We had a relaxed start. The hotel breakfast buffet started at 7:30 am. We had seconds. That was not the best idea. By the time we clipped in the sun was bright and the temperature was 28ºC (82ºF).
In 10 km we were on the ferry across the Sungai Pelek. Then it was 80 km to Pantai Pengkalan Balak.
We made the stops we always make on rides down the coast. After taking the ferry across the Sungai Sepang we stopped at the Shell station north of Lukut for drinks and the restroom. Where we saw this new addition. A reconditioned Japanese vending machine.
I didn’t use the vending machine. I bought my usual chocolate milk from the station convenience shop. We also bought water. I had underhydrated the day before and did not want to make the same mistake.
The McDonald’s at Port Dickson Waterfront for an early lunch is another regular stop. It drizzled while we were inside but the drizzle stopped when we got on our bikes.
Any hopes we had of an overcast and cool afternoon were not realised. The temperatures south of Port Dickson were as hot as we experienced on the way to Bagan Lalang.
A second day of ‘Feels Max’ of 39ºC was not much fun. We had ridden about 25 km from the Port Dickson Waterfront. We were just 1.5 km from the Five Petroleum station in Pasir Panjang but it was so hot we had to stop here to cool down for fifteen minutes.
At 2:30 pm we crossed the Sungai Linggi, the border between Negeri Sembilan and Melaka. We had about 18 km to our hotel.
Half of that 18 km was along the beach. The view took our minds off the heat.
We stayed at the Kampong Pinang Sebatang Chalets across the road from the beach.
Checking in proved to be a challenge. Reservations at Kampong Pinang Sebatang Chalets are filed by booking number rather than name. My mobile phone had run out of power. I couldn’t access the online booking number. My booking was found eventually and we hauled our bicycles up a flight of stairs to our first-floor rooms.
The balcony and blazing sun came in useful for drying my freshly-washed kit.
There are tiles everywhere. Tiled floors and steps are a distinguishing feature of homes in Malacca.
Brian and I were looking forward to a dip like we had at Hotel Seri Malaysia the day before. The kid’s mini pool at Kampong Pinang Sebatang Chalets was too small and not very clean.
The alternative was the Jacuzzis outside our rooms.
Sitting in the Jacuzzis outside our rooms just seemed weird to us. We passed on a soak.
We walked to a nearby restaurant for an early dinner instead. Leena joined us, having driven down to meet us at the hotel. The seafood fried rice and the rice with turmeric fried beef hit the spot. After dinner, we crossed the road for a coffee.
Danial, the 20-year-old owner and operator of Nyxel Coffee, impressed us. Entrepreneurial, resourceful and mature beyond his years. His coffee is good, too.
An example of his enterprising nature: he noticed people kept borrowing his camp chair to sit on the beach. So he bought a bunch of camp chairs and some tables to rent out for RM10 each.
Customers sit in his camp chairs for free. We spent a few hours chatting to Daniel over coffee and iced chocolate. He stays open until past midnight. I needed my bed well before then.
Old Roots, New Routes 