Tag Archives: Kuala Seafood

To Melaka for the night

Posted on November 27, 2018 by alchemyrider

Some activities require a lot of planning. Others happen almost spontaneously. This trip to Melaka was one of the latter. The idea was mooted on the 13^th. There were few takers initially. On the 20^th there were four of us interested.

Things sped up from there. Within a couple of days, hotel rooms were booked and the ride start location and time were agreed. At 6.15am on Sunday 25^th, six of us were starting the 180km / 112 mi ride to Melaka.

Our route took us along the Maju Expressway (MEX) toward Cyberjaya. It started drizzling as we rode toward MEX. When we got onto MEX via Jalan Kampung Pandan the expressway was wet but the drizzle had stopped.

The roads got progressively wetter as we rode through Cyberjaya and on to Dengkil. Our touring saddle bags came in very useful as fenders to keep the spray from our rear wheels off our butts and backs.

We had planned to stop at the same roadside roti canai stall where we always have breakfast on rides through Dengkil. To our surprise, the stall isn’t there anymore. So we stopped at the closest mamak shop for teh tarik and roti telur.

It was still overcast when we got to Sepang. 70km / 44mi into our ride. The Shell station at Sepang is a convenient place to stop for a rest room and to raid the convenience store refrigerator.

15 minutes earlier we had ridden through Pekan Salak, where on a previous trip Liang and I had been gouged by the owner of the bike shop there. If I recall correctly we were charged RM30 / USD7.15 per inner tube. We had to buy some there because we had both already had flat tires and had used all our spare tubes.

This time none of us had a flat during the entire trip.

The weather changed between Sepang and Lukut. In less than 20km / 12mi it went from overcast and cool to sunny and hot. And very humid too, thanks to the wet roads.

When we got to the Port Dickson Waterfront it was well past 30º C / 86º F. We were looking forward to an ice cold cendol but the stall was closed. Which seemed odd for 11.15am. So we moved on to the McDonald’s. That was open but they had no fountain drinks nor ice. They had no water supply at all.

So we rode to the nearest 7-Eleven, where we were told that the entire town had been without water since Friday due to the forced shutdown of the Sungai Linggi water treatment plant. No wonder the cendol stall was closed. Residents were dependent on tankers to deliver water for cooking and bathing. The chillers at the 7-Eleven were well stocked and the air-conditioning was running full blast. It was 35º C / 95º F outside. We cooled down in the 7-Eleven for fifteen minutes.

80km / 50mi to go. We covered just over 26km / 16mi before we had to stop again to seek respite from the heat. We had reached the junction with Jalan Pasir Panjang – Kuala Linggi, where we would leave Federal Route 5 and ride along the coast. There is a stall at the junction selling fresh coconut water.

I needed that drink. We all needed a drink. We all needed thirty minutes in the shade.

5km / 3mi up the road is the Linggi river which in that neck of the woods forms the border between the states of Negri Sembilan and Melaka. That sign over Brian’s head reads Selamat Datang ke Melaka (Welcome to Melaka).

It was about 1.30pm when we crossed the bridge. We were hungry. Our planned lunch stop was at Kuala Seafood in Kuala Sungai Baru. 9km / 6mi away. Despite the heat, we got there in twenty minutes. It was past the usual lunch hour, but there was still enough food left on the buffet for us to fill our faces.

It was about 40km / 25mi from Kuala Seafood to our hotel in Melaka. We weren’t going to cover that distance all in one go. We made another 7-Eleven stop after 7km / 4mi to refill our bottles. We were going through fluid at a very rapid rate.

Our next stop was at Klebang Original Coconut Shake. This is a “must-stop” venue for hot and thirsty cyclists.

I had two of these fresh coconut water and vanilla ice cream concoctions. And got a brain freeze in the process of sucking down the first one. Which wasn’t as bad as it sounds, given the heat of the afternoon.

Revived by the coconut shakes we pedalled the last few kilometres to the Euro Rich Hotel. Once we had stowed our bikes in the storeroom near the front desk, it was time for a shower and a rest. Six and a half hours in the sun had taken it out of us. And turned parts of our bodies a few shades darker.

