Taiping   -  2nd Ride

The charcoal factory of Kuala Sepetang.

I slept early and also woke up early! Maybe I was not really that  tired and I usually don't sleep well unless it's my own bed and room. At 4.30am, I was already glancing at the FB page. We were supposed to group at 7.00am and then take breakfast before starting the ride at 8.00am. Anyway, I took a shower and then waited for Lilian to also get ready.

At 6.45am, I was unfolding my bike and Lilian's bike. KK, Kenny and Rivern emerged from the hotel a short while later Alex and Julie arrived later. We prepared the bikes and then started off. There were 2 coffee shops that I wanted to visit, one was Wan Li restaurant and another Yut San restaurant. I checked the blogs and it mentioned Wan Li opens at 8.00am so that's out! Yut San on the other hand says it's open at 7.00am. Ideal! So, I rode to Jalan Pasar and hunt from the start till the end of the street and finally located Yut San. It was still not open and it's 7.20am already. So, blogs cannot be relied for info.

Really nice local pancake.

We went to Larut Matang food court, also where I had breakfast yesterday morning as it's the only place I noticed opened at 5.30am yesterday. But today, I went for the 'wanton mee'. Quite acceptable lah! Still, with the coffee??? I still miss my daily caffeine in Imbi Road. The 'ban chang kueh' or local pancake was good though. Very much better than the one in Petaling St. or the one in Jalan Pasar in KL. After breakfast, we rode back to the hotel to wait for Irene and Freda. They took breakfast at their hotel.

Early morning misty ride.

When we arrived, both of them were already there and after getting their bikes ready, we moved out. I leaded the way guided by the map, routed the other day. Today's ride will be further than yesterday's and also more traffic. We took the main road to Simpang and straight on via the Jalan Kuala Sepetang road. This was also the same route that the Taiping ride organizers planned. The ride was uneventful, just riding in the cooling mist.

KK still isn't awake yet!

Arriving at Ngah Ibrahim museum.

We arrived at the Ngah Ibrahim museum far too early. I think we rode quite fast and I checked it was averagely 25 km/h. The museum was not open yet! We have to wait another 20 minutes for it to open and even that if they open on time as stated! So, we decided to skip it and took a group photo and left.

Lilian at the charcoal factory.

We rode on, followed the road to where it lead us and we arrived at the charcoal factory. We went inside and spent quite some time there. KK and Rivern were the most inquisitive ones and they went till the end of the factory while a few of us lingered around the main complex. There was a worker there who was sealing a kiln and one of us enquired from him. It seems the mangrove stumps were place inside the burning kiln for a month before it turns into coal! Suprisingly, the worker also told us that to know whether they are ready or not, they take a whiff of the coal and by smelling they can gauge the readiness of the charcoal. Also 50 tonnes (the amount loaded into one kiln) of mangrove stumps can only produce 10 tonnes, a reduction of 80 percent weight after processing.

The canal where the mangrove logs are brought in at low tide.

Rows of kilns each capable of holding 50 tonnes!

A worker sealing the kiln. The logs are left smouldering for a month!

Later, KK and Rivern came out and said that there was also a liquid distilled while the mangrove are kiln heated up. They are diverted into containers and sold to Japanese companies dealing with pharmaceutical products. Seems it is good for skin diseases. Kenny was a bit curious and so was I. We questioned KK for info and he got a bit flustered and rebuked us, " Why don't we walk into the factory and see for ourselves. " I quickly walked away, hahaha. We then saw a group of ladies packing the charcoal into 10 kilograms packing, like those we see in sundry shops.

We left after we were satisfied and then went to the mangrove forest reserve. We asked permission from the park rangers and they warned us not to ride on the boardwalks! " Can we push our bikes on the boardwalks?", we asked. " No ", was the answer. So, we just rode and park by the side and walked onto the boardwalk and ventured as far as we want to and then back out to the bikes. What a pity that they don't allow us to ride.........sigh!

The mangrove are really nice.

We decided to have the famous 'Mak Jah Mee Udang' now. Sadly, when we arrive, we found out that it opens at 12.00 noon. So, we tried to pass the time by riding into Kuala Sepetang village. Maybe we can have a curry noodle but it was also closed that day! So, we just rode around the place and took photos of the only remaining part of the old railway station. It was the only reminder that there was a railway line from Taiping those days!

