Desaru with Michelle

Having found a longer seatpost for Michelle (my 1991 Bridgestone MB-3), I was stoked to take this workhorse for a spin to let her stretch her legs:



She has long legs  :-P

Blue tracks = Day 1; red tracks = Day 2. Yellow boxes reflect highway numbers. Mileage are in kilometers as Michelle has not been equipped with a speedometer yet. 1.6 km = 1 mile.

No pictures of the first day as my camera decided to take a holiday as well.

On the 30-km ride to Tanah Merah Ferry Terminal, a mini van and a car speeding in the opposite direction on East Coast Park Service Road, crossed the double white lines over to our lane to avoid the speed regulating strips, and forced us off the road. This was despite our blinking lights and us hollering.

Headlights coming straight at you — better than coffee.





It rapidly got warmer after we left Sebana Cove. Breakfast at Rail Mall at 5:20 AM clearly being less than sufficient, we were ravenous by the time we clocked 53.7 km and reached the Petronas station. Bread, biscuits, and 100 Plus never tasted so good. After that, it was an easy 6.7 km to Desaru.

Michelle, ma belle...
Sont les mots qui vont très bien ensemble,
tres bien ensemble.

Drive-side pannier:  2.47 kg
Non-drive side pannier:  2.82 kg
Bike weight:  12.87 kg
Water bottles:  3
  - Nalgene (covered spout ) 700 ml (0.7 kg)
  - Tarcx (exposed spout) 850 ml (0.85 kg)
   - Mineral water 1.5 liters (1.5 kg)

TOTAL:  21.21 kg (46.66 lbs)





Desaru Damai Beach Resort
Bandar Penawar, 81900 Kota Tinggi,
Johor Darul Takzim, Malaysia
Tel: 607-822 4600
       607-822 5600

Tip:  Ask for a room on the second floor, not the first. That way, you can roll your bike to your room.





We left Desaru at 12:30 PM. Temperature was 87°F (30.6°C). This is Highway 90, a coastal road that's considerably quieter than Highway 92.





Mmm...





2 km later. For some reason, this area is often warmer than the surrounding areas. Current temperature 91°F (32.8°C).





After the hills, Batu Layar.
Temperature 89°F (31.7°C).





A wider view.





A detour we discovered.





Just lallang rustling (wind caressing).







                            Lallang

       Lallang does not sleep to man's command
       burnt, uprooted, undestroyed it flourishes well;
       proud, disillusioned man walk on,
       lallang lines your road to hell,
       do not try to understand the lallang's moods
       it sways calypso-like because it must:
       do not think it's love you've found
       the lallang's cutting edge is lust
       let the wind cut its fingers on lallang
       in the fields near the Bo tree:
       there is no lallang to cut oneself on
       in a field of dead memories.

       (Chandran Nair)





HON SHIN:  You carry on with your, "The hills are alive with the sound of music" routine, dude. I've got a ferry to catch. Bye!





*Screeeech!*
Another reason why you should always keep your brakes in good condition (unless... maybe, you own this).

So that's the reason for the bridge we passed... Oh, 15 minutes ago!

In the preceding picture, we were standing at the foot of the lone, tall coconut tree in the center. Hon Shin's GPS track makes it all clear.

We had lunch at Sungai Rengit at 3:30 PM. Then, it was a leisurely 7.4 km to the entrance to Sebana Cove. The sign that states, "250 m to Sebana Cove Marina," lies; it is actually 5 km.

As we reached Sebana Cove Marina with more than 90 minutes to spare, we went exploring. 12 km of paved plantation roads later, we discovered the backdoor connector of Sebana Cove Marina from the sleepy village of Pengerang.




This is the view if you are heading westbound along J152 from Sungai Rengit. It is about 2 kilometers to Tanjung Pengelih Jetty. If you are heading eastbound from the jetty, the unnamed and unmarked junction lies 100 meters after the police station.

Here, Hon Shin tries his hand at hitchhiking. Folks, if you see this cyclist, he has a folding bike, so you can pick him up with a minimum of hassle. Give him a ride  :-D

Hon Shin's account has a lot more pictures and data. Check it out.





  Indo Falcon Shipping
  Tel: 6275-7393
         6377-5638
         6270-6778
         6333-3363
  Fax: 6276-1753
  Malaysia: 607-826 6688
  travel@indofalcon.com.sg

Deciding not squeeze in the stuffy air-conditioned cabin with the rest of the passengers, we hightailed to the top deck before the dockside crew spotted us. It didn't offer the best in comfort — no chairs, no seats, no lights, no shelter from the wind — but we had a bird's eye view of the lights, and the open, night sky — graced with warm, flat 100 Plus, tasting of plastic; and crushed, broken, stale biscuits. It doesn't take much to be happy  :-)


Epilogue:
Total distance:  Hon Shin's cyclo-computer 107.6 miles (172.2 km)
Temperature range:  75°F to 93°F (23.9°C to 33.9°C)