The Highway rider

Day 1

I start my journey from Shah alam at 9.30 am. The date is 31st December 2006. The weather condition are good at that day, it doesn’t show going to be rain even though it suppose to be raining season at this time. The traffic condition is also good, maybe because it is holiday of hari raya hajji at that time, so many people has been going back at their hometown, leaving the city not very busy as usual.

From shah alam, I took the kesas highway. Using that highway I head straight to Batu caves passing puchung and ampang. Finally I arrive at the road to bukit tinggi. the road is zig zag alike, it has so much corner till I wish I was on a sport bike rather than easy rider. It felt like my bike want to go straight, so I had to drive slow and relax. but still, I enjoy the corner, and the strength from this Yamaha V twin easily pull me up to the hill.

I arrive at selangor border in 10.45am. I take my bike for a stop at a perhentian near the double tunnel there. Hoping to get my breakfast, I than been disappointed because not many shop were open at that day, oh I forgot, it’s a holiday. luckily I bought my can food. It always feel glad to be prepared.

The road after that Perhentian still had so much cornering. few minute after that I found myself riding on a straight road. Even though it is a straight road I still maintain speed at 100-120kmh. It still at the beginning of the journey and the weather are getting hot, so I don’t want to punish the engine yet.

It seem the next rest place(perhentian)that have a gas station is very far away from my last stop, I still not using my gas reserve of my bike but my main gas tank would not last for another 30 minute of ride. I don’t know how far is the gas station are because this is my first time riding to the east. Hope it is not that far.

A few minute latter I saw a man pushing his bike, I guess his bike fuel finish, I had and emergency fuel gas bottle at my bag. It going to be me pushing my bike at the highway if I give my fuel bottle to that poor old man. But than I could not stand thinking to left him behind like that at the middle of the highway. Before I could stop by, an army truck that have been drive in front of me pull over to that man. I think its ok for now, so I just be on my way.

After I fill up my bike gas at perhentian, I continued my ride. I arrive at kuantan toll station at 2.30pm. before I enter the toll station of kuantan I saw the highway is been block to another way. I almost get myself confuse. than I realize that the highway is not completely finish, it only connected form KL to Kuantan. Maybe when it finish it will connected form Kuantan to Terenganu.

At the city of Kuantan I had my sight seeing before I made my stop at the mosque of kuantan. I take my 30 minute nap there after I had my prayer. Soon after that I take a look at my map to see place of interest in kuantan. The telok belanga beach catch my attention.

It took me less than 20 minute to get to the Telok belanga beach from the city of kuantan. My wrist watch show 4.30pm. I still have a time to get photo and go for sight seeing over here.

At 5.30pm I start my bike engine and went back to kuantan to find the road that will bring me to terengganu. I look on the map and chose the road that go along the beach. After a ride for more than 1 hour , I found myself lost for a while. I could not found the road that connected to Terengganu. I end up at dead end road at The TLDM port, I ask for a guidance there and soon after that, I finally found the right road.

I arrived at terengganu river at 6.45pm, it feel glad now to safely set foot at terengganu. I still have miles to go before I reach kuala Terengganu. I make my stop at Perhentian Kemasik, it is a rest place with a nice beach view there.

During my ride before I reach Kuala terengganu I saw I lighting bright iron city with many flame of fire. I guest this is a place where there call Kertih. it’s a oil process station at a terengganu. I want to take many picture over there but the problem is my camera is almost run out of bateries, maybe I not charge the batteries innuff before I load it into the camera. Arghhh what the heck, im going to charge it back after I found a hotel to crash in.

Kertih

When I reach Rantau Abang the day is already dark, I felt my body so tired and my stomach tell me that it need to be fill. I found a guesthouse near by, So I think I stay there for a night. Rantau abang is a nice place to stop by, because it is also a tourist attraction over there, it is a place where the turtle lay their egg. I found a guest house call Dashimah near by. its quiet cheap, the rent cost from RM30 for single to Rm 150 for Deluxe type. I get the RM 50 for single that have aircond on it.

During the night at Rantau abang I set a camp fire at the beach and wait a moment hopping if there is any turtle to go of shore. The turtle usually come up to the beach from march to September. I were hopping maybe at least one or two of them forget the date and lay eggs at this time so I can cook their egg fresh from the beach. I wait until 1.00am in the morning. I guest I was unlucky at that day. I had a can of bean at that night. I almost throw it to the sea because I was so frustrated. Ennuf bean for a day.

Rantau Abang

I check out from the guesthouse at 12.30am. In that morning I had taken my walk at the beach to see Rantau abang at daylight. I like this kind of beach. Unlike the pantai teluk belanga at kuantan, there is to many people until you cannot find a picnic site. But, if you want to swim here alone, you better be a very good swimmer. Because if you drown, there will be hardly anybody to rescue you. And also the wave a very strong.

Day 2

At 1.30pm, I finally arrive at Kuala terengganu, it a rainy day at that time. I don’t want to waste my time by seeking for a shelter from the rain because I already wet. instead, I move along circle the city of Kuala terenganu to have a look at the town.

Before I plan to go to kuala terengganu, I made an appointment with one of my old friend that stay there to meet me during my arrival .I call him immediately after I arrive to kuala terengganu, when he arrive, he show me to the hotel near by. I want a place where I can easily go to the beach, so he recommended me to stay at the Pantai Buruk Resort. In kuala terenganu there is many 3 star above hotel such as Primula park royal and Permai park in. I don’t want to pay more for 3 day visit. with televiyen, aircond, hot shower and nice bed, single room in this resort suit me just find. Beside,im going to spent many of my time sight seeing, not stuck all day in the hotel room waiting for dinner in bed.

