Dave and his Bike

Days 111, 112, 113 & 114.

Day 111.

We were up before 0700hrs, with the intention of being on the road by 0730, however Steve’s back had other ideas. Whilst picking up his (very heavy) toothbrush his back went into spasm. He therefore needed to rest it for a while, in the hope that it would ease off a bit. After another 30+ minutes and some French anti-inflammatories he felt confident enough to attempt to get on his bike. It wasn’t pretty, and looked very painful, but he managed it.

We set off south towards Malacca. It was main road to start with (route 5) before we looked for the coastal route. Within a few kilometres of setting off we met three French lads at some traffic lights who were on a bike-packing trip. We chatted in Franglais as we rode with them for a while, but then we peeled off to a restaurant for a coffee and some breakfast (at Kempung Bukit Tembok).

After the chicken, egg and rice we turned onto the coast road. Steve’s back had eased off a bit, but still not great. The road however was good. It was just as well that it wasn’t a hilly day today. It was nice to be riding along the coast again, with another empty beach to our right, interspersed with food and drink shacks, and small hotels on the other side of the road. Really beautiful.

We stopped another couple of times for cold drinks and spicy potato snacks, and the only other lengthy pause was near a military base. The road towards Sundai Udang was blocked by a sentry post. I spoke with the armed guards there who said we needed a pass to get through. I asked if I could apply for a pass, but was obviously refused. It wasn’t worth a massive confrontation for the sake of an additional 8km detour, but still frustrating.

Back on the main road we were passed again by the French lads moving at speed, and we were soon in Malacca (or Malaka locally). We had a bit of a faff finding a hotel, as descriptions on the internet don’t match up with real life, and the manager in one was blunt to the point of being rude. We settled for a mid-range (less than £30) room, about 750m from a pharmacy which proved useful for Steve. Hopefully the concoction of anti-inflammatories, muscle relaxants, and nerve medication which he was prescribed will sort him out soon.

Food was the next priority. Mine good, Steve’s not so. I then went for a look around Malacca on foot. It’s a great place which reminds me very much of George Town on Penang Island. It has been pillaged by the Portuguese, Dutch and British over the years, and for centuries has been an important port on the trade routes.

I enjoyed my stroll, visiting Jonker Walk, the quayside area and many back streets. Once it had gone dark I went up in a rotating viewing platform and saw the city by night. Pretty lights.

Back at the hotel Steve was quite relaxed. I think the meds have kicked in. Whilst on the subject of health, as a bit of an aside (and update), my broken toe is just about healed I think. It’s been over five weeks now, so it should be. It’s still a bit sore and swollen at the end of the days ride, but not painful to walk on any more. Thankfully.

I made a FaceTime call to Jane, who is getting really excited about travelling out to Singapore in a couple of days time. So am I.

Distance cycled so far: 6125km

Day 112.

Thankfully Steve’s back was much improved this morning as it appears that drugs and rest have done their thing. It’s not perfect, but he was clearly moving more easily, and grunting and swearing less.

After a bedroom breakfast of croissants and coffee, we were on the road just after 0800hrs. Navigation was easy – just keep the sea on the right. A choice of roads kept us off the main route 5 for several stretches throughout the day, and when we were on it there wasn’t too much traffic. A short section of gravel kept us concentrating, and was a bit of a test for Steve’s back – a test that thankfully he passed.

It was hot today. When we set off it was already 26°C, and by 1030 had risen to 35°C. I was getting through water at a rate of knots, meaning an early refill was required. After 30km we were looking for somewhere for our second breakfast, but typically when you want a food stall there isn’t one in sight (or they’re all closed). At 44km, on the outskirts of Muar we found one. I didn’t really fancy the fish curry and rice that was on offer, so after Steve had eaten I went to the stall next door and bought a couple of battered sausage type things, which were lovely. However, within 10km my stomach started to grumble. The net result was a half hour pause in a petrol station with a toilet. No further information required.

Strangely enough, I didn’t feel like eating for the rest of the ride, so by the time we were approaching Batu Pahat at 100km I was flagging.

Weirdly for us, we got a room at the first hotel we stopped at. My stomach was pleased. After a shower I had a snooze and felt a bit more human. I was almost sensible and had chicken and rice for dinner (without spicy sauce), but couldn’t resist the garlic naan on offer. Hopefully it won’t be too detrimental.

My amusing observation of the day was two lads on a moped. The pillion was holding the handles of a wheelbarrow which they were towing behind them at speed. Quite a sight, although I’m not sure what the speed rating of a wheelbarrow tyre is.

Overall a flat, hot day, which we both feel that we have ‘survived’. Nice scenery of palms and bananas, and the sounds of the jungle all around us, which I will miss when we leave here next week. We’re on the 10th floor of the hotel, and for a change there is a window, so the views of the sunset were good.