We met at 7.00pm for dinner. Earlier we had thought of riding to somewhere to eat, but we nixed that idea. This had been Jake’s and Martin’s longest ever ride. They had had enough of riding for one day.

Instead we wandered to Pahlawan Walk.

I got a mango juice from the stall on the right on the way to dinner, and another one on the way back to the hotel. I was probably hungry and dehydrated in equal measure.

It was an early night for all of us. Thank goodness the hotel is in a quiet part of town. Undisturbed sleep until 6.30am.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Dengkil, Euro Rich Hotel, Klebang Original Coconut Shake, Kuala Seafood, Maju Expressway, Melaka, Sepang. Bookmark the permalink.

Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

Posted on September 20, 2017 by alchemyrider

Graphic courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

I lived in Port Dickson (PD) for a couple of years. For many years after my family moved away, PD was a regular day trip destination. The Si Rusa Inn, with its restaurant and bar open on all sides to the sea breeze, outdoor jukebox, and kampung ladies sitting under the casuarina trees, weaving and selling mengkuang hats, bags, and mats, was a favourite place to spend a Sunday.

That was forty years ago. The Si Rusa Inn is now derelict. PD has become crowded with resorts and hotels. The beaches are not what they used to be. I stopped going to PD for beach holidays.

Photograph courtesy of pdwaterfront.com.my

In the last few years it has instead become a cycling destination for me. See BCG Tour Klang – Port Dickson – Klang and Chinese New Year 2017 Tour.

The Avillion Coastal Ride (ACR) has been hosted by PD for a number of years. I made up for missing the previous ACRs by turning this year’s ACR into a three-day cycling event. Kota Kemuning to Morib with the R@SKLs, and then solo to PD on Saturday. The 160km Endurance ACR with friends on Sunday. And a solo ride home on Monday.

You can tell by the way the pre-ride formalities are managed that an event is run by a competent organiser. In this case Pedal Explorer and their technical director, Encik Zulkarnain Shah, seen here keeping an eye on the goody bag distribution.

Organiser

Information about the ride was clearly posted outside the room where participants were to collect their goody bags.

The distribution of ride packs / goody bags was efficiently managed. I was out of the room, three goody bags in hand, in a matter of minutes.

Those goody bags were heavier than I expected. That 500g pack of organic rice was an unusual goody bag item.

Photograph courtesy of Mohd Farid Abu Bakar

Registration for the ACR 2017 entitled participants to a discounted rate at the host hotels. Either the Avillion Admiral Cove, or the Avillion PD. I had opted for the latter. So I had a 4.5km / 2.8 ride from the goody bag pickup at Avillion Admiral Cove to the Avillion PD. With goody bags swinging from my handlebar.

I had been in my cycling kit for more than eight hours. The first thing I needed after checking in to my water chalet was a shower. I stood fully-clothed under the high-volume shower head, rinsing salt and grime off body and out of kit.

Avillion PD I hadn’t eaten anything since stopping at Morib with the R@SKLs. I had a late lunch in the Crow’s Nest restaurant, with a view of the Straits of Malacca.

Avillion PD 2

Marco, Mark, and Martin drove from KL to PD early on Sunday morning. I met them at the Avillion PD car park, and we rode to the start line at the Avillion Admiral Cove.

Here we are, waiting for the ride to be flagged off.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

There were lots of cycling clubs and teams, resplendent in their matching kits. Including this group of former students from my secondary school.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

There were three distances to choose from. The 25km / 15.5mi Fun Ride, the 90km / 56mi Scenic Ride, and the 160km / 99.5mi Endurance Ride.

The Endurance Ride participants set off first. Led out by three riders on postman’s bikes. The national courier, Pos Laju, was the main sponsor of the ACR 2017.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia magazine

1,606 participants streamed under the Start / Finish arch. Including two riders on unusual machines.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia magazine

The Endurance Ride route took us south past the old Si Rusa Inn, and then eastward. Within ten minutes the four of us had latched on to the rear of a fairly large group. Which included this gentleman on a fat bike.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

He, and the others ahead of us, provided a draft which we enjoyed all the way to the first water station at Linggi. Almost everyone in the group stopped there. We rode through that water station, so we became a peloton of four.