The only remnants of the train service!

While riding we spotted a 'soya bean curd' seller and decided to quenched our thirst on it. Everyone tried it and I was aslo quite suprised that the bean curd is superior to many that I have tried. It was silky smooth and at one ringgit a bowl, it was cheap too!

Nice silky smooth soya bean curd!

Now to head back to 'Mak Jah'. Sigh......................still not open yet. I asked the kueh seller if it will be opened today and the kueh seller said, "Yes". Then the kueh seller recommended us to try the one further inside the side road. It's a place called , " Warisan Mee Udang ". We parked our bikes and sat and we have locals staring at us and so did the two policemen who was having their meal there.

Mee Udang.

We ordered 'biasa' or normal ones while Irene had their 'Kuey Teow Goreng'. The orders came and the prawns were aplenty! It cost RM10 per bowl and it consist of averagely 7 to 8 numbers of prawns in it. The prawns were really fresh though, very bouncy but the soup was a letdown. It was not the 'thickish' gravy like Mak Jah's. But we paid for good prawns though so it's quite OK. At least we tried "Mee Udang" although not 'Mak Jah's'.

With a full stomach, we left Kuala Sepetang and headed back to Taiping. At the bend, we turned left using a kampong road which pass a Malay village and also an Indian village and went under the North South highway. We arrived back in Taiping a short while later and headed straight back to hotel. We took a bath and checked out and parted. 

Till Melaka then...........................

Taiping  -  1st Ride.

Beautiful sunrise in Kuala Gula.

It's become a trend for biking event managers to flip flop their event dates as fickle as they want to! Last year, the Penang Merdeka Ride clashed big time with the CFAL ride. I think Biketown is actually going against other biking events and actually very selfishly for their own pockets and not doing for the sake of the riding community. I chose wrongly last year and after that, I want nothing to do with the Merdeka Ride! I didn't even want other riders to know I did registered with their event. In fact, during CFAL I did not even ride as I chose the wrong event.

Fast forward this year, I was interested to ride the 'Taiping Fun Ride'. It is not as easy as the organizers think. We arranged so that there will be someone at home to feed the cats and dogs, my wife has to take leave in advance etc.etc. My son in-law from Singapore took leave so as to accompany my daughter at home when she was alone taking care of the house and the pets. When 'Taiping Fun Ride' was post phoned till the end of the month, I just can't tell him," Hey, don't come. The event is post phoned." I can't do that, can I?

The event organizer for the Merdeka Ride intentionally chose a date to clash with the Taiping Ride. This is off course my opinion and also opinions of many other riders. Anyway, I think I will stop talking about these event managers as I am resolving not to join any major events from here onwards. Not even if they offer Pearl Izumi jerseys, not that I can shove my body into one, hahaha!

In fact, my opinion is Taiping Ride shouldn't have post phoned too, just because most riders are riding up north.

1. The Taiping Lake Gardens.

So, there was only a handful of us riders planning to head for Taiping anyway. All in all we had 9 riders, namely, myself and Lilian, Irene and Freda, Rivern and Kenny, Alex and Julie and Kook Keong. For the first ride, I proposed we do the Kuala Gula to Kuala Kurau first rather than the Taiping Fun Ride course first. We need to drive back to KL after the 2nd ride so it's more easier to ride the further one first.

The ride starts!

We grouped in front of Ai Tee Restaurant in Kuala Gula. Me and Lilian started off early and was there even before sunrise. I drove into the fishing village, took a few snaps and hunt for a place for coffee. I really missed my 'daily Hainanese coffee' after taking a sip! Hehehe. I chatted with the locals, asking them about the place and where abouts are the seafood manufacturing places.

It's about 7.45am when I left the local watering hole and just as I was taking out my foldie, KK arrived. After a while everyone who is supposed to arrive, arrived! We then started off for Kuala Kurau. None of us has been here before but it shouldn't be too hard either. Although it was sunny already, it was still cooling. We rode on leisurely and in no time, we were already going up a slope and this is the bridge over the river. We are already in Kuala Kurau! I have mapped out the route a few days earlier, so with the help of the Garmin, it's quite easy.