Distance cycled so far: 6226km.

Day 113.

Having been woken by the call to prayer at 0600hrs, we both went back to sleep until nearly 0700. Any plans of an early start were therefore dashed. Pre-packed croissant and coffee in the room was breakfast for both of us, and we were on the road for about 0820.

The route for the day could have been about 70km if we just followed the main road along the coast. There was, however, a smaller road a few kilometres further inland which wiggled about a bit. This was our preferred option. A couple of steady climbs (in the 5-8% bracket) early on stretched our legs, before we turned off at about 20km. We were straight into the usual scenery of palm plantations, bananas and sugar cane, with many, many mynah birds making their noise, and the occasional flash of blue of a kingfisher. The canal (or irrigation channel) we were following was covered in lotus flowers from time to time.

It would be easy to get complacent about the landscape here, but I am still loving it, despite it being very flat and straight today. The flatness was accompanied by a cross-headwind for most of the day, making it a bit more challenging than it could have been, and together with still feeling the after-effects of a problematic stomach (weak and feeble) plus the heat and humidity meant that by the end of the day I was shattered.

Second breakfast was at Senggarang at about 30km. Rice and chicken as usual, with a spicy sauce, peanuts and anchovies. Nice, but a bit more than I needed at 1030 in the morning.

The only change in scenery later in the day was that we passed fields of pineapples growing, and they seemed to have replaced the durian on the roadside stalls. I’m not great with pineapple. I love it but sometimes it upsets my stomach, so the way I’ve been in the last 24hrs it probably wouldn’t be a wise move to try one even though they look fantastic.

A stop for iced lemon tea (two each), and a cool down in the shade was followed by a second stop an hour later for cold drinks from a fridge, where the shop owner provided us with stools to sit on whilst we rested. Top man.

Once in Pontian we chose a nice hotel by the sea. Sadly they only had double rooms, and as much as I like Steve… Our second choice was nearby, had a twin room, breakfast included, and we have a sea view. Perfect. Apart from the fridge, which warms things up.

A stroll around locally found us a good evening meal accompanied by a cacophony of crows at evensong (not a seagull in sight), followed by family catch-ups. Jane and Ange have left their respective homes and are en-route to join us. Not long now.

Distance cycled so far: 6321km

Day 114.

The last proper day in Malaysia.

Breakfast at the hotel was both convenient and good. I went down the local route of chicken, egg and crinkle cut chips. With toast and jam, obviously. On the bike by 0830hrs. A not-too-hot 21°C to start the day (but it did build up to 38°C again).

We could have taken the easy route along the main road, of around 57km. We opted instead for a quieter approach to Johor with minor roads for at least part of the way, but a few more kilometres. It was nice to have a last ride on some country roads before hitting the city traffic, and see the monkeys at the side of the road for one last time. We were a bit early for the food stalls to be up and running, so our standard coffee stop had to wait. After 30 or so kilometres of wiggling about, and failing to get a photo of a pineapple stall, we turned onto the aptly named Johor Bahru – Pontian Bridge Road, which was immediately a dual carriageway with a block headwind. There was very little traffic, but lots of cyclists which was nice to see. A few minutes later we were at the bridge, probably our biggest climb of the day.

From thereon in the traffic steadily built up. At a welcome stop for a coffee (not a great one) we looked at our route into Johor Bahru. The one-way set-ups and lack of possibilities for cyclists was frustrating, which, when we were back on the road caused me to fall out with a lorry driver and his bullying tactics as we were trying to avoid getting on a motorway. I wasn’t very polite. He possibly learnt some new English words. We found a track which led to a motorway services access road, and then had no option really other than the big dual carriageway. Fortunately, being a Sunday, it wasn’t as busy as it could have been. It was a bit like being in a video game; concentration, lane changes, fast cars, slip roads. A burger, coke, and McToilet stop provided 10 minutes of respite and a reset before the last 14 or 15 kilometres of madness.

The one plus side of roads like that is that I tend to ride a bit faster, so it wasn’t long before we arrived outside the hotel which I had solely used as a landmark to aim at. Turns out that it is in a great location and affordable, so here we are.

Once installed and showered, our next priority was laundry, mainly so we don’t have to do it when our wives have arrived. The helpful hotel porter showed us a launderette less than 100m away, and whilst our clothes were going round in circles we opted for a lemon tea and some chicken satay, whilst also avoiding a heavy shower. After dropping our washing off back at the hotel and doing a few more admin jobs (digital arrival card for Singapore being one of them), we ventured out for more food. The awkward choice between Chinese and Indian based dinner ended up with really good fried noodles. And more lemon tea, despite there being several beer options available.

As I write this, Jane and Ange are somewhere over Turkey, having been delayed leaving Paris for about 90 minutes. Big change tomorrow. It’ll be lovely to be back together again.

Distance cycled so far: 6392km.