors and hawkers somehow were still able to continue with their business.
We went into a bazaar type area and had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. While having dinner, I got the waiter to make a hole in a mineral water’s cap. I then filled it up with ice water from the bucker of ice that most restaurant would supply to the table. This time, I would not only get wet, but would join in too!
After dinner, we proceeded to walk back and as expected, people were spraying water all over. Then, there was this driver of a truck who sprayed me with his water gun. Then he continued to drive slowly, concentrating on his driving. I sneaked up and emptied the bottle of cold water thru the driver’s window on him. Ha! Got him. But I too was “shot” in return. We then looked and just laughed at each other, smiled like little boys! Now, I can say I participated in Songkran! We then went back to the hotel.
As the evening tuned into night time, the water splashing ceased. The Songkran celebration had now ended. People would now return to their normal lives and shops, etc. would return to what they had been normally doing, if not for Songkran. We walked back to the Lee Gdns area and everything had gone back to their usual activities. After walking around for a while, we went back to the place near our “mansion” and I and SkyRider had our feet massaged. Kwa wanted a body rub so he went upstairs. LoneRider preferred his own thing and was not with us. After that, we bought more mangoes for "supper" (see how quickly they can cut a mango).
The we retired and prepare for the next day.
14th Apr – checked out of the mansion, had breakfast nearby and proceeded towards the border. Got thru the border quite fast and soon we were on the Malaysian side riding back.
Skyrider parted from us at the Butterworth ares as he wanted to go back to Penang. Then it was 3 of us riding to Klang. Apart from the regular stops for fuel and food, no much to mention here. But at the last stop, we noticed that the sky was getting darker, and we were about 1 hr from home. Should we prepare for the wet weather? Hey, we just came back from Songkran. We went there to for the water festival. So, we decided to just ride. Somehwhere around the Sg Besi area, it started to pour, I mean really pour, Cars slowed down with the blinkers on. Visibility was low but we had gone thru Songkran. No problemo. We continued riding in the rain and reached Shah Alam before the weather let up. By then we were all dripping wet, a reminder that this was what we wanted in the first place. To celebrate Songkran and to get wet.
Then it was home sweet home.
IHVR
14th Apr – checked out of the mansion, had breakfast nearby and proceeded towards the border. Got thru the border quite fast and soon we were on the Malaysian side riding back.
Skyrider parted from us at the Butterworth ares as he wanted to go back to Penang. Then it was 3 of us riding to Klang. Apart from the regular stops for fuel and food, no much to mention here. But at the last stop, we noticed that the sky was getting darker, and we were about 1 hr from home. Should we prepare for the wet weather? Hey, we just came back from Songkran. We went there to for the water festival. So, we decided to just ride. Somehwhere around the Sg Besi area, it started to pour, I mean really pour, Cars slowed down with the blinkers on. Visibility was low but we had gone thru Songkran. No problemo. We continued riding in the rain and reached Shah Alam before the weather let up. By then we were all dripping wet, a reminder that this was what we wanted in the first place. To celebrate Songkran and to get wet.Then it was home sweet home.
IHVR
Friday, April 17, 2009
The 4-6-3-4-6-4 Ride (Pt 2)
…cont from Pt 1
So…at last we have arrived at Patong. But we were not "home base" yet. We were on the street with our bikes and were without a clue where the hotel was at! After having rode around for a couple of minutes, we found that the authorities have changed the flow of traffic for some of the roads, probably to better control the higher volume of traffic from the visiting bikers, and to route them to the correct destinations. Feeling lost, Kwa came to the rescue again. He spoke to a tuk-tuk man, had him get on a kapchai and led us to the hotel! Simple and effective solution. Some say men don’t ask for directions. This one asked to be led there!!!
RayaBuri is a very nice small intimate hotel. Nothing done overboard, but enough of elegance to make it feel posh. After some wrangling, we even had a dedicated parking space for the 4 bikes, complete with security guard. Now, this is customer service! And Kwa, who shared the room with LoneRider was able to see our bikes from his balcony. This was the added bonus to the security situation.
