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| Team Friday, JB and Singapore!!! |
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| Team JB at Amin's |
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| Team JB joined by Team Singapore at Amin's |
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| Pekan Nanas |
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| Team Friday waiting at Kayu Ara Pasong |
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| Kayu Ara Pasong |
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| Off the beaten track |
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| Off the beaten track |
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| Team LTF reunited at Batu Pahat!!! |
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| Team LTF washed and cleaned!!! |
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| Round 2!!! |
What started off as a most unpromising morning took a better turn as the day broke. The pre dawn thunderstorm eventually eclipsed into a fine day. While in all eventualities everything turned out swell, most of us were in despair when the sky shook, rumbled and pour buckets at 5 am this morning!!!
Over on the little red dot, our Singapore friends from U Cycle and LTF were terribly distressed! Most had to wake up as early as 3.30 am to get to the meeting point in Woodlands. When it started to pour, they must have wished they had stayed in bed instead!!!
Up north in Johor Bahru, the first sound of thunder woke VT and Claudine up from their fitful slumber. Last night's late night supper and sea breezes by the harbour with Vishwa and his mum had kept them awake the whole time. They stared at each other, in the dark, their sheepish smile crossing mounds of pillows and duvets. Rain or shine, they had to make the ride as their friends were all waiting along the route from Singapore to Batu Pahat.
While YC texted his delayed push off due to rain, VT and Claudine had other matters in hand. A miscommunication on Yow's airport transfer had delayed his arrival to the house. His family was visiting from Australia. Meanwhile, Sue could not secure a Grab car service until much later!!!
Thankfully, everything was sorted out with Yow and family trailing into the house soon after Sue's arrival. While the Aussies checked in, the 3 JB riders checked out in light misty rain, half an hour off the ETD. Not to worry, as Team Singapore were delayed as well.
Enroute to Restoran Amin's in Gelang Patah, Team JB had a bigger worry! As they pedaled furiously, the sun had started peeking at the horizon and with the light, it illuminated the rain clouds closing in on them. They were narrowly drenched!
Team JB had a long, hour and a half brekkie before the first sight of cyclists arrives. Leo, BG and some U Cyclists were the first wave. Jonathan trailed after them cursing on their speed! The second wave saw the rest of U Cyclists and JB escorts coming through. This group reported sightings of Team Singapore which gave us some assurances that our long wait was to end soon. By then, the sun had come out with the promise of a glorious day!!!
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| Team Audax |
Upon contact and a brief "makan", we took the scenic kampung route through Kg Ulu Pulai to get to Pekan Nanas, settling down for a BKT meal as requested by YC. Since Sue was unable to take pork, Claudine rode to the initially planned breakfast stop to get her a packet of nasi lemak while cautioning Freddie who had rode ahead to the pineapple icon to turn back. Stepping in, she was pleasantly surprised to bump into Lawrence and his Audax BRM 300 team riders!
The BKT breakfast was both a hearty soup and comfort food. It was loaded with prime ribs, button mushrooms and innards. While most of us took to intestines, pig's stomach and livers, some politely drank the soup and took the meat only. Sue, on the other hand, was given hard boiled eggs courtesy of the shop owner, out of pity. The nasi lemak though went to the one with biggest appetite!
While we lapped up our food, we saw U Cycle, JB riders and Max Liew together with his team passing us enroute to Kukup. Hungry or not hungry, we forced the food in, wary that the next 50 km will be unsupported considering the remote route and month long Hari Raya festivities.
After breakfast we took Jalan Sawah which led to the fork road to Gunung Pulai and Kulai. We did not turn but went ahead to the rolling hills, passing a palm oil factory which was puffing out white steam from its furnace. We played the hills till we came to flat ground and the road turned a 90 degrees left. Right ahead was a smaller road into the kampung and to our right was our usual ramshackle coffee shop which was still closed 14 days past Hari Raya!!!
Riding on after a short regrouping and water break, we started riding alongside a canal. Then we transcended many scenic rivers. All this while, YC stepped up the riding pace, intent on getting us to rendezvous with Team Friday at Kayu Ara Pasong. The latter had left Singapore for Pontian the day before, separating the journey into more manageable distances.
