The closest I get to cycling during this latest total lockdown is looking at photographs. I came across this set of snaps from a ride to Paya Indah Wetlands.
The Paya Indah Wetlands – Paya Indah means Beautiful Swamp – is a man-made wetlands area that was created on land heavily degraded by tin mining and sand dredging activities. The excavations left by the mining works were converted into lakes which are now home to fish, lotus plants and water lilies, and some other more exotic species. More on those in a minute.
The R@SKLs rode to the wetlands just after the first Movement Control Order was lifted in May 2020. We couldn’t get in at the time because public parks, including Paya Indah, were still not open to the public. Paya Indah opened in June 2020, and we rode there again to see those exotic species.
On our way from Rimbayu.
As is so often the case on R@SKLs rides, the first order of business upon arrival is food and drink.
Here is one of the exotic species I mentioned.
Baby and Lily are the stars of the show at Paya Indah Wetlands. They are a gift from the government of Botswana.
Geetha drove there with her very excited children.
The kids loved the hippos.
And the crocs.
After viewing the fauna we explored the park. We found this lookout tower.
We convinced JS to clamber up the tower.
Then it was time to ride back to Rimbayu.
I fear it will be a while yet before we can do a similar 65km cross-district ride.
Some of the best rides happen with very little planning. A chat on the 5th led quickly to an agreement to ride from Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson on the 11th. And back again the next day. We had four others opt-in within a few days.
Brian, Kellie, Kenneth and I started before sunrise from Petaling Jaya. We rode to the Sanctuary Mall in Bandar Rimbayu, where we met Jake and Mark. There was time for coffee, Milo and roti canai before we pointed our bikes towards Port Dickson.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
We took our regular route to Jenjarom, and then rode the quiet secondary roads to Tanjung Sepat.
Photograph courtesy of Kellie ItoePhotograph courtesy of Kellie ItoePhotograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe
The only animal life we saw on the way to Tanjung Sepat was of the domesticated variety.
Photograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe
It took us about two and a half hours to get from Rimbayu to Tanjung Sepat. Which meant it was time for food and drink. We went to Hai Yew Hin. Home of excellent rice porridge.
Photograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe
And pretty good fish balls too.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
20km later we were waiting for the ferry across the Sepang River.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
Kenneth asked where the river originates. I didn’t know the name of the river then, let alone its origin. Thanks to Google Maps I know know its name, that it originates in Sepang, and forms the border between the states of Selangor and Negri Sembilan.
Map courtesy of Google Maps
It was 1:30 pm and 34ºC when we got to Port Dickson. Our first stop was for bowls of . . .
Photograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe
We checked in to our usual PD accommodation. The Waterfront Boutique Hotel.
Photograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe
After a shower, it was time for a late lunch. We got into the Double Queue Thai Cuisine restaurant just in time. The kitchen closes for a two-hour break at 3:00 pm. A lamp post outside the restaurant was a convenient place to hang my laundered kit to dry 😂.
After a post-lunch nap it was dessert time. There is a McDonald’s within walking distance of the hotel. Mark has the McDonald’s app. As luck would have it, there was an ice cream promotion that he could redeem. A soft-serve cone, an Oreo McFlurry and the choice of a strawberry or a chocolate sundae for something like RM8.00.
Photograph courtesy of McDonald’s
Mark had the McFlurry. I had the cone and the chocolate sundae.
Mark and I sat in McDonald’s until dinner time. The others joined us there, and Jake researched dinner options. Gerai Hock Kee was on the opposite side of the hotel from the McDonald’s. We walked along the waterfront and past Port Dickson Public Library to Gerai Hock Kee.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
The restaurant is small and unpretentious. No flashing neon sign here. The food – thick noodles in dark soya sauce, fried mantis prawns, fried shark, oyster omelet, and green leafy veg – hit the spot.
There was beer at dinner. Which was enough for most of us. But not for two, who had couple of nightcaps at the Pattaya Pie Kitchen & Bar.
Photograph courtesy of Kellie Itoe
It was bedtime for the rest of us.
There used to be a bhangra pub beside the Waterfront Boutique Hotel. The loud music kept us awake for most of the night on a previous visit. The pub is gone, so we all had a good night’s sleep.
We were on the road at 6:00 am, with a breakfast stop 10km away in Lukut. Dawn broke through cloudy skies as we headed to the ferry at Sungai Pelek.
Photograph courtesy of Mark Lim
Our route back was slightly different from the one we took to get to PD.
Maps courtesy of Ride With GPS
We took a detour to Avani Sepang Gold Coast.
