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Passing traditional Negeri Sembilan houses on the Kuala Klawang - Simpang Pertang road.
Monsoon Madness 800
Pat, Sha and Joe cycle 800 kilometres around Malaysia in 8 days during the height of the monsoon of 1999
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Photo Slideshow | Teh and Joe's Travel Page | KLMBHConventional wisdom has it that the best time to visit Malaysia is between March and September, to avoid the torrential monsoon. But, it's really no fun to be cycling in the dry months either, as the weather gets oppressively hot. And since you're going to be wet from sweat anyway, a little rain would do little harm, especially if you have wind jackets and waterproof touring bags. Applying this bit of contrarian logic, Pat, Sha and I embarked on a tour of some of the roads less travelled in Malaysia. It was December 1999, just after the General Elections.
Our route took us 800 kilometres in 8 days. We began in Kuala Lumpur and headed Southwest to Kuala Klawang in Negeri Sembilan, before heading North towards Pahang. We planned not to cycle the Gua Musang highway, as this was a heavily trafficked road, a major arterial link to Kota Baru in Kelantan. Instead, we took the train from Kuala Lipis to Dabong. We crossed the East-West highway in an easterly direction, popping briefly into Thailand before continuing up the highest peak in Kedah, Gunung Jerai. We ended our trip in Penang, and took the sleeper train back to KL.
The philosophy of the trip was always to take the road less travelled. Even if it meant a more undulating route or longer distance. Only once did we miss an opportunity to slip down a by-road (past Kuala Krau before coming into Jerantut there is a left turn that joins the Jerantut-Benta trunk road), and that only happened because I hadn't realised that we had missed the turning until it was too late to turn back.
The trip was also a bit of therapy for me. It was a period of great personal upheaval, and I thought that a cycling trip would do me good. The company of 2 good friends was always welcome too. And so it proved: it was the best of times, and it was the worst of times. The metronomic pedalling stripped away all that was not essential and leaves you with the Truth, peeled and polished, so obvious that you'll wonder why you hadn't seen it before.
The journal below is my personal account of that ride. If it gets a little involved or tiresome, I offer as explanation the fact that I had written it for my own benefit, and perhaps to inflict my writing on my 2 cycling companions, who at the time of writing have since dispersed across the globe, one to Vancouver, and the other Beijing. To these two blokes, I'd like to say thanks for being there and for understanding thoughts unspoken. To the other readers (all 2 of you, I'm optimistic here) you're welcome to share.
The boulder on the right bears the sign of the Islamic party, PAS. Note the freshly paved tarmac. This was taken on the Negeri Sembilan side of the Genting Peres pass.
Day 1: Kuala Lumpur to Kuala Klawang (90km)
We started the tour from Damansara Heights in KL, crossing the city into Ampang town before climbing the pass behind the town into Ulu Langat. This little-used road gives a good view of the city of KL. Once in Ulu Langat, we headed North to Kampong Bt. 18, and turned right over the bridge onto B19. Then we took the B32 heading for Genting Peres. This is a relatively new road that climbs to 460m in about 10km to the Selangor-Negeri Sembilan border, and is often used by local cyclists when road training. The road passes the Jelebu district of Negeri Sembilan, the driest place in Malaysia. We stopped by a restaurant in a village called Sungai Muntoh and gorged ourselves on some very sweet fruits. At Kuala Klawang, we stayed in a room above a restaurant called Restoran Anda, for RM30 (USD1=RM3.80). The bikes were brought upstairs to be kept outside the room. Kuala Klawang is ill-equipped to handle travellers, demanding a certain degree of resourcefulness to secure rooms.Day 2: Kuala Klawang to Temerloh (125 km)
The day began in fits and starts. First we waited for Sha to finish repacking his panniers. After breakfast, we waited for Sha to fill his water bottles, as he omitted to do so the previous night. Then, bottles filled, we waited for him to take a dump. Which meant that by the time we got going, it was already 10am. This delay, along with the prolonged lunch later that day, would prove disastrous to our timing.From Kuala Klawang, we headed north-east on route 86, an undulating, windy road with sweet countryside air. We passed the manicured lawns of kampung houses, now — on the brink of the new millennium — adorned with Astro dishes. We turned left at Kg Kerangai onto N23, a road newly resurfaced, probably the result of a last ditch election effort. As happy beneficiaries of this chunk of government spending, we were not complaining. The road joined Route 9, and we headed North into Pahang. About 5km past the town of Mancis (where we stopped for some mee goreng and black brew), we turned right onto C120. This small country road winds steeply through primary jungle before rapidly descending, allowing Pat to record the fastest speed of the tour: 70km/h. We then reached an intersection with a road that was unmarked on the map. A discussion with some builders who were installing reinforcements to the road culverts revealed a short cut through another unmarked, unpaved estate road. The track ended in the town of Mengkarak, by-passing Triang. From Mengkarak, we took Route 10 North to Temerloh. This road follows the banks of the Pahang river, the largest in Peninsular Malaysia.
