DAY 1 - Tanjung Sedili, Pantai Tanjung Buloh, Sedili Wetlands, Pantai Manis, Jason Bay
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| Desaru Public Beach was closed to public....we only "knew" it was closed after riding past the empty guardhouse. We had assumed the barrier was to keep out cars! |
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| Laksam at Awang Nasi Dagang |
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| Lontong kering at Awang Nasi Dagang. They serves nasi lemak, nasi dagang and kuih muih as well. |
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| A very quiet Jason Bay @ 9.20 am |
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| Route 213 connects with J173 at this bridge which traverse Sungai Sedili Kechil. We were turning into all dirt paths along Route 213 which leads to the beach in hope of finding the ideal camp spot. Most spots are anglers' haunt and left dirty but only for Pos Tuan Seh, an army outpost. |
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Right after the bridge, we detoured to a Horseshoe Crab Aquaculture. They conduct a tour of their facility for free!
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| Learning more about horseshoe crab |
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| A clean facility |
Clean tanks
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| Catch of the Day hauled up by fishermen and brought to the facility for sale |
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| The facility |
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| The path leading to the riverside jetty |
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| View of the facility from the riverside jetty |
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| View of the bridge that traverses Sungai Sedili Kechil |
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| Riverside hamlets by Sedili Kechil |
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| The road leading to the facility |
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| Secret Place, next to Pantai Tanjung Buluh |
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| View of Secret Place which unfortunately may not be suitable for camping as a monkey came to join us while we were having a banana and nasi dagang break |
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| Riding towards Pantai Tanjung Buluh which unfortunately has been closed to public for many months. A guard initially refused to allow us to exit via this beach but eventually gave way. Not a great beach to visit at the moment due to oil slick |
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| Sedili Kecil's Jelly Kelapa stall sold by one of the homes by the river |
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| Sedili Wetlands is a resort with camping grounds. They were closed for renovations when we were there |
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| Sedili Wetlands by the floating restaurant |
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| Tried another way back to Tanjung Sedili but failed |
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| Back to Jason Bay to sit out the sun. The pisang goreng sold here is crispy and delicious. |
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| Pantai Manis for some delicious food |
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| Pantai Manis' Mee Sedili is a bit like asam pedas with bee hoon. Being by the sea side, the fish was very fresh. Their fried rice and puri were delicious as well. Nobody swims here as the beach is cluttered with dried wood and seaweed washed in by the tides. The stall owner said once in awhile the municipality will bulldoze the debris and clean up the beach. The debris we saw when we were there were washed up during the flood and high tide in January caused by the year end monsoon. |
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| After Pantai Manis, we returned to Tanjung Sedili for our cars. But not before a coffee and toast at Restoran Kar Pin. Traditional cooling water sold at Kar Pin is supposed to bring down a person's body heat. |
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| The sea was strangely calm and soothing at Jason Bay, evening. |
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| After our shower by the food court toilet (RM2/shower), we drove to Restoran Kuala Sedili for our dinner. By the time we returned to Jason Bay to set up camp, it was completely quiet |
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| There was only us and our shadows for the longest time until a Malay family came at 10 pm and started barbecuing at 12 pm !!!! They stayed the night with us. |
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DAY 2 - Westin Desaru, Desaru Beach, Bandar Penawar and Secret Place
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| The morning after |
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| The morning after |
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| As it was too early to check in, we parked our cars at Westin and took our bikes out for a spin |
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| The One and Only is rated as the most expensive resort in the area. We can only afford a photo with the stone slab! Meanwhile, the gurkha was watching us with piercing eyes from his guardpost! |
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| 800 m gravel trail to our Secret Place complete with beach, cape and army outpost! |
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| Stunning view from Secret Place |
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| The girls standing on the cape |
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| Crystal clear water |
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| View of the cape from the beach |
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| Unfortunately, there were oil slicks on the beach! |
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| There are deep ruts along the trail which makes it difficult to bring the car in |
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| Riding on Jalan Tanjung, enroute to Din's Corner for lunch at Bandar Penawar. |
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| Desaru Beach, a public beach |
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| Desaru Beach was closed to public. It was so clean and the water so blue when we were there |
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| Checked into our rooms at 3 pm |
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| The girls only had their rooms at 4 pm!!!! |
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| Beach time at 5 pm before dinner at Yam 918 in Bandar Penawar |
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| Digging our own mini pool before the rain came |
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DAY 3 - Peloton Cafe
Visited the first bike cafe and apparel shop in Johor Bahru. Coming from a cake lover's perspective, I must commend on the good coffee brew and delicious cakes...the black forest and basque cheesecake is a must try.
Seating down and chatting with like minded cycling enthusiasts, I feel the need to thank the owners for creating an environment to hang out. Perhaps in future, they may conduct some bike repair lessons, some Audax sharing experiences, century race preparation pep talks, etc.
Good to also know the shop is opened by cyclists as the apparels has been reviewed thoroughly based on budget and quality. Having said that, only a cyclist will know how to fill a fridge filled with mineral water, isotonic drinks and popular beverages!
FYI, this location happens to be the favourite roll out point for roadies. So do drop by to enquire on their weekly ride schedules. Also, if you had seen my King Kong and Batu Gajah posts, the rock formations are nearby making it the perfect start and end point for MTB lovers.
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Horseshoe Crab
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| Book gills and eggs |
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| Horseshoe crabs have a total of 6 pairs of appendages. Females are larger than males and their first pair of appendages are pincers. Above photo is a female. |
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| Male horseshoe crab. Note the first pair of appendages without pincers. |
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| Horseshoe crab have relatively bad eyesight. The eyes (in circles) are more sensitive to light at night than during the day. |
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| Horseshoe crab babies. These are slightly more than 1 year old and will be let out to sea soon. |
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| Each of these costs about RM25 each |
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| These eggs will be exported to Thailand |
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| Anatomy |
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| Sideshow!!! Lobsters are also reared in the facility |
