I managed to capture a motorcycle dessert-seller and his hand-written advertisment.
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| 有房出租 (Room for rent) |
Seated at the coffeeshop where the Char Kway Teow stall is located, an aunty asked us for our drink order, and we decided to asked her what time the stall opens. She told us 8pm, when it was only 6.30pm. Our immediate reaction was that of shock, and, maybe to make us feel better, she added: "Maybe not 8, around 7.30 might start already..." I was in no mood for a 30-min consolation, so I just ignored her optimistic attempt of an estimation.
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The morning Laksa stall.
The same stall moves to the
Char Kway Teow location in the afternoon. |
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| The Char Kway Teow stall. |
We ended up waiting 2 hours (6.30-8.30pm) just for the stall owner to appear. He arrived in his scooter, with a breast-pocket full of Ringgit. We weren't the only ones waiting, and some folks had already placed their order with his assistant before us. The Char Kway Teow wasn't bad at all, but the 2-hour wait sought of downgraded its taste for me, though I would still recommend it to others who might be spending a night there.
After the Char Kway Teow, we proceeded to the camp site we had scouted out by the sea, near a temple. The plan for the next day was Chee Cheong Fun in the morning, followed by Laksa close to lunch.
It turned out that the 2 recommended dishes (Char Kway Teow & Laksa) we found on the internet was nowhere close to what K recommended me - Chee Cheong Fun. His fond memories of this place when it was still run-down (it's still run-down by our standards, but it was much worse before), was only of the Chee Cheong Fun his friend had woken him up in the morning to reluctantly have. An awakening he remembered for many years.
Maybe it's because the quality of Char Kway Teow and Laksa that can be found in Singapore is already of the highest standard, whereas good handmade Chee Cheong Fun is hard to find, that's why I was so impressed by the Chee Cheong Fun. It's located at a coffeeshop just next to the Bus and Taxi terminal.
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| The Chee Cheong Fun stall. |
After filling our bellies, we continued our journey towards Deseru, and man... was it a painful one.
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| Leaving Sungei Rengit |
The Sun was up again and doing what it does best - fry. Sunblock wasn't part of our inventory, because it was never a part of my life. (Note to self: Bring sunblock for future cycling trips. Another note to self: Commit suicide before going on another cycling trip. - Guess sunblock won't be a part of my inventory still.)
I managed some shots along the way, although I was too tired to even bother about scenery most of the journey.
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| K helping out. |
We had a very memorable stop along the way at a Chalet. The caretaker tells us that NUS Astronomy students go there for star-gazing during breaks. While taking a break in one of the shelters there, we noticed that the caretaker and his family members were doing some work with a few logs, and K decided to go investigate. It turned out that they were going to build a welcome arch at one of the entrances, and K wanted to volunteer his already fatigued body. I questioned his sanity at this decision for awhile, and decided that it was actually a good experience. Anyway, it was our lower bodies that was taking much of the beating and I loved doing handiwork. It took up about more than an hour of our time, before completing the wooden arch, but that hour saved the caretaker and his family many hours of extra work, as the logs were meant for elephants to carry, not humans.
It took us a few hours from Sungei Rengit to reach the junction where going straight leads to Deseru and turning left leads to Bandar Panawar.
Based on our plan, Deseru was to be the next stop, but tired people usually can't use their brains. Turning left would take us on course towards Kota tinggi, and Deseru was kilometres out of the way. Of course, this was mainly an excuse, because what greeted us at the junction was an upslope - towards Deseru - and a downslope towards Bandar Panawar. In life and death scenarios such as these, the easier way out is usually the best way, so drawn by the powers of gravity, we let the road take us to our next destination - Bandar Panawar.
Going down the slope - hungry, thirsty and exhausted - we noticed a school hostel on the right with a canteen. Not knowing the distance till Bandar Panawar town, we decided to stop for dinner and a drink. There, K asked for directions, and some friendly Malay students told us that Bandar Panawar was much nearer than Deseru beach, so we decided that it would be best to head down to Bandar Panawar and take it from there.
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| Bandar Panawar Night market (only on Saturdays) |
We scouted the town for a camping spot, and found one, though very much less desirable than the ones we had before by the beaches. Our plan was to take a walk round the town, head to the night market, try something unique and set up camp after.
As of this moment, nothing had gone to plan. No plan for the fatigue, no plan for the delays, no plan for the swollen butt cheeks and no plans for what is to be done next. Somehow, we wished that we had bought the 2nd-hand gear-less mountain bicycles, so we could just dump them there and switch to public transport. That's what we got for trying to save S$60.
