I have noticed many people of my parent’s age, who have crossed their employment life so fast without even realizing it. And then they have much time freedom , but they could not ignite the fire to experience something new. After crossing three decades of my life, I also felt something like that ,aah.. time is just flying so fast without sacrificing some of the stuff that really makes sense for my life. And I thought I have to eliminate my routine life for few days to realize every moment of my time.
Life is a footprints of memories . Should we not live this only life by making some deeper memories . But is there any better way to make our present moment memorable , which we involve fully by spending time with the activities that we really love.Yes, I am talking about your hobby.(interests or passion for other things)
On addition to some other interests aligning with your hobby , you can make a lifetime memorable moment.
Being an outdoor enthusiast ,I always try to explore new natural places , meet strangers, know about their lifestyle , culture and of course their local delicacies . And is there any better mode of transport other than cycling , accessible 360 degree view of surrounding closure to mother nature. (where one has access to 360 degree view of the gorgeous mother nature)
An I have been making a strong friendship with my bikes and with few nearer less explored places .
Here is the link to video:
How does it get started cycling around Malaysia
When I was living in Singapore ,I had a dream of roaming a nearby country like a local having lots of scenic beauty. I just thought of making good use of my accumulated annual leave . So being the nearest territory of Singapore , I decided to visit Malaysia .A country of lots of stunning beaches , islands and palm plantations on my bike .
Today I am going to share one of the epic memorable cycling trip of mine. Definitely you will be amazed with the beauty of those stunning beaches , lovely people and their delicious food styles while reading my story .
So let’s start my journey of “cycling around Malaysia of 1700kms in 17days” .
As a tropical country , Malaysia enjoys quite humid weather over the year and the monsoon starts from August to December. And without much planning regarding the weather , my trip happened to be in late monsoon . While the monsoon rain was challenging en route, I was getting this opportunity to witness the rough waves with dirty water of the sea, witnessing the difference in climatic conditions from south to northern Malaysia along the coast.
Planning for cycling tour
When I planned my tour around Malaysia, I posted asking for suggestions in lots of local facebook groups , browsing blogs by blogs, searching videos in You tube, to plan my solo tour around Malaysia. Aa it requires lots of research before you leave for your self supported expedition . But there were hardly enough information to give the confidence to start my tour. But just to believe in my will power I left one day to tour around the unknown territory.
So, today I feel very glad and fulfilled that , I prepared a blog mentioning as many information I could remember, such that it helps the upcoming bike packers to tour around Malaysia.
Kindly go though my vblog to see the full video episodes in you tube: https://youtu.be/S6P7uK0O7XA
It’s not a very difficult task to do route planning in the age of digitalization . With the help of Google Maps, I started adding the places based on the distances from each other. But still, don’t you think it is an stupid idea without researching much about the local people behaviour , thier food , thier local support and without booking a hotel atleast for a night.
There, the three main segments were :
- Mersing to Kota Bharu,Kelantan through East coast road.
- Cross through the beautiful mountain route from East to West from Kota Bharu to Gerik.
- Return route from Gerik towards Singapore through Kuala Lumpur and a few parts of West coast road.
As a cyclist, based on the elevation and my past riding experiences, I decided the distances to be covered each day. I figured out the destination to be reached each day and this way I plotted the main destinations around Malaysia for the whole trip .
The most exciting days had come ultimately that I was waiting for so long and even the rainy and cloudy weather couldn’t alter my decision of starting the trip.
Day 1 of cycling in Malaysia (Leaving from Singapore )
Have you ever experienced crossing a foreign territory by road. This unknown experience itself coupled with the fact that I will be traveling by a cycle with a tent, boosted my excitement. The smooth immigration helped me to cross the little bridge between Singapore and Malaysia which act as a border between Malaysia and Singapore without any hustle . The other connected side of Malaysia is called Johor Bharu . Few tall buildings were catching my eyes touching the clouds on that cloudy day. After crossing a few flyovers in the city ,I started cycling through the beautiful Palm plantations. Once I moved away from the city, the road seemd to me more lonely with hardly any vehicle on the road . Due to early closure of restaurant on that rainy day, I somehow managed to find a small food stall before it got dark. Many times once you are away from main town, it becomes difficult with the availability of any shops. And being in a bicycling tour , it make you challenging to ride without timely food. The remote location even made me worried for my next meal. The rain and the early dusk , making my experience more difficult to find a restaurant in that evening .IT was a struggle to find any open restaurant on my cycling trip on that rainy evening . After padelling a couple of kms I could see a open hut at the road side , which happened to be a restaurant nearby a palm oil factory. The people at the stall could able to understand my struggling ride by looing at my wet clothes in that drizzling dusk. The owner was kind enough to offer dinner with him and arranged a space to camp for that night under his small hut.