It was dark by the time we reached the outskirts of Temerloh. To make matters worse, the heavens opened up and we were caught in a torrential downpour. From that moment on, we resolved: early starts, no brew for lunch and no double helpings either. It was just as well that we reneged on our earlier agreement to allow Sha a post-prandial siesta.
We stayed at the most expensive hotel of the trip, the Seri Malaysia (RM110). Hot water, and a narrow escape from hypothermia. Dinner, while brew-less, was excellent: river fish in gulai tempoyak, a curry-like dish made from fermented durian paste rather than curry spices.
Day 3: Temerloh to Kuala Lipis (150 km)
From Temerloh, we headed North on Route 98 towards Jerantut, before turning East on Route 64 towards Benta, by-passing the town centre of Jerantut itself. Sha joined us for the first 20km, before taking the train from Kuala Kerau to Kuala Lipis. He had been suffering from an inflamed archilles tendon. Possible cause: a too high saddle, resulting in "ankling" (pedalling with a toe-down action) and stressing out the area just above the heel.We turned North onto C164, a remote country road which passed a village with the quaint name of Kg Chemomoi. This road led to a brand spanking new highway which was also, unfortunately for me, undulating. I was already beginning to feel the effects of the heat and distance and suffered greatly on the hills. By the time I arrived at the bridge on the outskirts of Kuala Lipis, my tongue was in danger of getting tangled in the front wheel spokes. We met Sha in Kuala Lipis, who had booked us into the resplendent Kuala Lipis resthouse. Located at the top of a hill overlooking the town, this colonial mansion was the former residence of the British Resident. Kuala Lipis was once the capital of Pahang, and even before the arrival of the British was a gold-mining town of some significance. It retains much of the flavour of its rich past.
Apart from scoping out the accommodation ahead of us, Sha also took the opportunity to visit the post-office to post his U-lock back home. Before the trip, we had agreed that a lock would be good idea for the times when we may have to leave our bikes outside, so Sha brought along his Kryptonite U-lock. If you are familiar with bicycle locks, you'll know that the Kryptonite U-lock is the leviathan, the Mother of all bicycle locks. It was only after Sha had lugged the lock 250 kilometres did he realise that he'd left the key behind in KL!
The freight carriage class. Same price as second class, but with chickens for company.
Day 4: Kuala Lipis to Dabong (by train), Dabong to Jeli (50 km)
We took the train from Kuala Lipis to Dabong, to avoid the busy Gua Musang trunk road. Unfortunately there were only 2 passenger carriages, and the number of people waiting to board the train could have easily filled 4. We filed into the cargo carriage, a hot tin box with suspension that was more suited to carrying a few tonnes of cargo than humans. After a few kilometres, my internal organs were taking such a battering from the frequent jolts that I had to stand up so that my legs absorbed some of the shock. I was wondering how much longer I could put up with the discomfort when I saw a stoic old lady whose capacity for suffering put the 3 supposedly macho cycle-tourists to shame. I wedged myself into a corner, onto a box, which proved surprisingly compliant. Only later would I know why: as I got off the box I saw, in the middle of the sizeable indentation on the box made by my buttocks, the label "prawn crackers". I hurriedly got off the train before its owner came to match imprint to buttock.We passed some impressive limestone cliffs — some salmon pink in hue — that seemed to be crying out for first ascents.
Upon reaching Dabong, we took a boat across the Sungai Galas, which saved us a few kilometres. It was dusk by the time we really got going on the bikes, heading North on our very own Route 66. Passed Gunung Stong, with its impressive waterfall that can seen from the train (that is, if you were not stuck in a windowless carriage). Apparently Gunung Stong is a corruption of its English name, Stone Hill. If you are familiar with the Kelantanese dialect (language?), you might find this nugget of information faintly amusing.
I've seen claims that the Jelawang waterfall, at over 800 feet tall, has the highest drop in Peninsular Malaysia, or South-East Asia, even. Just like how Mount Kinabalu is highest mountain in South-East Asia, except no-one remembers the Carstenz Pyramid in Irian Jaya, or the Himalayan peaks of Burma. I guess they meant South East Asia excluding New Guinea, since really, that's part of Australasia, and excluding the Himalayas, since that range hogs all 14 of the 8000-metre peaks already, so pass a little along to your poor neighbours, there's a good boy. Moral of the story: don't believe everything you read, especially on the Internet, and especially when someone claims that a particular trail is where old Jim Thompson went missing.
