Tag Archives: Liew Kee (Ah Lek) Chee Cheong Fun

Another R@SKLs Ride to Teluk Intan – Day 1

Posted on October 8, 2024 by alchemyrider

I have ridden to Teluk Intan eight times since 2016. The links to my posts for those rides are below:

The last five rides have been with the R@SKLs, most recently in January 2022. It was time for another udang galah dinner (giant river prawn) ride.

We chose the weekend of 5th and 6th September. I later learned that this was KL Standard Chartered Marathon weekend. The 10 km route circled where I live. My greatest challenge was crossing Jalan Sultan Ismail through a sea of runners.

Photograph courtesy of Kuala Lumpur Standard Chartered Marathon

The decision to have a water station at the Medan Tuanku monorail station made it impossible for me to cross the road there. I rode along the pavement and on the parallel Jalan Medan Tuanku 1 until there was nothing else to do but jog along with the runners, edging myself and my bike through the crowd and across Jalan Sultan Ismail.

This message greeted me at the entrance to Putra KTM station. Point taken.

All present.

Train number 2023 arrived on time and we were on our way. The two cyclists behind us boarded at Rawang. They would get off at Kuala Kubu Bharu station to ride up Fraser’s Hill.

We were at Tanjung Malim station 73 minutes after leaving Putra station.

We were on our way after some food and drink at Restoran Hijas. About 85 km lay between us and Teluk Intan.

After 12 km we rode up to a group of RELA (Malaysia Volunteers Corps) personnel directing traffic. We were not sure about what was going on at first. Then we saw the finisher’s gantry ahead. Complete with cameramen, videographers, and people waving flags and cheering. All expecting that we were the lead group of bike racers. I am sure they were all disappointed. TH and I made the best of it by crossing the line with arms aloft!

G looked online and found out what the event was.

Image courtesy of Politeknik Sultan Azlan Shah

At most one kilometre later TH had a puncture. The only flat tire over the two days.

Three of us helped with the inner tube replacement while the rest of us admired this traditional kampung house.

It was cloudy and cool, but very humid. We needed regular stops to take on fluid. Which meant frequent restroom stops as well. The Petron station in Slim River is distinguished by the painted wall on the building behind the station. We can count on V to notice these things.

We also stopped at the larger Petron station in Trolak to buy more drinks.

56 km into the ride is Kuala Bikam. Noted for a group of stalls selling fruit from the orchards surrounding the village. Pomelos, papayas, mangoes, bananas, watermelons, pineapples, jambu air (rose apples), guavas, mangosteens, durians, dragonfruit, soursop. The list goes on.

The sun broke through the clouds and the temperature jumped by 2º C. Ice creams at the 99 Speedmart in Taman Okid provided a welcome relief. The cloud cover rolled in again too.

We made one more restroom stop before we got to the Yew Boutique Hotel. Seconds before it started raining.

We hung out in the hotel lounge drinking our complimentary drinks while waiting for my Biker Chick to arrive with our bags. We had our bags ten minutes later. Everyone stayed while J walked in the rain to buy that famous Teluk Intan chee cheong fun. He came back with the last two pieces available. We supplemented that with orders from the hotel café. They have expanded their menu since the last time I stayed there. Just a snack though.

Then it was showers, naps and massages before meeting at 6:30 pm for dinner. It was still raining, so six of us squeezed into the Ativa for the short drive to Restoran d’Tepian Sungai. The two others met us at the restaurant.

Our food had been pre-ordered. Two udang galah dishes, sweet and sour fish, fried squid, omelette and mixed fried vegetables.

We made short work of the dishes before us. When the dust settled, there was nothing but rice left.

The rain was still falling after we finished eating. We grabbed umbrellas from the car, took this photograph on the bank of the Perak River, and walked through the night market to Teluk Intan’s landmark building.

The night market was filled with food vendors. V bought us all crispy apam balik (peanut-filled pancakes).

Photograph courtesy of Apam Balik Crispy Sepang

The Menara Chondong (Leaning Tower) was built in 1885 to store water and to display the time. The soft ground on which it was built as well as the weight of the water in the water tank caused it to lean towards the southwest.

We strolled back to the hotel, chatted for a while in the lounge, and then hit our beds. We planned a 6:45 am meet up for breakfast.

Udang Galah Tour – Petaling Jaya to Teluk Intan

Posted on December 19, 2016 by alchemyrider

Graphic courtesy of ITBM

Two days after completing the Cendol Tour to Melaka, four of us embarked on a credit card tour to Teluk Intan. This time Mark and I had Marco and Lay for company.