Map courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

At about the 40km / 25mi mark we crossed the border between the state of Negri Sembilan and the state of Melaka, at Lubok China. We were enjoying the very pleasant roads between the small towns and villages.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

There wasn’t much traffic on those roads. Not that traffic would have been a problem. We were accompanied by a capable set of marshalls on motorbikes, who shielded us from any vehicles.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

There were also mechanics on motorbikes and scooters. More than a few participants were very grateful for the roadside assistance they received.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

The mobile marshalls were complementd by marshalls positioned at intersections. They stopped traffic so that we could keep rolling. The ever-present marshalls are another hallmark of a well-organised event.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

It takes considerable resources to efficiently and effectively manage a cycling event. In the case of the ACR 2017, this included 300 support crew, officials and volunteers, 3 ambulances, 3 broom lorries, 7 support vehicles, 6 police patrol cars and 60 police motorbikes and pilots.

Kudos to Pedal Explorer, Encik Zulkarnain Shah, the police personnel, and the support crew, officials and volunteers for making the ACR 2017 a safe and memorable event for all the participants.

3km / 1.8mi after crossing the state border, we became a group of three. Martin did the Scenic Ride. His route split from ours at the junction of Federal Route 5 and State Route M140.

Map courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

We waved goodbye as Martin turned right. By then, Marco and Mark had been ready for breakfast for some time. I had had the benefit of a room service breakfast, albeit at the ungodly hour of 4.40am. (My breakfast was delivered twenty minutes early).

My companions were on the road while I was eating my pancakes, so they were hungry. We stopped at a food stall in Kampung Jeram, about 50km / 31mi into the ride.

Nasi lemak and iced Milo sorted out the hunger pangs.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Having only recently fed and watered ourselves, we rolled through the next water station at 72km / 45mi. We missed out on the dabbing action there!

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

Halfway through the ride we were on the AMJ Highway. The clouds had burned off, and the temperature was rising. Our thoughts turned to the ice cold coconut shakes at Klebang Original Coconut Shake. 5km / 3mi away.

All the turns along the route were very clearly marked with red arrows. Even at junctions without a marshall, it was obvious which way to turn. We got to Jalan Klebang Besar / Klebang Kecil and turned right, as indicated by the red arrow.

We started looking for Klebang Original Coconut Shake. 2km / 1.2mi later we were riding out of Klebang Besar, without having seen the coconut shake shop. One look at our route on Strava revealed why. Klebang Original Coconut Shake is 200 meters / 660 feet to the left of the junction where we had turned right. So close!

Map courtesy of Strava and Google Maps

A couple of kilometers later we turned left onto Jalan Pekan Tanjung 2. And found a sundry shop with cold drinks and a tap where we could wash our faces. We spent fifteen minutes there, sitting inside the shop, under a fan, cold drinks in hand.

We had met up with Johan S. a number of times along the route. He would pass us on the downhills, and we would pass him on the uphills and flats.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

We spotted him as he rode past the sundry shop. A quick yell, and he was soon resting in the shop with us.

Our next destination was Kuala Seafood at Kuala Sungai Baru, 25km / 15.5mi away. This is the restaurant which was closed, to our great disappointment, when we rode to Melaka about a month ago. I was certain that the restaurant was along our route, so we wouldn’t miss it the way we had missed Klebang Original Coconut Shake..

Kuala Seafood

Kuala Seafood was open! A waitress told us that the restaurant had closed for a month so that the staff could have a long holiday. It had been re-opened for two days. I told her that the next time they plan to close for a month, they need to put an announcement about it in the newspapers.

It was 12.30pm when we got to Kuala Seafood. It was at least 35° C / 95° F. We were shoes-off hot.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The food looked delicious, as we expected. But we were too hot to eat any of it. All we wanted were ice-cold drinks.

At that point we had about 35km / 22mi left to ride. We were back on familiar roads between PD and Melaka. We had cycled before on these roads at about the same time of day, so we knew it was going to get hotter over the next hour or two. The number of people we saw taking a break in whatever shade they could find bore this out.