Sunny but cool!

We were waiting to regroup after the bridge and the route to the village is just below the bridge. We need to make a U-turn but as there were no shade, we moved opposite to wait for the others. One by one, we rejoined and finally only KK was left. I think he must have been taking scenic photos on the bridge. Then we saw him, coming down from the bridge, then we saw him zooming past despite our hollering to him. We were all laughing out loud as he did not see a whole group of cyclist on the roadside. Irene went after him and Rivern gave him a call on the phone.

KK zooming past us and not noticing us!

After KK rejoined us, we started off into the village. The first turn, we saw rows and rows of salted fish and squids being dried out in the sun. Being city folks like us, we stopped and took photos of it, much to the astonishment of the giggling locals. My destination was a salted egg factory which I read about in the blogs. I have already map it out the location and now it's time to look for it. We did find it and we checked the place out, looking at how the process of producing the salted eggs. Lilian bought a few too.

Rows and rows of salted fish drying in the sun.

Salted eggs everywhere!

After a short rest, having 100 plus we were off and now I was looking for the pedestrian bridge to ride back over the river. We took the main bridge over and there is another bridge mainly for residents. It's only for pedestrian and motorcycles and off course cyclist. The bridge actually leads opposite and also the local dwellings of the Kuala Kurau folks. We rode over it and then saw the local houses of the fisher folks. Most of them live fronting the river.

Riders on the pedestrian bridge.

After riding for a while, we rejoined back onto the main trunk road. Now I am headed for the Hua Seng Keng temple. Also read from local blogs, it's located in the middle of an oil palm plantation. I have also got the exact directions to the temple from my chat with a local this morning. When we reached the plantation's guard house, we were not allowed to ride in. The plantation manager has issued a directive not to allow outsiders into the plantation due to an accident that happened before. We need to ride out back to the trunk road and head in from there which is quite a ride! After cajoling and seeing us in bicycles, he finally relented and allowed us in.

Hua Seng Keng temple, right in the middle of a plantation.

We rode about 2 kilometers off road and finally reached the temple. The uniqueness of this temple is there's a dungeon where there are statues of how folklore beliefs of a person is rewarded or punished according to your deeds in hell. Although interesting, I did not venture there. A few did though. I took a rest at the temple compounds. Rivern was hungry again and he rode out first after waiting for a while. When the rest are out, we rode out to rejoin Rivern who was already at Ai Tee Restaurant.

We had lunch there and frankly, no matter how the blogs describe, the food here is not really as good as the blogs described. But it still good to fill our stomachs and also the price was fair. We each paid RM13 for the seafood lunch, so it was not that bad.

Clockwise from top left : Catfish curry , Fried squids, towfoo hotplate, kangkong sambal and clams.

After lunch, we wandered into the fishing village opposite. A local folk gave me his namecard this morning and after enquiring from a petrol pump attendant (yes! they do have petrol station in fishing villages, hehehe), a small boy volunteered to leads us to the 'belacan' or shrimp paste factory.

Packing 'belacan' or shrimp paste.

Here we went into the factory and see how 'belacan' was made. Quite informative too. Lilian bough a few items here, some dried shrimps and shrimp paste. I wanted some 'Kurau' salted fish but there was none, they only have red fish. After 'camwhoring' and checking out the place we left and headed for the Bird Santuary nearby. We were a bit disappointed  with the place though. There's no guides. no information counter, NO BIRD and also quite hap- hazard. Also the mangrove around there was littered with rubbish. So, that concludes our first ride and we rode back to our cars and stuffed it into our cars and left.

NO BIRD sanctuary!

We went back to Taiping and was to visit Burmese Pool near the lake gardens. We went round and round hunting for the place but then finally gave up as we were sweaty and also wee bit tired. On the way back to the hotel, I took another wrong turn and then all 5 cars had to take a U-turn out. I can see the laughter in all cars and ironically, we saw the signboard to the 'Burmese Pool' on the way out! We did not stop though.

Time for rest at the hotel before another drive to Kuala Sepetang for dinner. At 6.30pm, Alex and Julie arrived at the hotel (he was staying with a relative) while Freda and Irene was going out on another date. So, the 7 of us made our way to Kuala Sepetang in 2 cars for dinner. We dined at the same place I had dinner last night, " Kang Kao Riverside Restaurant ".