The hotel reception informed us that the bike exhibition was at Jungceylon while the party’s at the beach. So the 4 of us quickly settled our luggage into the respective rooms, got ourselves cleaned up and we were ready to take on the Bike Week.
First stop was Jungceylon, which was a mall. There's a little booth outside the entrance of Jungceylon that sells the bike week T-shirts and the entrance pass (Bht150) for the party at the beach. The cost of the pass wa
s inclusive of dinner and it’s happening that very night as we stood there. Looking at the time (about 6pm local time) we decided to forego the pass and headed into Jungceylon to view the bikes. There was another booth promoting the bike week stuff next to the bikes on exhibition. This time, we decided to muse aroun
d since it was in an air-con environment. I bought 2 bike week T-shirts but could not find the bike week sticker for 2009. Going around the bike exhibition was a breeze. It’s over in minutes, since the exhibition consists of less than 10 bikes. Very much like sex….lots of expectation and over in minutes!!!
Since we could not find the sticker, we went to the booth outside at the entrance, but still no luck. All sold out!
Well, what else was there to do? Let’s fill our stomach, and LoneRider again showed us his favourite place call Dang; reasonably priced in spite of the many Mat Salleh tourists around. While taking dinner, we noticed that people were already starting the water soaking activities, though not so prevalent. The peddlers were really promoting the water pistols/guns of various sizes. I asked and they were not cheap ~ 250bht. Decided not to buy.
After dinner, we decided to walk around and LoneRider showed us his Soi Eric. Great! We’re going to get free drinks. But that was fat hope. Showing off Soi Eric was all that we were going to get! Bummer! Then LoneRider showed the famous Bangla Street. This one he cannot claim! Bangla Street was one place where the happenings were at. Lots of eye candies, pubs bars, etc. As long as you are willing, this place can empty your wallet in no time! Of course, being a prudent person (not kedukut OK!), I decided to stay away from these places. Also no money la.
Soon we were heading out to the beach (Loma Park) and found that we did not need a pass to get in. There were the usual rows and rows of stalls selling biking merchandise and a rock concert going. It was really loud and full of profanities in the lyrics. What else to expect from an event like this.
After a while, I came across a stall that sells the same thing as the bike week stall at Junceylon, but this one still has the bike week stickers. I made the purchase. Moving around, it striked me that most of these stalls were selling the stuff targeted at the cruiser/easy rider market. Those riding DP bikes have very little to see there. Sad.
Then, another thought came to mind…this place was full of people and very few bikes. It’s different from other bike week events where the bikes and riders congregate into a single location. For this event, it seemed that Patong was the congregation point and the bikes are spread all over i.e. decentralised in Patong! This feeling was so much different from say the HatYai bike week, where everything was happening at one place, the bikes, people, the stalls, concert, etc. The atmosphere was totally different. But I guess it was due to the tourists who came to Patong for the Songkran and that had made the atmosphere different, since their focuses were different. After having gone around Loma Park for a while, we decide to head back to the hotel for the much needed rest. This was the end of 11th Apr. 09.
12th Apr – the 4 of us got up, had breakfast and naturally headed out to Loma Park, where we were the night before. It looked very much different in the day. No crowds or loud music. Just the early risers and riders like us and a couple of stalls that had opened early, i.e. the T-shirt stall. We decided to take some pictures and LoneRider got a call from Chan, saying that he was going to join us. So we hung
around at Loma Park for a while and then Chang came by. As all of us were all geared up to ride while waiting for Chang, it was an anti-climax when he said that he wanted to look around at the park. So we waited. But it seems that our friend was really taking his time to look over the stalls, T-shirts, etc. So we decided to move out on our own after having informed LoneRider and Chan. We are now 3 bikes.
Looking at the map, we decided to take the “coastal” road north from Loma Park. This road took us thru some very nice sceneries, small towns, the FantaSea and even some very unique road signs that you don’t get to see at home, e.g. the Tsunami sign (click on picture to enlarge).