Photograph courtesy of Avillion Coastal Ride 2017

The last 12km / 7.5mi of the ride included a 10.5km / 6.5mi stretch of Jalan Pintasan Teluk Kemang. That road is a dual carriageway that serves as an inland shortcut to the Seremban – Port Dickson Highway. It bypasses the narrow, winding two-way road which runs along the coast.

It was probably 37° C / 99° F, if not hotter, on that bypass. There is no shade. And it rolls up and down over its entire length, to the tune of 162 meters / 530 feet of climbing.

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia magazine

It was too hot to linger. So we upped the pace, helped by a tailwind, to the finish at the Avillion Admiral Cove.

Because we had lingered over food and drinks along the way, we were amongst the last finishers. Well behind all the Fun and Scenic Ride participants, and most of the Endurance riders.

So we didn’t get any of watermelon or iced Milo on offer at the end of the ride. It had all been polished off by the cyclists ahead of us. I’m looking at you Martin!

Photograph courtesy of Cycling Malaysia magazine

There were plenty of packs of biryani rice, chicken, and cabbage left. It was pretty good too. Some of the better post-ride food I’ve tasted. There was lots of water, and chocolate muffins as well. We didn’t really have to eat our medals..

Sweet Marco

After we ate and cooled down, we rode back to the Avillion Hotel PD for a shower and a change of clothes. We had one more place to visit.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

A bowl of Azmi chendol was an excellent end to the ACR 2017.

I’m looking forward to the ACR 2018.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Avillion Admiral Cove, Avillion Coastal Ride 2017, Avillion Port Dickson, Azmi Cendol, Bikeaway, Klebang Original Coconut Shake, Kuala Seafood, Melaka, Port Dickson. Bookmark the permalink.

Eating Our Way to Melaka

Posted on August 21, 2017 by alchemyrider

Graphic courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Mark and I decided that it was high time to break out the Apidura saddle bags and go on an overnight bicycle trip. We chose Melaka as our destination, because it is a reasonable distance from Kuala Lumpur, the roads are generally good, and the eating along the way and in Melaka is excellent.

After some canvassing, we had a group of six. Alan and Chee Seng could not stay overnight, so their plan was to ride to Melaka, and then get to Tampin KTM station for the train back to KL. Johan S., Ridzuwan, Mark and I would spend Thursday night in Melaka.

We were all excited about the trip. Bikes and saddle bags were set up the day before, and some of us struggled to get to sleep the night before.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

We started from where I live. We were on the MEX Highway by about 6.15am. The adrenaline levels are a bit high when riding on MEX. It is a highway after all. Though at that early hour, there isn’t much traffic leaving KL, so the riding is not too fraught.

We made a quick pit stop at the Seri Kembangan R&R.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Tan

As expected, given the wet weather of the preceding days, we got rained on as we left the R&R. Fortunately the rain wasn’t heavy, and it didn’t last long. We did have wet roads until we reached Dengkil. A benefit of the Apidura saddle bag is that it extends back far enough to block the spray coming off the rear wheel. It is like riding with a rear mud guard.

Dengkil was where our first planned food stop. There is a roadside stall on the corner of Jalan Aman and Jalan Mutiara 1J. We stop there for breakfast whenever our rides take us through Dengkil.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We had a visitor looking for handouts during breakfast.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

From the Dengkil bypass we rode along the busy Putrajaya–Cyberjaya Expressway and the Nilai – KLIA Highway before turning right onto the quieter Jalan Besar Salak at Salak Tinggi.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Our next stop was at the Shell station in Sepang. 70km / 43.5mi done. 110km / 68mi to go. It was supposed to be a short stop for drinks and the loo, but soon after this picture was taken . . .

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

this picture was taken.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

My front tire had gone soft while we were at the Shell station. This was the culprit.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Tan

An advantage of Two-Way Fit™ rims is that the tire bead stays locked to the rim after a puncture. A flat tire doesn’t roll off the rim. A very useful quality when you get a flat while speeding down a winding descent.

The associated disadvantage of 2-Way Fit™ rims is that it is difficult to get the tire off the rim, and even more difficult to seat the tire properly when reinflating the tube. Thank goodness for the air pump at the petrol station, which generated enough air pressure to quickly seat the tire.