Everyone was on road bikes this time, all sporting Apidura saddle bags.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We started the ride under the sun, the moon, and clouds. It looked like we would have nice weather for our ride. Looks can be deceiving!

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We rode from Ara Damansara to Denai Alam. Once on the motorcycle lane alongside the Guthrie Corridor Expressway, we cycled past the Lagong toll plaza to Exit 3501. There we joined the LATAR Expressway toward Ijok.

Our first stop was at Sin Loong Kee Noodles in Kampung Baru Kundang. Steaming bowls of beehoon and mee, accompanied by strong coffee.

That breakfast set us up nicely for the ride along the rest of the LATAR Expressway toward Ijok.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

At this juncture it was still overcast and relatively cool. It didn’t stay that way. By the time we were riding through Bukit Rotan on our way to Kuala Selangor, the sun was out, and the heat was on.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We stopped in Kuala Selangor for a photograph by the Selangor River. And truth be told, a bit of a rest.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Then we were on the hunt for something to drink. Which we found at a roadside stall advertising ‘kelapa wangi’ (fragrant coconuts). You pick the coconut that you want, or just let the vendor choose for you. Four or five swings of his cleaver, and the top of the coconut is off. Add ice and guzzle.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The sun was unrelenting. By 1.00pm the “feels like” temperature was 40° C / 104° F. We were in Sekinchan, and had covered 101 km / 63 mi. It was time to stop for lunch.

We sat in the KFC in Sekinchan for seventy five minutes. Half of that time was spent eating. The rest was spent sipping drinks and summoning up the willpower to leave the air-conditioning and venture back out into the furnace.

We got as far as Sungai Besar before we needed another dose of air-conditioning. This time in McDonald’s, where we chilled our insides with lime sundaes. The green food colouring in the lime topping might have been flourescent, but there was nothing wrong with the taste. Those sundaes hit the spot.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

Back on our bikes again, we were starting to get worn down by the double whammy of the broiling heat, and the frequent stretches of rutted, poorly patched, and pot-holed roads. We were expending a lot of energy negotiating around and over the holes and bumps in the road. A raised or depressed manhole cover is just an irritation to a driver, but it is a hazard to a cyclist.

After a particularly bad section of road north of Sabak Bernam, where even the patches over older patches had themselves been patched, we pulled over under some trees, beside a small Indian shrine, to rest our tired hands and forearms.

indian-temple

It was nine and a half hours since we left Ara Damansara. That dead straight road ahead of us seemed endless, disappearing into the horizon.

We had roughly 25 km / 15.5 mi to go. Not a lot. But we were getting to the end of our reserves of energy. We were at that point where every kilometer seems to take an age to cover. The distance markers at the roadside were becoming more of a hindrance than a help. Seemingly mocking our slow forward progress.

We covered just 15 km / 9 mi before we needed another stop. The Shell petrol station at Taman Aman was a haven of air-conditioning and cold drinks.

As the distance between us and the Yew Boutique Hotel in Teluk Intan fell to single digits, the sun finally dropped low enough in the sky so as to make the heat less oppressive. At this point the distance markers were in partial numbers.

Teluk Intan 3.5 km

Teluk Intan 2.5 km

At 6.00pm we made the left turn onto Jalan Mahkamah, and then left again onto Jalan Mahkota. We had arrived at the the place that was the reason for making this trip to Teluk Intan.

The Restoran D’Tepian Sungai.

The udang galah (giant freshwater prawn) restaurant right on the bank of the Perak River, where the participants in the BCG Tour to Teluk Intan had feasted.

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

We wanted to order our food ahead of time, so that we could come back at 8.00pm knowing that we had a table, and that our food would be ready. Just as the proprietor was telling us that the largest of the udang galah, the Grade A ones, were finished – “Boo”, a supplier pulled up with a fresh delivery – “Yahoo!”

We made one last stop before the hotel. The Menara Condong, or Leaning Tower, is the iconic structure of Teluk Intan.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

We were back at the Restoran D’Tepian Sungai at 8.00pm sharp. Waiting for us were 2 kilos / 4.4 lbs of those Grade A udang galah, prepared three different ways. 500 grams / 1.1 lbs of batter fried squid. And a couple of steamed crabs.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

It sounds like a lot of food. It was. But we consumed all of it!

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

You would have thought that everyone was full after eating all that. Think again.

