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| Pantai Sepat |
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| Red flag condition |
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| Pantai Sepat |
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| Pantai Sepat |
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| Pantai Sepat |
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| At Joe's Mee Chalong |
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| Jenny, at the junction just before our Mars exploration began! |
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| Just before we were ripped off |
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| Ripped off |
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| Crossing state borders |
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| Kemaman's famous baked crabs are actually minced crab meat baked in shells |
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| Starry starry night |
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| Chukai |
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| Chukai |
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| River promenade |
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| River scenes |
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| The Sunplay babies are growing : One brought from home, one bought in Mersing and another one bought in Chukai |
Our worry for breakfast was totally unfounded. Heading north, less than 300 m away from our hotel is Medan Penjaja Peramu, a food court that serves fantastic roti canai.
Making the menu too, is their signature nasi lemak. Cooked in Hulk’s blood, the green hue was a real turn off despite the heavenly scent of pandan leaves.
Coincidentally, Tom and his fellow associates were at the same food court this morning. After a short chat, we bade him farewell and weaved our way through the bellies of Taman Perdana and Taman Mentiga Jaya.
As we made our way along the fringes of the housing estates, we found ourselves in the “Beverly Hills” of Pekan. Unfortunately, with the only access road separating the bungalows from the forest, which coincidentally runs parallel to a river, many “rich” appeared to have abandoned their pet projects in exchange for civilization!
Turning right for SK Pulau Serai, a local primary school, we were caught off guard by its adjacent lot. Occupied by D2E Ventures, a car factory, the huge enterprise was strangely out of place in a barren area.
Further down the road, we were again, taken aback with MRSM, a fully integrated boarding school famous for churning out the A’s. Surrounding its huge compound was an equally vast area of low lying forest!
Our third surprise came when the road came to an abrupt end! Where the school fence meets the forest, the road ends as well!!! Checking our bearings, we finally found a gravel trail through a small clearing in the shrubs.
A few hundred meters later, we were relieved to be back on tarmac as our ears were beginning to burn from Jenny’s lectures. A narrow kampung route, it led us all the way to Route C101.
Following the road to the coast, we headed north when we came to the sea. Passing Sungai Pahang Tua, a river delta saw landforms in the river. A natural harbour, fishing boats were docked by the banks while further inland, others were left to rot in stagnant waters. Strangely, we were riding on a strip of land with the sea to our right and a river to our left!
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| Pantai Sepat : While we were enjoying the beach scenes, a herd of cows started running on the opposite side of the road! |
Pantai Sepat caught our breath! Not only was it windy on red flag conditions but the sights of sand and sea was magnificent. Cleverly planted with casuarina trees which offered the much needed shade in tropical climates, the grassy ground makes a perfect picnic spot. Standing by the beach, we could even see Kuantan which was only 21 km away!
Traffic began to build up on Route 183. Crossing the Kuantan River, KC shared tales of yesteryears where many riders he was traveling with suffered cramps during the ascent.
In the city center, traffic was horrendous! Making a short stop at Shell, Jalan Gambut we planned our escape! Even Berjaya Megamall’s glitzy stores could not entice us to make a detour!
Some huffing and puffing were required to get out of the city. We had to climb past a ridge! As we made our way out, a Caucasian couple on the opposite direction gave us a salute as if to say “Goodbye, suckers!”
We did suck it all up! The dust, the hot afternoon sun, the headwinds.
Cruising downhill right after our ascent, we came across Joe’s Mee Chalong. Curious, hungry and tired, we made the stop.
Cruising downhill right after our ascent, we came across Joe’s Mee Chalong. Curious, hungry and tired, we made the stop.
A popular eatery, the crowd is drawn to their famous Mee Chalong; yellow noodle in chicken broth served with assorted fish paste. Spawned by social media, we found the ratings to be totally inflated as the noodles were over cooked and the fish paste, bland. A better alternative would have been their nasi kukus ayam goreng berempah which took a back seat as it was after all a local dish cooked by every household!
After Joe’s, we continued our descent to the coast. Lorries were abundant along this coastline, making trips to the port.
In our mastermind to avoid the hustle and bustle of port activities, we took a detour, just 2 km shy of Kuantan port. Thinking we had made the right decision, Route 3 was a simulation of “Planet Mars”! Equally busy with heavy vehicles, we had to fight our way over a hill, gaped at ZCM Minerals Sdn Bhd’s quarry and mock Great Wall of China, coughed our way through a dusty and broken road before finally coming back to earth! A small placard with the words “Welcome to Planet Marikh” placed just outside the quarry shows the sentiments of the local people!
Slightly dazed from our “Mars” exploration the highways and byways ahead was a challenge. Confused with the butterfly interchange which threatened to lead us back to Kuantan port, we treaded carefully!
Traffic mellowed down after Gebeng. Unfamiliar local delicacies only known to this region started popping up. Close to Terengganu border, stalls offering Satar and Akok started mushrooming.
Following the coast, we were riding mostly on flats. Bored with the mundane landscapes, the "Sanctuary Penyu' signboard caught our attention. Thinking it was a turtle sanctuary, it turned out to be just a resort!
Coincidentally, right opposite the resort was a kedai runcit. It was a hot mid afternoon and the watermelons displayed on the shelves looked too good to resist. Requesting to purchase only half a fruit, the owner was agreeable, cutting a fresh fruit for us! He even brought out a whole box of tissues for us! Priced at RM2 per kilo, we finished our half which weighed at 5 kg!!!
We were an indisciplined lot! Less than 10 km later, we screeched to a stop, hypnotized by fresh coconut and pisang goreng. A real rip off as we did not check the price, it was the most expensive coconuts we have ever had in the entire East Coast trip!
Priced at RM5 per fruit, the hefty price came with a free guide service! Probably filled with remorse, our “day light robber” directed us to MOA’s turtle sanctuary, located next to Club Med Cherating!
The sanctuary, situated 2 km off the trunk road, through hilly terrain is opened to the public for free. Off turtle laying seasons, there were no eggs nor baby turtles at the hatchery but a few adult species in separate pools. Well kept and well managed, it receives a huge throng of visitors daily.
With our shadows growing longer and the sun tilting towards the horizon, we became more focused on riding. Just past 5 pm, we crossed the Kemaman River into Chukai. Making our way along Jalan Jakar, we arrived at Riverine Garden Hotel with enough time to catch the evening scenes along the river.
That night, we had Kemaman’s famous baked crab at Tong Juan restaurant. A halal restaurant popular with all ethnic backgrounds, we wisely made a booking before hand. Even Tom’s associates dined on a table right next to us though Tom himself had left for home.
After dinner, we walked the streets of Chukai. Eager for supper, we settled for durians which were so much cheaper in the East Coast.
Disturbingly, many hawkers on the street offer jars of pickled turtle eggs. Turning our nose up against this delicacy, we returned to our rooms...but not before checking out the jetty and the river promenade.
Photo credit :
KC
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Riverine Garden Hotel
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