MALAYSIA (6)
625
Kilometres – 11 Day
28
November – 9 December 2019
PHOTOS
MAP
28
November – Padang Basar, Thailand – Alor Setar, Malaysia – 87 km
Malaysia
must have had one of the easiest border crossings in the entire world. After being
stamped out of Thailand, a short ride took me to the Malaysian immigration
where one was stamped in. Still, it was after 9.30 before heading south.
With
a population density of 97 people per square kilometre, Malaysia wasn’t as densely
populated as Thailand, with a density of 134.2 people per square kilometre and Malaysia,
therefore, was blessed with more open spaces. Malaysia's far northern part was a
particularly scenic area with limestone outcrops and bright green rice fields. A
strong tailwind made easy cycling.
Malaysia
is a multicultural and multiconfessional country, whose official religion is
Islam. About 60% of the population practices Islam, 20% Buddhism, 10% Christianity,
6.5% Hinduism and 3.5% traditional Chinese religions. Therefore, the food was
equally multicultural and included Chinese, Indian and Malay - a food paradise,
if you ask me. The most common was Mee Goreng, consisting of yellow noodles, with
added chicken, beef or soy sauce, veggies and egg. The only thing still required
was to learn the word “vegetarian”. Then there was the very popular Nasi Lemak,
Malaysia’s unofficial national dish. The basis of Nasi Lemak is rice cooked in
coconut milk. It wasn’t always the same, but mostly served with a boiled egg,
peanuts, vegetables, your choice of meat or fish, and sambal. My favourite was still
roti canai, an Indian flatbread served with a scoop of chickpea curry, or curry
laksa, a spicy noodle soup.
Oil-rich
Malaysia’s currency (Malaysian ringgit) was somewhat stronger than the Thai baht
(app. $1 = 4 Malaysian ringgit compared to $1 = 30 Thai baht) and one had to fork
out a bit more for accommodation.
My
first bowl of Mee Goreng was at a roadside stall after which it was on to Alor
Setar. Alor Setar had plenty of budget accommodation, and I was literally “home
and dry” before 15h00. A walk revealed I was in the Chinese part of town as
there were plenty of Chinese restaurants, something I didn’t complain about. The
food was delicious and washed down with a Tiger beer.
29
November - Alor Setar – Georgetown, Penang – 95 km
I
wasn’t in the mood for traffic and headed straight for the backroads. Soon, my
route twisted and turned through rice fields and small hamlets where ever-friendly
Malaysians greeted in a way that appeared they were genuinely surprised and
happy to see one.
On
reaching the large Merbok River, I was pleased to find a ferry operating across
to Pantai Merdeka, saving me a long ride back to the main road. In Butterworth,
the road led straight to the ferry terminal and onto Penang Island situated in
the Strait of Malacca. It’s, in fact, this strategic location that made Penang
what it’s today.
Many
moons ago, the Strait was an important trade route between Europe, the Middle
East, India and China. With the Strait of Malacca located exactly on the
crossing of the two monsoon seasons, ships couldn’t set sail until the winds
were favourable. While waiting for the winds to change, sailors left behind
their unique cultures and today the streets are still lined with delicacies
from China, India and the Middle East. No time was wasted in ordering, not only
samosas but also falafel, again washed down with a tall Tiger beer.
30
November 2019 - Georgetown
I
woke to a drizzly morning and paid for another night.
Although
Georgetown isn’t what it used to be hundreds of years ago, it’s still a magical
place to explore. Not only are the streets lined with food stalls, but the
narrow lanes jam-packed with interesting architecture. It’s said a Chinese
merchant first charted the island way back in the 15th century, but I understood
Indian merchants reached this part of the world as early as the 1st century to
collect herbs, spices and gold. It wasn’t until 1595 the Dutch arrived and not
long after that the English. Today, it’s all still visible in Fort Cornwallis's
architecture and the Sri Mariamman temple to the Kapitan Keling Mosque.