Tired and faced with a huge mental struggle for the journey ahead, K focused on what mattered most - FUN! That's what we were here for, and that's what we should be having. Cycling all the way up here wasn't the goal, having fun and exploring was. Giving up Deseru was like giving up the purpose of the whole trip. He suggested we head up to Deseru in the night, camp there, have a good night's sleep, have some fun in the morning and afternoon before deciding what should be our next step.
It turned out to be a crucial suggestion. One that changed the outcome of our journey...
We reached Deseru "Public" beach late at night. The journey there turned out be an easy one, besides the upslope at the junction, most of it was downhill from there - pun intended. It's ironic how the term downhill would be actually positive in relation to what we were trying to achieve, and the term uphill, would be literally what it means. I guess these are 1 of the few phrases in English which are opposite in meaning and yet holding similar negative connotations.
The "public" beach charges RM$10 a person to camp and RM$1 to bath and RM30C to pee. That's Malaysia's idea of public. I guess one would argue that the beach needs to be cleaned and someone has to be paid to do it. In my lovely Singapore, such petty dollars can be more than covered up by the profit from tourism. We love to think of the bigger picture - nobody likes going to enjoy nature and having to pay for it. It sort of takes the joy out of nature...
As much as I enjoyed "body-surfing" the waves at Deseru beach, you will NEVER see me there again.
The white kitten you see is 1 of 2 little kittens hopping around on the beach, eventually hopping their way into my tent. As I had just emerged from the waters, going in to grab them would wet the tent, so I gladly let the lady who owns them fish them out. She had such trouble containing their excitement, she had to place a basket over them to cage them.
Sitting on the beach and thinking back on the past few days, I have come to appreciate the friendliness of the Malaysians. I used to be someone who preferred keeping to himself, some call me shy, some call me an introvert. I don't deny either, I am what I am... till now. I've always known Caucasians to be a pretty friendly bunch, and I also know it has lots to do with their culture and environment. Everyone's friendly, so you grow up friendly. In Singapore, most of us are stuck-up, me included, and it's a sad place to be. It isn't helping that we are already so stressed out with our lives and jobs and families, we have to add on to it by floating a cloud of gloom over our heads everyday. I really hope that changes someday, and I start by sharing a smile to others whenever I can. So, if you end up seeing a Chinese guy with a tribal tattoo on his left forearm smiling at you, he ain't crazy, he's just me =)
The morning at the beach wasn't just filled with the Sun and lots of wave-fun, K and I came to a unanimous decision - We had to turn back...
We were already into our 4th day, and we were only halfway through our journey. The time we had allocated for the trip is far passed its due. We had little choice, and we were getting more exhausted by the day...our budget was running out as well.
K suggested we camp for one more night at Deseru beach before starting our journey back the way we came early in the morning, hopefully, in time for one last Chee Cheong Fun.
Plans, plans, plans... NOTHING ever goes to plan... not even a night's camp at the beach!
As we were cooking instant noodles for dinner, just before dark, the guard came around with his whistle, blowing away, and telling us to vacate the premises. K went to look for answers, and he was told that the beach is closed on Sundays and nobody is allowed on it after dark. We were literally chased off the beach - so much for local hospitality.
By the time we finished dinner, we had to pack our stuff and keep our tent in the dark. They didn't even have the decency to leave a bloody lamp-post on. Fine, no sympathy was shown, and we weren't asking for any either. The only thing we were asking, was a question to ourselves - "What now?"
We had a few options - head to another beach about 15km away, head back to Bandar Panawar or head back to the Chalet were we helped build the arch. Turns out, we had to explore all of them.
First, we decided on the other beach. We left the public beach, being turned down the favour of a bath before we leave. If we had died on our way, you would find my restless soul at Deseru, haunting the guard and the beach's visitors, forcing them to close every night, except on Sundays... the toilets will be out of bounds too, because that's where I'll be staying.
The short journey we took towards the other beach was met with pitch-black roads. That wasn't the worse issue, the worst part came when gravel road, became rough road. This wasn't a good sign, as our safety rule number 2 was to stick to the road (Safety rule number 1 was to cycle in the day, which was ruled-out by the whistling guard who chased us off the beach).
We had to turn back, and we decided that we should head for the Chalet, since it was on the way back to Sungei Rengit. The journey out of Deseru area was uphill, and we were doing more pushing them cycling, luckily for us, the street lights in areas where there are people are kept on. We finally struggled our way to the same junction mentioned before, and we were met with a pitch-black "hole" staring at us. It looked like we would be entering a cave, so I suggested we take the welcoming gravitational ride down the slope towards the school hostel just before Bandar Panawar town to rest till the sun is up.
