Paya Indah Wetlands

I last rode to the Paya Indah Wetlands in June 2021. That time, it was in the company of about a dozen others.
You can read about that ride here:
Today, I had three others for company. We started from Rimbayu, after a few nervous minutes waiting for a shower to blow over. The rain cooled the air. We had a pleasant ride to the Wetlands.

We got to the entrance at 8:00am, when the park opens.

Our first stop was at the Belibis restaurant for drinks and curry puffs.

It is clear that the park has seen better days. While clean (the toilets were spotless), the facilities are run-down. The restaurant kitchen is closed and replaced by a stall at the edge of the seating area. All the chalets are closed. Some advertised activities, such as kayak and paddleboat rental, are no longer offered.
The restaurant staff told us that Gamuda Land, the developer of the adjacent Gamuda Cove, has taken over the park. Hopefully, better days lie ahead.

After finishing our drinks and curry puffs, we explored a small section of the 450 hectare park grounds.

Our first stop was at the Crocodile Lake. This specimen is certainly not the largest crocodile there.

After oohing and aahing at the crocodiles, we went off-road.

There is a jetty at the western end of the route we rode.

The views over the water are spectacular.

On to the Menara Tinjau, or Lookout Tower.

The tower was closed the last time I visited. It is still closed. A thick layer of dry leaves covered the road leading up to the tower.
We went up there anyway. To be greeted by quite a frightening sight. Dozens of dolls looking like Chucky from the horror film series “Child’s Play” were hanging from branches over the road.

Voodoo? Black magic? Whatever the reason for those dolls, I wrote to the Department of Wildlife Protection and National Parks, and to Gamuda Cove, to tell them about the dolls.

I received replies from both within a day. The dolls are props for an ongoing film shoot at the location. Those dolls will be removed once the filming is finished.

So much for our theories!

The Nile hippos are a highlight of any visit to the Paya Indah Wetlands. The hippos are a gift from the Government of Botswana.

We considered waiting thirty minutes to watch the hippo feeding, but it was getting hot. It was time to ride back to Rimbayu.

Our route intersects a section of the West Coast Expressway under construction. This 233 km toll road will connect Banting in Selangor with Taiping in Perak.

A flyover taking Jalan Bukit Perah over the WCE is built but not open to traffic yet. This Google Maps photograph shows the flyover under construction.

Naturally, we couldn’t resist riding up and over it.

It will be a while before this section of the WCE is open.

We might have been the first to cycle on that flyover. That was a highlight.

The lowlight was the ever-present gusting wind on the way back to Rimbayu.

We definitely felt those 28 kph gusts. Talk about a block headwind! What a relief to see the bridge over the South Klang Valley Expressway. Only a kilometre to go to the end of the ride. And an ice-cold drink.

It will be nice to go back to the Paya Indah Wetlands again. Perhaps in less than two years time 😆.