25.2. - 5.3.2008
Travelled and written by Dirk Limann
Map on the last page
Well, I wanted to cycle the new east road from Gua Musang to the Cameron Highlands only. In the end, it turned out to be a “Tour de Malaysia”, which brought me from Malacca via Fraser’s Hill to Kota Baru and Thailand. The highlight finally was the ride up the Cameron Highlands and further up to Bukit Brinchang (2032m), the highest point accessible by road in West Malaysia.
A wise decision was to use side roads and not to take any risk. This was also a promise to Jenny, who regarded it as a ‘dangerous’ trip.
With the help of my GPS-system, the respective routes were selected. The tracks were quiet and nice. Most of the landscape was the usual palm oil and rubber plantations, less paddy fields, but lots of jungle. I passed colourful Malay Kampongs with friendly children waving to me and I met Orang Aslis with their blow pipes.
On the long stretch from Kuala Lipis to Gua Musang there were no side roads available and the main road was small and busy with lorries. This was no place for me, hence I decided to take an old rattling local bus.
A second free cycling day was on the way back from Kota Baru to Gua Musang in a slow local train for 7 hours.
In seven cycling days, I covered 848 km. This sounds little, an average of about 120 km a day. But the central part of Malaysia is hilly and together with the two highlands tours I had to climb in total 8400 Altimeter, that’s the height of Mt. Everest.
My meals and water refill I took at food stalls beside the road, seldom exceed R 5 (US$ 0.70) per meal inclusive drinks. Accommodation was also reasonable in cheap hotels or rest houses for about RM 50 (US$ 7). However the rooms were occasionally very basic, without aircon, no attached bathroom and plenty of mosquitoes.
A great concern of mine was which bike to use. Since the area was hilly and even mountainous, the first thought was of course the Mountain Bike (MTB). But the weight and the bad rolling resistance would mean more power was required and would lengthen the daily cycle time or even shorten the whole trip. So I decided to take the light weight racer bike. To cut down the overall weight to a minimum, I brought light weight- underwear, socks, long sleeve shirt and a long pants as well a small tooth brush and tooth paste along. As for my cycle-gear I hand washed every evening. The racer plus all gear weighted 14 kg (!) only. By far, a light weight travel.
I was very pleased with my small GPS device fixed on the handlebar. With the routing function, I did some research for the best way to go and did also some new routing calculation during the trip. You always know where you are and how to carry on. It greatly simplified the orientation.
The biggest problem to cycle in the tropics is sweating and water replenishment. Sweating is necessary for cooling. This works best with sufficient driving wind and a loose sports shirt. Well, at slow uphill cycling there is no draft any more and the cooling effect is gone. The sweat was pouring down my arms and legs. The shoes got wet and from the gloves sweat drops every second. After the day, my palms and feet were swollen and white from water retention and have wrinkles like elephant skin.
To avoid a performance drop, drinking of water is frequently required as well the intake of salt tablets. So on one day, 5 to 6 litres of water passed through my body. Regular eating (approximately every two hours) and intake of magnesium is important to stay fresh over 8 hours on the bike.
Somehow, all these things were very well in control. I never had a performance break-down, no tired legs, and no cramps.
Here the highlights of the days.
1st day: Malacca – Kuala Pilah, 97 km
Nothing special. All routes which I already know.
2nd day: Kuala Pilah – Bentong, 165 km
It was raining the whole night until morning. On the ride it was cloudy but no rain, but got wet shoes because of splashing water from the wet road. At a large stretch of jungle, I cycled for one hour through the green, without coming across any vehicle or people. Instead, monkeys roused through the trees screaming loudly, the singing of birds echoed in the foliage and butterflies found a convenient salt leak on my shoulders. On the road, rodents, iguanas and snakes moved around. Here, I was at home.
3rd day: Bentong – Fraser’s Hill, 79 km
All night long heavy rain. The windy mountain road up to Fraser’s Hill was covered with leaves, branches and sand wash. Suddenly a jam of vehicles. A land slide with sand, rocks and trees blocked the road. Three tractors cleared the debris. The road was luckily intact, but after the opening, I still had to cycle through inches of mud. At the next stream, I had to wash my bike with my bare hands.
