From Pantai Sepat we had some nice small roads to ride on, the first half of the 86km day more or less. Well past Pekan we had no other choice than to re-join the N3; still not too bad, going through friendly kampungs and patches of nice nature, but of course with more traffic - and often fast traffic too. It was a hot day, we had a little bit of rain in the early morning but the hot sun was out relentlessly the rest of the day. So we took several breaks to cool down - and of course, to enjoy the breaks - and stayed on a shady patch on the beach for 1.5 hour in the afternoon.
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| Taking shelter for a short rainshower in the morning |
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| Taking a break on the beach during the hottest hours of the day; we found out you can actually take a nap in these comfy Helinox chairs |
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| My bike likes the view too |
Early afternoon we (finally) found a place for lunch, and next to that an "agrobazaar". Basically, they sold fresh pineapples and several kinds of pickled fruits. So, we had our lunch and then bought one of these juicy delicious fruits, to enjoy on the beach later on. It's just the best thing on earth on a hot and thirsty cycling day!
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| A nice local restaurant for lunch; we had kuay teow goreng |
Even when we left our shady beach around 4pm it was still hot and sunny, but we left anyway. A while later we arrived in Nenasi (this name rings a bell to some of you, isn't it!?) and stopped for a cold drink and ice cream at a petrol station. Looking at our options, and realizing that we had already done around 80km in the hot sun, we decided it was a great option to stay in Nenasi. We started to look for a guesthouse or homestay, found some, but they were all closed. Until a car stopped, guy jumped out, introduced himself and offered to stay at his beach chalets. We had seen his place on the way in to Nenasi, it had a funny signboard with a tourbike and a special invitation for bike tourists, so of course we accepted! Even better: he offered us to stay for free! Wow! He brought us to his place, gave us a nice "tube room" (see picture), and later that evening invited us to go prawn catching in the mangrove; unfortunately, the big prawns were hiding yesterday evening, yet it was still a nice experience.
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| The entrance to the beach chalets |
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| Our tube room at Pak Yus' place |
His hospitality didn't end there. This morning he invited us for breakfast in Nenasi town, and again paid for everything. Pak Yus, a great guy, we had good fun and a fantastic stay! If you ever pass through Nenasi and look for a nice place to stay with a very friendly owner:
KeKunang Tering Chalet!
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| Breakfast with Pak Yus in Nenasi |
Today we started again around 7.15am, and after breakfast made good progress. By lunch, after we had also taken a coffee break in the morning of course, we had already done more than 60km. As it was quite hot again with little clouds to protect us from the sun from time to time, we also took an afternoon break in a cafe in Endau; a nice icy juice to cool down and quench our thirst - and just rest for a while.
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| Lots of animals on our way |
Most of the day was on national road N3, but the last 25km ride from Endau to our home for the night was on small local roads, by far the best part of the day, wonderful cycling. We were heading for Koko Kabana, a beach resort, however it was closed - as is almost everything here. Luckily, when I called, the owner referred us to another resort a few km further where we could stay, Angulia Chalet. Also nice, and a very quiet and peaceful area close to the beach. There is no restaurant in the area, our only option as a very healthy (...) Malaysian style chicken burger, with more sauce than burger, and with many calories which we'll need anyway after having done 100km today!
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| The beach, with Tioman in the distance |
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| Outside the guesthouse, Malaysia is beautiful! |
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| Little shells stuck to a big log on the beach; it must have been in the water for a while! |
For these 2 days, a few observations. Cycling along the N3 is OK, although not the best for cycling. Often there is no other option, however whenever we can find smaller roads - which we have had regularly - these are definitely nice! It's also not easy passing through this area to find accommodation. Yesterday in Nenasi it was not easy, where we are now there are several resorts but it's all closed. So you need to come prepared; in the end, it all works out, but it can take a bit longer and a bit more effort than expected. It's nice to ride along the coast, we often have coastal or beach roads, and also parts going through nature, plantations, and peaceful kampungs. Last but not least, people are again incredibly friendly in this region; life here is simple, and while there is a lot less luxury and comfort, people enjoy life and happily share their friendliness. Beautiful!
And finally: this:
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| It's nice to talk about all the beauty, however I feel I must also show the other side. This site is particularly bad, but there is litter and all kinds of garbage everywhere along the road, on the beach, in the forest, really - EVERYWHERE. People, please, STOP LITTERING! |
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| This is on the beach, this is what happens to all the (mostly plastic) stuff people through away. It ends up in the oceans and at some point, washed upon the shore. I picked up a few plastic bottles, and at least half of them were from China and Vietnam |
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| More of that, this is besides the road, near the beach. This is not an exceptional view, it's like this all over the place! |