Teluk Intan is noted for its chee cheong fun. The best is reputedly made by Liew Kee (Ah Lek) Chee Cheong Fun. Which is not far from the Yew Boutique Hotel.

We took a few night shots of the Menara Condong on the way to the chee cheong fun shop.

Photograph courtesy of Marco Lai

The chee cheong fun shop looks like a maximum security prison. There are no tables and chairs. Strictly takeaway only. Nevertheless, the queue was long. The place is famous far and wide.

Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim

There was talk of a few drinks before calling it a night. That turned out to be talk only. Once we got back to the hotel all thoughts turned to sleep. And dreams of cooler weather for the ride back to Petaling Jaya.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged Apidura, Kuala Selangor, Liew Kee (Ah Lek) Chee Cheong Fun, Menara Condong, Restoran D'Tepian Sungai, Sabak Bernam, Sekinchan, Sin Loong Kee Noodles, Sungai Besar, Teluk Intan, Udang Galah, Yew Boutique Hotel. Bookmark the permalink.

BCG Tour Ijok – Teluk Intan – Ijok

Posted on May 9, 2016 by alchemyrider

When the first Facebook posts about a supported ride from Ijok to Teluk Intan and back appeared on my News Feed, I was intrigued. It was the maiden ride organised by Johan S and Danial AM, who together are BCG Tour. They describe themselves as “2 cyclists who are dedicated to spreading the joy and good feeling of cycling to everyone.”

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Organisers

I am always up for joy and good feeling. Leslie and I signed up, and joined eleven other cyclists in Ijok.

Right away we all made new friends.

Before we headed out onto Jalan Kuala Selangor we got a short briefing about what to expect along the way. We were given ziploc bags holding cue sheets for the route. There weren’t many turns to watch out for, so none of us were worried about getting lost. Danial and Johan would both be driving support vehicles, one of which was a pickup, so help would always be close at hand.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Support

Johan is a photographer by profession. He started snapping photographs at the start, and regularly hopped out of his car along the route to take action shots. All the photographs in this post, unless indicated otherwise, were shot by him.

The route took us west from Ijok town to Jalan Kapar. There we turned right and headed north to Kuala Selangor and Sekinchan.

Route map courtesy of Ride With GPS

We made our first stop at Sekinchan after covering 48km / 30mi in 90 minutes. Pretty quick, thanks to Eric leading the way. It was time to regroup, and have a cold drink and a rest at a PETRONAS station.

The pace stayed high between Sekinchan and Sabak Bernam, which was our next designated regrouping point.

The staff at the KFC weren’t fazed by a throng of sweaty cyclists rocking up to the counter to order drinks and food. I’m not sure what the other patrons thought though.

We spent ninety minutes at the KFC in Sabak Bernam. By the time we were all ready to leave it was starting to get hot. Very hot.

Weather graphic courtesy of Weather Underground

Certainly hot enough for me to slather some more sunscreen on my exposed skin, and to tuck a bandana under my helmet to keep the sun off the back of my neck.

The last 40km / 25mi to Teluk Intan started with a 5km / 3mi detour through town and along the Sungai Bernam to avoid roadworks on the main road. The detour did include the opportunity to show off some cyclocross skills.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Sabak Bernam Detour 2

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Sabak Bernam Detour

Photographs courtesy of Danial AM

Once back on the main road we hit the climb of the day – the entire route is so flat that bridges across rivers count as climbs.

Photograph courtesy of Danial AM

After that it was a non-stop ride to Teluk Intan.

I am sure we were all glad to get to the landmark Menara Condong (Leaning Tower) in Teluk Intan. The end point for Day 1.

Photograph courtesy of Yew Boutique Hotel

Overnight accommodation was at the Yew Boutique Hotel, situated a few hundred metres from the Menara Condong. The hotel ticked all the boxes. The lobby cum coffee house is bright and spacious. The room Leslie and I shared was clean and comfortable. The air conditioning worked well, as did the water heater for the shower. We were even allowed to bring our bikes into our room.

Most of us hung out in the coolness of the coffee house before heading up to our rooms for a shower etc.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Yew Boutique Hotel

Once we were cleaned up it was time to eat. Next door to the hotel is the Medan Selera GSB (Glutton Square Baru) that serves delicious vegetarian popiah.

Photograph courtesy of Daniel N

Three servings, and some of Leslie’s shrimp wan tan, were enough to tide me over until dinner that evening.

