It was a super last minute decision made last evening to go "durian hunting" in Johor today. In the end, we decided to do the Desaru loop in one day. The mission objectives were to eat durian, "da-bao" (pack) durian and have seafood and Sungei Rengit. I am pleased to say that all mission objectives were accomplished today, albeit the hardship we had to endure. =)
Breakfast at Kota Tinggi (right)
Standard operating procedure. We moved out at around 4.40am, under the cover of darkness. By 5.30am, we were in Johor Bahru and we took Jalan Tebrau to Kota Tinggi. Of the major roads leading out of JB, Jalan Tebrau is by far the most hilly. Jalan Skudai is almost laughable, compared to this. 45km to Kota Tinggi was not a very long distance but it was way more energy sapping than cycling the same distance from JB to Pekan Nanas.
Anyway, we pulled over at Kota Tinggi to have breakfast (cost only RM8 for the 3 of us). Dad and I had prata to go with tea while Bro had nasi lemak and Milo. Recharged, we started our way towards Desaru, a good 60 - 70km away.
The rolling terrain was a torture. However, with good utilisation of gears and momentum, much energy can be saved on rolling terrain. I had learnt that lesson the hard way over many road trips and the correct application of gear shifting allowed me to pull away from Dad and Bro (perhaps knobblies are faster than a road bike or a hybrid? =P). This also allowed me to take a good many photographs of them. They must thanks me for that!
With much effort, we finally reached Desaru Fruit Farm at around 10.30am. We did not have time for a tour, hence we just took a look at the store marketing the farm's produce, bought some fruit juice, and tried durians. =) Right now, I can't really figure or recall what juices we tried but they weren't exactly cheap (RM3 per cup). However, they tasted rather exquisite. The durians were also of higher grades, hence the higher prices of RM12/kg and RM18/kg. We tried two types from the RM12/kg range but Bro preferred the sweeter type over the more bitter kind. Around 11am, a few bus-loads of Singaporeans pulled in and the place started to get crowded.
Huge jackfruit (left)
Close to 11.20am, we set off for the last 30km to Sungei Rengit. I have nothing much to describe the arduous process - just never-ending climbs and descents.
At Sungei Rengit, we decided to patronise Jade Restaurant (the same one Dad and I had our dinner at on the last trip there). It was crowded and business was superb. We had chilli kangkong, chilli crabs, chicken soup (the herbal kind) and coconut drinks for lunch. According to Bro, the lunch cost around RM90. When they were settling the bill, I went ahead to "recce" durian stalls. The stall opposite to the bus/taxi station offered a range of durians from RM3/kg to RM7/kg. In the end, we bought 2 durians of the RM5/kg range and brought them to a corner where Bro took out containers and gloves! We started packing them into the plastic containers for transport back home. =) From the looks of it, the flesh of the fruit did not seem as firm as the ones from the fruit farm. We tasted them back at home, and quality was certainly lacking.
Taking Dad's and Bro's passports, I cycled ahead to Tanjung Pengelih, hoping that we would be able to catch the last boat. My worries were unfounded. In fact, there were 12 bum-boats of people waiting ahead of us. It was crazy and we just spent more than an hour waiting. Somehow, 13 bikers (including us) were waiting and all of us got grouped together. Hence, 13 bikes with 13 people went onto the Malaysian-registered boat, whose owner was smart enough to charge us S$12 each for the fare.
Tanjung Pengelih (left); the cargo ship which path we crossed (right)
The boat ride back took nearly an hour. The boatman steered us into the path of a fast-moving freighter which blared its air-horn in warning. I shudder to think what would have happened if we got rammed into but the boatman got us out of its path. I watched as planes lined up for their landing at Changi Airport.
Tired (left); Singapore Airlines (right)
Customs greeted us with a temperature check and the guy said my Bro stank of durians. Actually, it was his bag! Now my refrigerator has an overwhelming aroma, or odour, depending on your taste.
Night fell as we cycled home. I was super hungry and I felt my strength drain away.
Total distance: 191km
Money spent: RM51 per pax excluding S$12 boat fare
Participants: LSH, Dad, Bro
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