Pengerang, Sg Rengit, Batu Layar, or Riding, Roti and Sunburn.

Time to catch up on some old tasks namely writing about trips done some time ago. This one was a bicycle ride much like the one Mei, Wei Yen, Jeff and I did in July, but this time it was 4 guys and the ride was to Batu Layar, about double the distance of the previous ride.

Johann had of course cycled halfway around the world and was now my business partner. Joe is an old friend who had introduced me to Johann when I was planning Celebrate Malaysia! and who had also once cycled around Malaysia in his teenage years then accompanied Johann from Cambodia down to Singapore when Johann did that leg. Brian is a friend of both and was also their housemate until recently.

The idea was to cycle to Batu Layar, stay one night then make the trip back the next day. It’s about 50 70km both ways and is doable as a day trip except for one thing - the bumboats that ferry you and your bikes from Changi to Pengerang don’t operate at night so you have until evening to get to the ferry terminal and it thus becomes less enjoyable an experience. Unless all you want to do is to ride of course. But we had other ideas…

We were at Changi Ferry Terminal bright and early and got on one of the first few bumboats out. The sun was still low on the horizon and cast a beautiful warm glow on the sea around us. It didn’t last that long though and by the time we rounded Pulau Tekong was beginning to sizzle us just that little bit. We saw again the land reclamation works going on around Tekong and the amount of effort going into increasing Singapore’s land mass is still astonishing.

The morning sun looking quite pretty.

Johann looking much less so. Even in the morning light.

Land reclamation going on around Pulau Tekong.

We got to Pengerang, disembarked, set up the bikes outside the ferry terminal then got on and rode off on our guys’ riding weekend! We’d ridden 40 metres, 35 of which were in the carpark, and had just cleared the gateposts of the ferry terminal when we looked right, spied a gerai selling Roti and Kopi, shouted almost in unison ‘Roti!’ and screeched to a halt, jumped off our bikes and sat right down to a breakfast of Roti Chanai (we’re in Malaysia now, so it’s no longer called ‘Prata’) and Kopi or Teh-O for me.

This turned out to be our ‘other ideas’ and was repeated another 4 times during the 40km ride to Batu Layar. I’m not complaining, mind. In fact I rather think this is the way rides should go. Hey, I’ve always said enjoy the journey, right? What better way to do this than to breathe in fresh air, drink in Teh O and munch on good Roti Chanai? Or Ais Kacang as it turned out…

We sat around chatting, and marvelling at a little cat that hung around the stall and which impersonated a monkey by doing the most astonishing acts of acrobatics climbing up the mangosteen trunk pillar like its simian counterpart in its pursuit of bird prey. Finally we figured we really needed to be getting on, got back on our bikes and set off once again. It was a beautiful day turning a little hot but still great cycling weather.

Yes we did stop again not too long after for lunch and Ais Kacang… Now I just noticed I’ve spelt it this way here but have previously spelt it Ice Kacang. Same same… In all I think we stopped 4 or 5 times though only once for a rest. OK I guess having stopped for breakfast, tea, lunch and dessert we probably weren’t much in need of a rest halt for errr resting…

The place we stayed at was quite empty and we got a double-storey chalet with one squat toilet-equipped bathroom with cold water - no shower, just a tap with a bucket. The whole place was in a state of some neglect and if your needs are modest would do the job of providing shelter and a place to clean up. A walk along the short beach revealed that if you were expecting any more than that you’d probably be a trifle disappointed. The beach was filthy and I saw discarded drink and food containers and even disposable nappies. Not a place you’d walk barefoot about.

The place did have a small restaurant which served, if I remember correctly, a grand total of two types of fried noodles. So I had that for afternoon tea, then again at night for dinner. The guys fished out a pack of Monopoly Deal or something and I joined in for one game then proceeded to play the role of anti-social bastard by choosing to write instead. It was a great cathartic weekend as far as writing was concerned as there were many things going through my mind at that time, but which were seemingly locked in by writer’s block. A friend’s suggestion to use a journal unpicked the lock and in the space of an evening I filled 15 pages of my little notebook with thoughts and scribblings.

Later that night a bunch of young people moved in next door and one joined in for a game of cards. I’ve found most Malaysians are approachable and friendly and so it proved again. We stayed up a bit then decided to share the place Johann with Brian upstairs and Joe and me in the downstairs bedroom. Joe’s snoring is legendary but I was bothered by it at all. What did wake me up was the sound of rustling.

I stayed in bed but kept my eyes trained on the little bit of hall I could see through the open bedroom door. The windows were all shut though and I could hardly see anything in the near-total darkness. There was a bit more rustling and a light thump which I eventually worked out wasn’t human in origin so I clicked on my bike lamp which I’d kept by the bed. The sounds stopped for a moment then were followed by a light scratchy scurrying noise.

Rats. I got up, looked around the hall where we’d parked our bikes for the night and kept our stuff and that was when I discovered a roll of Oreos on the floor. A rat - with a sweet-tooth apparently - had tried to drag this unopened packet away but the packet had proven to be too unwieldy and my light had scared it away whilst in the midst of its exertions. I placed the packet back on the chair and went back to bed.