Day 2 & 3 of cycling in Malaysia(How did I manage to continue the trip in the flooded situation to reach Mersing )
Probably, the hurdles posed by rain and flood were testing my determination to continue my trip . It made me choose another different and much longer route to the next destination Mersing, which eventually cost me one more extra day of effort .But the beauty of the few forest areas and palm plantations around the trunk roads made it a pleasant ride.
Plan for a day off to explore the neighbouring islands with crystal clear blue sea water at Mersing , those are only around an hour by ferry journey.The clouds covering the hill of the island and the rain on the sea were creating a unique landscape. I really enjoyed the beach side riding for a few kms before heading towards the next destination.
Day 4 of cycling in Malaysia(Mersing to Pekan)
The lonely rolling road crossing between a small forest lead my route. But just after starting for the day, I suspected a puncture which came true unfortunately and I got delayed considerably.
I was quite inspired to meet an old couple cycling across Thailand and Malaysia at Endau, a small town .There, I had my breakfast and also managed to buy an extra pair of tubes due to the punctures I’d suffered. I usually cross many small rivers connecting to the sea and the fisherman’s boats attracted my eyes always along with their fish market .
On the way, a village called Nensai ,around 40 kms to Pekan, caught my eyes in an open space with lots of coconut trees and white sands. And the pleasant breeze and the beautiful sea made me capture some nice clicks that afternoon. It was a perfect place for camping. That day I enjoyed night riding and also having dinner at a roadside restaurant. Without spending much time finding a good place for camping, I rested in a bus stop itself at Pekan.Don’t miss to see the Sultan Abu Bakar muzium at the heart of Pekan town.
Point of attraction:
- The river near Endau and the fisherman boats on the river
- The lonely beach at Nensai village
- Sultan Abu Bakar muzium at Pekan
Day 5 of cycling in Malaysia( Pekan to Chukai through Kuantan)
The road towards Kuantan was almost flat .There were plenty of Malay food stalls on the way. Few usual road kills of the turtles and lizards were making me disappointed that day.
At noon I reached Kuantan, which was a quite big town .After my lunch at Kuantan , I started to enjoy the coastal road aligned with the sea shore on the way to Chukai. The strong breeze from the sea was boosting my excitement under the sun. There are lots of beautiful beach parks at Chukai. How could I think of staying elsewhere where the beautiful beaches were just a few hundred meters from the road .After exploring few nearby beaches , I decided to stay at a corner of a less known beach surrounded by a village. A local resident also helped me to find and camp in a very beautiful yet calm place in the beach . Knowing me as a far away traveller, he also offered me a local food called tapioca while sitting for a tea.
Point of attraction:
- Beaches in Chukai
- Fisherman village
Day 6 of cycling in Malaysia(Chukai to Kuala-Terengganu)
Another beautiful coastal ride . There were few oil refineries at the sea shore covering a huge area which I could see for a significant amount of distance of the day on the way to Dungun.The great part of the ride was that the sea was clearly visible from most parts of the route.
I enjoyed my lunch in one of the beach side restaurant. Afternoon the restaurants were flooded with the local tourists. Don’t miss this experience of eating just by the coast with the continuous sea breeze. I reached Kuala-Terengganu much before it was dark and so started exploring the big town. The beach was quite big, having lots of games and food stalls , flooded with people of all age groups like a festival .I stayed in a beach side public hut, made temporarily, but the strong cold air at night was disturbing my sleep.
Point of attraction:
- Oil refineries
- Dining at the restaurants of sea shore
- Beautiful sea view along the way
Day 7 of cycling in Malaysia(Kuala-Terengganu to Kota Bharu)
The most scenic route in the segment of East coast having lots of less explored beaches and more clear sea water . I did not make any mistake, by choosing routes to explore the fisherman villages . The dry fishes , kept in open space to make them dry under the sun, was a clear indication of the kind of village I wanted to visit.
After passing by those villages I chose to take the highway to cover my destination in a shorter time.Yet it was dark by the time I entered Kota Bharu and I decided to camp near by a long beach, avoiding the big city’s crowd . Kota Bharu has good transport facilities to other parts of Malaysia, including railways.On the way there were many small temporary stalls on the roadside, selling fresh fish .The fishes were from the wetlands and the water bodies that I observed along the road .
Point of attraction:
- Less popular beaches in the villages
- Fisherman village
This was the end of the East coast segment and in the next segment one has to cross from East to West through hilly areas.
Day 8 of cycling in Malaysia(Kota Bharu to Gerik)
The interesting part of this route is to visit another international border between Malaysia and Thailand.The road goes flat till one reaches the border at Rantau Panjang.After visiting for a short time, I headed back towards Jelli . The roller coaster village road goes around the hills of Thailand . The underdeveloped village was also flooded .
