Johor – Simply cycling around

Kampung Sungai Sudah Muar, Chinese temple > Melaka, Ringo’s foyer guest house (73km)

Back to Malacca today! This is where we are going to split. Kate, Arjan and Pee Ta will stay two nights and then will continue their trip. Personally I want to stay minimum a week to work on my blog. I did not take any picture along the road today for two reason: One, I’ve been in the area before and there was nothing really exciting about today. Two, Kate and Arjan want to stay on the road number 1 all the way to Thailand which is the opposite of what I do when I’m cycling by myself. I normally try to avoid this busy and noisy roads. There is nothing to see along the way… Fortunately, the Ringo’s Foyer guest house, a backpacker where cyclists can stay for free, was worth it :-) This place is very nice, like a big home. Many things are broken too so I will have some work to do here, nice :-)

Ayer Hitam, Chinese temple > Kampung Sungai Sudah Muar, Chinese temple (57km)

Today we are going to reach the west coast. This time, this is Pee Ta’s bicycle that needs to be repaired, the chain was twisted and she had to changed it. She was very lucky because the bicycle shop owner repaired her bike for free! Later on we stopped along the road to have a fresh sugar juice. Then we kept going until Muar where we stopped at the same place where I’ve been on my way down to Singapore a month ago. Finally we reached another chinese temple and stayed there for the night.

Campung Sri Jaya > Ayer Hitam, Chinese temple (90km)

One more day on the road towards Malacca. This morning we tried to leave as early as we could to avoid the heat. The haze is coming back. Today I had another 2 punctures because of that thread rubber the inner tube (I’ll show you pictures once in Malacca). I’ve put some protection inside the tyre using electric tape but it’s too thin. After the second puncture I’ve decided to fit my new tyre and will repair the old one once in Malacca. I said I will use it until the end. $75 for one Marathon tyre, I’m not going to waist money!
I’ve figured it out a solution. I’ve picked up some inner tube pieces along the road, that will do. Lots of trucks here use those inner tubes pieces. They get a bunch of them, fix them together and attach that next to the wheel. That way, when the truck goes in the mud, the inner tube bunch rub the mud down. This is my guess. Of course, lots of those inner tubes pieces fall down on the ground and the truck driver replace them.

Tajung Sedili > Campung Sri Jaya (53km)

Today, we are going to cycle towards the west earlier than I thought. Arjan and Kate are worried about their appointments and the road we are taking now is longer than the one they usually choose. We decided to cycle through Kota Tinggi and join the west coast again. This was not my original plan but for now I enjoy cycling with them so I will follow (actually I’m the only one who have a GPS ;-)

Sungai Rengit > Tanjung Sedili (75km)

2nd day cycling together. The haze has been pretty bad this morning and fortunately became more shy during the afternoon. The east coast is quite bare. There is not much to see apart palm oil trees and palm oil trees and palm oil trees. For lunch time, we found a place on a beach where many Malaysian come to chill out. It’s a bit surprising as there is nothing around but only this resort. We’ve spent about 3 hours, waiting for the weather to become more pleasant for cycling.

Singapore > ferry (15km) > Pengerang > Sungai Rengit, Malaysia (53km)

Finally, after more than a month spent in Singapore, I’m leaving the place and not by myself :-) Kate, Pee Ta and Arjan decided to follow the same road as me. We cycled first at the top of the Changi airport to catch a ferry back to Malaysia. Once on the other side we travelled along the east coast until the next twon where we found a Chinese temple where to sleep. The adventure continues!

Johor > Singapore (53km)

My first day in Singapore! The day started like normal. I knew I had to deal with the immigration. It even became a bit complicate and annoying. Finally I got in and the first sight was not really positive. It was industrial or there was high buildings everywhere. When I got closer to Singapore city centre I’ve discovered special tracks for bicycle and even an old railway that became the “Greenway” or “Green Corridor” which runs more than 10km. I was cycling through the city and could only occasionally hear traffic or see building. I’ve ended in a park where I slept.