Tuesday, October 18, 2011

3 to Malacca







It was really great to be riding again with Chris and a new friend KC when I got back to Singapore. Our destination this time was the historical town of Malacca. Using the coastal route, it took us 260 easy km and we did it with stopovers in Pontian Kechil (75km), Batu Pahat (80km) and thereafter to Malacca.

KC was riding the only foldy, an Eminence while Chris rode his Titanium bike and I the Surly LHT. Despite his smaller wheels, KC was the fastest rider and his idea of an ideal touring speed is 30km/h, much much higher than ours at 23-25km/h. It didn't help my ego that KC is nearly a decade older than I! Its a good thing we had the excuse of stopping a lot because there were so many pictures to take...



The 3 of us had a wonderful time exploring the quiet Malaysian small towns and over eating as usual. The food in Malaysia is absolutely a delightful gastronomical adventure.


I cannot express adequately the joy we feel just pedalling from one town to another on our own strength and discovering and experiencing so many new sights, smells and sounds.


Despite the heat, I think Malaysia is very promising as a bicycle destination with great food, and low prices. We spend a total of US$130 for 4 nights including our bus fare back from Malacca to Singapore. Friendly people, considerate drivers, yummy food, value for money hotels (Our best deal was a US$24 room for 3 of us, plus aircon at Tang's guest house at Jonkers), it is certainly a trip worth doing again.


Thanks KC and Chris for a beautiful trip!


*pics courtesy of CW & KC.

5 comments:

Chris said...

Sounds like an awesome trip - what kind of bikes are you on? I have a Montague folding bike, and I love it. It's great for travel, since it rides well, I never have to worry about renting a bike, and it's easy to take with me on buses, trains, boats, even planes.

omegaforest said...

It not about quantity but on the quality of people that you ride with! Esp with one that maintains 30km/hr on flat and up slope!lol

what a great trip!

Unknown said...

My friends and I are planning for a similar trip to Malacca and we are looking for advice on the route you took for this particular trip.

Would you be able to share the route you took for this?

Thank you

Oldyonfoldy said...

Hi Shah.

Thanks for reading LTF.

We took it easy and spread the trip over 3 nights. Spore - Pontian - Batu Pahat - Muar - Malacca. Easy 70-80km per day.

Its possible to make it shorter depending on how far you want to ride per day. Some just overnight in BP but be prepared to ride 120-150km. All the best and ride safe.

Al

Unknown said...

Al, thanks for the reply.

Do you happen to have the exact route you take for the journey?

Is there a GPS coordinate that we could refer to?

Also, how do you plan for accommodation? Can they be prebooked beforehand online or through phone?

Feel free to drop me an email when you have time :)

My address is shah[dot]widjaja(at)gmail(dot)com

Thank you in advance
Shah