Journey to the East (June 6-7, 2020) : Day 2 - Sedili Besar to Home

The Team at Sedili Besar

Sunrise at 6.48 am

Sunrise at 7.03 am

Pedestrian crossing at Paradigm Mall

This morning, spurred by Caryn who insists the large fossil rocks down the cliff was worth a walk, the early birds journeyed down to see hermit crabs swimming in little pools of water left by the tide. There was a balanced ecosystem of flora and fauna by the rocks but what caught Claudine’s eye the most were the population of ants on super highways! She didn’t dare to imagine the number of ants she had flattened out during this venture!

After breakfast, we toured Sedili Besar with Chooi before making our way home. While we made our arduous journey on bike, she returned in the comforts of her car! This time, her ice box is filled with leftover bihun from Sea Horizon and seafood bought from the local fishermen; a big contrast to yesterday’s beer and ice!!!

Just before the climbs began @ Jalan Tanjung Sedili. River tributary to Sungai Sedili Besar

Pit stop midway through the climbs. This bus stop appeared to be someone's home with pillows and newspaper around

Home bound, we suffered the same climbs and returned to Restoran Syed Ali for the roadside pisang goreng and drinks. This round our brewed beverages tasted better as we wisely reminded them to brew them properly or face rejections!

The air was significantly cooler once we turned onto Route 3. Naturally, with Panti forest right next to the road, the high humidity level and tree canopies helped to lower down the temperatures.

Possibly charged by negative ions, we started racing to Kota Tinggi. Initially spurred by Mr Liew, we soon over took him when he stopped to take a break. Mr Lim on the other hand, was taking his time. Left on his own with no visible riders in sight to chase, it took him forever to arrive at Petron. This got us worried and filled with guilt. So much so that, we humbly returned to our usual riding patterns, a buddy system of sorts and always on the look out for each other!

The ride became increasingly difficult between Kota Tinggi and Ulu Tiram. The weather was unbearably hot and traffic was building up towards the city. After many regrouping stops, we finally bid Mr Liew farewell at Taman Intan’s bus stop and turned to Bukit Tiram for lunch.

Strangely the weather eclipsed during lunch time. While we stepped into lunch at scorching heat, we stepped out to see a storm brewing. We were worried! We had to get to the 1 km trail before rain fall!

Unfortunately, the rain beat us to it!!!

Arriving at the trail head, the first drops of rain had touched base. Surprisingly, light rain on a hillslope will quickly turn into a muddy stream as water pools together as it flows downhill! Unable to  see the ruts on the slopes, Claudine cautiously step down to push her bike instead.

At a high vantage point, Claudine could see the rain approaching. Right ahead, Henry and VT had already reached level ground. They were the firsts to receive the downpour. Following closely behind was Zoe with no sights of Mr Lim who was determined to cover himself with rain gear! He had not even entered the trail head.

Pushing ahead, Claudine tried to avoid the streams, opting for the grassy patches instead. Initially a great idea, her foot sunk in, ankle deep after awhile. The situation got better when she finally reached level ground.

Once out of the trail, everyone broke into wide grins. There was no shelter in sight and VT was unable to read the map. Left with no choice, we pushed ahead.

Thankfully, we found shelter in a makeshift stall within the compounds of Surau Al Rayyan. The gates to the mosque up ahead was locked and the area surrounded by fences. As there was a small gap in the fence used by the traders, we pushed our way through, uninvited! Yes, we were desperate to get away from the heavy downpour!!!

We finally rolled out when the rain reduced to a drizzle. By then, flood waters had completely consumed 2 parts of the 4 lane street on Jalan Putra 5. Across the road, the monsoon drain was gushing loudly, a frightening body of orangey coloured water with strong rapids ready to swallow anything that falls into it!

Charged after a cold shower, we breezed through Setia Indah and Seri Austin. Connecting with Jalan Kempas Lama, we treaded carefully all the way to Jalan Skudai. Then came the pedestrian crossing at Paradigm mall which was wheel chair friendly on one side but a bane on the other end.

When Nusa Bestari came about, we were feeling victorious. Home was just a stone’s throw away. Celebrating over coffee at Restoran Kang Bee Hong, we watched as the sun finally returned with a vengeance. Meanwhile, sweet Malcom sent a worried text message to Claudine asking if we had been caught in the heavy storm!