After Jelli, the lack of planning to cross the mountain, covered with dense forest and wild animals in that darkness , eventually made me get inside a lorry that was passing by the mountain. The lorry dropped me on the other bottom side of the mountain at Gerik. I am so grateful to that driver to have saved me from that jungle on that night .
Point of attraction:
- Rantau Panjang border
- Observe the hills of Thailand
- Mountain road cross after Jelli
Day 9 of cycling in Malaysia(Gerik to Kuala Kangsar)
The morning cloud spread over the top of the hills and with its stunning beauty surprised me on the way to Lenggong from Gerik. The traditional Malay home was another attractive point in that area at Lenggong .Lenggong is also popular for tracking enthusiasts . There were few waterfalls and streams originating from surrounding beautiful hills on the way to Kuala Kangsar . Continuous paddling under the hot sun and the traffic was so exhausting that It forced me to stop at many points . That night I got to rest in a Tamil temple .
Point of attraction:
- Hill view from the road from Gerik to Lenggong
- Hiking and tracking at Lenggong
Day 10 of cycling in Malaysia (Ipoh to Cameron highland)
I was enjoying the flat express highway going through the small towns from Kanthan towards Chemor and then to Ipoh. The nearby small limestone monolith was catching my eye due to its unique structure . I was eagerly waiting for this day to experience the elevation of Cameron highland , one of the most popular and one of the highest hills in Malaysia, which every climber loves .
The initial steep climbs made me want to hydrate very frequently on that sunny day. But the beauty of the hill with the dense forests and the tall mountain covered with clouds pumped my adrenaline . I was getting hungry and finding even a single food stall was proving to be a challenge. But few other tourists helped me by offering some packed meals in the late afternoon. The physical attrition was a very close second only to the breathtaking views at the top.The chilled breeze was flowing once I was approaching towards the top of the hill. I was feeling accomplished to climb up such a lengthy climb of up to 1500 mts elevation .
Cameron highland is one of the popular international tourist destinations. The greenhouse plantations and many other fruit farms including strawberry are very popular there. The Tea gardens were stunning with its layered structure at the hills. At night it was quite cold and yet colorful with tourists flooding in from Singapore and Malaysia .
Point of attraction:
- Cameron highland
- Cameron highland:T estates
- Cameron highland:Greenhouse plantations
- Cameron highland:Sunrise and sunsets
Day 11 of cycling in Malaysia( Camerone highland to Slim river )
Descent from Camerone highland for at least 45 kms was the most relaxing ride till I reached Tapah .The tribal villages and their roadside small stalls of handicrafts or medicinal plants was another attractive part. After Tapah the rolling road around the palm plantations again crosses a few smaller towns . This time I thought of taking the interior road to enjoy the village lifestyle . A campsite near a stream was a perfect rest night after a few continuous tiring rides.
Point of attraction:
- Tribal villages
- Handicrafts
- Medicinal plants
- Village life and camping at Sungi Village
Day 12 of cycling in Malaysia( Slim River to Batucave)
The day started with the village road crossing many banana firms and small villages.This ride was towards one of the top tourist places in Malaysia called Batu cave.But there was a long steep climb going inside the forest before reaching that place. This naturally rich forest and water stream is a home to many resorts.Batu cave was a huge hollow hill ,naturally built by limestone.
The huge idol of the Hindu god and the colorful staircase at the entrance of the temple was the main attraction. With the permission of the temple authority,I managed to stay at the temple space itself that very night.
Point of attraction:
- Dense forests
- Batu cave
Day 13 of cycling in Malaysia( Batu cave to Kuala Lumpur)
The capital city Kula Lumpur was just 25kms .The increasing traffics and concrete buildings was giving a sign of the capital city.Having enough time on hand I decided to take a local tour around Kuala Lumpur. Without visiting one of the tallest buildings in the world,close to 450 m of height – The Petronas twin tower, your trip to Kuala Lumpur will be incomplete. There are many other attractive places also like architecture built by British, old Mosques , markets etc.
Point of attraction:
- Petronas twin tower
- Old market
- National Mosque
- Architectures of British era
Day 14 of cycling in Malaysia(Kuala Lumpur to Port Dickson)
Even though it was a happening place, cyclists always love quiet and solitary places. I decided to leave that capital city through the express highway to speed up my tour. But due to the high speed traffic and no shade at roadside , I found it was not so convenient for a cyclist. But it helped me to save significant energy and time to reach my destination – Port Dickson .
Much before Sunset I reached that town that offers lots of beautiful beaches .On one such beach, there were many fishing boats that were getting ready for fishing during night.The beach was occupied by lot of campers mostly with families.At night it was like a colorful festival with food and musical performances.
Pitching my tent was also without any worries in that populated beach.