When we turned into the carpark where the canteen is located, we were met with a huge gathering of locals. A friendly and noisy bunch. The same students who guided us earlier were there as well. The crowd gathering there most probably consisted of more than just the students, as the town area were mostly closed when we were there earlier in the evening. We knew most of them weren't students, and K analysed the fact that there were many cars parked there, and most of them were probably here because of the draw of female students hanging out at the canteen. We needed peace and quiet for our rest, and seeing that cars were still turning in, we knew none was to be had here. We stocked up another bottle of water, and left for the dark "cave"...
I remember the times I spent as a teenager visiting haunted houses and hospitals, and never was I so nervous as I was when we started moving into the abyss. The moon was still on its way up the horizon, and the trees on both sides of the road were blocking its guiding light. All we had was a torch, and it only lit up the road a few metres ahead of us.
Although the journey seemed a long one then - I remember my heart beating fast and my mind fully focused on the road ahead - the journey now seems as though it was over in a flicker of a shutter. By the time we reached the Chalet and had our cold shower in the shivering weather, it was already past midnight. Our plan was to start our journey at 4.30 in the morning, so the trouble of setting up the tent wasn't worth it. Although at that very moment, we knew the cold would be an issue, especially by a beach, we decided to just brave through it. K couldn't manage a wink, and I just barely made it through with a few here and there.
The sound of my alarm woke us up from a sleep we didn't really have. At this point, it felt like we were slipping in and out of consciousness, and the alarm felt like a sharp pull on the ear. We were up, and ready for the torture of the dark once again.
Cycling half awake was more difficult than I had expected. It seemed as though my body was still asleep, while my eyes were open, and the only thing keeping them from closing was the fear of falling flat on my face.
Seeing still lights in the distance when riding in the dark always brings hope and joy, while moving lights just brings the thought of the driver ramming right through us. This time, the lights in the distance was none other than the welcome sight of Sungei Rengit. Finally, Chee Cheong Fun!
No, no, no. As I mentioned, nothing goes to plan. Chee Cheong Fun was closed for the day... we guessed that it is closed every Monday, but a later incident made me ponder, we'll get to that later. So, no Chee Cheong Fun. I guessed all I can say is Goodbye to the Chee Cheong Fun for good - Chee-Bye!
Since we were already seated at the stall, we ordered Wanton Mee from the aunty that told us the Chee Cheong Fun won't be available today. The Wantons were tasty, but the noodles were poor, and I believe it still is... During our time at that coffeeshop, an uncle whom we shared the table with was "enlightening" us on his views on life:
"Tattoos are no good... it's difficult to remove in future." (Well, I guess one will have to think it through before going through it, just like a marriage.)
"My friend has a tattoo of a deity on his body, and he thinks it'll protect him, but when he sleeps with his wife at night, he has to take off his shirt, and it's an insult to the deity. The deity will weigh him down when he wakes up in the morning, and he won't be able to move. Tattoos are no good..." (Well then, I guess he'll just have to keep his shirt on, since it doesn't really make a difference to his wife, unless he has tits to show for it...)
Then he talks to K and says:
"It's important to have a job. I know you guys are still young, that's why you are travelling. But it's very important to have a job. Coming out to play once in a while is fine, but getting a job is important."
Yes, I know! And I would be very happy to first get back to the country where I can find job before I even think of it. Thankfully, the uncle left before us, or did he just keep his mouth shut after? I was too tired to remember anything after that, except that the sun was coming up and we had enough rest for the last part of our journey before reaching Singapore.
The 2 cats were found in one of the villages we decided to explore on the way back. Knowing that our journey was coming to an end and with some time left to spare, we made the most of our opportunities to explore.
As we were cycling our way back, we passed a familiar sign, one that we noticed on our way up to Sungei Rengit - "Mango farm". With time on our hands, we decided to take a look. It turned out to be a house with 2 mango trees. I am still wondering whether there are more trees somewhere behind the old couple's house, but as was suggested by the uncle's reply to K's question (Q: Do you do wholesale? A: Not even enough to sell to tourists who stop by on tourist buses, how to wholesale?), I guess the 2 big mango trees are about it.
We had a little chat with the couple and mentioned how we wanted to have the Chee Cheong Fun, but it is closed on Mondays. The aunty replied with a surprised comment cum question to her husband: "I thought you always go and eat Chee Cheong Fun on Mondays? How come they say it's closed on Mondays?" Oops! Did we just create a cause for suspicion? Hope not... The uncle quickly replied that it was probably closed for today because the fishermen didn't catch any shrimp, and I quickly agreed that it was a possibility, although in my head, there were many more possibilities shrimping around with regards to the Chee he was having on Mondays.