We finally pulled into Jeli at 10pm, only to discover that all the hotels were full, because there was a landslide on the East-West highway that had stranded travellers in Jeli. A desperate search yielded nothing more than sympathetic looks. Finally, we went back to the first hotel we went to and pleaded for some floor space. I guess we must have looked pretty pathetic, because they then herded us into a VIP lounge and supplied us with mattresses. We may have slept on the floor, but we had an attached bathroom!
Crossing the Banding bridge.
Day 5: Jeli to Pulau Banding (87 km)
We left Jeli immediately after breakfast, despite Sha's protestations that we should sit around for a while to let the food settle on our stomachs. The climbing started almost immediately outside Jeli and did not relent until about 30km later. Sha decided to pace himself and we did not see until 2 or 3 hours after we had arrived in Pulau Banding.The East-West highway is very scenic, and must be recommended to any serious cycle tourist to Malaysia. It's also reasonably safe, with its generous shoulders.
Unless of course, you get caught in a landslide. A long line of cars had formed at the bottleneck created by the landslide, which was being cleared by bulldozers. We triumphantly overtook all those cars that had passed us earlier in the morning. At the head of the queue, the earthworks supervisor waved us through the blockade. Suddenly our bicycle seemed such potent tools compared to the stationary, sweltering human cages that were choking both sides of the landslide. We proud to have had such power between our legs.
Then, it was downhill time! Rain started pelting down too. Pat and I donned our windjackets. We stopped at a mountainside stall for a teh tarik and goreng pisang and a brief respite from the chilling wind.
We rolled into Banding at about 3 in the afternoon.
Day 6: Pulau Banding to Betong, Thailand (100 km)
We had checked into the Banding Island Resort, pretty much the poshest digs in the Temenggor lake area. Banding is an island in the middle of this man-made lake, which was created when the Temmenggor dam was built on the upper reaches of the Perak river.From Banding, we continued West on the East-West Highway (Route 4), and headed North-West on Route 76 just before coming to Grik. The road on the way to the border town of Pengkalan Hulu (also known as Kroh), was very scenic, a twisting, lightly-trafficked road that passed bamboo forests. At Pengkalan Hulu, we turned North-East towards the Thai border on Route 77. We reached Betong after exactly 100km and spent half an hour cruising the town looking for suitable accommodation. We’d go into a few and would be greeted by groups of women, all apparently receptionists. We passed many “barber” shops too. There were so many that you’d think Betong was the hair couture capital of the world. Then there were places that offered “ancient massage”. If the barber shops were what I thought they were, what then would these massage parlours be?
My curiosity went unanswered, as we went back to the centre of town and checked into what looked like the most respectable establishment in town. 3 hot showers later, we were out inhaling some food and brew. I can still remember the squid fried in chilli and basil as I write this, more than 2 years later.
Descending Gunung Jerai in the rain.
Day 7: Betong to Gunung Jerai (105 km)
On day 7, we retraced our way on Route 77, back across the border towards Pengkalan Hulu. From here, we headed East towards Baling. Rain started pelting down as we began to ascend the pass that marks the Perak-Kedah border. On the way down, we zipped up our rain jackets and squinted our way through the driving rain, which had developed into a full-blown torrent. The droplets were so large that they actually stung the skin. I had never been as cold in the tropics before, colder yet than the time Sha, Man and I were caught in rain storm in our first, abortive, attempt to cycle from Cameron Highlands to Gua Musang.The rain let up, which allowed us to enjoy the rest of the journey through some of the most scenic sections of roads that I have ever been on in Malaysia. Particularly memorable was the range of hills just outside the town of Baling on Route 76.
From Baling, we took Route 67 before heading North onto K154, then joining K15 and K10 to Gurun. The philosophy of the ride was, “if distances were equal, always take the more obscure road”! We were amply rewarded with quiet stretches through scenes of rustic Malaysia. From Gurun, we headed North on Route 1 before turning onto K159, which leads to the top of Gunung Jerai.
By the time we reached the foot of the hill, we had cycled 96 kilometres from Betong, Thailand through undulating terrain. We faced 11 kilometres of an average 10% gradient. As I cranked the granny ring on my fully laden bike, I was grateful for having brought the mountain bike.
About 4 kilometres from our destination, a thick soupy fog rolled in. It was quite surreal, cycling into the fog. Objects only appeared into view once they were about 10 feet away, which meant that you didn’t really know where the road was going. As I was negotiating a hairpin turn, a van passed by, and slowed down. Sha’s cheery face popped out the window and announced that he would go ahead and book the accommodation! Then he disappeared into the fog in a cloud of diesel.