Happy smiles as we finally got going again.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

We rode out of the Shell station onto Federal Route 5, which runs along the west side of Peninsular Malaysia, from Skudai in the south to Ipoh in the north.

Our intermediate destination was Cendol Azmi in Port Dickson. Which serves some of the best cendol I have ever had. Mark and I have been there a number of times. We talked up Cendol Azmi over the 25km / 15.5mi to Port Dickson.

So imagine our collective disappointment when we go to Cendol Azmi and found it closed. What a letdown!

We settled on Sukand’s Food Station, across the road from Cendol Azmi.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

To Sukand’s credit, their cendol was pretty good. As was the three-layer air bandung.

Photograph courtesy of Alan Tan

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We debated having lunch in Port Dickson, but decided to hold out until we got to Kuala Sungai Baru, across the state border in Melaka. Mark and I had eaten at Kuala Seafood during previous cycling trips to Melaka. That restaurant was a highlight every time.

We stopped to buy Cokes at Pasir Panjang, about halfway between Port Dickson and Kuala Sungai Baru. We then picked up the pace over the 20km to Kuala Seafood. 2pm had come and gone, and we were hungry.

So imagine our extreme disappointment when we got to Kuala Seafood and found it closed. What a bummer!!

There weren’t many options for food. The few restaurants in the vicinity had sold out of their lunch offerings. We settled for some mediocre fried rice, just to fill out stomachs more than anything else.

We had 40km / 25mi to go to Melaka. Alan had been talking about getting coconut shakes once we got there. Melaka is known for good coconut shakes. Alan said that Klebang Original Coconut Shake was the place. Having been disappointed twice already, we made Alan call Klebang Original Coconut Shake to make sure that it was open.

It was.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

And the coconut shakes were good. Good enough for us to drink a second round of shakes.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

This place is worth visiting again.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

By the time we left Klebang Original Coconut Shake, my patched inner tube was failing. I gave it a good pump up, and Johan S., Mark, Ridzuwan and I headed to our hotel.

Alan and Chee Seng were heading back to KL that evening. They first rode to Jonker Walk and Dutch Square for obligatory tourist photographs.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

And a refreshing recovery beverage.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

The rest of us checked in to the Hallmark Crown Hotel. I had booked the hotel sight unseen. Welcome to the Internet Age! The price was right – about USD25 per night for a double occupancy room, including buffet breakfast.

We weren’t expecting much, but were pleasantly surprised when we got to our rooms. Which were clean and comfortable, and had air-conditioning and a mini-fridge which worked. Plus there was lots of hot water on the shower, and the free wifi signal was strong.

Showered and changed, we walked to the next food destination on our list. The Makko Nyonya Restaurant. Another repeat visit venue for Mark and I. Fortunately for the two of us, Makko was open!

Fried eggplant with chilli, beancurd skin rolls, cincalok omelette, chicken rendang, curry prawns with pineapple, and chendol.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The 180km / 112mi bike ride was worth it for this meal alone.

While we were stuffing our faces at dinner, Alan and Chee Seng had made it to Tampin, and were on the KTM Komuter train back to KL. Comfortably so.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

Not to be outdone in the food stakes, Alan and Chee Seng had supper in KL.

Photograph courtesy of Lee Chee Seng

On Friday morning the four of us attacked the hotel buffet breakfast. An observer would have thought that we hadn’t eaten at all the night before!

Then it was out turn for tourist photographs.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We had, briefly, considered cycling back to KL. Riding to Tampin and taking the train seemed like a more reasonable thing to do.

Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee

40km / 25mi of pedalling got us to the Pulau Sebang (Tampin) KTM station.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We loaded our bikes and ourselves into the last carriage of the train.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Two and a bit hours later, we were at the Bank Negara KTM station in KL. It is a short ride from there to where I live.

It was lunch time, so we made a side trip first, to Santa Chapati House on Jalan Sarikei. A fitting end to our two-day adventure. It was, after all, an eating trip with some cycling thrown in for variety.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Thank you Alan, Chee Seng, Johan S., Ridzuwan and Mark for your enjoyable company. We had a lot of laughs and good riding. To be repeated for sure.