Clockwise from top left ; The really good breaded prawn curry, fried mantis prawn, sambal 4 variety vege, house speciality towfoo and the steamed golden snapper.

Luckily the dinner here was superb! It's been quite sometime since I last tasted REAL fresh fish. I think it was since Langkawi days. The curry prawn in baked bread needs a mention here too. They were really good. Also RM25 per pax for such wonderful seafood is not expensive. Many were intimidated by the front facade of the restaurant but the price is fair.

After a good nights sleep, comes tomorrow, we ride to Kuala Sepetang!

Penang Kayuh Kayuh Makan Day 4

The gang in Escape Park.

We met again at 7.30am for the last ride of our trip. We were supposed to ride again later on the other side on the mainland but I think we had more than enough rides already. In fact I was a wee bit lethargic already due to lack of sleep! 

Winson can't get a transport today and after some planning and re-planning and some stuffing and re-stuffing, we managed to get all riders and bikes onto 2 vehicles and another rider followed Jimmy's car. Winson had to ride to the bus station and ride the bus to Teluk Bahang.

We reached Teluk Bahang without our breakfast as we were late already. Cikgu was asking for breakfast, hahaha! Larry told him that we are riding to the breakfast point. I rode here before, so I know where the breakfast point is.......it's also our final destination for today! We started off as soon as Winson disembarked from the bus in Butterfly Farm.

Picture time at the dam.

I made a mistake of firing up the dam last time without warming up last time and this time I rode really slow on low gear till the dam. The dam is not far actually but a climb almost at the beginning will really hit your form without proper warming up. We reached the dam area and the place is really scenic. Chris and KK is a first timer here so photo session is a must for them.

After the dam, is the low grind up to the '800' as the local riders called it. It's actually a signboard saying 800 meters guiding drivers to the fruit orchard. Riding the Dash up here is totally different from riding the Speed. Dash was faster but Speed was more comfortable.

The symbolic '800' which is the peak.

By the time I made my way up to '800', Larry was no where to be seen. It seems Winnie sent him down first to book some 'wanton mee'. Haahaha! I recalled last time when we rode, we missed the noodle as they changed shifts after 10.30 am. So just to make sure that we eat it this time, Larry sped down first. The '800' is the peak here and after this will be another 4 kilometers of down hilling. I was not too used to the high center of gravity of the Dash so I was careful going downhill. Anyway there was no hurry as I know the place.

The elusive 'wanton mee'. Not for late comers!

We all sat down at the local coffee shop in Sg.Pinang and we had the wanton mee. Jimmy went off to get some ' Ban Chang Kueh ' or crispy pancakes.  Me as usual will have the local 'pat poh peng' and it never tasted better after a ride. There was a lot of bantering and jokes and our table was a bit noisy much to the amusement of the locals there. They must have got used to the hordes of cyclist as this is a popular cyclist route on weekends. After the meal, we are back to Larry's favorite place, the nutmeg farm.

The lady there was amused and asked why were we back again. After all it was only like yesterday we were there. We said this time we rode from the other side of the island. We also filled ourselves again with the cooling nutmeg juice, FREE! 

Nutmeg galore here!

On the way back, we stopped again for local laksa which was served by +another nyonya restaurant housed in a bungalow along the route. I was too full to even drink, let alone eat. So, I played with a Jack Russel owned by the restaurant owner. If they don't want the dog, I will gladly drive up again just to fetch the dog back! It was so friendly and lovable.

Meet my new friend, "Jack Russel"

Finally, a hard 4 kilometer climb back to '800'. I took it easy as I know I won't be the last as the Brommies 6 speeders and Cikgu's 7 speeder are at a disadvantage. Wai Keat was going back and forth!  It was uneventful climb and we all reached the '800' but was ushered to carry on. From here it is all the way down till the car park.

When we reached the car park, we decided to treat Larry to a real meal where we can actually eat together. You see, Larry is a vegetarian and on most of our meals, he didn't really eat. So, we ask Larry to take us to a vegetarian restaurant for lunch. Larry took us to The Bock Restaurant in Kedah Road and we ordered some good food and enjoyed together. We were famished and emptied the plates in no time.