At the cross point a new road goes up to Fraser’s Hill. But in the night a portion of the road collapsed and was therefore closed. The only access was via a old small road. In the afternoon I cycled around the area with some sunshine, beautiful view of the mountains with the drifting mist.
4th day: Fraser’s Hill – Gua Musang, 42 km
In the night pouring rain again. My clothes and shoes did not dry in the cold and moist room. I put on wet my things and cycled down hill for 1.5 hrs at 19°C. Brrr, it was really cold. The road condition was as before: Rain-soaked bamboo was bending down to the road, strewn with leafs, brunches and stones, passing the land slide with all the mud and washing my bike at a stream.
Because of the reasons mentioned in the second chapter, I took the bus from Raub. It was dry when I reached there. But during the bus ride it rained heavily. The receptionist told me that it had rained non-stop for two days. Shall I quit the trip and try to get to Ipoh by bus? No, a Dirk does not give up so fast! I came purposely here to cycle the east route to the Cameron Highlands and eventually further north to Kota Baru and the Thai border. Let’s wait until tomorrow. The rain must stop once. Problem again to dry my things. I converted the lampshade, heated by the bulb, into a dryer for my socks, gloves and head band. The bicycle was used as dryer rack for the cycling clothes. Newspaper in the shoes sucked the moisture out.
5th day: Gua Musang – Rantau Panjang, 169 km
It rained the whole night but in the morning, it stopped. So I quickly got into my nearly-dry gear and headed North. However the sky was dark there and soon the rain started fine, dense and penetrating. For four hours, I cycled along a lonely long stretch of road. After a while, the warm rain was not a hindrance anymore. Just opposite, I enjoyed the freshness and the magnificent landscape. Misty limestone peaks like Guilin passed by. From a long rocky ridge many waterfalls poured down, which reminded me of my New Zealand trip. The streams and rivers have swollen into a rusty-coloured boiling soup containing driftwood trapped underneath the bridges.
At lunchtime at a small food stall the sun suddenly shone. I dried my wet things on a warm cement slap and had my best fried noodle of my trip for only RM 2 (US$ 0.30) inclusive of drinks.
Further north, dark sky and penetrating rain started again. Jeli was supposed to be the last stop of the day’s trip but I was shocked that all hotel rooms were fully booked. They recommended a guesthouse to me, 15 km away. From Jeli onwards, I had to use the busy East West Highway No 4. Luckily there was a wide emergency lane to keep the vehicles a distance from me but the buckets of splash water from the passing traffic indulged me. Rain was pouring too. For once, I had to stop cycling because my lane was flooded and it was dangerous if I drop into the pot-holes.
The second shock, the guesthouse did not have rooms either. Here I was, it was late afternoon already, wet to the bones, hungry and no bed for the night. There was again a recommendation to try it in Tanah Merah, 35 km away. But this means another 1.5 hours on this terrible road and rain. “Dirk, don’t panic”, I sought and took time to think over the situation.
Firstly I eat something, filled my water bottles and packed a roll of biscuits. Who knows how long the day or night will last.
Secondly, I consulted my GPS. With the search option accommodation, the device prompted two hotels in Rantau Panjang, a border town, 22 km away. The good thing was that the location could be reached by a side road which I had in mind anyway to use the next day. I arrived at the hotel one hour before dark. It costs RM 30 (US$ 4) a night.
6th day: Rantau Panjang – Pasir Mas, 81 km
From today onwards, no more rain until end of the trip. Most of the time it was sunny.
Crossing over the border bridge into Thailand and then further north to Tak Bai. The stretch was completely flat, with large paddy fields on both sides. Many water buffalos and cattle roamed the harvested fields. Everywhere were white spots of egrets.
At the small village of Tak Bai, a small wooden bridge crossed to an island. From there I pushed my bike through soft sand, passing little fisherman houses to the naturale beach lined with coconut trees. I reached the most northern point of my trip. Overwhelmed that I have managed to cycle all the way from Malacca to Thailand, looking out to the South China Sea and I imagined the horizon was Vietnam. What a small world.
