Archive for November, 2008

At the tip of Asia

Posted November 30th, 2008

It was barely 6am when we pulled up to an Indian restaurant for breakfast in the seaside town of Pontian, 60km from the causeway to Singapore.

All four waiters just stared at these strange foreigners who’d rolled up unexpectedly on their doorstep. One man’s gaze was particularly persistent. “Good morning!” we said, trying to break him out of his sleepy state. There was no reaction. “Salamat Pagi!” we said in our cheeriest and loudest voice.

That did it. They snapped to attention and soon we were sitting with steaming mugs of teh tarik – a spicy, milky tea – and two roti canai, a fresh bread grilled up to order. It’s the only way to start the day in Malaysia, as far as we’re concerned.

A few minutes later we emerged back onto the road and started off under still dark skies. The cool temperature was so refreshing but it lasted all of 10km. By 7:15am there was sweat dripping off our chins. “Just get us to Australia,” we thought. Five months of intense humidity hasn’t sat well with us. Our faces are breaking out all over. Heat rash seems normal, as do daily rounds of laundry to wash out our sweaty clothes. It’s just not good cycling.

Aside from a brief photo stop to capture Andrew posing beside a giant pineapple – the area is famous for them – we breezed towards the Singapore border. With 60km on the clock by 11am, it was one of our best days yet.

A few minutes were spent inhaling motorbike fumes in the queue at the border and then we were through. There was no “welcome to Singapore” sign. Just a note on our immigration form that said in bold, red lettering: Death to Drug Traffickers.

There was also to be no jaywalking, no littering and no spitting but oddly enough in this land of rules, no one raised an eyebrow when we rode our bicycles on the sidewalks. Pedestrians politely let us pass and all the curbs were beautifully graded so we didn’t even need to dismount at crossings. The longer we spent in the city, the more we realised that the number of cyclists on the roads was far fewer than those using the sidewalks and incredibly no one seemed bothered. Everyone just got along. We’ve never seen such harmony between those on foot and those on two wheels.

Even better were Singapore’s road signs – so clear that we navigated our way to the city centre and back out again without a hitch, even though we had a highly inadequate map, showing only the biggest roads. Now, if they’d just fix up that humidity maybe we could live here!

Our last stop of the day was home for the next few nights, with Patrizia and Bro, two fellow cyclists who are taking a break to work in Singapore. What a welcome they gave us! We had a BBQ feast down by the pool and talked into the wee hours before our eyes were all drooping and we returned to their flat high on the 17th floor for some much needed rest.

Now it’s time for some hard work. Our bikes, tent and bags all need to be cleaned until they’re sparkling for Australian customs. Then there’s a box to get, packing to be done and a laptop to fix (ours died two days ago). Not to mention another BBQ planned for tonight and maybe, just maybe, a little sightseeing in Singapore. We can always sleep on the plane…

Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Malaysia, Singapore

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Amazing tales from the saddle

Posted November 25th, 2008

In a medical clinic this morning in Malacca, we got chatting to the receptionist, a cheerful lady in her 50s. She was a curious woman, far more interested in the rare sight of two tourists in her office than filling out forms.

Where were we from? Were we on holiday? Working? We let slip about the bicycles and instantly her mood went from curiosity to disbelief. “But you cycled… from Canada?”

We just smiled. For us, pedalling a few thousand kilometers seems normal – no more unique than the routine of making a coffee in the morning – and we’re always amused to see the wheels turn in the heads of people who aren’t bicycle tourists. They often can’t fathom travelling from the next nearest city by bike, let alone one or two continents away.

Despite this, and rather illogically, we are as fascinated as the receptionist by other people’s bike journeys. They always seem so much more exotic than our adventures.

One cyclist we’ve followed for a while is Peter Gostelow, drawn in by his stunning photographs and beautiful writing. We’ve swapped emails for the better part of a year, very nearly crossed paths in Syria and now we’ve learned that Peter’s launched his own website.

Take a look. Trust us, you’ll love it.

Posted in Cycling Trips, Random Ramblings

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Inspiration Personified

Posted November 23rd, 2008

We were wandering the streets of Kuala Lumpur, when we looked across the road and spotted a motorbike. No ordinary motorbike – this one was decorated with stickers, flags and photographs and a big sign that advertised its owner’s hopes to go around the world.

Of course we couldn’t resist investigating further and a few minutes later we were shaking hands with Vladimir Yarets.

Vladimir turned out to be one of the most inspiring characters we’ve met in quite some time. Both deaf and mute, he’s riding around the world to mark his place in the Guinness Book of World Records. What was most amazing was how he could convey details of his trip, using only a few posters as props and a multitude of hand gestures.

We don’t speak a word of sign language but Vladimir told us all kinds of stories about his trip, just with his hands and facial expressions.

If only we’d been so creative and capable when staying with so many good samaritans in places like the Middle East, Central Asia and Morocco, where we were separated by language! We spent a good half hour talking to Vladimir and came away very much impressed by his determination and joyful personality. An inspiration to us all.

Posted in Malaysia, Random Ramblings

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The good, the bad and the ugly

Posted November 21st, 2008

244km Tanah Rata to Malaka

We’ve seen it all over the past few days, from the fantastic to the frustrating and even the downright frightening.

Beginnings are almost always good and the ride from the gloriously cool Cameron Highlands back down to the muggy Malaysian coastline was a joy. A winding road took us past tea estates, waterfalls and vegetable fields, on one of those downhills that eliminated any need to pedal but stayed gentle enough that we didn’t need to grip the brakes the whole time either. It must go down as one of the best descents the world has to offer.

Better sense prevailed at the bottom and we decided life was too short to ride into Kuala Lumpur. With a little help from the locals, we quickly found the bus station and then the Chinese restaurant around the corner selling tickets to the express bus.

“When does it leave?” we asked the owner, who was already writing out our tickets, even though we’d just asked if any were available.

“NOW!” came the urgent reply. The owner ushered us across the street to get all our bags off and the front wheel. “This bus isn’t going to wait for you,” we were told in a serious tone. (more…)

Posted in Cycling Trips, Journal Entries, Malaysia

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Show 21: A new cycling record?

Posted November 13th, 2008

Alan and his bike You saw it here first!

When we were on Langkawi Island, we met 43-year-old Alan Bate, a British cyclist who’s planning to race around the world in 170 days. If he succeeds, Alan would beat the record recently set by Mark Beaumont.

Alan is hoping to start his trip in summer 2009 but first he’s looking for a sponsor – not the easiest of tasks in the current financial climate. So, if anyone out there has $20,000 to spare, get in touch. Here’s our interview with Alan, telling us about his dream to be the fastest man around the world on a bicycle.

Interview with Alan Bate [10:33m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Posted in Malaysia, Radio Shows