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Road Gets Easier The Second Time !

It's been ages since I last blogged but since I have all the time in the world, I just felt like doing it again. 

I have since gave up folding bikes but I still have another one, all fully modded to 2 x 10 speed, not the best groupset but just a mid level one. After 2 years of riding a mountain bike (I have actually started with a mountain bike during the late 90s), seems riding the mountain bike seems much easier, even with the large 2.1 tires shodded on mine.

I haven't changed my concept of riding though, still the easy going, sight seeing and good food hunting kind of ride. Except now, with a mountain bike, I gained more access to places where folding bikes can't explore. Many equate mountain bike to extreme games but there's actually 3 kinds of mountain biking, cross country (and I am currently riding an XC bike), all mountain or enduro and finally the downhill.

Back to the subject, there were many request for this ride again since the last one we did three years ago. I don't know why I re-do it again, moreover I have to actually drive 6 hours to reach the starting point not to mention sending my pets for boarding. Maybe I too, have this inner desire to ride there again.

I have initially stuck to the old plans where we will stay a night in Jerantut , even the hotel was booked. As the date approaches, I usually go over and over the plans again in my mind, I realized that Kuala Tahan can be a boring place at night. Beers and stouts are also scarce and expensive too. So, I decided to check in a day earlier and bring in a few crates of beers and also some food for our night activities.

I was insomniac the night before the ride and was already driving out back to Jerantut to meet the other riders at 4.30am. I reached Piccadilly (breakfast place) at 5.30am and the shop keeper was just laying out the tables and chairs. Looking alarmed, I just told him to take his time.

Breakfast in Jerantut

Later, punctually as planned, the others arrived one by one. After greetings and hugs we had breakfast before taking a drive to Kuala Tembeling where the boatman was waiting for us.

We assembled our bikes, collected all dues to pay the boatman and then carried our bikes down to the riverside. As usual, excited faces can be seen when the boat was trudging across the river. The major flood 3 years ago has changed the whole landscape of the riverside and it was muddy now. We unloaded and pushed our bikes to the start of the tarmac road and after a group picture, we started off.

In high spirit !

It was a misty morning, so misty, droplets of water was blurring my glasses. But it was great, cooling and the whole group just loved it. We were riding and chatting at the same time, bantering, joking all the time. Maybe the happiness made us not noticing that we have already reached the small sundry shop where we re-stocked our water and 100 plus the last time. Only this time nobody did so.

             


 

We came to a section where during the last ride, a rider fell off her bike and was hospitalized. The sand patch was still there and being extra cautious, I stopped and warned every rider to be extra cautious of the sand patch. Only after the last rider has passed safely, I continued on. There is a planned left turn here to go to the next village called Merting. But during the last trip, a few fast riders overshot but I did not asked them to turn back as the road they were heading to also leads to Kuala Tahan. In fact going straight just leads you to the main trunk road faster. Little did I realized, the left turn to Merting actually avoided a lot of high slopes and also cutting short 7 kilometers off the route. This time we managed to choose the right route! I also noticed that although it is the durian season, I only saw one tree with fruits! This year's harvest is really bad!

After the village, a right turn leads us to the main trunk road (this is the end of kampong roads) but it comes out to where we had lunch the last time. A row of three shops, two eateries and a general store. It was only 11.00am and as I recalled, the last time we reached here , it was well over noon. As this is the last eatery until the junction near Kuala Tahan, we decided to have an early lunch. The stall owner over charged us big time because we were not local and also because the next shop was not opened.

After lunch, we carried on and it was getting hot now. The highest section of the whole route is beyond here. A few high and long slopes and also crossing the Pahang river. Somehow or rather, it seems easier for everyone and after a short ride we were already crossing the Pahang River bridge. Stopped for a few shots here. We passed the jungle section and now reached the plantation section. The old oil palm trees were cleared and new saplings were planted here onwards. The palm oil kernel loaders were rusty now and I remembered very well  as I seen riders taking refuge from the hot sun under it the last time.

As the last group was riding, we saw Kimmie standing on the roadside. She told us Jui Lee was taking a 'poo poo' and it was just lucky for her to find a place to do that , right in the middle of a plantation! We stopped too and after regrouping we carried on.

Slightly past 1.00pm, we reached 'Kenny's Place'. Called so because the last ride, we were all waiting for him here. We regrouped only after two and halfs hours here when John Kang borrowed a motorcycle to look for him and brought him back. We are now calling this place 'Donald's Place' because right after he reached here, he got cramped! He went lying on the ground for a good 15 minutes.

After a good laugh and drinks, we headed for the last three dragonbacks. It's now easy to tackle the dragon backs. As long as you don't brake on the downhill section the momentum will drive you to the mid uphill section of the next climb and at times all the way to the apex of the slope. But the last one was different. After the downhill, the road levels off for a while before the big climb and we have to start pedalling from the bottom. To compound this is the heat and the tiredness.

Still we need to finish it. At exactly 1.48pm, I reached the apex of the last slope and a few was in front of me. I stopped here and waited till the last rider passed me before I zoomed down to Kuala Tahan. Upon reaching and checking in to Han Rainforest Resort, we were at the front terrace , lazing and chatting away, joined in by the recreational officer there. It was then 8 of us decided to do the rapids boating and 'Orang Asli' village visit. The other four just wanted to take a shower and rest.

Small party.

We had dinner and then look for a place to have a mini party with beers and tidbits brought in last night. We chatted till late night and went to sleep. We regrouped again at breakfast the next morning and then packed up and headed for the jetty for our boat ride back to Kuala 

Tembeling. Some rode there and some took the hotel's shuttle service.

Like before, some of us took a nap on this long journey back and as the river was swelling, the current faster, the boat ride was also faster as we were heading downstream. Reaching Kuala Tembeling , me and Donald have to say our goodbyes and missing the lunch as we were heading to the opposite direction. We were taking the Cameron Highlands route back to the north.