East Coast Ride (19-31 March 2018), Day 1 : Long and Winding Road

At the WW2 bunker

Permas Bridge

Viaduct

Puteri Wangsa

Enroute to Kota Tinggi

Cheese U Bistro, Kota Tinggi

Right after Restoran Soon Huat

Jemaluang - Endau junction

Mersing by night

Riding out from home when it was still pitch dark and catching the sunrise as they were approaching Danga Bay, VT and Claudine finally made it to the city when it was all bright. Arriving at the meet up point, KC was found perched over the silver iconic Jawi alphabets of Johor. Greeting them instead, while he took his final photo shots was Jenny, who was still nursing a bad cough.

After a short greeting, the four of us hurried off, riding towards Stulang Laut. On a Saturday and the first day of school break, the road hugging the coastline was quiet. Passing by Foon Yew High School, a popular private institution, famous for churning out great scholars, it was devoid of any human activity.

Right before The Zon Duty Free and Ferry Terminal, we turned left, weaving their way past Stulang Laut flats. The famous Foon Yew Laksa stood amongst the bright stalls at the food promenade along the road.

Turning right at the end of the junction, we rode under the elevated highway of Eastern Dispersal Link (EDL), enjoying the shades it offers while marveling at the art exhibits displayed along its concrete pillars. Far away, to our extreme right are the palace gardens of Istana Pasir Putih and the Equestrian Park.

As we ventured further along the road, Restaurant Ah Meng, a strong contender to the famous San Low noodles, lay hidden amongst a short row of shop houses. It should be easier to spot the place during operating hours, judging by the number of cars that are usually parked close to its vicinity.

Crossing the Permas Bridge, traffic began to pile up long before the structure itself. At the junction turnoff for highway 35, VT fell as his front wheel touched Jenny’s rear tyres. She had halted over cleats and a confusion of revving motorcycles!

Once over the bridge, we took Jalan Permas Utara, skirting past the west wing of Aeon Permas Jaya. Traffic here was low until Jalan Masai Lama which saw pot holes, a collapsed bridge and a temporary bypass, giving rise to a bottleneck congestion.

Leaving the chaos at Giant Plentong and weaving our way through Taman Johor Jaya and Taman Desa Jaya, we came to an abrupt stop at the junction to Jalan Kota Tinggi. Dumbfounded, the route recommended by Andy only allows traffic heading to the city!

Enquiring with a motorcyclist at the traffic lights just before the junction, he led them through the inner roads to BHP petrol station. Thereon, he pointed out the viaduct to them, saving the day!

On another side of JB, Mr Lim had been whisked to Taman Puteri Wangsa by friend, Jeffrey Kok. Over there, he was met by Irene and Mr Tan who had come to bid the expedition a great success. Thus when we finally rolled into the suburb, we were given a warm welcome by the waiting group.

We are now complete as a team. Leaving for Kota Tinggi after a quick breakfast, compliments of Mr Tan, traffic was manageable though noisy. We enjoyed a four lane highway with wide road shoulders throughout the way.

Arriving at Kota Tinggi, KC brought us to Cheese U Bistro, a cafe and dessert joint he recently visited whilst on a short LTF tour. Serving mainly cakes and sandwiches, we were still heavy from breakfast and thus settled for drinks only. The staff there were surprisingly nice, filling up our water bottles with ice cold water for free!

Connecting with Highway 3 again, the road towards Mersing downgraded to a narrow 2 lane trunk road. Rolling along, we past the gateway to Panti Forest Reserve, famed for their spectacular waterfalls and leeches. Meanwhile, all was quiet at Kiang Kee Bak Kut Teh which was closed on a Monday.

Soon, we passed the familiar saw mills which posed as landmarks for the turnoff to Tg Sedili. Not far after this junction, we made a stop for lunch at Restoran Soon Huat, a popular haunt with truck drivers. A Chinese “chap fun” shop, the braised pig trotters was a big draw, even pulling in some orang Asli patronage.