Footnote

The graphic at the top of this post is a mashup of our coconut shakes and the logo for a anti-littering campaign which was launched by the Melaka state government in 2014. A take on the “Don’t Mess With Texas” campaign started there in 1986.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Apidura, Cendol Azmi, Dengkil, Hallmark Crown Hotel, Klebang Original Coconut Shake, KTM Komuter, Kuala Seafood, Melaka, Port Dickson, Restoran Makko, Santa Chapati House, Sepang, Tampin. Bookmark the permalink.

Chinese New Year 2017 Tour

Posted on February 4, 2017 by alchemyrider

gong-xi-fa-cai

Danial, Safwan and I kicked off the Year of the Fire Rooster with a three day / two night credit card tour from Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson, Melaka, and Seremban.

Map courtesy of Strava

On the morning of Day 1, Safwan and Danial rode from Bangsar to the McDonald’s at Ampang Park. I met them there. This would be the standard start to each day. Breakfast at McDonald’s.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

The ride along the MEX Highway was quieter than usual. Being the second day of Chinese New Year, the roads everywhere were relatively empty.

We made a short “nature calls” stop at the Seri Kembangan R&R. Then another stop at the PETRONAS station in Dengkil, for provisions.

Other than a few stops for traffic lights, like this pretty long wait at the junction of the Nilai – KLIA Highway (Federal Route 32) and Jalan Besar Salak (Selangor State Route B48), we kept moving for the next two hours.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Our next stop for a drink and a bathroom was at the Shell station in Sepang.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

After that is was over the lumps on Federal Route 5 to Lukut, and then the flatter closing 12km / 7.5km to Port Dickson. About 100km / 62mi for the day.

It was lunch time when we arrived in Port Dickson. We had cendol and rojak at Azmi Cendol, and the guys bought cheap flip flops from a nearby shop, before we rode to the Waterfront Boutique Hotel.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

After a shower, in my case whilst wearing my kit so it got a wash as well, I took a short nap. Then we met in the lobby for the short trip around the corner to Starbucks Coffee. A venti Mocha Frappuccino hit the spot.

That evening we revisited Restoran Seri Mesra Ikan Bakar for dinner. We had eaten there during a BCG Tour to Port Dickson. Fortunately we didn’t have to cycle the 11km / 7mi to the restaurant. Darshini had made a day trip to Port Dickson, so we had a car ride there and back.

There was the option for another Starbucks after dinner, but I was fading. We planned a 7.00am start, so I fell into bed and was soon fast asleep.

My kit was dry, and more importantly, not smelling funky, at the crack of dawn. We checked out of the hotel and rolled the few hundred meters to McDonald’s for breakfast.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Melaka here we come!

Map courtesy of Strava

The roads between Port Dickson and Melaka, along Federal Route 5, Federal Route Route 138, Melaka State Route M142, and back onto Federal Route 5, are very pleasant. The road surface is good, and there isn’t much heavy vehicle traffic to contend with.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

33km / 20.5mi from Port Dickson, we crossed the Sungai Linggi, which at that point doubles as the border between the states of Negri Sembilan and Melaka. We did notice that the road narrowed a bit, and changed colour, once we crossed into the state of Melaka.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

We made an early lunch stop at Restoran Kuala Seafood, in Kampung Kuala Sungai Baru. Not everything on the lunch buffet menu was ready yet, but there was enough on offer for us to fill our tummies.

Our lunch stop, or more accurately, our brunch stop, came about halfway to Melaka. We made a semi-emergency stop 10km / 6mi further on, at the Petron station in Masjid Tanah. Danial needed an ice-cream to quell the flames in his stomach from the too-spicy curry he ate at lunch.

We had planned to ride non-stop the rest of the way to Melaka town. We got to Tanjung Kling before large raindrops began to fall. We ducked under the first shelter we could find, and waited out the rain.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

I was quite smug about having packed shoe covers and a rain vest. I put those items on as we waited for the rain to stop. Twenty minutes later we rolled out onto the wet road. We could hardly have gone more than a kilometer before the road changed to being completely dry, and the sun was out. I wasn’t so smug anymore.

