South East Asia

Following on from Tzou's crazy guy  on a bike  blog

We starts on page 252

When we finished the 3 day ride with all the people from Malaysia I stayed as a guest of the family for a couple of days in Taiping. Tzuo showed me the sights , like the Water Gardens and the Hill etc, typical I left my camera at his house, when he stayed with me he left his SD card at my house. So we both do not have photo's of each other's home towns. Strange coincidence.

When it came time for me to continue my tour Tzuo rode with me to show me the way out of town. He then went back to get his car to go to KL, and I headed to the market for coffee and Roti Telur for breakfast.

Soon I was full and ready for the next stage and riding down the road seemed so natural, Free again

My route took me to Simpang and towards Kuala Kansar. I turned off route 1 at Kampung Gapis to head for the hills and G'rik ( Gerik on some maps) past a sign warning of elephants crossing ( another photo missed)

the jungle was thick all around and right down to the road and although the map shows lots of kampungs ( villages) they were mostly single dwellings. I camped just off the road in a clearing.

Now came the ascent into the hills , and amazing scenery, hills and jungle going on forever. Hornbills, birds of paradise, bright coloured kingfishers were just some of the highlights of the day.

Stopped for food in hawker stalls, and even camped behind a prayer room at the last one of the day. Instant tourist attraction, but the jungle was so thick here.

At breakfast the conversation went;

" So you camp out in Malaysia?". ...... "Yes"..... " Not scared of the tigers?"...." tigers??? here???"......"Yes, about 6 or 7oo in Malaysia!"........" Shit,,,, I am NOW!!!!"

Kinda focuses the mind to know that many tigers live in Malaysia, and every sound from the jungle was a sign of my imminent demise to the claws and jaws . I have since found out that there are also a few Clouded Leopards still roaming around too.

anyway, I was still climbing , at least it was getting cooler. Grabbed a couple of slow logging trucks to get a tow up the hills too, so not bad.

Logging Truck at "Cafe", notice wooden cab.

This was the last "cafe" for the day. The next place for food was a service station, and it came after a long long descent and a ride over a lake, But then I just had to make the height all over again

Climbing up to a lookout, very steep, very hot, very humid!!

Jungle view from the lookout

At the lookout I met a german couple who gave me water and food

2 and a half days of , mostly, climbing but...

what goes up must come down. YEEEEEEEEEeeeeeeeeeeeeHHHHHhhhaaaaaaaaaaaaa

and down and down and down, through a tunnel and into the light, was it a mirage???

5 girls on bikes in the middle of the Malysian jungle. climbing up the other way.

From Singapore

stopped for a chat and photos.

then back to fun downhill. Slept in a half built house. I was going to camp behind it but a huge lightening storm started and I thought rain was on the way. The son et lumiere show went on for hours but no rain came.

Nothing much happened today, but isn't that the case mostly on a long tour.

As the evening came I was riding into a village when I saw a cycle tourist standing facing away from me holding his camera ready to shoot. I pulled in behind him, quietly and waited. Around a corner came his friend who immediately shouted " George !!!!"

I was stood with Roy from singapore, and on the bike was Sam from Penang. They were on their way to Taiping to meet up with Tzuo.

We decided to find food and somewhere to crash for the night, it was good to have company, but I just kept thinking of the 5 girls LOL. we found a shelter and lashed up tents, mosquito nets and hammocks. Then Sam got out a full chinese tea making kit and we all had tea before settling down for the night.

After breakfast we went our separate ways, me to the coast and the boys to start the big climb over to G'rik.

I was riding now in a muslim area of Malaysia and I did attract some strange looks and hordes of young lads on their motor scooters and mopeds would crowd around me. This was a little un-nerving sometimes. But the worst was the call to prayers and prayers at 5 50 am and 6 20 am every morning, more annoying than Kookaberras .

The next big town was Terrengganau, and I have never seen so many mosques as there were along the river in this town.

The famous Crystal mosque

Just south of Terengganau I stopped in Marang at a backpackers, I was the only person there, so they just gave me a key and left me to it. I met an old Aussie at the cafe and had a chat.

In the morning I watched an old lady spend 20 minutes setting out a tarpaulin and about 10 water melons to sell.

The night was spent at a paradise beach near Dungun. I watched a pair of sea eagles feeding their young in a tall tree and loads of fireflies. it was so good I just crashed on a bench in a shelter, you would think I would have learned by now!!! The wind picked up, the clouds rolled in, a coconut landed on the roof, with an almighty crash. And then the rain came down, torrential. Horizontal rain.

The calm before the storm!!!

Of down the coast through Paka, a huge conglomeration of petrol and gas refineries, lots of pollution and traffic!!! But the afternoon was spent on another idyllic beach, but no camping as it was a nursery for leatherback turtles.

I could see why they chose it, But who let Club Med build a resort there!!!!

Around the corner and I was in Cheratin Beach proper and "long noses" were everywhere. and a bar that sold beer, I couldn't resist even though a can cost 7 ringgit( 1 pound 15 p). But it was the first for over a week.

I had arranged to stay in Kuantan with a couchsurfing host and I phoned for directions. Mr Chin said I could come anytime , no need to wait until the arranged date, it wasn' t too far to his place so I carried on.

following his advice I called when I arrived in Beserah and got new directions, this took me over a big hill and after an 80 mile day it was very difficult, and I called again at the top to make sure I was going the right way.

Down the hill and met Mr Chin and his kids, and became one of the family, instantly, except for the killer cockerel!!

They took me to great chinese food stalls to sample the local delicacies,

A killer honest!

After a good rest, and loads of food it was time to go off and cycle across the Genting Highlands

 

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