The way back to Malaysia was on a rigged ferry.
To the north of Kota Baru, I visited two Thai temples and then came the big decision. Either to cycle to Kota Baru, whether stay overnight and take the comfortable express bus to Gua Musang the next day. My wish however was to use the train which runs on an old logging track. The problem was that the railway station was not in Kota Baru, it was in the small town of Pasir Mas, 20 km away and the train leaves at 7 o’clock in the morning. At this time it was still dark and to cycle one hour without light from Kota Baru to the station was impossible. But I want to use the train! So I decided to go to Pasir Mas and check for accommodation.
Well, I inquired from petrol stations, shops and people, but I got always the same answer: “Hotel, resthouse or rooms, … we do not have such things here”. But I want to use the train! Dirk’s thick head and never-give-up strategy showed success. At the last petrol kiosk came with the tip of the day. On the other side of the road was a pharmacy and they rent out rooms. I got the last one. Hurrah!
7th day: Pasir Mas - Gua Musang
The express train staff refused to let me bring my bicycle into the coach. Therefore a seven hour ride with a slow local train through the heart of Malaysia. The landscape changed from flat rice fields to hilly plantations and jungle covered mountains, passing through several tunnels in total darkness. The lamps of the wagon have been ripped off from the ceiling a long time ago for illuminating most probably, some of the farmer houses. About the shaky ride, the totally run down wagon and the fellow travellers who came from the distant villages which I could write a separate story about.
8th day: Gua Musang – Cameron Highland, 115 km
The most challenging day. Start at dawn. The problem of this long 100 km stretch was that it runs for most of the distance, through unhabited area and with many ups and downs, totalling about 2800 Altimeter uphill. Therefore I had to carry an additional water container and a plastic bag of food along. Both hung at my handle bar and I looked like a homeless carrying scraps on his bike.
The long starting stretch was frustrating. There had been a lot of ups and downs but I did not gain height. Only after 70 km, it was ascending steadily with increasing gradient, culminating in a stretch of 6 km and a gradient of 15% and more. Even in the first gear, full power was required to stay on the bike.
Already in the Cameron Highlands at 1200 m, I stoped in Raja where I took my first warm meal in the afternoon. My three litres of water, were gone. After some rest, another long ascent to 1600 m and to Brinchang my ending for the day.
9th day: Brinchang – Ipoh, 102 km,
Temperature18 °C. Cycling around the golf course and then through tea plantation followed by jungle, a steep narrow road lead up to Bukit Brinchang at an altitude of 2032 m. What a fantastic view.
Jeees …and now the descent. Firstly a one hour drop to Raja. A long ascent brought back the sweat. And then came the 50 km, 1.5 hour long descent nearly without any peddling - a dream of every biker. Enjoying every bend and the quick acceleration of the racer bike on steeper sloops up to 65 km/hr - reward for all the hard pushing up before. Five kilometres before the final goal, Ipoh, there was the only technical mishap of the entire trip, a flat tire.
Conclusion:
A beautiful adventure trip which I will never forget.
Because of the detailed, several weeks of careful preparation for the trip with selection of suitable material and my endurance trainings, the whole journey was completed without physical or technical problems.
Also due to the proper selection of routes and risk-free riding, I never encountered any critical driving situation.
In spite of the catastrophic rainy weather, it was amazing that I experienced one rainy day on the bike only.
Without GPS, the trip could not be done in this way and not so easily.
I have to thank the following persons, who helped me unknowingly, to accomplish this trip:
- Loi: bicycle mechanics, who assembled my bike according to my special specifications.
- Arnold: cycling friend, for his frequent teaching about the ability of the human body to store water. .
- Sonja: Iron Woman, for the important and correct use of salt- and magnesium tablets. .
- Niels: cycling friend, who helped me to overcome the first teething problem with the GPS map technique. .
- Casper: Dutch world traveller, who gave the deciding info, not to cycle the dangerous road from Kuala Lipis to Gua Musang. .
- Reinhold Messner: extreme adventurer, he has inspired me with his solo climb to the top of the Mt. Everest. Traveling light and quickly, he “murdered the impossible”
Dirk