We had been caught, quite literally, under a cloudburst. And now it was sunny and dry, and I was getting hot under my vest. We started making jokes about my rain gear having the power to repel rain.

It was 12km / 7.5mi to Melaka from Tanjung Kling. There was a traffic jam for most of that distance into Melaka. I was glad to be on a bicycle. We stopped on the bridge over the Sungai Melaka for a photograph of the river. A river that is much cleaner these days.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Then it was off the bridge and around the corner to the Fenix Inn. The bicycle-friendly hotel that we have stayed at before.

Our post-ride routine was identical to the one the day before. A shower with kit on, a short nap, and then a walk to the Starbucks Coffee next door to the hotel. The guys even had to buy flip flops. It turned out that the RM2.50 / USD0.60 flip flops they had bought in Port Dickson weren’t such a good deal after all. They were more stiff plastic than rubber, and were very uncomfortable. So the guys left them in Port Dickson.

I was happy to wait until dinner to eat anything. Danial and Safwan were peckish, and wanted to try the chicken rice balls at Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice Ball. I related my disappointing experience with the chicken rice balls at that restaurant. Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice Ball has developed quite a name for itself, so the guys thought that I must have been there on an off-day.

They admitted after eating there that they should have listened to me.

Dinner was at the Restoran Ole Sayang, on the recommendation of AiLin, who is a Melaka girl. AiLin was in Melaka for Chinese New Year, and not only came to Ole Sayang with us, but picked up the tab as well. We owe you one Ailin. Thank you.

A Starbucks was between the restaurant and out hotel, so we stopped for coffee and cake. There were some brief thoughts of going on to somewhere else after Starbucks, but common sense, and age in my case, caught up. I needed to get to sleep if I wanted to be ready for another 7.00am start.

Guess where we went for breakfast on Day 3?

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

The sharp-eyed will have spotted that Safwan had packed a second set of cycling kit. Danial and I stuck to our wash-and-dry routine. Which worked yet again.

Map courtesy of Strava

Our route out of Melaka to Seremban took us onto the AMJ Highway (Federal Route 19). A road which is characterized along its entire length by rolling terrain.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Compounded on the day by a headwind that blew all the way to Seremban. All that up and down riding against the wind was thirsty work. We stopped at the R&R at Simpang Ampat for a cold drink. We had covered all of 31km / 19mi.

The sun had come out in full force while we were at the R&R. I pulled on my arm screens, and made a mini keffiyeh out of a bandana to keep the sun off the back of my neck. Of course, as soon as we got going, the cloud cover rolled in and blocked out the sun.

We were blessed with excellent rising weather over the three days. Apart from brief periods of bright sun, we rode in overcast and cool conditions. We think my bandana was the charm.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Our plan was to hop onto the KTM Komuter at Seremban, rather than ride all the way back to Kuala Lumpur. After 39km / 24mi we turned left off the AMJ Highway onto Jalan Seremban – Tampin, which roughly paralleled the rail tracks we would be on later.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

The guys were hungry at about the 50km / 31mi mark, so we stopped at Isyani Café in Rembau. They devoured large plates of fried rice, and I sucked down a couple of iced Milos.

There were 30km / 18.5mi to go to Seremban. Or more precisely, to Restoran Nelayan Seafood, which is where Danial wanted to have lunch. That restaurant is well-known for its masak lemak dishes, which are a Negri Sembilan speciality. A variety of meats, fowl and seafood are cooked in a coconut milk and bird’s eye chilli gravy, which is coloured a rich yellow by turmeric.

cny-2017-day-3-restoran-nelayan-seafood-warisn9world-blogspot-my

Photograph courtesy of warisn9world.blogspot.my

The guys ate well. Luckily it was only a few hundred meters from the restaurant to the train station.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

RM11 / USD2.50 each for ourselves and our bikes, and we were in air-conditioned comfort for the ninety-minute train ride to the Bank Negara station.

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

I skipped eating at Restoran Nelayan Seafood. I was looking forward to the Lamb Balls and Egg at Born & Bread Café. A mere 4km / 2.5mi from the Bank Negara station. Admittedly through some heavy traffic. It was worth the wait and the ride!

