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| Jumping with joy as we were given access to the private jetty |
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| Bukit Segenting Lighthouse |
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| Both sides of the coin @ Chong Long Gong Temple |
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| Both sides of the coin @ Chong Long Gong Temple |
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| Lover's Bridge |
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| Duck farm |
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| Jalan Shahbandar, right after the Batu Pahat market |
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| Watergate at Jalan Shahbandar after Riverside Hawker |
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| Jalan Bakau Condong, approaching Tun Razak Bridge |
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| On Jambatan Tun Razak, Batu Pahat |
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| Masjid Jamek Al-Masyhur, Jalan Kampung Gombak |
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| Jalan Parit Samak just before we detoured due to roadworks. Many sections of the single lane road were excavated and replaced with gravels, waiting for resurfacing |
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| Parit Simen |
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| WASTED ... when you only had 5 hours of sleep !!! |
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| Parit Jawa river promenade |
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| Making ourselves comfortable on a fishing boat |
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| Parit Jawa |
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| Muar's iconic "beca "bus stops |
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| The last few legs to Muar |
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| Acid's friend, Isma approached us and invited us to the private jetty. He was given a heads up on our visit. |
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| May who met us at Ah Niu Hokkien Noodle upon our arrival had a tyre puncture. As there were quite a few bicycle shops along the 1.3 km distance to Muo hotel, she finally found a shop that could replace the tube. The RM15 service fee saved VT time and energy!!! |
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| Blessed to have a supportive mother who will never hesitate to babysit whenever a tour is called for and will meet at tour destinations whenever possible! |
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| With Acid and Isma |
After a night of merriment which naturally involves some drinking,
the few of us still managed to meet at the designated time this morning.
Everyone looked fresh except for Henry who did not sleep well, having had
strange encounters in the middle of the night. He thought he had felt “someone”
groping his legs!
Riding out for breakfast, Claudine received a call from Crystal
Inn. Nicole who had spotted everyone leaving was worried we had checked out
without returning the room’s key cards. After reassuring her that we will be
returning to the hotel, we proceeded to Pok Aik for their coffee which came
with strong recommendations from Yvonne. As Pok Aik only serves eggs and toast,
we bought some takeaways from the nearby coffee shop to be consumed there. Saved
by the good coffee, everything else’s were mediocre fare.
Returning to Crystal Inn for our final packing, Chooi and Julie
finally appeared. They have been extremely quiet in the group chat, causing
worry for Claudine. Thankfully, all was good and we were ready to go!
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| At Jalan Zabaedah just before it merge with busy Jalan Ampuan! |
Riding through the busy streets of Batu Pahat, we managed a
sideways glimpse of the town’s icon, depicting a hammer and a chisel at Dataran
Penggaram. Thereafter, Masjid Jamek Dato Bentara from the 1930’s, which lent its
architecture from Moghul and English influences caused a mild stir in those of
us who were not overly worried by the traffic build up.
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| Beside a temple... |
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| ...and a cemetery, we passed by light industrial estates and a stone quarry |
Traffic conditions did not improve even at Jalan Minyak Beku. The narrow road shoulders, hilly terrains and
tipper lorries can be a hair raising experience for new riders.
Things took a turn for the better at the junction to J124. As most
heavy vehicles turned in favour of J124’s Jalan Sungai Suloh which eventually
meets Route 5, we were soon left on our own.
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| Bus stop for school children of SK Minyak Beku |
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| Chooi and Lim approaching the junction |
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| Pushing up Bukit Segenting |
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| That's the lighthouse, view from the carpark |
The route to Bukit Segenting Lighthouse was a real challenge.
Pushing our bikes up the steep slope on foot was tough. As we relied on all 4
limbs to keep our bikes from sliding backwards, mosquitoes were having a field
day, feeding on us!
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| Entering Kampung Segenting |
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| Besides the grander Chong Long Gong Temple, there are many other temples in the village! |
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| Seafront jetty |
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| Dwellings |
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| View of Bukit Segenting Lighthouse from Chong Long Gong Temple |
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| Low tide |
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| View of Lover's bridge from Chong Long Gong Temple |
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| The Ladies at Chong Long Gong Temple |
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| Lover's Bridge...Do Not Scatter Ashes !!! |
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| Right after Lover's Bridge. The route is narrow and steep |
Disappointingly, our hardship up the peak where the lighthouse
from 1976 stood, does not come with a rewarding view point. The whole area is
shrouded by vegetation. As such, we left for Kampung Segenting which houses the
charming Chong Long Gong temple and Lover’s bridge.
After Kampung Segenting, we proceeded to Pantai Minyak Beku. The
seafront recreational area comes with a food court, ample car parks, gazebos
and pathways but no beach. Instead, the waterfront is reinforced with boulders
which forms a breakwater, protecting the land from erosion. There were quite a
few anglers and picnickers on a Saturday but what caught our eye most was the lone
fisherman, casting his net at waist length waters.
The Batu Pahat well to which the town takes its name from is
located on this same shore. Said to be chiseled from solid rock by Siamese
troops fleeing a failed attack on Melaka during Sultan Mansor Syah’s reign, the
well from the 15th century was nothing more than a dirty puddle of
water collected over a crevice!
Returning inland after our sightseeing tour, we took a short
detour from Jalan Minyak Beku. Our little adventure, beginning from the
junction to Batu Pahat Ferry Terminal took us through dirt tracks, duck farms
and soft sandy paths that was perfect for drifting !
Right after The Tun Razak bridge, we stopped for brunch at Nasi
Beriani Mohd Shah. The stall seems to monopolize the whole food court with most
patrons dining over the coveted rice.