Anyway, K wanted to sample the mangoes to see if they were sweet. The uncle initially said that his mangoes are plucked before they are ripe, as he needs to sell them before that or they will go bad by the time it reaches the consumer, so there were no ripe mangoes. We'll have to buy them to find out. He did eventually find one to cut up and refused payment from K, which is a very good sales tactic, because he knew that most people would have to offer to buy the mangoes on feeling embarrassed for having them for free. Of course, his mangoes would have to taste nice to begin with, and they did. They were the sweetest mangoes I remember having in my entire life, and there's no doubt the mangoes live up to its name - Honey Mangoes. I proceeded to buy 1kg from the uncle at RM6/kg, which amounted to 4 small mangoes. I hung onto them more dearly than I hung on to my camera.
By now, our adventure in Malaysia was almost coming to an end, we were less than 10km away from the ferry terminal, and on the way back, we decided to stop by another place that caught our attention on the way up - A private property located on the top of a hill, with its main gate at the bottom.
K dismounted and stood at the main gate, while a vehicle made its way down the winding slope from the bungalow above. When it reached the gate, K gave the driver a thumbs-up and complimented on how he felt the place was a beauty. The driver told K that he was welcome to go up the hill to take a look, and we gladly accepted the invite.
The road leads in about 100metres before having to make a U-turn to go up the winding slope. The slope is an extremely steep one, and it only winds once. The climb up on foot was pretty tiring and the future owners of this house would probably need to buy some buggies to drive up and down.
The only way into the house is up a short flight of steps. The first floor consists of a kitchen, the living room and 2 bedrooms. The basement is a wine bar and wine cellar. The 2nd floor is the Master-bedroom with a walk-in wardrobe and bathtub jacuzzi. Both the 1st and 2nd floors have a balcony facing the sea. There's a swimming pool behind the house and a sauna located below the steps into the first storey. The maids rooms are located separately just outside the bungalow. We also found out that the driver that invited us in is the cousin of the boss, and that the wood being used is imported "Pane" ( I believe the guy meant Pine).
The contractor building the Bungalow bought the land and built the house, and is putting it up for bid starting at RM1.5M, which is dirt-cheap going by Singapore's standards in the property sector. It would probably go up much more, but it's still a good buy for those with the money to spend.
Finally, we reach the terminal, and I am greeted with a harsh tone from a Chinese guard. I was on my way into the terminal with my bicycle and he told me to park it outside, I am only allowed to retrieve when it's time to board the boat. I've had my fair share of hostility from service staff in Singapore, so it didn't bother me much when the guard carried a harsh tone. What piqued my interests was the fact that after hearing my accent and taking a better look at me, he asked: "Are you Chinese? I thought you are Malay." From then on, his tone got better. It's obvious what his problem is.
Once again, we had to wait for the 12 passengers to fill up. Our adventure in Malaysia had come to an end, and a warm shower followed by a soft bed with a nice warm blanket was waiting for us. We boarded the boat and if you've ever been on one of these bump-boats, you will know that there's an empty space at the back. I remember that the boats going to Kusu Island from Clifford pier had benches screwed into the planks on this part of the boat, so I was wondering why the boats to Pengerang didn't have them, as the seating capacity within the boat itself doesn't cater to bags and bicycles. Boarding last, we had little choice but to lie our bicycles flat on the back of the boat, due to the space constraints. In fact, the passengers were taking up so much of the seats that most of us decided to just sit on the back of the boat.
10 minutes into the ride, the wind drew the clouds away like a person drawing curtains. The burst of sunlight once again, tormenting us. K couldn't take it, and decided to head for shelter, finding a seat vacated by one of the passengers who went to the back of the boat for a smoke. For me, I decided to stay where I was, using my towel to cover my exposed body parts and my mangoes. No more than another 10 minutes later, I finally found out why the boats to Pengerang do not have seats on the back - waves were splashing all over the place, and I had to hurry in with my precious mangoes to seek shelter. All of us on the back scurried in, and our bicycles were left to the whim of the sun and the sea.
This spelled extra work, as sea water is highly corrosive to metal. Rust will set in within a few days if the seawater isn't washed off. We had to make our way to Changi beach once again to wash the bicycles before cycling back to Eunos where the bicycles first began its journey.
Taking 4 days to travel from Vivo City to Deseru. It took us less than 24 hours to reach home.
This just proves that no matter where you are in the World, home is still the best place to be.
Travel takes us places, but love always brings us home.
