The Great Outdoors

A "pre-ride" RIDE to Fraser's Hill.

The symbolic picture!

After the Sungai Chilling ride, I heard there was a plan for a night ride from KKB to Fraser's Hill. As excited as I was, the ride was just tentative as mentioned by Johnny. Anyway, I just hope for the best. I have always wanted to ride to Fraser's Hill but lack of confidence was always the stumbling block! Most rides encompass roadies which I really don't want to join as they are fast riders and I might as well ride on my own if I were to join road bikes. After all, the greetings at the start is just a formality and maybe a chat at the destination and a 'bye-bye' after that. Not much of interaction. I don't even remember them or neither can they remember me when we meet next time.

After a casual chat with Ah Fatt of My Bike Shop, who described the ride is not that difficult, I decided to follow Nike's motto, " Just Do It ". I was supposed to join Ah Fatt for breakfast at 7.00 am that morning but the jam in KL during weekdays is making me late. I reached Kuala Kubu Bahru (KKB) at almost 8.00am! I still went for breakfast at the 'wanton mee' shop but Ah Fatt was long gone! The lady asked me quite rudely, " Apa minum?" I was taken aback and my daughter was laughing. I replied, " Teh ais, kasi itu mee wanton, chee yok banyak banyak! " Why did she asked me in Bahasa? Am I getting too dark? Common sense tells that, I can't be Indian and a Malay won't patronize there, right? " Good Grief! , I must look like an aborigine nowadays" I thought to myself. I was supposed to start the ride from here but since I am late and I thought it might be wiser if I shave off 10 kilometers from the ride. I suggested to Lilian and Mabel that we start from the dam.

Our breakfast!

After having breakfast, we drove off and on reaching the dam, I changed my mind again and decided to start from Sungai Chilling. A place I last rode to! It was just a short drive and the car mileage read just 10 kilometers from KKB. After finding a shady good spot to park the car, we set up our bikes and then did a few strokes to warm up a bit. Then off we go.

The road doesn't look so steep when we ride but from the former trips I had there, it kind of looks steeper. The ride was uneventful, just riding the slight gradient uphill BUT the uphill don't stop! It just carried on and on and on and on. There was two places where work on the slopes was going on and there were workers who cheered us on. Rather they were cheering at the two ladies not the 'fatty' sweeping behind.

The slope just went up and up!

Twelve kilometers past, we reach a waterfall on the right side of the road. We stopped for a moment and then carried on. The road was still uphill all the way with no levelling off at all but it's not that steep. Nothing that our gears can't handle. It's still an easy ride but a wee slow, that's all. Finally, I saw the shrine on the right hand side and I know Gap is not far now. I been here many times, hiking Ulu Semangkok and also Pine Tree Hill's twin peaks. We were quiet with a few sudden burst of bantering, once in a while. Finally, the hanging bridge was in sight and also the dilapidated Gap Hotel. What a waste! One more turn and we saw the junction. The 'makan' stall was open! Suprise, suprise! We rested a while over a cup of 'teh-O ais limau'. The 'a while' was almost half an hour!

Sore palms.

The last push to the top! This was what I have dreaded. We turn into the first uphill after the junction and I found out that we can still do it without maximizing our gears! It was mentioned 8 kilometers to Fraser's Hill. Slowly but steadily we rode up, careful not to over exert. The 7 kilometer marker stone pass by and subsequently the 6 kilometer and then 5 kilometer until the last 1 kilometer. Apart from a few utility trucks and a few tourist vehicles, we had the road all by ourselves. That was not so hard! It was suprising. And I hesitated all this while. The last 2 kilometers was actually easy riding and with a newly paved tarmac, it was pleasant!

The phone has to ring when we were enjoying.

The first shop was a small sundry shop and Mabel went in for 2 bottles of cold '100 plus'. The chinese restaurant opposite was closed. I had dinner there last time after we hiked Pine Tree Hill last year. That hike was gruelling! After a few sip, we rode on to the clock tower. The iconic Fraser's Hill roundabout with   the clock tower. A few man asked me to help them take their group photo and I did that. We chatted for a moment and after they left, we took our symbolic photos and decided to descend.

100 plus to celebrate!

Eeeeeeww! to descend, we have to ride to Jalan Lurah which is past the Paddock where I did some archery before. The road was uphill again and after resting, we were sluggish! The road down was 2 kilometers longer than the road uphill and there were also a few climbs between the down hilling. The speed limit stated on the sign was 30 kmh but from my cyclometer, we were doing like 40 kmh at most parts! I wonder if they can give us a ticket? Halfway down, there was a loud ambulance siren wailing. I hollered to them and advised them to stop. We hauled our bikes up the grass verge and waited for the ambulance to pass. After passing, we carried on and after another 2 kilometers we were at the Gap road junction. We still had to ride UP again to the 'makan' stall at Gap junction.

The view on the way down.

Reaching there, Lilian rushed into the 'emergency room'. Must have been very 'bladderful' for her. Mabel joined her and we rested at the tea stall for a moment and then twenty, YES! 20 kilometers of downhill till Sungai Chilling. The best part was the downhilling was not steep but gradual slope down all the way. A ride pass the bridge again and then we were all set to Hoooooooooray! My hands were numb from holding on the handlebars. We were zooming down for almost 40 minutes because at certain point, there was construction debris on the roadside and also one or two places with fallen branches. In no time we saw a big metal bin on the roadside with rubbish spewing out! We pass it on the way up this morning. How disgusting! I knew we reached Sungai Chilling again.

We felt lousy that we have to climb again after reaching Gap road.

We were in joy but our palms were sore! It took us a while to fold back the bikes and stuff 3 bikes into the car and leave a space for another passenger at the rear. Started the car and drove to KKB for a late lunch. we reached the restaurant, "Tan Seow Woi". I didn't eat there the other day but I will today. The signature ' mui choy pork' was sold out! The others still available was the 'tow foo fish' and the 'steamed salted fish pork' with lots of ginger. The usual 'leong cha' was the drink for 3 of us. We sat there and took a leisurely lunch till they close, in fact they have to wait for our table. Then the drive back. Even before reaching Ampang Pecah, both of them were already sleeping. Guess it going to be me and 'Lite and Easy' all the way back to KL. Before that I stopped over at Serendah for the YeeKee's ' kai tan koh ' which is also incidently closed when I was there the last trip.

A hearty meal after the ride.