We only managed to secure Dad's ticket on a Sri Maju Ekspres back to Singapore direct from the First World Bus Terminal in the morning. Dad had to be at the terminal by 10.15am and we only had about 40min to consume our breakfast at Restoran Happy Valley. It was quite the standard buffet fare (I have patronised that restaurant for its buffet breakfast many times) but it was satisfactory to me. For RM25.30 per pax, it was reasonably cheaper to other food outlets in some sense since a bowl of wanton noodles cost RM11.90 at the food courts. We had cheaper food at the taxi terminal canteen for lunch the previous day so it was a change to pamper ourselves.
After we had our share, Dad and I rushed down to the bus terminal, only to find that the bus drivers did not allow Dad's bike up the bus. I approached the aunty who was in-charge of the ticketing counter and she was very helpful in getting the bike up the bus. She provided plastic bags which we used to tie down the stripped bike parts and it suddenly reminded me of a Montague Paratrooper. Later, as the bus pulled away with Dad safely onboard, she told me that if she sold one a ticket, she would make sure one gets onboard without any trouble. I was most grateful to her for that.
The remaining four of us checked out and took a few photographs for memory's sake before the thrilling ride downhill. We met the lorry driver again and this time we agreed to meet at Berjaya Times Square, 7pm. From the peak of Genting to Awana (including a climb at the top), we took only 20min to cover that distance!
The speed limit on Genting was 50km/h but we exceeded that, hitting in excess of 65km/h. As a result, we were the fastest vehicles on the road, and often had the entire road clear for us to corner round the bends. I was glad that we did not cycle down the day before, this required intense concentration, and after our exhaustive ride up, we may not have survived the downhill! For the first time in my life, I was cornering at more than 50km/h. Each corner seemed tighter than the last and as I leaned into the bends, the bike seemed to turn agonizingly slow, threatening to slam me into the barriers and clearing only at the last few seconds!
The humps were also a killer. Each impact jarred me off the bike and I could feel my backpack flying up and slamming back down against me. The best part was the brakes. Pan warned us about brake fade and it was only the first couple of hard corners did my brakes start making a loud screeching noise. It felt as if the brake calipers were being ripped off the bosses and were about to give way any time =P
Coincidentally, we ran into the uncle again. This time, he generously passed me two loaves of bread! I thanked him (more weight training for me =P) and we parted, agreeing to meet at 7pm later.
The others had passed when I stopped and we met at the police post near the foot. On that particular section before the police post, Daniel managed to crank up to 80km/h while the others hovered around 70km/h! Daniel had to fix a damaged link in his chain while I took the opportunity to tweak my rear derailleur.
We continued our journey downhill to Lebuhraya Karak where I overtook a tanker by the left shoulder. My speed continued to increase as I closed in on a prime mover with a trailer. The vehicle was too close to the left shoulder and by then my speed had maxed out. I don't know what got into me but I decided to take the chance and overtook the long vehicle via the middle lane on its right. As I pulled past and away, I heaved a sigh of relief. Later, when I checked back with the others, I realised they had done the same too! =)
Anyway, the road bikes proved their dominance on the rolling terrain and as fast as I could climb the upslopes, I watched as they pulled away on the downslopes, further and further till they were out of sight.
The guys stopped at a rest station and I joined them there. We had some drinks before heading to Kuala Lumpur, stopping by the Petronas Twin Towers to take some photographs. We checked into Hotel China Town (2) at around 3pm, washed up, lazed around then headed for the supermarkets at the Bukit Bintang area. Of course, I visited Giant at Sungei Wang Plaza for my yogurt fest and a pizza bread to curb my growing hunger. We then walked to Berjaya Times Square, shopped at the Cold Storage for fruit bars and hung around till 7.30pm. Until now, we are puzzled as to why the uncle did not turn up or give us a call. He was so enthusiastic to catch up with us.
We had the snack plate at KFC before heading back to Chinatown for an early rest which did not really materialise since we talked until around 10.30pm.
Total distance: 60km
Money spent: RM255~ (total 3D2N)
Participants: LSH, Pan, Gerald, Daniel
After we had our share, Dad and I rushed down to the bus terminal, only to find that the bus drivers did not allow Dad's bike up the bus. I approached the aunty who was in-charge of the ticketing counter and she was very helpful in getting the bike up the bus. She provided plastic bags which we used to tie down the stripped bike parts and it suddenly reminded me of a Montague Paratrooper. Later, as the bus pulled away with Dad safely onboard, she told me that if she sold one a ticket, she would make sure one gets onboard without any trouble. I was most grateful to her for that.
The remaining four of us checked out and took a few photographs for memory's sake before the thrilling ride downhill. We met the lorry driver again and this time we agreed to meet at Berjaya Times Square, 7pm. From the peak of Genting to Awana (including a climb at the top), we took only 20min to cover that distance!
The speed limit on Genting was 50km/h but we exceeded that, hitting in excess of 65km/h. As a result, we were the fastest vehicles on the road, and often had the entire road clear for us to corner round the bends. I was glad that we did not cycle down the day before, this required intense concentration, and after our exhaustive ride up, we may not have survived the downhill! For the first time in my life, I was cornering at more than 50km/h. Each corner seemed tighter than the last and as I leaned into the bends, the bike seemed to turn agonizingly slow, threatening to slam me into the barriers and clearing only at the last few seconds!
Coincidentally, we ran into the uncle again. This time, he generously passed me two loaves of bread! I thanked him (more weight training for me =P) and we parted, agreeing to meet at 7pm later.
The others had passed when I stopped and we met at the police post near the foot. On that particular section before the police post, Daniel managed to crank up to 80km/h while the others hovered around 70km/h! Daniel had to fix a damaged link in his chain while I took the opportunity to tweak my rear derailleur.
We continued our journey downhill to Lebuhraya Karak where I overtook a tanker by the left shoulder. My speed continued to increase as I closed in on a prime mover with a trailer. The vehicle was too close to the left shoulder and by then my speed had maxed out. I don't know what got into me but I decided to take the chance and overtook the long vehicle via the middle lane on its right. As I pulled past and away, I heaved a sigh of relief. Later, when I checked back with the others, I realised they had done the same too! =)
Anyway, the road bikes proved their dominance on the rolling terrain and as fast as I could climb the upslopes, I watched as they pulled away on the downslopes, further and further till they were out of sight.
The guys stopped at a rest station and I joined them there. We had some drinks before heading to Kuala Lumpur, stopping by the Petronas Twin Towers to take some photographs. We checked into Hotel China Town (2) at around 3pm, washed up, lazed around then headed for the supermarkets at the Bukit Bintang area. Of course, I visited Giant at Sungei Wang Plaza for my yogurt fest and a pizza bread to curb my growing hunger. We then walked to Berjaya Times Square, shopped at the Cold Storage for fruit bars and hung around till 7.30pm. Until now, we are puzzled as to why the uncle did not turn up or give us a call. He was so enthusiastic to catch up with us.
We had the snack plate at KFC before heading back to Chinatown for an early rest which did not really materialise since we talked until around 10.30pm.
Total distance: 60km
Money spent: RM255~ (total 3D2N)
Participants: LSH, Pan, Gerald, Daniel
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