One
of the most interesting places, at least to me, was the clan jetties, dating
back to 1882. In those years, the jetties were dominated by clans and homes
were constructed along the wooden walkways. Nothing much has changed and to
this day clans reside here.
2
December – Georgetown – Taiping – 110 km
After
two full days in Georgetown, it was time to pack up and cycle to the ferry
port. Although the map indicated a cycle route, I had other ideas and followed
my nose. My nose was clearly not good, as in trying to locate smaller roads I
got completely bogged down in the mud and had to return to the highway. Once on
the highway, there was no getting off, and it took at least 40 kilometres
before finding an exit. By then, I wasn’t in the mood for exploring and headed to
Taiping on the best possible route available.
Clouds
gathered, and it became clear I wasn’t going to make it to Taiping without
getting soaked. Ten kilometres before Taiping, the heavens did indeed open up,
and it poured as it could only do in the tropics. It wasn’t long before all was
over, and a few kilometres further, the road was bone dry.
The
old stalwart, Peking Hotel, was renovated and not as inexpensive as it used to
be. Fortunately, I located Sojourn Beds & Café where a bed was only 35MR,
and I the only one in the guesthouse. Conveniently located across the road from
the night market made it even more perfect.
3
December – Taiping - Lamut – 100 km
I
discovered Malaysia was an hour behind Thailand! Therefore, I left after 9 a.m.
instead of what I thought was a very early start. I couldn’t make up my mind
which way to go, and instead of heading for either Ipoh or Lamut, I headed
straight south and followed country roads.
The
route was surprisingly scenic and along a perfect road past mostly oil-palm plantations.
Indonesia and Malaysia are the largest producers of palm oil, and it’s,
therefore, no surprise to cycle past large farms. Interestingly enough, it’s a
tropical oil and only grows within 10 degrees north and south of the equator.
Eventually,
I had to make a call and headed to Lamut, or rather Sitiawan, as it had heaps
of accommodation and food.
4
December – Sitiawan – Kuala Selangor – 145 km
I
don’t know what got into me, but I was on the road early and hardly ever
stopped. I didn’t even have breakfast or any other food during the day and
never felt hungry. I was like a woman possessed!
Following
the main road became quite impossible - not only was it busy, but it seemed the
entire road was being widened. I stayed on the country lanes and thoroughly
enjoyed myself. The path zigzagged through oil-palm plantations, sometimes on
paved roads and sometimes on dirt roads. A ferry ride across the Bernam River
made a fun way to get to the opposite side.
The
weather was good, and as it didn’t look like rain, I made good use of the
favourable conditions and only called it a day on reaching Kuala Selangor. The
Melawati Hotel was home that night, and the room was easily the smallest I’ve ever
stayed in. The room was so small the single bed only just fitted, not even
leaving enough space for a bedside table!
5
November Kuala Selangor – Puchong – 88 km
My
late start was partly due to my windowless room and partly to the long distance
and late night the previous day. It wasn’t the most scenic of cycles as I was
heading into Kuala Lumper, Malaysia’s capital (commonly known as KL), and a
city with an urban conglomerate of 7,700,000! It’s an ever-growing area and
roadworks part of life but something which didn’t make good cycle touring. However,
I made it to my hotel in good time and later met up with my friend Peter and
his wife, Alice. We jabbered on forever as I haven’t seen them for a while.
The
next two days were spent packing my bicycle and panniers as from KL I planned
on flying to my beloved India. Peter kindly got me a bicycle box beforehand and,
with his help, the bicycle was soon in the box. My laundry was done, and a few
beers were consumed (which was already chilled even before my arrival). It’s
the kind of stuff one can never thank someone enough for.
Booking
a budget flight meant my flight was at an ungodly hour, but Peter still drove
me to the airport. Afterwards, I swore I’ll never book a budget airline again,
no matter how tempting the price might be. The luggage fee was so astronomical
I could’ve flown with a far more comfortable airline for the same price.