Sha would later relate that his archilles tendon was acting up again, and common sense dictated that he not attempt the cycle up. Instead, he procured the van and its driver, who offered to ferry him up the mountain for RM40. He managed to bargain it down to RM25 by seeking sympathy from the driver from the fact that not only was his foot hurting, but he would also be berated by his 2 cycling companions for not cycling the distance!
Crossing Sungai Galas, near Dabong.
Day 8: Gunung Jerai to Georgetown (93 km)
Traders from the 5th century plying the spice route have long used Gunung Jerai as a navigational reference. Its imposing outline is unmistakable when viewed from the sea (or from across the straits on Penang island). It was also a place of some religious significance to the ancient Hindus, as evidenced by the stone remains once found near the peak, and those of old temples dotting the surrounding slopes. Archaeologists were not able to determine the nature of the peak stones; and so the mystery will remain, as the stones were destroyed in a fire sometime in the 1920s. Views from the top can be spectacular if unobscured by fog: you can see Alor Setar, some 30 kilometres away, and match the outline of the coast to its shape on the map.The resthouse is located just shy of the true peak, which is inaccessible to casual visitors on account of the military installation there. The rooms (at the resthouse, that is) were clean and comfortable. The restaurant was unsurprisingly run-of-the-mill (since visitors have no other choice) but redeemed itself by being home to two cuddly kittens.
The 8th and final day of our tour started with a hair-raising descent of mountain in the rain, needlessly made more exciting by a close shave with a truck going the other way. It's a good idea to feather the brakes when descending in the wet, to dry the rims and pad. We took the K1 heading South along the coast, passing the town of Yan. We made a short detour to visit Chandi Batu Pahat.
Chandi Batu Pahat, the 1000-year old Hindu temple in Lembah Bujang, must be one of the most significant archeological sites in Malaysia, though you would not know it from looking at it. The displays in the museum were uninformative, leaving you with the distinct feeling that so much more can be done. And it's not about air-conditioning the museum, dammit. Tourism in Malaysia suffers from a cognitive gap between what the tourism ministry thinks tourists will find interesting, and what travellers in fact find interesting. Just have a look at the monstrous concrete pitcher-plant fountain near the junction of Jalan Tun Perak and Raja Laut to know what I mean.
From the museum, we continued on the K161 to Tanjung Dawai, where we took a boat across the Merbok river. We joined the busy Route 1 about 20 kilometres North of Butterworth, at which point it started raining again. It was unpleasant approach into Butterworth, what with the traffic, water spray from Pat’s rear wheel and smog. At Butterworth, we rejoined Sha, who had again took public transportation. He had spent a few hours at the roadside bus stop waiting for the bus to Butterworth, but all that passed did not stop. It turns out that the buses from Alor Setar only stop if they have empty seats. We took the ferry to Georgetown.
At Georgetown, we cycled the length of Chulia Street (Lebuh Chulia) before settling on the Eastern Hotel, which was clean, comfortable and cheap. We initially had grand plans to lodge in the historic Eastern & Oriental, but this was closed and boarded up. (The venerable E&O is now open again, after being restored to its former glory.) So the Eastern it was, close but no cigar.
Just around the corner from the North end of Chulia St is a 24-hour nasi kandar stall called Line Clear, secreted in an alley between 2 shophouses. The nasi kandar there was out of this world (we suspect that this was due to the chandu or opium seeds slipped into the curry). It was so good that we had it for dinner and supper.
On the following day, Pat and I attempted the Mount Erskine singletrack while Sha nursed his injury. That night, we returned to Butterworth via the ferry and caught the night train back to Kuala Lumpur, glad to have successfully completed the tour, but glad also to move on in life.
More Photos
Click here for the photo album on ofoto.com (37 photos).Links
Jan Boonstra's Tour of Malaysia. You'll get the impression that Mr Boonstra's encounters with poor accommodation somewhat colours his experience of Malaysia. Mr Pumpy's Biking Southeast Asia. Mr Pumpy's oddball sense of humour has a certain charm, but points deducted for describing a saree as a traditional Malay dress. Paul van Roekel and Anja de Graaf's Tour of West Malaysia. Brief, but contains very good set of images.
Accommodation Information
- Banding Island Resort
Resort Manager
P.O. Box 69, 33300 Grik
Perak Darul Ridzuan
Tel: 011-329027 (Atur); 605-7912273
Facsimile: 605-7912076
- Eastern Hotel
Lebuh Chulia,
Georgetown
Tel: 604-261 4597
- Gunung Jerai Resthouse
Tel: 604-422 3345, 604-729 7888
- Kuala Lipis Resthouse,
Bukit Residensi
Tel: 609-312 2599
- Sri Malaysia Hotel,
Temerloh
Tel 609-296 5776>Back to Teh and Joe's Travel Page
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