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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
It wasn’t long before there was a puncture.
A stop after 14km was a bit sooner than expected.
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.
The highlight of this ride, or lowlight, depending upon your point of view, was the climb up Bukit Jugra to the lighthouse.
We spent twenty minutes enjoying the view over the Langat River. Then it was time for food at our favourite Jugra ride restaurant.
After a meal of rice, fish and vegetables we pedalled back the way we had come.
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.
Everyone finished the ride safely. Back at Mont Kiara, the guys demonstrated an essential part of German culture. Beer.
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.
The Germans rode the short distance from their hotel to Pegasus Cycles, where about twenty other cyclists were waiting.
We rode from Pegasus Cycles to Damansara Heights.
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.
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.
We rode back down Changkt Tunku and into the Lake Gardens. The Tugu Negara (National Monument) is there.
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.
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
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 😆.
We finished the ride well before noon. To keep the Germans entertained, Pai took them to Batu Caves that afternoon.
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.
Unsurprisingly, the Germans ended the night in a bar 🍺🍺🍺🍺🍺.
Old Roots, New Routes 