Only to be awakened a few minutes later by the same darned rat trying the same darned thing again. This time he didn’t return which meant that in the morning we did have Oreos for breakfast…

The steel wall which is part of the reclamation works.

On the way back we passed a number of other chalets and places to stay at that looked quite a bit more presentable than the one we had just shared the night with rats with. Maybe next time… We had Roti at Sg Rengit and when we finally reached the ferry terminal again I realised we also had sunburn. Well, I did anyhow. I’ll never learn…

We haven’t been to Batu Layar again though have talked about it a few times. Johann is expecting kid #2 soon so I’m not sure when we’ll get to go again. One things for certain: I will suggest a different place to stay the next time.

View Pengerang & Batu Layar in a larger map

David Munusamy visits Singapore

David Munusamy was in town for two nights recently. He had written to say he was on his around-Malaysia fund-raising tour and would drop by Singapore. Near the appointed date, I rang him only to find he was still in Teluk Intan. A week later found him in KL. Then Kajang.

I figured it would take him another week to get down and was reminded of David's sense of time and distance...

Then out of the blue a day later I got a call from him saying he was coming in… A bit of a mad scramble and I fixed up a place for him to stay at Johann’s as well as a simple programme for two days.

I arranged to meet him in Little India, parked the car in an open car park and settled down for a beer at the Broadway Hotel cafe. No sooner had I plonked my bag on the seat when my mobile rang and it was David - he’d missed the turning to Serangoon Rd and was sitting at a bus stop a short drive away. With thoughts of the Kingfisher Beer I could now not have, I got back in the car and eventually found him as he said, sitting at a bus stop outside the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes along Ophir Road.

It’s been almost two years since we met but he looked much the same - that same broad ageless smile, the same jocund manner. We put his bike in the car and set off to settle him in at Johann’s.

Later that evening we met for dinner and Mei finally got to meet this mad cyclist I have often mentioned. He was settling in nicely at Johann’s - and so he should as if ever there was a mad cyclist, it would be Johann.

We met again the next day for lunch when we also popped by my favourite bike shop, Song Seng Chan, then went with Johann for a night ride into Singapore’s Central Business District. Well, the outskirts of that to be more accurate - around the stadium then the Esplanade and the Merlion/Collyer Quay.

Amazingly I’d never done this and since that night have quite an interest in exploring at night. It’s so much cooler and traffics that much lighter. Although I would reckon good lights are a must have - Singapore drivers are not the most observant or tolerant in the world.

Here are some pictures of David’s too-short time in Singapore.

Me, David, Mei, Joe and friend at dinner at Sin Hoi Sai along East Coast Road

David and I on the Esplanade Bridge

David playing photographer for a couple of tourists

Johann and David with the Singapore Flyer in the background. There was some small National Day practice thing going on hence the bright lights.

David with the CBD in the background.

That's the new Integrated Resort (read: Casino) being built in the background.

Outside the Raffles Hotel - sorry didn't get it in the shot.

I'm not watching the wheels go round and round...

Well, in a way perhaps I have been. But very much from the saddle of my bike. Yes, my training has begun...

A couple of weeks ago, I contacted my good friend Joe Nathan as he has done the Cycle-around-Malaysia thing as well as a recent ride down from Cambodia. He was very keen to hear more and we met up and talked about Celebrate Malaysia! whereupon he said I should meet a friend of his, Johann, who's been-there-done-that and whose CV includes cycling through the heart of Australia and being at the Mt Everest base camp during the 1998 Everest climb.

Well, we did indeed meet up: Joe, Jo and another of Joe's friends, Reezan, at Mas Ayu coffee shop in Siglap late one evening. Three Teh Halias later (and that was just me), the energy was still buzzing in the air - the guys were full of ideas, advice and encouragement.

In the following week, I brought my trusty run-of-the-mill Wheeler 910 to Uncle Teck at Song Seng Chan in Joo Chiat Road to have it fitted out with a new handlebar, a rack and some other necessities. Uncle Teck is 60-something (I think, and if I've added a few years, I do apologise, Uncle Teck!) and fit, hale and hearty. A ready smile, plenty of good advice and a couple of days later I picked up my bike, now looking much more ready to tackle a couple of thousand kms. The bike at least, maybe not me yet...

A word on Uncle Teck: he's part of a group of guys who meet up early on Sunday morning to 'go cycling'. They regularly do 80 to 100 km and that week I went there, the destination was Johor and the Iskandar Development Region... Most humbling...

During those days, Joe regularly waved a menacing finger at me, insisting I should be out training. As my bike was in the shop, he lent me his, and so started my training. I loaded up the panniers with some weights - two of Mei's 2-kg dumbells in one bag and a 5-litre bottle of some general cleaning liquid I found in our storeroom in the other bag. The first night was about adjustment - me to the bike, my legs to the weight and so on.

It was good and now that I've got my bike back, I've been regularly going out with about 10 kgs in the bags. It's all starting to take shape!

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