The Resort of pantai batu Buruk cost about RM 95.00 for single and so on for family and Deluxe. I found a very nice parking place for my bike in the CAR PARK. Heh, if they got problem with that, go talk to the hand!

There also many cheap hotel or dorm here for backpackers, it cost at RM 50 per night and can go as low as RM 10 per night, I have the list of the hotel here somewhere, hmmm! I think I lost it.

The date I arrive in kuala terengganu is 1st, January, 2007. I check in the resort at 3.30pm after having lunch with my friend. There is not many thing for me to do at that day because it is raining. My eye is heavy, my body is tired, I need to go to sleep.

There is not much to do at that night. I want to eat the famous terengganu sotong goreng, but mainly those kind of stalls close before 7.30pm. So my friend just bring me for sight seeing at the town, beach and the kampong area. The rest of that we having lunch at the town, before he sent me to my resort. Hope tomorrow doesn’t rain like today.

Day 3

At the second January I wake up early. After having my morning breakfast I straightly made my today plan. I carefully study my way to tasik kenyir, it is quiet far from Kuala terengganu, about 50 km. But before that I think I pay a visit to my friend office at the museum. The Kuala Terengganu museum is the biggest museum in the country. It also include with it the gallery of the petronas museum. It is an interesting place to visit.

That truck will look nice at my garage.

I arrived at the museum at 2.00pm and went out to go to tasik kenyir at 3.00pm, its quiet tricky when you still at the town road, but when you get out of town with the right road it will be clear. And don’t be shy to ask for direction from the people here, they quite friendly. And it is a bit trouble if you get the wrong road, because there are many root of road here and some will take you very far away from the town and also from the lake of tasik kenyir.

The road to tasik kenyir is very peaceful, it’s a hassle if you riding on a super bike, because there is not much road to speed up and its not wide. In the kampong who knows what will come across the road, sheep or maybe cow! they just don’t know to look left and right before they cross the road, so beware.

Nice kitty, Im full with kolestrol. Dont eat me!

Creepy thing happened here on my way to tasik kenyir, when I set my camera on a time mode, suddenly I heard a very strong growling sound behind me, its like a tiger or a wolf or a wild boar, I never heard those kind of animal sound before, so I just assume it might be one of them. I don’t want to take more time to find out what it is. I just quickly grab my bike and get the hell out of there. Suddenly I realize I forget something, my camera! this require for me to do another thing without thinking more….Go back over there and get the camera!

The more you getting near to tasik kenyir, the more thicker the jungle will be. I can feel the air getting cooler and fresher around me. And the road slowly become zig zag alike because you will start to pass and climb the hill. I am very surprise when I find out my self to be suddenly in the 4 lane road. Hey! is this suddenly a highway. I was enjoying the cornering in this big road until I find a warning sign that this road is not ready yet for public.

I just ignore it until I found my self deeper in the jungle with many small green lake, it’s a creepy place if you ask a little girl, I want to take pictures but my camera is almost out of batteries, again! I have to save it until I arrive at tasik kenyir. I keep driving until I found a dead end road near a big bridge. Far a head there is an incomplete road with many small stone on it, It make very difficult to move on and it almost make me fall from my bike. If the road is to be going on like this, im going to have a puncture tire soon. My instinct told me that this is a wrong road and I need to turn back, and the worst thing is my fuel will not make it to the last gas station that I just pass before. It took very long time for me to realize that I am in a big trouble. Now it just me, my bike with a very low fuel and a big road with almost no one using it.

I think I am lost, im getting hungry and the day is getting dark. .

I finally decide to turn over and went back. I know one thing for sure that my fuel will not last long, hopefully I will arrive to the road that have many people on it, before I ran out of fuel. luckily, I found a small shop on my way, and they have a spare fuel that I could buy. I ask the shopkeeper for direction, he said, I should turn left when I saw a turn, if I go straight it will lead me to the unfinished highway. Isn’t that what just happened. Now you know how important it is to ask for direction.

You got to be kidding me!

At 5.45pm, finally arrived at tasik kenyir, its about two hour and a half the time it take me to get over here including overpass the wrong road. Tasik kenyir is the biggest lake in Malaysia, if you arrived here and have more time, you can rent a boat and went deeper in the middle of tasik kenyir. There is cave, island and also waterfall. there is so much place that I want to visit here. since its getting dark and I have to leave tomorrow, so I have no choice but to hit back to the Resort hotel. I wish I had come early in the morning.

It took me about more than two hours to arrived at tasik kenyir but to return back to kuala terengganu it takes me less than 1 hour. Hmmm, I must be taken a different turn because it seem to be a different road that I am using on the way back.

I forgot to bring home something to remember, this will do.

Day 4

In the 3rd January, ill start to pack all my stuff and getting ready to hit back to KL. Its has been a very sweet 4 days adventure for me. I have a very good time riding with my bike while sight seeing here in Pahang and Terengganu. When I ride, the time seem to be very slow moving and you just seem to forgot any trouble or workload that been happening around you. Its just you, the sound of your bike and your moving surrounding making this a nice mixture of wonderful feeling. Its like you are a stranger in a different land, and in the same time you feel welcome by the wind and the road, glide your way to your destination.