Next came a dusk photo session at the Menara Condong.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Menara Condong

A dinner tip from local boy Shahfiq was the udang galah (giant freshwater prawns) at Restoran D’Tepian Sungai. Udang Galah are a big deal in Teluk Intan. These big versions are at Dataran Udang Galah (Udang Galah Square), which we walked through on the way to the restaurant.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Dataran Udang Galah

I took this photograph

As its name implies, Restoran D’Tepian Sungai overlooks the Sungai Perak. It is a simple open-air place.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Restoran D'Tepian Sungai

Photograph courtesy of narizan.blogspot.com

Essentially just a roof over tables and chairs, with the river visible behind.

You don’t come to Restoran D’Tepian Sungai for a fancy restaurant experience. You come for this.

Photograph courtesy of Wikipedia

Ordered by the kilo, and cooked in your choice of six different ways.

Photograph courtesy of Daniel N

We were treated to an epic thunderstorm as we ate our prawns, squid etc. The rain persisted after we had all finished our dinners. By the time we could venture out into the open to walk home, some were peckish again.

Teluk Intan is noted for its chee cheong fun. The best is reputedly made by Liew Kee (Ah Lek) Chee Cheong Fun, which conveniently was on the way back to the hotel.

Despite all the food I ate for dinner, I was up early for the set breakfast that came with the hotel room. Toast and jam, a fried egg, baked beans and coffee set me up for the ride home.

Riders headed back onto the road when they were ready, beginning before dawn.

My day didn’t start very well. I had a puncture 9 kilometres from the hotel.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie T

The fix was complicated by a valve core that kept unscrewing from the valve, rapidly releasing all the air that Leslie and I had just worked hard to pump in. Fortunately Danial appeared in his truck, with a small pair of pliers, and perhaps more crucially, a foot pump that had a push-on rather than a screw-on head.

Once my rear tire was back on my bike, we had no more trouble. We retraced our route back to Ijok, this time without the need to detour around road works.

As it had done the day before, the temperature climbed steadily through the morning. The humidity level was also very high after the heavy rain during the night.

Weather graphic courtesy of Weather Underground

I wasn’t the only one sweating buckets on the return ride. Leslie and I stopped at a Caltex station in Batang Berjuntai for a cold drink and a dose of air conditioning.

We stopped again at the Padi Box in Sekinchan, which was the scheduled regrouping point.

The Padi Box is a homestay place built out of repurposed shipping containers.

Photograph courtesy of Seng Chee Photography

Unfortunately the cafe was closed because there was a video shoot going on. So we descended on the fruit stall on the corner of Jalan Tali Air 4 and the main road. Where I drank three large glasses of fresh mango juice in double quick time. I had been drinking regularly from my bidons, but the fluid was dripping out of me almost as fast as I was taking it in.

20km / 12mi later we stopped at Cendol Durian Borhan in Kampung Permatang. Yet another food outlet that has achieved stellar status in the eyes of foodies.

I can’t fault the decor.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Cendol Durian Borhan

Photograph courtesy of asparaguswhite.blogspot.com

The cendol was very good.

Photograph courtesy of Leslie T

So good that I had another bowl after I finished the two in front of me.

Given the amount of fluid I had drunk during the previous two hours, I am surprised that I wasn’t sloshing around during the 25km / 16mi from the cendol stop to Ijok. It was straight into the 7-Eleven at Ijok for another drink as soon as we finished.

BCG Tour Teluk Intan Finish Ijok

Johan and Danial did an excellent job making sure that everyone got back to Ijok safely. Kudos to the both of them for organising a fun event. And congratulations to all the participants. For some this was their longest ride to date. Well done.

If you are interested in joining the next BCG tour event, click here. Kajang to Melaka and back on June 4th and 5th. 260km / 162mi in all. I’m sure you will enjoy it.

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Posted in Cycling in Malaysia and tagged BCG Tour, Cendol Durian Borhan, Ijok, Liew Kee (Ah Lek) Chee Cheong Fun, Medan Selera GSB, Menara Condong, Padi Box, Restoran D'Tepian Sungai, Teluk Intan, Yew Boutique Hotel. Bookmark the permalink.

Old Roots, New Routes

Tag Archives: Liew Kee (Ah Lek) Chee Cheong Fun

Another R@SKLs Ride to Teluk Intan – Day 1

Udang Galah Tour – Petaling Jaya to Teluk Intan

BCG Tour Ijok – Teluk Intan – Ijok

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