Training for FSTR : Batu Pahat to Johor Bahru (1 May 2016)

The morning after!

Rolling out from Batu Pahat

Passing by Batu Pahat High School

Senggarang

Senggarang

Senggarang

Rengit traffic lights

KC has a knack of making new friends, Petronas Rengit

Bougainvillea decked road in Pontian district

Enjoying cendol on a hot day

RM1.50 per bowl

Backtracking on the bridge for cendol

The busy alley

The cendol alley overlooks Kedai Emas Poh Siong

Restaurant 933 overlooks the river

Pekan Nanas fruit stall

The cat adopting George's act in Pekan Nanas

Mural or grafitti ?? Batu Pahat

On the morning after, the first thing Claudine did getting out of bed was bend and stretch. Flexing her muscles, she was satisfied there wasn't any wear and tear. Down south though, her butt bone was still screaming out in pain when pressure is applied!

Zoe was the first to get down for breakfast. The complimentary breakfast at the restaurant offered a basic, thoughtful and satisfying spread. There were the usual toast and jams, cereals, porridge and soup, fried noodles, sautéed vegetables, egg omelette, sambal tofu, fruits and salads , tea and coffee and some cordial juice. Every dish is carefully weighed to cater for every diners' needs, taking into account of age, religion, race and nationality.

KC did not follow his regular routine. Usually he is up early to do his walks and photography. This morning though, he came directly from the room. First time rooming with George, KC discovered George too, could hold "long conversations with his Lord"!!!!

Crystal Inn is a basic hotel but it had all the traveller's need in mind. The rooms are dated but the management have replaced the carpet and refurbished the furniture. It wasn't plush but at the rate we paid, it was a good deal.

The water dispenser on the hallway was a plus point. It reduces carbon prints by taking away bottled water.

We got back on the saddle after saying goodbye to Syed our impeccable front desk officer. Sharif, the security officer who was seen sweeping the grounds, stopped his work to bid us farewell as we rolled out. We were impressed that the small town folks take great pride in their work. 

Getting out of Batu Pahat, we were given a "guard of honour" exit! While a lone cyclist at the other side of the road had shouted his support and waved to us, the Batu Pahat high school was running a marathon event. Hundreds of students, ex students and teachers thronged the long hilly road. While many gave us curious stares, some waved their support, while a few smiled for KC's camera.

Coming towards the end of the punishing hills, a TNB truck overtook us. The driver honked his support while the passenger gave us his thumbs up. It felt like a hero's sent off!

Today though, the pig trotters had finally worked into George's system. He tackled the hills easily, sometimes leading, sometimes falling back. At the 113 km marker, KC stopped to take a momentos photo but George was the only one who persisted without stopping!

When we reached Senggarang, Claudine called for a photo stop. The huge watergate at the river had caught her eye the day before and now, she was determined to take a photo of it.

Just a little ahead, the road forked into two. George had led Zoe straight towards Kedai Makan Ibrahim. VT though was waiting on the road heading towards Pontian Kecil. Later, Zoe was sent to get everyone with strong conviction that the route passing by Ibrahim is a shortcut.

It seems, this is George's second pilgrimage to Ibrahim. He was here last year with the 2015 Ride for Rations. In fact, Ibrahim also showcases a laminated photo of some past participants.

While George was enjoying his homecoming, VT was reading google maps. The map showed a longer curved road on the road less travelled. However, nobody persisted with an in depth discussion and thus we left on George's recommendations.

Zoe was roaring to get back home. She rode out without her helmet and her gloves which sent everyone reeling with laughter. Some had assumed she wanted to ride with no safety gears, just like what George has been doing!

We rode along a road that runs parallel with a canal. Along this road we passed by many beautiful kampung houses with palm oil trees as a backdrop. The houses are huge and modern looking, probably financed from the soaring commodity. One yellow house was so huge and garish, it could only belong to a Chinese family!

At the end of this road was a T-junction. Turning left leads to Ayer Hitam and the highway. We took the right turn. This time, the road runs parallel to a river overgrown with mangrove trees.

At this point everyone were resenting George for extending our training by a few kilometers. It has become evident that we have been misled!!!

After some pedalling, we passed by a huge coconut plantation before hitting the junction that led us back to the main coastal road. We persisted, rolling past the clean Shell station at Punggor with its OCD staffs. Our perseverance led us back to Rengit town.