There was a permanent long queue for takeaways with some customers
sporting huge containers for takeaways.
Luckily, the queue for dine in was much
shorter! Sinking our teeth over a choice of lamb or chicken beriani served with
free flows of vegetable curry, the winning formula immediately hit us! Rich flavours from good quality spices, Grade A long grained basmathi rice, generous portions, affordable prices...........
After lunch, there was a mild confusion. Sedated by beriani, we
headed back to Route 5 for Muar. Oblivious to what was happening, Chooi began
riding as soon as everyone had crossed the busy road. Before we can call out to
her, she had went up the next bridge that traversed the canal and disappeared
from sight! Zoe had to chase after her while Claudine called her on the
handphone. Thankfully, she had not strayed far!
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| Major roadworks at Jalan Benteng Kanan which leads to the food court. This may turn |
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| Jalan Kampung Gombak |
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| Masjid Jamek Al-Masyhur, Jalan Kampung Gombak |
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| Canals filled with purple lilies |
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| Parit Mampan Laut |
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| Jalan Parit Haji Baiduri |
With Chooi returning to the fold, we crossed busy Route 5 yet again. Returning to the same food court, we took the side lane next to it and made our way through Jalan Kampung Gombak, Jalan
Parit Samak and Jalan Parit Simen Darat. This led us through single lane
kampung roads and canals filled with beautiful purple lilies.
At the junction to SK Gombak, we finally ran out of kampung roads to ply on. Before returning to Route 5, we made a short detour to Parit
Simen to catch the river scenes.
Boats were moored at the river mouth and the low tides revealed the
aerial roots of mangrove trees in the nearby swamp. A few eateries were
opened at the time we were there but with Nasi Beriani still digesting in our
stomach, we decided to head for Parit Jawa instead.
There were many distractions on Route 5’s Jalan Muar. Besides
shady with ample road shoulders, it was noisily filled with screaming vehicles.
It was also hard to resist the occasional food stalls along the way. Our resistance finally faltered when we came by the second fruit
stall.
While most of us made a beeline for the thorny fruit, Julie wisely chose
the sweetest pineapple. It was a wise
move on her part for those of us who ate the durians were in for disappointment.
The
first fruit recommended by the seller was wet while the second, selected by our
team was not ripe! It became a relief when we were only charged for what we ate.
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| Kampung Parit Bali |
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| Seri Menanti |
Right after Sarang Buaya, we turned right into Kampung Parit Bali
and there began our long ride along the canal. Initially fun, as we were
traversing past little hamlets, things took a dull turn when we lost count of
the number of electric pylons along the way.
Jalan Benteng took us out of “canal road” and brought us into
Parit Jawa. A huge watergate by the canal played the role as gateway, welcoming
us into the fishing village. While Parit Simen sported mainly sampans, the
vessels here were significantly larger, some with double decks.
It was obvious that Parit Jawa had embraced tourism judging by the
waterfront promenade, restaurants and food court catering to the wide eyed
wanderers. A group of bikers anchored at the same village left not long after
our arrival; leaving us a cloud of fumes but not a single exchange, for after
all, we are the poor cousins on pedal power.
Even though Parit Jawa is famous for their assam fish, we chose to
snack on buns and drinks as we were still too full from brunch. When we were
done, we rode the final leg into Muar turning into kampung roads whenever
possible.
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| With Isma on the private jetty. Muar bridge makes the backdrop! |
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| The evening sky, a balmy hue |
In Muar we met up with May for Ah Niu Fried Hokkien Mee before
checking into our hotel for a quick wash up. Meeting again in the evening, we
rode to Tanjung Emas for the sunset view.
Watching the sky transform from dreary dull to spectacular hues of
orange was a first time experience for many of us. The cherry on the cake was
when the sun turned into a ball of fire and made it’s final dip into the
horizon.
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| Regrouping at hotel lobby before meeting Acid |
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| Regrouping at hotel lobby before meeting Acid |
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| Walking out to meet Acid. Murals were fully lit by spot lights |
That evening, after an edible dinner we met Acid and Isma for
drinks. It was easy to warm up to both of them; Acid whom some us had met
during the LTF Melakan Chendol Ride in 20XX and Isma who had approached us
earlier and brought us to the private jetty for the sunset views.
We ended the night with lots of laughter and sharing. As for VT
and Claudine, a night cap of sup kambing at Muar Soup House was a must even
though the delicious peppery soup left them sleepless the whole night!!!
Photo courtesy :
Henry
Sue
VT
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Muo Boutique Hotel, Muar
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Pre-Tour : Pulau Penarek, Muar and Batu Pahat
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| Car free route |
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| Cows grazing |
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| Lots of termite mounds |
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| Lots of termite mounds |
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| Sungai Muar in the background |
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| Watergate at Sungai Mati, the river bifurcation of Sungai Muar |
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| Water levels |
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| Oh Oh |
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| Warong Kak Tim |
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| Beside Warong Kak Tim, we met the owner to this homestay. The old couple who spoke good English, informed us the homestay is undergoing refurbishment and yet launched.They soon left in their rented car. |
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| Detour to the paddy fields |
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| Ride paddy by the waterway |
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| Riding on the inner loop |
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| Canals and more homes along the inner loop |
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| Paddy fileds |
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| Pulau Penarek an island formed by river bifurcation of Sungai Muar |
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| Muar durian |
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| Put out the fire with fresh coconuts |
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| Ah Niu Hokkien Fried Noodles |
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| Fried Koay Teow |
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| Hokkien Noodle (Fried Prawn Mee) |
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| Meeting with Yvonne, Sue's and Claudine's former interior designer cum teacher |
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Crystal Inn Hotel, Batu Pahat - interior design by Yvonne
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