Photograph courtesy of Kenneth LimPhotograph courtesy of Mark Lim
We also took the more direct route along Federal Route 5 from Tanjung Sepat to Morib. We stayed on Federal Route 5 through Banting before turning right onto Jalan Kampung Sri Cheeding.
Restoran Al-Arefin Bistro is our regular hangout in Rimbayu. And for many other cyclists. So much so that the restaurant recently installed a sturdy bike rack out front.
Photograph courtesy of Kenneth Lim
Jake and Mark ended their ride in Rimbayu. Brian, Kellie, Kenneth and I made it safely back to Petaling Jaya. Once again, lots of kilometres ridden without any punctures.
Murphy’s Law – If something can go wrong, it will – didn’t strike.
Yhprum’s Law – Everything that can work, will work – held instead.
In October 2018 a group of R@SKLs had a wonderful time cycling in Germany. Thanks to excellent arrangements made by Ralf from Hong Kong, and Marc and some of his friends in Germany.
Being polite Malaysians, the grateful R@SKLs invited the Germans to visit Malaysia. To their surprise, the Germans accepted the invitation!
Not only that, they booked flights and would arrive in Kuala Lumpur on 1st November 2019 for a ten-day stay.
After several discussions over teh tarik, thosai and roti canai which began in mid-September, we had a plan. Which was a good thing because Marc, Patrik, Matthias and Dieter did board their flight from Frankfurt to Kuala Lumpur.
We didn’t realise it at the time, but this photograph was a clue, or more accurately a warning of what the next ten days would entail.
Photograph courtesy of Marc Linke
Day 1
Ralf had arrived one day earlier, and together with Chee Leong and Pai was on hand to welcome the others to Malaysia.
Their first stop after leaving the airport was Pegasus Cycles. CK and Danial reassembled their bicycles. Bike cases were loaded onto a truck and shipped to Penang.
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
You should already be getting a sense of the logistics required for our plan to work smoothly.
Getting bicycles assembled was important. More important was to introduce our guests to an essential part of Malaysian culture. Food.
TH took them across the road to the Grand Imperial restaurant in Plaza Damas for a dim sum lunch.
Photograph courtesy of Ralf HambergerPhotograph courtesy of Ralf Hamberger
After lunch, we took the guys to the Hyatt House hotel, which was home for the next four nights. They soon discovered the infinity pool.
Photograph courtesy of Dieter Fecher
The last logistical piece for the day was to load the now-assembled bikes into Amy’s truck. Amy would take the bikes to the start of our Saturday ride.
Photograph courtesy of CK Lim
Day 2
We picked up the Germans at 6:30 am from their hotel and drove to Bandar Rimbayu. Our ride through the kampung roads to Bukit Jugra started at 7:30 am.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
It wasn’t long before there was a puncture.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng.
A stop after 14km was a bit sooner than expected.
Photograph courtesy of Ralf Hamberger
There was another mechanical problem soon after that, so we had another wait at the 7-Eleven in Jenjarom. Fortunately, that was the last forced stop for the day.
Photograph courtesy of Marc Linke
The highlight of this ride, or lowlight, depending upon your point of view, was the climb up Bukit Jugra to the lighthouse.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng KengPhotograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
We spent twenty minutes enjoying the view over the Langat River. Then it was time for food at our favourite Jugra ride restaurant.
Photograph courtesy of Ally
After a meal of rice, fish and vegetables we pedalled back the way we had come.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
After crossing the Langat River we stopped at Cendol & AC Santan Sawit Ross. It was time to introduce our German visitors to cendol.
The guys made a few new friends.
Photograph courtesy of TH LimPhotograph courtesy of TH Lim
Everyone finished the ride safely. Back at Mont Kiara, the guys demonstrated an essential part of German culture. Beer.
Photograph courtesy of TH Lim
Heng Keng kindly hosted dinner at his home. Complete with roast suckling pig.
Day 3
The first and third Sunday of each month is KL Car Free Morning. Roads in the city centre are closed from 7:00 am to 9:00 am. It seemed like a good idea to do a city ride.
CK and Danial mapped out a 35km route which would take us past some city landmarks.
Map courtesy of Ride with GPS
The Germans rode the short distance from their hotel to Pegasus Cycles, where about twenty other cyclists were waiting.
Photograph courtesy of Johan Sopiee
We rode from Pegasus Cycles to Damansara Heights.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Then we stopped at the main entrance to the National Palace, which is the official residence of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong (King) of Malaysia.
Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat
Our next stop was at the top of the climb up Changkat Tunku, which is popularly known s Mayor’s Hill. There is a good view overlooking the city.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
We rode back down Changkt Tunku and into the Lake Gardens. The Tugu Negara (National Monument) is there.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
We then rolled through Dataran Merdeka (Independence Square). To the left is the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, which used to house the British colonial government offices.
Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat
Next on the itinerary was the KL Tower. It is a 421 metres tall communications tower. It is the 7th tallest freestanding tower in the world.
Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat
Photograph courtesy of Lai Voon Kiat
The last landmark we visited was the PETRONAS Twin Towers.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
We had ridden about 25km. It was time for thosai, roti canai and fried noodles with chicken. All washed down with fresh coconut water.
Dieter was suspicious of the fresh coconut 😆.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
We finished the ride well before noon. To keep the Germans entertained, Pai took them to Batu Caves that afternoon.
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Pai dropped the Germans off at the Pavilion shopping mall. They found a German bistro that serves everything from pork knuckles and ribs to cold cuts and sausages. The place must have been a dream come true for our five visitors 🇩🇪.
Dinner was close to the Pavilion, at the food stalls along Jalan Alor.
Photograph courtesy of TH LimPhotograph courtesy of TH Lim
Unsurprisingly, the Germans ended the night in a bar 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺.
After last weekend’s ascent of Fraser’s Hill, the R@SKLs opted for a route where the only climbing required was over the bridge across the South Klang Valley Expressway (SKVE), and over the bridge across the Langat River.
Well, that was the plan. A plan that was later amended – see below.
Alfred wins the prize again for being the most eager R@SKL. He was at our starting point, Restoran BR Maju, at 6.15am.
Photograph courtesy of Alfred Chan
By the appointed start time of 7.15am, we had a peloton of twenty five.
Photograph courtesy of KK Yee
The day had started out wet in many parts of KL. The rain had already passed over Kota Kemuning, so we had cool and dry conditions. 22°C / 72°F at the start.
Photograph courtesy of Tomoe Suga
It took a while for the group to get organized on the road. We regrouped after crossing the SKVE.
Photograph courtesy of Tomoe Suga
Then it was onto the very pleasant backroads through Kampung Seri Cheeding.
Photograph courtesy of KK Yee
Photograph courtesy of KK Yee
As you would expect of a group of twenty five, we soon split into smaller groups. Namely the insane and very fast, the slightly mad and moderately fast, and the mentally balanced and reasonably paced.
So it was no surprise that there were time gaps between the groups as we arrived in Morib.
Photograph courtesy of KK Yee
We all got there safely though.
Photograph courtesy of Daniel Lim
Top of mind for everyone was food and drink. This being the fasting month, all the stalls at the beachside food court were closed. So we went to the small food shop across the road and next to a temple.
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
It was still relatively cool when we got going again forty minutes later. 27°C / 81°F. We were blessed with very nice cycling weather.
10km / 6mi later we were at the T-junction with Jalan Bukit Jugra. There are two lighthouses on Bukit Jugra: a colonial era tower, and a shorter 25 metre concrete tower built in 1976, with lighting systems to facilitate navigation in the Straits of Melaka. The lighthouses stand out in clear relief against the sky.
Photograph courtesy of Tomoe Suga
Every ride to Morib elicits the question “Shall we do the Jugra climb?”
It is 1km / 0.6mi from the base of the hill to the lighthouses. Including the not insignificant matter of 109 meters / 358 feet of elevation. It is a climb with gradients that hit 20% in places.
Hence, the answer to the question above is invariably “no,” and we turn right at the T-junction, away from the hill.
This time we turned left at the T-junction. Initially as a joke. Having ridden the 1.5km / 1mi to the base of the hill, some decided that, since they were there, that they might as well give the climb a go.
Others waited in the shade.
Photograph courtesy of Lee Heng Keng
Where they were entertained by Meng’s trials with his tire.
Photograph courtesy of Ong Peng Hong
Those who rode up to the lighthouses were rewarded with the sweeping views over the Langat River. And sore legs!
The descent was negotiated with great care. Rims and brake discs were very hot by this point.
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
Photograph courtesy of Hsing C Pai
We had about 40km / 25mi left to ride back to Kota Kemuning. The group stayed together for most of that distance, pedalling at an average of just below 30kph / 18.6mph.
Once we got to Rimbayu, the faster riders pulled ahead, and the group got stretched out over the last 5km / 3mi. The lone casualty was Kelin, who got lost. When he called for directions, I hindered rather than helped him. I misunderstood where he was, and gave him directions that sent him off on a course that took him further from, rather than closer to, Restoran BR Maju.
As is often the case, Daniel came to the rescue.
Photograph courtesy of Daniel Lim
We all enjoyed the ride, the weather (although it was pushing 34°C / 93°F when we finished), and the company.
More importantly, Alfred accomplished his first 100km / 62mi ride. Congratulations Alfred! Here is your next challenge.
Old Roots, New Routes 