Finally, we made a stop at the Petronas station in Rengit. We refueled on drinks and the left over Arabian dates from last night. KC spurred our interest with the promised of a sumptuous lunch in Pontian.

Riding into Benut district, we received a few show of support....

A mother on a motorcycle with a young pillion rider and a baby in tow, honked and waved at us. She then turned a corner, still waving and riding precariously. Don't drop the baby!!!

Much later, 2 young boys on a motorcycle also honked to show their support. The pillion rider turned to give us thumbs up. These 2 boys must have stopped to run some errands because much later, they did the same stunts again...overtaking us with honks and thumbs up.

Our morale boosted, we continue on to Ayer Baloi. We passed Restaurant Mana Lagi, still with the same large crowd...

Suddenly, we saw them!!! Ken and Barbara Geitz, both senior citizens riding out from their last stop in Pontian. They had contacted Chris for some tips riding in our region, hoping to make it from Singapore all the way to Penang. In turn, Chris had asked us to keep a look out for them. Both parties waved support to each other.

After all the excitement, came a lull.... It was already mid afternoon, very hot and sunny. We tried to aim for "The Best Coconut Shake" but with another 17 km to Pontian Kecil, we all crumbled when we saw a roadside shop just opposite MRSM Ayer Baloi. We made a stop for drinks only though the shop seems very popular for its ayam penyet and ikan keli aka catfish.

Our spirits lifted higher when we finally rolled into Pontian. KC led us to a shop by the river for lunch but we made a U-turn back to the cendol stall that George had pointed out to us the day before. After all, George had lagged behind and this would be a good stop to wait for him.

The cendol stall is tucked in an alleyway, away from the mainroad. The best landmark is the row of shophouses that are sandwiched between the overhead pedestrian bridge and the bridge that traversed the river. Then, look out for some bustling activities or cars parked illegally by the roadside!

George who had tasted the Taiping cendol and this fare, persisted that both are of comparable standards. The coconut milk were not too watery and not too thick. The gula melaka was not adulterated with cheap cane sugar. Best, were the stringy rice flour that were coloured with natural pandan leaves. Served with shaved ice, the soothing desert was just delightful for this hot weather.

Our cendol man is a hardworking man that deserves a break from this hard life! He plies his cendol from 7 am to 6 pm, seven days a week!!! He finally revealed that he is part of the Taiping cendol clan!

Our thirst quenched, we moved on to lunch. Unfortunately, it was way past lunch time. The famous fishballs of Restoran 933 were already sold out. So was the chicken rice. We settled for Ray fish assam, fried rice and sweet tapioca leaves cooked in delicious lard.

The restaurant was closing just as we finished a satisfactory meal. 2 more Ray fish were hauled to the kitchen for the next day's menu.

Claudine's decision to empty her half filled bladder proved fatal! It was low tide and the river bed was visible from the cut out hole in the toilet. As bright as it was hot that day, every customer's deposits were visible from the loft! Out in the open was evidence of a stranger's bad bad day!!!

Before hitting the road, our friendly proprietor offered Zoe a free refill of water. We then left Pontian Kecil, with one eye on the road and the other watchful eye on the dog that was seen chasing quite a few cyclists. Surprisingly, it left us alone, probably because we were beginning to smell like wet dogs ourselves!

We left the lady that was mending fishing nets next door....

We went through the back alleys and caught a strong whiff of Chinese herbs brewing in a restaurant's kitchen....

We came back to the mainroad....

When we reached Pekan Nanas, we felt euphoric! It felt like home even though we were still 23 km from home!! Our fruit stall uncle made a remark on our unusually late arrival and Claudine's choice of bike!

History repeats itself. George took a 5 minutes nap. He plopped his head on the table and closed his eyes. That act alone, brought the rain down on us on our last leg home!

It started with a few big drops as we passed Uncle Lim's durian farm. Then there was a short lull. Soon though, it came down hard on us as we were tackling the few slopes on the scenic kampung route.

Thanks to divine intervention, it stopped before we were soaked through! We took this opportunity to have a last toast before we went our separate ways. We returned to Amin's for some cold teas served by a waiter with only one arm. Then, we made our victorious ride home separating at the Southgate of Horizon Hills.

While Claudine and VT were the firsts to arrive home, Zoe should be next. The Singapore folks though had a short detour to buy Purina dog food for Boss! They only made it home when night falls. Salute to our friends!!!