Distance: 71.84 km
Max Speed: 39.8 km/h
Average while moving: 18.1 km/h
This should have been a short ride of 35 kilometres or so but being in a bit of a funk, I decided to explore. My two maps gave me slightly differing opinions but I decided to chance it and headed out along the coast road. The guy coming off the night shift at the hotel assured me I could cut back to the main road at a later point so I felt quite confident.
Anyway, after Mei left, I figured I needed to get back in the saddle and get pedalling again - I was sure some extra kms would do me the world of good.
The area I was headed towards was the Kuala Sungai Muda. One map indicated a town called Kota Kuala Sungai Muda and the other placed it further north. I eventually discovered that the first had it partially right - the town was really Kampung Kuala Sungai Muda. And there was indeed a Kota Kuala Sungai Muda but it was north across the river, so the second map got that right.
I rode out across flat padi field lands. On the way I thought a white van was following me because it would pass me and disappear, then a few minutes later would do the same thing again. When I stopped for my breakfast, I realised there were actually a number of these white vans serving as either transport for workers or as mini buses...
Kampung Kuala Sungai Muda is being developed. Seriously. A whole estate of new shophouses and low-cost single storey houses in springing up, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The first phase seem occupied though so I have no idea where the residents come from. I did notice what I took to be workers being dropped off regularly so perhaps there are some factories set back from the road a bit.
I got to the end of the road and found a bustling fishing village of mainly Chinese and Malay residents. The strange thing I noticed was that the Chinese school was in the obviously Malay area and the mosque was in the mainly Chinese area. Go figure...
I didn't stay long and rode out, back the way I'd come, then took a turn off towards Sungei Petani. A little along this road, I came to a fork - right was towards Sungei Petani and left towards Kota Kuala Sungai Muda so I thought I'd give that a shot and turned left.
Not far along, I saw a sign that announced Pantai Merdeka and I recalled seeing that marked out as a local attraction on one of my maps. Neither map was very accurate as far as roads go and the scale of the maps was such that I couldn't work out if there was an alternative route to Sungei Petani from Pantai Merdeka anyway.
More signs along the way gave me some hope that Pantai Merdeka would be a nice place to rest up, or even stay over instead of Sungei Petani. This despite the fact it would add quite a few kms to the route. I saw a group of cyclists on racers going the other way and we waved at each other but didn't stop.
Kota Kuala Muda was not especially memorable and the additional 10 km to Pantai Merdeka now meant it was pointless turning back so I continued past more padi fields and a steepish hill which I struggled up. The downhill section immediately after was very very fast and I needed the brakes to keep me within sane speeds. I did think Pantai Merdeka had better be worth it for all the effort.
In a way it was - a very nice stretch of beach which made me think yet again of how it must have been when the Tsunami struck in 2004.
When at the Lone Pine, I had asked Fabian, the Asst Restaurant Manager about the Tsunami and he said it reached up the gardens but not into the pool. He described how the waters had receded and people had gone out to the beach to look and then they saw this white line far out at sea...
Nobody lost their lives at The Lone Pine, but further back along Batu Feringgi, some people were not so lucky. At a hilly section, the swimmers had nowhere to go when the wave hit.
Pantai Merdeka was very peaceful at late morning and only a few stalls were open. In a way it reminded me of Morib, with the same sort of setup - a seawall and hawker centre set back a bit. But it was in much better shape. The chalets were being renovated so it was to be Sungei Petani for the night.
I had something to eat, decided it was way too hot to cycle back so had a very pleasant snooze on the seawall and watched some of the comings and goings for awhile before stretching and heading out.
The hill wasn't so bad after all and the rest of the ride in to Sungei Petani passed, hot, but not bothered.
2 or 3 kms from town though, the sky clouded over, thunder barked and growled menacingly, then the rain lashed down so I stopped for tea at a row of shops. The Chinese owner came out to chat with me as I had something to eat and drink. A very helpful and friendly chap, he gave me directions on how to get to the hotel I'd found on the net - the Seri Malaysia just across from the railway station. I stayed for the hour or so that the rain lasted then headed to town and found the hotel. I needed help to get my things and the bike upstairs (don't they believe in lifts in the north?) and eventually settled in. The hotel was full of people from the Penang Hospital on some course but it seems the loud instructor and his relatives from PD and Morib don't operate this far north so I was quite happy.