A nice vegetarian lunch.

Later at the hotel, we rested a while and then packed up our bikes. Larry planned to takes us over by car to the train station. While Winnie went home to clean up and change, Larry took a shower at the hotel. When Winnie came over, we packed up our stuffs and bikes into the car and drove over to Butterworth. Before that, we had skewered rojak and also 'Lok Lok' where skewered seafood were dipped into boiling soup and spread with an array of sauces of our choice. It was really filling and before you know it, it was already dark and we were on our way to the railway station.

Our train was to leave at 10.28 pm. We can see that Larry and Winnie was really tired already and we persuaded them to leave us there and go back and rest. We can managed already. We waited at the station for another 2 hours before we departed Butterworth.

The kind hospitality given to us in the last few day by our fellow Penang riders is really hard to repay and we are worried when time comes where we will be host to them on the Fraser's Hill Ride later this year, we might not be able to match their hospitality! But we will try our best to repay their kindness. Till then, we shall ride together again. This is also not our last ride in Penang, there will be Phase 2!

Penang Kayuh Kayuh Makan Day 3 Part 2

After a tiring ride to Air Itam and back, we were again well rested after a bath for the night ride tonight. Larry made our hotel as the meeting point for tonight's ride. For today's night ride, 2Kia from LYN forum was to join me for the ride. As soon as he arrived, I introduced them to all the other riders and they were especially keen as 2Kia works at the 3D museum. 

As soon as everyone is accounted for, a short briefing was conducted by Larry. We then rode to the heritage area where we went to the wall murals again. We missed out some, as explained by Larry. Indeed we missed out some!

The cat mural.......................

............but round the corner, there's a mouse playing hide and seek!

We then proceeded to the Chew jetty where Aliya's mother is the care taker of a home stay there. I was quite interested in the location of the homestay and made it a point to contact Aliya when I visit  Penang again. We were told to be 'hushed hushed' when we are passing by the residents home there. It was interesting to ride onto the boardwalk of the Chew clan jetty. The view at night at the end was really nice.

The home stay in Chew Jetty.

After some 'Kodak' moments, we then rode out and along the coastal road to Queensbay. The marshalling was good for the safety of the riders. Traffic on a Saturday was quite heavy. We cycled in a single file, almost till the end of the coastal highway and we came to a place, the locals called it " Si Ki Tiow " or 'the 4 pillars'. It was my first time here too and I didn't even realise that there was such a place.

The 4 pillars!

After a few moments we carried on nad got back onto the coastal highway. We cycled until we came to where the dedicated bicycle track starts. We carried our bikes onto the track and rode till we reached under the Penang Bridge. We stopped for a moment to take the group photo here.

Penang Bridge as our backdrop.

We passed by the Glugor Marine Department and until the track ends. We got back onto the tarmac and cycled straight to Queensbay Mall. Beside the mall was another new esplanade. Just like the other 2 esplanades in Penang, this one was no different. Riding on it was fun but we have to avoid many locals and tourist relaxing here, enjoying the breeze. We cycled one full circle and then to Traffic ( a local watering hole ) to replenish our drink.

After this, we were off to Bali Hai ( a large food court ) near the 4 pillars. We took back the bicycle lane and then rode up a pedestrian bridge and carried the bikes over the armco barrier of the highway and rode on till the food court. Larry mentioned that the 'mee udang' here is a killer. I didn't try it, maybe next time as I was full of liquid. I keep hydrating myself on the ride. The temperature was quite stifling.

 KK must be the happiest here! 

Impressive 'mee udang'.

It was well deserved rest after a more or less, a non stop ride. The 'mee udang' was really impressive and as usual Chris went on a food binge again. I was not really into food then but I was real thirsty, so I didn't have any food here. We had a good after ride chat and get to know each other better, especially KK , hahaha.

While we were feasting, so did the mosquitoes. After the meal, I noticed one by one, the riders were standing up. I think the mosquitoes can't resist sweaty calfs for their mineral intake. I also realised many are in the same predicament and was standing up already. Finally we finish the last leg of the ride back to the hotel. It was actually not far away and we ended our ride as soon as we started. Good times don't really last. Not to worry, we still have the last ride tomorrow with the same riders! It seems that 2Kia was blending in really good and before he leave I told him to contact Larry and the gang more and join them more for their rides.

