We left home at around 4.40am in the wee hours of 20 Dec 08 and made our way to Woodlands Checkpoint. Just a few days ago, the new Malaysian customs complex opened its doors; hence we were using it for the first time too. While the complex was big and impressive looking, it wasn’t that great in terms of practicality. We (both commuters and drivers) have to cover a great distance just to get into Johor Bahru.
When we reached Jalan Skudai, it was already 5.40am. We proceeded on to Lebuhraya Skudai – Pontian. Halfway through, Bro’s seat came loose and my Topeak Survival Gearbox saw “action” for the first time. We pulled into Pontian at 9.15am and took a rest before proceeding on to Ayer Baloi (10.30am). By then, we had a very strong headwind and our progress was slowed dramatically. Our haversacks felt a lot heavier suddenly and it was obvious that Bro, who had just recovered from a bad stomach upset over the past week, could not take much more punishment.
I tried to relieve his burden by carrying his haversack over mine. It felt like I was in Full Battle Order (FBO). The last few kilometers to Batu Pahat was torturous and I was beginning to feel a little weak due to hunger. The bread and snacks we carried could not sustain us much longer. Finally, we reached Batu Pahat at 2.30pm, some 134km away from Johor Bahru. We had Hainanese chicken rice for lunch and I was more than glad enough to have some solid food.
It became evident that it was difficult for us to reach Malacca which was still some 98km away. We decided to head for Carrefour to stock up on our dwindling supplies. Halfway, I spotted the Bas Ekspres Terminal and we decided to check it out.
It turned out that we got ourselves onto S&S International for a ride to Kuala Lumpur. The tickets cost RM20.60 each but somehow we had to give one of the guys a tip of RM5 per bike which he shared with the driver. At least they helped us get the bikes into the luggage compartment and when we arrived at Hentian Puduraya, the driver was kind enough to help us unload and shine a torch as we reassembled the wheels in the dark.
It was already past 8pm. Chinatown was super crowded and we certainly got quite a few stares as we maneuvered the bikes through the crowd, trying to get a hotel. Most of the inns were fully occupied but we managed to get a room at Hotel Excel Inn for a very reasonable RM60 (weekend) and RM55 (weekday) per night. We put the bikes in our room and went for dinner. A little shopping around Chinatown followed before we retired for the night.
Total distance: 154km
Money spent: RM300~ (total 4D3N)
Participants: LSH, Bro
When we reached Jalan Skudai, it was already 5.40am. We proceeded on to Lebuhraya Skudai – Pontian. Halfway through, Bro’s seat came loose and my Topeak Survival Gearbox saw “action” for the first time. We pulled into Pontian at 9.15am and took a rest before proceeding on to Ayer Baloi (10.30am). By then, we had a very strong headwind and our progress was slowed dramatically. Our haversacks felt a lot heavier suddenly and it was obvious that Bro, who had just recovered from a bad stomach upset over the past week, could not take much more punishment.
I tried to relieve his burden by carrying his haversack over mine. It felt like I was in Full Battle Order (FBO). The last few kilometers to Batu Pahat was torturous and I was beginning to feel a little weak due to hunger. The bread and snacks we carried could not sustain us much longer. Finally, we reached Batu Pahat at 2.30pm, some 134km away from Johor Bahru. We had Hainanese chicken rice for lunch and I was more than glad enough to have some solid food.
It became evident that it was difficult for us to reach Malacca which was still some 98km away. We decided to head for Carrefour to stock up on our dwindling supplies. Halfway, I spotted the Bas Ekspres Terminal and we decided to check it out.
It turned out that we got ourselves onto S&S International for a ride to Kuala Lumpur. The tickets cost RM20.60 each but somehow we had to give one of the guys a tip of RM5 per bike which he shared with the driver. At least they helped us get the bikes into the luggage compartment and when we arrived at Hentian Puduraya, the driver was kind enough to help us unload and shine a torch as we reassembled the wheels in the dark.
It was already past 8pm. Chinatown was super crowded and we certainly got quite a few stares as we maneuvered the bikes through the crowd, trying to get a hotel. Most of the inns were fully occupied but we managed to get a room at Hotel Excel Inn for a very reasonable RM60 (weekend) and RM55 (weekday) per night. We put the bikes in our room and went for dinner. A little shopping around Chinatown followed before we retired for the night.
Total distance: 154km
Money spent: RM300~ (total 4D3N)
Participants: LSH, Bro
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