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| Team KL's bike |
While Team LTF was finally reunited, our last missing link was transported in a "mobile freezing container" from KL. Team KL's, Mike had boarded his business class bus for Batu Pahat this morning. His Surly Troll was given the best seat on the bus, behind the driver for a fee of RM10, no tickets issued!!!
Once united, we left the beaten path to transcend a narrow kampung road right ahead. It weaved alongside a small canal choked with moss, past kampung houses and finally made its way back to the main but equally remote kampung road of Jalan Parit Panjang. Traveling a little ahead, we turned right into Jalan Parit Makassar. Hereon, our biggest challenge to find us a decent lunch commenced!!!
George's previous experience with RfR was useless. His "10 km to Prata" and "20 km to kopi" stops all came up empty! We were dealing with a joyous month of Syawal, after a month long fasting!!! Nobody wants to get back to work until the festivities are all over!
After countless regrouping, VT, our Chief of Food was made to lead the ride. We slowed down at every visible food stalls but the lack of human activity made us push on.
Approaching BHP, Jalan Madirono and the junction to Tampok, we had assumed we would have have to deal with what the petrol station has to offer but thankfully, just diagonal to it was a stall offering nasi ayam with fried chicken and rojak, a malay version of pasembor. We dived in! The food was decent but the rice portion, a little too big!
Riding on after lunch was difficult. We were rested and fed. Temperatures were slowly rising. If we were in Spain, a siesta would not have been frowned upon but we were not!
Ploughing on, we hit J9, turned left and started riding along a river. This time, George tried motivating us with the promise of a coffee break 11 km away. We followed the route used by RfR which ran along a canal and palm oil estates. Scattered here and there were huge garish mansions, tucked away from the main town of Senggarang.
The humble settings of Kedai Makan Ibrahim was comforting as many of us had made the stop previously, some more often than others. Ibrahim was all alone, watching a Tamil program on TV when we arrived. It was sad to note that everything was the same up to RfR's first edition photo pasted on the wall; indicating that Ibrahim has not prospered after all these years. The only new addition was a red ice crusher which doesn't seem to be in use as well!
We had a longer than necessary rest thinking Mike was on his way to meet us. When there was no signs of him, we decided to ride out, hoping to bump into him midway.
Bump into him we did, but only after scaling the 9 hills to Batu Pahat and passing by the Chinese and Muslim cemeteries lying side by side in true spirit of muhibbah. Mike was looking handsome in his "safari" gears and Claudine could almost hear the 1980's camel trophy music coming on!
There was only 5 km left to our destination. Thirsting for a get together, we stopped for drinks at a row of shops right after Batu Pahat high school. After a round of celebration, we made the final push to Crystal Inn.
That night, we had a simple dinner in a corner restaurant next to Kim Leng bakery. They were famous for their steamed pomfret and 3 treasures egg. As tourers we opted for a lean meal, choosing the latter over the former, bland tofu in soy sauce, fried chicken which could have been better, fried pork in sweet and sour sauce which tasted mainly of tomato sauce and 2 types of insignificant vegetables. The desert of pandan layered cake from Kim Leng was served before dinner. Surprisingly our meal was cheaper than our drinks which included 3 bottles of beer to which Sue, alone, footed the corkage.
Not satisfied with our dinner, we scoured the street further, ending up at the corner coffee shop right below Rumah Tumpangan Cheong Wah where we tried their tau suan, green bean soup and mee hoon kueh. Ho Liao Canteen, just across the street was overlooked as it was full. Had we known it was opened by fellow cyclist, Jerry Sebiji Tan, we would have waited patiently outside for a seat!
On our back to our hotel, we made a third stop at a hawker center. By that time, everyone were already too full to stomach anything. Some nibbled politely on the fruit rojak that Claudine ordered but most was walloped by she, her and herself!!!
Photo courtesy :
1. Ped Al
2. KC Au Yeong
3. Max Liew
4. Sue
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