Kaki Explorer - Kampung Rambah to Kampung Penerok's Coastal Route (September 12, 2020)

The team feeling triumphant as we emerged out of the woods

Taking refuge at the school hall

New discovery!

On gravel route

Tanjung Piai, southern tip of Asia

Chased by rain clouds

A scenic gravel route by the coasts

Glimpses of the sea by the gravel route

Canals

Beautifully paved kampung routes in Tg Piai

Tg Piai's fishing community

Looking back, there were so many warning signs to abandon the ride this morning. For a start, the sky was building up a wall of cumulus clouds which turned dark grey by the time we finished breakfast. The end point of the coastal route, Kampung Penerok could only mean "teruk" or terrible in Malay. Even when questioned about his new titanium bike, Henry had grinned with his fore finger pointing to the sky but taking no heed of the impending downpour!

Approaching the junction to Sinar Eco Resort

The only giveaway to our otherwise positive composure was probably our hurried pace as we tried to get as much mileage as we could without getting wet. Even though the sky had leaked faint drops as we left Pekan Nanas, we were hit big time 5 km into the ride ! Thank goodness there was a gerai by the junction to Sinar Eco Resort to which we quickly took shelter.

Surprisingly, the rain stopped after a cheap toll was paid....RM0.70 for 2 doughnuts! However, it was just momentarily before another set of rain clouds blew our way. Wet, with no visible shelters, we ploughed on only to make a stop at a school hall near SK Parit Rambai for regrouping, before proceeding to Sg Rambah.

Unlike our last visit to Sg Rambah, the sea was choppy and muddy today. Pontian on the other hand,  was completely shrouded by a wall of water falling from the sky. 

While it had rained earlier, Sg Rambah was completely dry. This allowed us to enjoy the coastal gravel route and take on the challenges ahead in good stride.

Riding the first km into the gravel coastal route, we were enraptured by views of The Straits of Malacca to our right and casuarina trees to our left. Besides ourselves and the herd of cows, a few cars with local tourists were spotted closer to the entrance. 

Our 2 heores at Teluk Kerang

With gravels came rattlings, which gave Claudine the itch! But soon, all urge to scratch is lost when we discovered a sandy patch by the sea side. Known as Telok Kerang, this beach used to come with a concrete stage for karaoke nights with food stalls plying the beach front.

Watch where you are going!

While the first 2 km of gravel route was a haven to tourists, the next 4 km is home to cows and dusky leaf monkeys. It is also a public toilet! Swabs of cow dungs strewn the path; a challenging obstacle course with zero success rate of coming out clean!

When dirt tracks finally greeted us, Claudine almost felt relieved. Looking forward to a more comfortable ride, her joy was short lived when the tracks narrowed and soon disappeared. As there were no alternative routes, we ploughed on quietly.

Once out of the woods, we came to a cross section. Ahead was another abyss while a beautifully tarred road by a canal with visible kampung dwellings awaits to our left. Checking the planned route, VT informed we had the option to double back on tarred road or enter the abyss. 

Without hesitation, our senior riders opted to go ahead! They charged into the bushes, taking the lead! Wanting to call them back for further discussions, they had traveled 15 feet ahead, their helmets bobbing above the bushes. 

It was too late! We had to follow suit.

Being the last riders to bash the bushes has its advantages. The front riders took the brunt, trampling over the long grass to pave a new pathway. They took with them most of the thorn apples leaving the back riders with a less painful endeavour. 

Poor Mr Liew and Mr Lim had cuts on their arms and hands. While Mr Liew lost a water bottle to nature, Claudine lost her pride when she took a tumble. Pulled down by the torny bushes, she had to call for help!

A dirt track followed right after our extreme bush bashing. Again there were cows everywhere. While some shied away, others stood their grounds. One affectionate white bull was actually blocking the path not to taunt us but get pats from us!!!

After a hurried breakfast in Kukup, we rode to Tg Piai, the southern tip of Asia. While we had slowly dried up earlier, wet weather caught up with us again in Tg Piai. We were soaking wet by the time we got back to our cars but nothing could dampen our determination to return for another scouting trip....from where we had not left off; Tanjung Bin Power Plant and the connecting road to the new JB Pontian bridge!!!

Photo credits :

Trevor

Lim

Henry