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| In Pekan Nanas |
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| On the way into CSA Recreation Center |
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| Gunung Pulai |
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| Gunung Pulai |
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| Gunung Pulai |
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| Gunung Pulai |
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| Coming down from Sangkar Ayam |
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| On our way back |
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| Little blue bridge in the background |
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| Just before we picked up our durians |
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| Fruit Stall in Pekan Nanas |
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| Our sweet guardian angel |
We began our ride with a customary group photo setting the iconic pineapple statue as our background. Having taken numerous shots of this mascot that represents the town, today was the first time Claudine noticed its strategic location; right in front of Public Bank Berhad! Commonly known as 黃梨: huang li(Mandarin) or wong lai (Cantonese) or ong lai(Hokkien), this must be good feng shui, if not planned or donated by the bank itself!!!
Traveling along Jalan Sawah, a morning Market was taking place. Traffic was murderous, if not dangerous! Errant drivers stopped their cars in the middle of the road to let off passengers and with us weaving past, a swinging of a car door could be fatal! Besides, we have to be watchful of cars reversing from the parking lots!!
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| Right after VT fixed Maggie's cable |
Turning into the kampung route, Maggie started complaining that she couldn't switch gears on her new Brompton. When Claudine followed her closely behind, she noticed the cable had disconnected! Calling for a stop, VT reattached it for her after a bit of a struggle.
We found CSA Recreation Center, a Mongolian tented homestay not far off from our main route. Getting to it was a bit tough as some section of the roads are on loose gravels. It was almost deserted except for 2 Malay men at the canteen and a Pakcik that spoke excellent English. He told us later that he is a Singaporean but we did not venture further to find out if he is the owner.
The homestay consists mainly of 5-6 yurt homes. Each yurt is air conditioned and could accommodate up to 4 persons. Toilets and bathrooms though, are located outside, just next to the units with a barbecue pit and garden stools. It also sports a water park, fish pond and herbal spa although with no guests, they are all not in operation.
Riding on we visited Gunung Pulai and its waterfalls. We were lucky as the Rangers were just unlocking the gates when we arrived. Short of manpower, it is sometimes not opened to public.
Stepping in, we were disappointed the recreation area was in dire straits. The children playground was overtaken by weeds; the man made pool, siphoning water from the brook was choked with leaves and mud; and the signboards, half falling off the poles! The Rangers even said their post were burglarized just last week!!!
Next to the entrance was another campsite that has since been abandoned as well. Another irresponsible act in the expense of taxpayers!!!
Rolling out, we climbed the hills all the way to Sangkar Ayam before enjoying a downward slide back the way we came from. Thereon, we began to head back.
As we cruised along, the blue Shimano streamers that seemed to be shadowing us throughout our ride became more and more dense! Just then, we bumped into the culprits responsible for the shoddy decor!! The mtb riders from Claudine's morning breakfast hideout were busy at work setting out the markers for next week's charity ride in aid of SJK (C) Yu Ming 1. This was the same group that pointed out the Mongolian homestay to her!!!
After a short exchange, we bid each other farewell and parted ways. Cruising along a shallow river, Claudine decided on a last detour across a narrow bridge. The path led to a few kampung houses with beautiful lawns and the entrance to a palm oil estate.
As we did not have time to venture further, we headed out. It was at this juncture that Sasee shared his thorny encounter. Lying beside the road, camouflaged by grass was a small durian waiting to be picked up. Our group had passed it earlier on our way to Gunung Pulai! It was till waiting for us one and a half hours later!!!
Unable to risk the durian going to waste, we thanked our lucky stars. Picking it up, we found a clean KFC plastic bag conveniently lying across the road! This convinced us further that today's cosmic alignment was in our favour!!!
Leaving in glee, we returned to Pekan Nanas fruit shop. Uncle did not mind a wee bit when we asked him to open the durian for us. When it was finally pried open, everyone stared at in anticipation. We could not be sure if there was enough for everyone.
Claudine was the first person to dive in saying she will share her's with VT. While everyone took a seed, it was suddenly apparent that Joseph had none!!! Someone offered to share his' with him but looking on, we were hopeful again as we tried opening another locule!
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| VT carrying the fruit |
Lo and behold there were 2 more seeds inside!7 seeds for 7 riders although one person actually had a second helping while another had none!!! Well, it's a pity some don't get to enjoy the fruits of their labour!!!
Photo Credits :
1. Joseph
2. Anna
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