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Max Speed: 39.8 km/h
Average while moving: 18.1 km/h
This should have been a short ride of 35 kilometres or so but being in a bit of a funk, I decided to explore. My two maps gave me slightly differing opinions but I decided to chance it and headed out along the coast road. The guy coming off the night shift at the hotel assured me I could cut back to the main road at a later point so I felt quite confident.
Anyway, after Mei left, I figured I needed to get back in the saddle and get pedalling again - I was sure some extra kms would do me the world of good.
The area I was headed towards was the Kuala Sungai Muda. One map indicated a town called Kota Kuala Sungai Muda and the other placed it further north. I eventually discovered that the first had it partially right - the town was really Kampung Kuala Sungai Muda. And there was indeed a Kota Kuala Sungai Muda but it was north across the river, so the second map got that right.
I rode out across flat padi field lands. On the way I thought a white van was following me because it would pass me and disappear, then a few minutes later would do the same thing again. When I stopped for my breakfast, I realised there were actually a number of these white vans serving as either transport for workers or as mini buses...
Kampung Kuala Sungai Muda is being developed. Seriously. A whole estate of new shophouses and low-cost single storey houses in springing up, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. The first phase seem occupied though so I have no idea where the residents come from. I did notice what I took to be workers being dropped off regularly so perhaps there are some factories set back from the road a bit.
I got to the end of the road and found a bustling fishing village of mainly Chinese and Malay residents. The strange thing I noticed was that the Chinese school was in the obviously Malay area and the mosque was in the mainly Chinese area. Go figure...
I didn't stay long and rode out, back the way I'd come, then took a turn off towards Sungei Petani. A little along this road, I came to a fork - right was towards Sungei Petani and left towards Kota Kuala Sungai Muda so I thought I'd give that a shot and turned left.
Not far along, I saw a sign that announced Pantai Merdeka and I recalled seeing that marked out as a local attraction on one of my maps. Neither map was very accurate as far as roads go and the scale of the maps was such that I couldn't work out if there was an alternative route to Sungei Petani from Pantai Merdeka anyway.
More signs along the way gave me some hope that Pantai Merdeka would be a nice place to rest up, or even stay over instead of Sungei Petani. This despite the fact it would add quite a few kms to the route. I saw a group of cyclists on racers going the other way and we waved at each other but didn't stop.
Kota Kuala Muda was not especially memorable and the additional 10 km to Pantai Merdeka now meant it was pointless turning back so I continued past more padi fields and a steepish hill which I struggled up. The downhill section immediately after was very very fast and I needed the brakes to keep me within sane speeds. I did think Pantai Merdeka had better be worth it for all the effort.
In a way it was - a very nice stretch of beach which made me think yet again of how it must have been when the Tsunami struck in 2004.
When at the Lone Pine, I had asked Fabian, the Asst Restaurant Manager about the Tsunami and he said it reached up the gardens but not into the pool. He described how the waters had receded and people had gone out to the beach to look and then they saw this white line far out at sea...
Nobody lost their lives at The Lone Pine, but further back along Batu Feringgi, some people were not so lucky. At a hilly section, the swimmers had nowhere to go when the wave hit.
Pantai Merdeka was very peaceful at late morning and only a few stalls were open. In a way it reminded me of Morib, with the same sort of setup - a seawall and hawker centre set back a bit. But it was in much better shape. The chalets were being renovated so it was to be Sungei Petani for the night.
I had something to eat, decided it was way too hot to cycle back so had a very pleasant snooze on the seawall and watched some of the comings and goings for awhile before stretching and heading out.
The hill wasn't so bad after all and the rest of the ride in to Sungei Petani passed, hot, but not bothered.
2 or 3 kms from town though, the sky clouded over, thunder barked and growled menacingly, then the rain lashed down so I stopped for tea at a row of shops. The Chinese owner came out to chat with me as I had something to eat and drink. A very helpful and friendly chap, he gave me directions on how to get to the hotel I'd found on the net - the Seri Malaysia just across from the railway station. I stayed for the hour or so that the rain lasted then headed to town and found the hotel. I needed help to get my things and the bike upstairs (don't they believe in lifts in the north?) and eventually settled in. The hotel was full of people from the Penang Hospital on some course but it seems the loud instructor and his relatives from PD and Morib don't operate this far north so I was quite happy.
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