Lunch was surprisingly delicious. Not only did it appeal to the blue collared workers, it also brought in many flies. While the proprietor was efficient, he was more crude than his customers, slapping us with extra 50 cents for Chinese tea top ups, no charities here!

Wheeling out from the shop, we discovered yet another saw mill directly opposite the eatery. The total count was actually 5; 3 before the Tg Sedili junction and 2 after!

Not far ahead WW2 pill boxes decked the road. Built by the British Army to slow down the imperial Japanese soldier’s advances to the south, they now serve as relics from the past.

Not motivated to ride in the hot sun after lunch, we were making stops almost every hour. The famed rolling hills of Jemaluang began right after our first stop at R&R Felcra Berhad Dusun Panti.

Initially gradual, the climbs became more punishing right after our second stop. The hills preceding our wooden kedai runcit stop, appear like a mirage of a 4 storied building .... 4 continuous climbs with 4 plateaus!!!

At our third hourly stop, the sun had become very intense. Claudine refused to budge for a full half hour while a confused Mr Lim entered a prayers room, mistaking it for a washroom! While both individuals could have been suffering from mild dehydration for all we know, Jenny was swinging arms and legs from the bus stop below, ushering everyone to get moving!

Move along we did but only on our own terms. And when our next set of hills looked unlikely to flatten out, Claudine decided to chill by the roadside, egged on by VT and Mr Lim. They replenished on dates while she rested her back for the second time; lying on prickly grass by the roadside. By then, the sun had tilted slightly towards the horizon, casting shadows over the hill slopes.

Rolling out after a good break, the trio found KC and Jenny waiting by the other side of the hill slope. As everyone had rested, we moved out immediately, chasing after Jemaluang town which came quite soon.

A small Chinese town, the row of shophouses with a road frontage looked almost deserted at 5.30 pm. KC cleverly took us to the corner coffee shop, tucked away behind where we slurped up red bean soup as the proprietors cleaned up for the day.

With only 22 km more to Mersing, we were in good spirits when we left the old folks of Jemaluang. Found chatting away under the cool shades of a rain tree, right next to a Taoist altar, they looked at us with deep curiosity.

Rolling out of town, we past the primary school and village settlements. Then, we came to a new row of shop lots, marveling at its non existing developments. Instead, many new units have been converted into high class boarding for swallows!

Next to a hill-slope, 3 km away, lies the great ancestors of the town. A young man was spotted, throwing joss papers over a grave, one of the intricate rituals observed during Ching Ming prayers.

After the collapse on 14 January 2018

Repair almost completed

Soon we witnessed the fury of nature as we rolled past the ongoing roadworks on a collapsed section. 3 persons had narrowly escaped death on 14 January 2018, when their vehicle skidded and plunged into a ravine near the cave in.

Approaching Mersing, the young cadets at Institute Latihan Police were enjoying a nice game of football on their lush fields. With yet another cemetery spotted, the town was stubbornly elusive. Every bus stop taunted Claudine to take a break.

Finally, the archway to Mersing was spotted! At the end of it stood KC and Jenny, rooting for her to cross the finish line. When she did, she threw her bike aside, walked to the school’s bus stop and took a well deserved rest.

It took another 20 minutes for VT and Mr Lim to arrive. By then, we had been informed via WhatsApp on his leg cramps, doing away with any speculations.

United again, we rode the last 3 km to Mersing Hotel. Taken aback by its non existent frontage, we decided to recce for a room at Embassy Hotel. Supposedly haunted on the older wing, we booked ourselves into the new wing, at a rate lower than the former. As Mersing Hotel had goofed up the room reservations twice, giving us 2 rooms instead of 3, we did not habour any guilt when we called to cancel on them.

After checking in, we decided to go directly for dinner. Dusk was settling in by then and the birds were returning to roost on the electric cables. 

Planning to dine at Margaret’s initially, she was fully booked for the night. Instead, we settled down at Ee Lo which was equally satisfying, especially after a century ride distance!!!