Penang Kayuh Kayuh Makan Day 3 Part 1

Like yesterday morning, we don't feel like waking up! After dragging everything, our faces, chins,tails and all, we are ready and pushed our bikes down. We were not even bothered to fold now! Larry was already in the lobby! I am really amazed with this very reliable guy!

After everyone was ready, awake I mean, we started riding. we were going for 'Ah Leng' char koay teow. But passing it, it's obvious he is not opened yet. Then we went for the next good food around there, Classic's " Hockien Mee ". We parked our bikes in an orderly manner and took a table inside.

Seriously, I won't come again. The service was not like before and so was the noodle. You can't say anything, you just wait.......... Whether the food justifies or not, it up to one and each one but I rather not go through the hassle of waiting 45 minutes for a noodle. The drinks were slow too. I think I had better 'Hockien' at the coffee shop beside the Rex theatre.

After breakfast, we rode to the Governor's official residence. Then onwards to Scotland Road and into York Road. This is also my childhood playing ground, especially the graveyard inside there. My childhood was spent swimming, flying kites, riding the masonry horses in the grave yard. I even played RC planes in there. I was never afraid of graveyards anyway, probably because of my childhood. In actual they are more peaceful!

We rode into Lorong Lumba Kuda from York Road which was not joined before but it is now. From here to Boundary Road. Here I had memories flashing in my mind. My friends house, the house of the girl I tried to date, the place I usually eat and wondering if my grandfather's shop is still there. (I never seen them since my parent's divorce 30 years ago). well, it was a good ride by or rather flash past.

We then turn into Jalan Air Itam and straight to Kek Lok Si temple. As usual the junction after the police station is a nightmare! We pass by the famous 'assam laksa' but it was still not opened yet. We took the road up to the Goddess of Mercy. I should have brought my Dahon Speed P8 which is shodded with 27 gears and easier to climb here. Admire Cikgu Li and Cikgu Chin though. There are just with 7 gears and also KK and Chris with 6 gears on their Bromptons.

The last part to the actual complex was a bit tough but we all managed. I took a stroll and a few pictures and I went near the parking attendant and sat there. I chatted with the attendant and Larry joined me later. The reat was busy 'camwhoring' around the temple. They actually spent an hour there!

I was at peace there, sitting and reminiscing the past. I just wondered if I will be this peaceful when I return here later this year to Penang. It's just funny, I keep going back to Penang and leave again but again keep harbouring thoughts of going back again. Plus this time, it will be the fourth time!

After they were satisfied with their 'cam whoring', Larry and myself did not hurry them as we were peacefully sitting there, we went for the 'You tube' made famous 'grandma's curry noodle'. We reached there in a short while, it was nearby actually. The crowd was crazy! Seems the little coffee kiosk was having doing brisk business with the 'Ah Mah' curry noodles opposite.

To make orders easier, I standardize all orders. We waited for our turn patiently and finally it was our turn. We collected and paid for 6 bowls and I had the usual 'pat poh peng' with it. My admiration for the 'Ah Mah' was her smile. She was smiling all the while and she was real busy. The noodle turned out to be quite good too. We ate quickly as there was others waiting for seats. You know! After a while of riding, I am quite used to people staring at me and we usually do have people staring at us riders. It was quite unsettling in the beginning.

We rode out back to the market and the 'assam laksa' stall was opened already. Wai Keat and Chris, mati mati wants to try and so we let them. The rest of us waited near the market under a shade and KK went and bought sugar cane juice for us. I went opposite for a mango while Cikgu went exploring again. He came back telling me there's a good 'koay teow th'ng' inside. Ah! yes, I remembered now. I ate there before but many many years ago.

The sun was again getting really hot on our backs. My GPS was recording temperatures like '39 degree C', just like yesterday afternoon. We rode fast back into the city center and KK andothers wanted to try the 'cendol'.

After the 'cendol' sessions, Larry left us as he has to go early. We are to meet later at 8.00pm for another night ride. I lead the way back to our hotel and we stopped by the Latvian artist place for a snoop. Nothing much was left there! After that we went back to the hotel to rest before the night ride comes.