Photograph courtesy of Danial Marzuki

Three happy guys, ready to do it all again sometime soon.

cny-2017-day-3-bb

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged AMJ Highway, Born & Bread Cafe, Ee Ji Ban Chicken Rice Ball, Fenix Inn, KTM Komuter, Kuala Seafood, McDonalds, Melaka, MEX Highway, Port Dickson, Restoran Nelayan Seafood, Restoran Ole Sayang, Restoran Seri Mesra Ikan Bakar, Seremban, Starbucks Coffee, Waterfront Boutique Hotel. Bookmark the permalink.

Roadies and Fixies Cendol Tour: Melaka to Kajang

Posted on December 18, 2016 by alchemyrider

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Our plans for an early start were scuttled by rain. We lingered over breakfast while waiting for the rain to stop.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We rolled out of the Fenix Inn at 9.00am. Not to immediately head north toward Port Dickson and Kajang, but to ride to the ruins of the A Famosa fortress, and to the Stadthuys. Two of the most photographed colonial buildings, the first Portuguese and the second Dutch, in Melaka.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

Photographs snapped, we crossed the Melaka River and started our 150km / 93mi ride back to Kajang.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We retraced our route from the day before. We also followed our schedule of stopping every 30km / 19mi or so.

The first stop came at a coconut water stand 27km / 17mi outside Melaka. Mark and I had become separated from Alvin and Liang by that point. We stopped again at the junction of Route 5 and the M142 to make sure that they didn’t miss that turn.

Riding together again, we got to Kuala Sungai Baru at 11.40am. The Kuala Seafood restaurant already had its lunch offerings on display. Everything tasted as good as it looked.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We lingered over lunch and drinks for an hour. It had been hot the day before, and it was already hot again. I were all dehydrated, and our bodies needed all the fluid we could take in.

The weather can change very quickly, and it did so after lunch. We had to take cover at a bus stop near Batu Ibol as a sudden cloudburst rolled by.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

The rain eased after ten minutes, so we headed back out onto the very wet road. We rode through drizzle and on wet roads all the way to Port Dickson.

We stopped at Azmi Cendol in the town centre to dry off a bit.

And for some of this.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

And some of this.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We were just over halfway home. The sun came out again as we sat at Azmi Cendol. Time to reapply the SPF70. The rest of the ride was pretty uneventful. No punctures!

It was hot and steamy. We stopped for a much needed rest and something to drink just before the 100km / 62mi mark. Coincidentally at the 99 Speedmart in Tanah Merah where we bought Cokes and such the day before.

There are 140 meters / 460 feet of climbing in the 12km / 7.5mi between Tanah Merah and Sepang. Which was especially hard work for Alvin and Liang on their fixies. They fully deserved the stop at the Shell petrol station in Sepang.

The climbing doesn’t stop after Sepang. There is another 465 meters / 1,525 feet of elevation in the 45km / 28mi to Kajang. By the time we got to Pekan Salak we all needed to refill our bottles.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

We needed to catch our breath one final time with 20km / 12.5mi to go. Then it was a leisurely ride past some high tech bodies: the Atomic Energy Licensing Board, the Malaysia Genome Institute, and the Malaysian Nuclear Agency.

The National University of Malaysia in Bangi is the last landmark before the right turn toward Bandar Teknologi Kajang. From there we had just 5.5km / 3.5mi to the police station where we had parked. Oh, and a final 100 meters / 328 feet of climbing, just for laughs!

It had taken us ten and a half hours to get from Melaka to Kajang. Six and a half of which were spent on our bikes. We had done the return trip in about twenty five minutes less than the outward leg the day before. Kudos to Alvin and Liang for pedalling for every second of those thirteen hours and fifteen minutes, as we covered a tad over 320 km / 199 mi over two days. Very impressive!

We closed our credit card tour with dinner at Restoran Yip Sheng, down the road from the police station. Fried rice, lemon chicken and braised beancurd.

Photograph courtesy of Alvin Lee

A tasty end to a very enjoyable two-day tour in the company of very good friends.

Old Roots, New Routes

Tag Archives: Kuala Seafood

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Eating Our Way to Melaka

Footnote

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Roadies and Fixies Cendol Tour: Melaka to Kajang

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