Interstate 5 (4-8 June 2019) : Day 4 - Temerloh to Bentong

Part of the Team at Green Park Hotel, Temerloh

Siew Yung, Peter and Weisto joined us in Bentong

3 rounds of durian on a hot afternoon!

Musang King was dethroned by Black Thorn!

This morning, VT and Claudine decided to join Ivan, Annie, Peter and Patrick for breakfast. They found a coffee shop close to the morning market hence breakfast was a combination of noodles from the shop and roast pork from the street butcher.

As everyone had left the hotel, they decided to leave for Bentong on their own. Riding out, they bumped into Group C who had just settled down at the local mamak shop. They ushered them to check with the rest of the group at Restaurant Happy Fish, not far away.

Not used to waiting for others, Group B+ again, decided to carry on, on their own. This time, they left with one less member as Gerard had just finished breakfast and had yet to gear up.

Waiting for the rest to eat required a lot of patience. When everyone was done, another round of waiting was required as Ah Pou had another round of tyre issues to address! When they finally rolled out, they had not journeyed more than 11 km before Ah Pou’s tyres gave way again!

Waiting at the junction while the puncture department touched base at Petronas Bandar Mentakab, they watched the weather eclipsed from sunny to cloudy. Like sitting ducks waiting to get hit by the storm, Gerard, VT and Claudine decided to bail on the rest. They left the vicinity of SMK Seri Semantan in a hurry.

Route 2 to Lanchang hugs the hillslopes. With the rain at their heels, Gerard was pulling the duo at 35 kph for the whole 16 km distance! They were going so fast, they missed the right turn to Route 236.

Guided by Gerard’s GPS, they backtracked and found their way to the trunk road where they bumped into Group B+ at the nearby coffee shop. Ironically, Group B+ had become the lead team as Seng Kiat had decided to take an easy half day, waiting for his son to arrive with fresh supplies of clean clothes.

Settling down for their second breakkie, the rest of the group at Happy Fish streamed in. Pressured to continue their lead performance, Group B+ hurried out. With no specific regroupings, Group C were very much on their own with Whatsapp as their only means of contact.

Soon, Gerard, VT and Claudine decided to leave on their own as well. There were no indications when Seng Kiat’s son will arrive hence the wait can be very tiresome!

Riding out, past SMK Lanchang, they had to cross Semantan River. Wheeling down to the bridge, the immediate 2 % climb right after, caught VT by surprise! He changed his gears too late and the chain dropped.

Soon after, they saw a Porche boomed past from the opposite direction. Fresh clothings will soon touch down at Lanchang!!!

Riding on, the route became more and more scenic. Dense tree canopies covered the area near the Elephant Conservation at Kuala Gandah.

Stopping at Kedai Koperasi Felda Lakum, 15 km from the Lanchang breakkie, Gerard, VT and Claudine were disappointed the few shops fronting the road were closed for Raya. So were the R&R behind it! However, they were generally pleased with the carpets and chairs laid out at the stall allowing a free use with no attendants around!

On the move after a short rest, the rolling hills continued its challenge. This was not a surprise as we were riding at the fringes of Krau Wildlife Reserves. What was more surprising were the palm oil estates, eking its way into the Reserves!

The quiet route was soon pumped with excitement. Not far after Felda Lakum, Group A's trio whizzed past. 15 minutes later, Chief KC Tay, CS and Happy Birthday touched base as well!

Trying to give chase, Claudine’s chain fell as she switched gears while attempting a slope. Gallantly, CS turned back for her rescue!

At the right turn to Route 1498, Team Melaka had stopped to regroup. Gerard, VT and Claudine decided take a breather as well. After all, with the occasional glimpses of Genting Highlands, there was no need to hurry anymore.

At Mempaga, Gerard, VT and Claudine bumped into Group B+ at Balqis Tom Yam Stall, next to Petron. They managed to exchange brief conversations before Group B+ hurried off to Bentong on a quest for Black Thorn, the latest durian species!

Even though Balqis was packing up to leave, they graciously served iced water to the tired souls, free of charge! Taking advantage of the shelter, the remaining trio munched on snacks purchased from Petron as they waved down the rest of the team that were passing by.

Once recharged, Gerard, VT and Claudine resumed their ride to Bentong. With no sights of Group C, the trio were considered the lasts to push off from Mempaga.

It was interesting to note Mempaga as a satellite town, emerging in the middle of nowhere. Once a Felda settlement, it is now a bustling town with heavy 4 lane traffic servicing the town’s mainly education hub, The Kolej Yayasan Pahang Felda Mempaga.

As we left the town, the traffic quietened down as well. Soon more and more durian trees were spotted along the way. One huge bungalow was sub converted into a swallow’s nest with its residence co-existing well with the birds.

Leaving the tranquility of Route 1498, we turned left onto Route 8’s Lebuhraya Kuala Lumpur – Gua Musang. Our torture was immediate! The sun, incline and noise from the traffic was intense.

3 km after the defining junction, the trio bumped into Yeh Mah and Happy Birthday. The duo had stopped to take photos from a high vantage point and to share some chocolates that had lost its form due to the heat!

Cranking on slowly, the trio finally reached the peak and were enjoying an exhilarating downhill ride until they spotted Ah Pou by a durian stall. He was waiting for the duo who must still be smacking their lips over the bar of sticky chocolates!

Leaving him to wait, the trio continued further down hill only to see a SCENE right in front of them! A group of cyclists circling a bike and rider by a grassy patch, on a downhill slope, with no road shoulders is usually bad news!! Thankfully, it was nothing more than just a tyre puncture on Chief KC Tay’s bike!!!

Arriving in Bentong past lunch time, the hungry lot hit the streets in search of sustenance. Some went for coffee shop fare while some preferred a “vegetarian” meal.

VT and Claudine were accompanied by CS on a durian buffet. They tried hunting down Black Thorn but priced at RM70 per kilo, Claudine was secretly relieved the whole market was out of stock!!!

Apparently, Musang King, the next contender had lost its value. Priced at RM28 to RM35 per kilo depending on the sizes, it was a good opportunity to chow down the fruit.

As they were licking their fingers, Chief KC Tay and Capt Sai Kwang dropped by and were invited to join in. They politely took a fruit or two.

Next came Siew Yung and Peter Yoong with their new ward, Weisto. A third round of durians was selected and chowed down before everyone finally gave up.

Just as the vegans were cleaning up, Chief KC Tay made an alarming observation. There was not a single fly on the whole street!!! (8 months onwards, Claudine is thankful she had lived to tell the tale. Seems like, pesticide infused durians can be very delicious as well !!!)

That evening, the team were joined by 2 VVIP guests. Chief KC Tay had invited his friend, Cikgu from Bentong who is an avid MTB rider. Meanwhile Jasmine, Kelvin’s wife had dropped by on her way home from Singapore. Perhaps some soothing massages were offered in the confines of their room, perhaps something more ???

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Kristal Hotel, Bentong