Point of attraction:
- Camping at Port Dickson
- Lighthouse
- Tracking and hiking near the lighthouse
- Fishing boats
Day 15 of cycling in Malaysia (Port Dickson to Malacca )
The rolling road from Port Dickson towards Malacca was quite enjoyable with lots of trees by the roadside and the view of the sea The lighthouse at Port Dickson and the view of the surrounding sea was just mind blowing. I have not seen such a beautiful view of the blue sea water from such a height .
I came across many villages and their traditional houses on the way.There were lots of coastal beautiful sites in those localities suitable for camping.Following the sea, I reached Malacca before dark. The UNESCO historical city , Malacca, was hosting lots of tourists with its colorful and vibrant nightlife . Could not help to miss this vibrant town without exploring it.The old portugese settlement was a great opportunity to see the Portugese mixed with the local Malay in those times..
Point of attraction:
- Sea view from the road
- Malay traditional houses through beach side road
Day 16 of cycling in Malaysia(Malacca to Batu Pahat)
After exploring Malacca for half a day I headed towards the next destination Batu Pahat.Day by day the trip was getting shorter.The village route was also more scenic with large cultivation of coconut , banana etc. The interior roads were giving a feel of the villages and those huts.
Point of attraction:
- Malacca town
- portugese settlement
- Malay village
Day 17 of cycling in Malaysia( Batu Pahat to Singapore)
Even though it felt like a sense of fulfillment after completing this epic cycling trip, it was becoming equally an emotional tour as such a tour happens maybe once in a lifetime. Living every night in totally unknown places, among people of different behaviour, were experiences not to forget . With the excitement of completing the tour, I started my ride quite early in the morning with the intention of spending some relaxed time at a nice beach at Batu Pahat called Pantai Minyak Beku .
The village road again was with a bit of elevation. I observed a few coconut milk producing factories in those areas . I was passing by many small coastal towns. Once I hit the express highway towards Johor Bharu, I accelerated my speed . The small hills from the road reminded me of this town that I left a few weeks back. I was feeling like coming to my home place.
The tall buildings and the flyovers at Johor Bharu were welcoming me back to Singapore . Very soon I reached the immigration post for my visa and passport check . During that evening time there was a huge queue of vehicles waiting for the immegration check . I captured a few last clicks of the trip on the bridge connecting Singapore and Malaysia.
Point of attraction:
- Beach at Batu Pahat
- Village of chinese community
- Coconut farming
How do you treat yourself after completing such a long solo trip? – I was going to surprise myself with the 31th december grand celebration that happens every year at Marina Bay Singapore. The continuous cracker show at midnight will keep you spellbound .What an amazing time to end my epic tour.
Post trip experience : Every morning of my last 17 days around Malaysia was unique to the previous morning .Every morning I could see a new unknown place on my first few blinks of my eye, which eventually created an inertia in my mind. I began to expect a new place every morning for the next few days following my trip. It’s an amazing experience that only a traveller can realise. Do you want to experience the same?
So, plan for a long trip and make a strong footprint of memory for yourself.
Few Key points of this cycling tour around Malaysia:
- Terrain : 70 % rolling and flat , 15 % climbs.
- Scenic beauty :Strong waves with bluish water in the East coast ( South China Sea).
- Food : 90 % non-vegetarian (a lots of delicious fish dishes , beef , rice, pork )
- Currency :Malaysian Ringgit ( ~ 17 INR)
- Drinking water : mixture of hot water and ices
- Road signboard Language :Malay ( scripts in English)
- Nature of people : Kind and helpful
- Accommodation : beach side camping , bus stand , authorized public places.
- Traffic : Comfortable for cycling ( less until ride on express highways)
- Cloths to wear : light and breathable clothes.
- Weather : Humid
Few tour tips for cyclist :
- Start early morning when sun is not hot
- Take lunch when the sun is at its peak , and utilise this time to get rest after lunch .
- Hydrate frequently as its humid weather.
- Never miss doing pre and post ride stretching exercises.
- Make a gap day after a few days of cycling and then repeat. This helps muscles to recover.
- Keep lightweight : Carry only necessary luggages .
- Always keep a few energy bars , dry fruits, bananas etc and lots of water.
- Battery charging : Food stalls/restaurants.
- Toilets : public toilets/Energy stations
Costs:
(Please note :The costs mentioned are based on 2019 )
- A plate of vegetarian rice plate (Rice+dal) : 2.5 Malaysian Ringgit
- Packet of bread : 2.5 to 5.5 Ringgit
- A plate of fish rice plate (Rice+fish curry):6.5 to 10 Malaysian Ringgit
- cold drink/coffee/tea : 1.5 Malaysian Ringgit
- plain water 1 lit:(if you fill you own water bottle ) 1 Malaysian Ringgit
- Camp site staying : 20 to 35 Malaysian Ringgit
- Camping near beach : free
- Toilet : Petronas Energy station(free)
- Mobile charging : Free (but 1.5 Ringgit per hour place to place)