Eventually we stopped at Thalang town. Here, we decided to have lunch as it was close to midday. Found a small shop with lots of locals by the main
road and decided to do lunch here. A family operated stall, the owners were very friendly. Asked where we were from and in a mixture of sign language, a smattering of Thai words, we somehow managed to communicate with them. There’s one particular dish that I can remember so very well. They had these steamed bowls of soup and one of them was Bak Kut Teh! Our Mr. Kwa can be seen here in the picture trying to promote our famous BKT to them.
After lunch, we decided to ride towards Phuket town, but on the way, the dark clouds gathered and it prompted us to head straight back to Patong. Back in the hotel, we freshened up and decided to walk about in Patong. Somehow, we ended up at Jungceylon again and after spending some time there and contributing to the economy, we started to walk back to the hotel when we saw LoneRider at Dang having a meal. All of us sat down for a drink while LoneRider finished his meal. Looking around, I noted that the water splashing and fights have escalated! Of course, we are now coming to the eve of the Songkran, when it would officially begin!
After Dang, we continued to walk, trying not to get wet and saw that Bangla Street now was a war zone. Water shot off from hoses, water guns and whatever container that may be used, and it was all along the street. Of course, this was all in good fun and the place had been cordoned off so that it was only accessible to pedestrians. It’s a riot there. We continued to walk but did not manage to stay dry. Almost every Mat Salleh had a water gun, even the more senior ladies. They were all really dressed down and ready for the soaking. After all , this was Songkran. Found our way back to the hotel and we were all wet. Walked to the back of the hotel and there was a shop who welcomed us, wet and all for dinner. After dinner, we retired as the next day, we would be riding back from Phuket to Hat Yai and we wanted to start early so that we may have more time at Hat Yai looking for a place to stay.
…. to be continured - IHVR
So…at last we have arrived at Patong. But we were not "home base" yet. We were on the street with our bikes and were without a clue where the hotel was at! After having rode around for a couple of minutes, we found that the authorities have changed the flow of traffic for some of the roads, probably to better control the higher volume of traffic from the visiting bikers, and to route them to the correct destinations. Feeling lost, Kwa came to the rescue again. He spoke to a tuk-tuk man, had him get on a kapchai and led us to the hotel! Simple and effective solution. Some say men don’t ask for directions. This one asked to be led there!!!
RayaBuri is a very nice small intimate hotel. Nothing done overboard, but enough of elegance to make it feel posh. After some wrangling, we even had a dedicated parking space for the 4 bikes, complete with security guard. Now, this is customer service! And Kwa, who shared the room with LoneRider was able to see our bikes from his balcony. This was the added bonus to the security situation.
The hotel reception informed us that the bike exhibition was at Jungceylon while the party’s at the beach. So the 4 of us quickly settled our luggage into the respective rooms, got ourselves cleaned up and we were ready to take on the Bike Week.
First stop was Jungceylon, which was a mall. There's a little booth outside the entrance of Jungceylon that sells the bike week T-shirts and the entrance pass (Bht150) for the party at the beach. The cost of the pass wa
s inclusive of dinner and it’s happening that very night as we stood there. Looking at the time (about 6pm local time) we decided to forego the pass and headed into Jungceylon to view the bikes. There was another booth promoting the bike week stuff next to the bikes on exhibition. This time, we decided to muse aroun
d since it was in an air-con environment. I bought 2 bike week T-shirts but could not find the bike week sticker for 2009. Going around the bike exhibition was a breeze. It’s over in minutes, since the exhibition consists of less than 10 bikes. Very much like sex….lots of expectation and over in minutes!!!Since we could not find the sticker, we went to the booth outside at the entrance, but still no luck. All sold out!
Well, what else was there to do? Let’s fill our stomach, and LoneRider again showed us his favourite place call Dang; reasonably priced in spite of the many Mat Salleh tourists around. While taking dinner, we noticed that people were already starting the water soaking activities, though not so prevalent. The peddlers were really promoting the water pistols/guns of various sizes. I asked and they were not cheap ~ 250bht. Decided not to buy.
After dinner, we decided to walk around and LoneRider showed us his Soi Eric. Great! We’re going to get free drinks. But that was fat hope. Showing off Soi Eric was all that we were going to get! Bummer! Then LoneRider showed the famous Bangla Street. This one he cannot claim! Bangla Street was one place where the happenings were at. Lots of eye candies, pubs bars, etc. As long as you are willing, this place can empty your wallet in no time! Of course, being a prudent person (not kedukut OK!), I decided to stay away from these places. Also no money la.
Soon we were heading out to the beach (Loma Park) and found that we did not need a pass to get in. There were the usual rows and rows of stalls selling biking merchandise and a rock concert going. It was really loud and full of profanities in the lyrics. What else to expect from an event like this.
After a while, I came across a stall that sells the same thing as the bike week stall at Junceylon, but this one still has the bike week stickers. I made the purchase. Moving around, it striked me that most of these stalls were selling the stuff targeted at the cruiser/easy rider market. Those riding DP bikes have very little to see there. Sad.
Then, another thought came to mind…this place was full of people and very few bikes. It’s different from other bike week events where the bikes and riders congregate into a single location. For this event, it seemed that Patong was the congregation point and the bikes are spread all over i.e. decentralised in Patong! This feeling was so much different from say the HatYai bike week, where everything was happening at one place, the bikes, people, the stalls, concert, etc. The atmosphere was totally different. But I guess it was due to the tourists who came to Patong for the Songkran and that had made the atmosphere different, since their focuses were different. After having gone around Loma Park for a while, we decide to head back to the hotel for the much needed rest. This was the end of 11th Apr. 09.
12th Apr – the 4 of us got up, had breakfast and naturally headed out to Loma Park, where we were the night before. It looked very much different in the day. No crowds or loud music. Just the early risers and riders like us and a couple of stalls that had opened early, i.e. the T-shirt stall. We decided to take some pictures and LoneRider got a call from Chan, saying that he was going to join us. So we hung
around at Loma Park for a while and then Chang came by. As all of us were all geared up to ride while waiting for Chang, it was an anti-climax when he said that he wanted to look around at the park. So we waited. But it seems that our friend was really taking his time to look over the stalls, T-shirts, etc. So we decided to move out on our own after having informed LoneRider and Chan. We are now 3 bikes.
Looking at the map, we decided to take the “coastal” road north from Loma Park. This road took us thru some very nice sceneries, small towns, the FantaSea and even some very unique road signs that you don’t get to see at home, e.g. the Tsunami sign (click on picture to enlarge).
Eventually we stopped at Thalang town. Here, we decided to have lunch as it was close to midday. Found a small shop with lots of locals by the main
road and decided to do lunch here. A family operated stall, the owners were very friendly. Asked where we were from and in a mixture of sign language, a smattering of Thai words, we somehow managed to communicate with them. There’s one particular dish that I can remember so very well. They had these steamed bowls of soup and one of them was Bak Kut Teh! Our Mr. Kwa can be seen here in the picture trying to promote our famous BKT to them.After lunch, we decided to ride towards Phuket town, but on the way, the dark clouds gathered and it prompted us to head straight back to Patong. Back in the hotel, we freshened up and decided to walk about in Patong. Somehow, we ended up at Jungceylon again and after spending some time there and contributing to the economy, we started to walk back to the hotel when we saw LoneRider at Dang having a meal. All of us sat down for a drink while LoneRider finished his meal. Looking around, I noted that the water splashing and fights have escalated! Of course, we are now coming to the eve of the Songkran, when it would officially begin!
After Dang, we continued to walk, trying not to get wet and saw that Bangla Street now was a war zone. Water shot off from hoses, water guns and whatever container that may be used, and it was all along the street. Of course, this was all in good fun and the place had been cordoned off so that it was only accessible to pedestrians. It’s a riot there. We continued to walk but did not manage to stay dry. Almost every Mat Salleh had a water gun, even the more senior ladies. They were all really dressed down and ready for the soaking. After all , this was Songkran. Found our way back to the hotel and we were all wet. Walked to the back of the hotel and there was a shop who welcomed us, wet and all for dinner. After dinner, we retired as the next day, we would be riding back from Phuket to Hat Yai and we wanted to start early so that we may have more time at Hat Yai looking for a place to stay.
…. to be continured - IHVR
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