Wandering CrankWandering Crank

Biking the World one crank at a time

Journey

Back to the Grind

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , ,

A short ride to my volunteering opportunity and a chance to be selective over my last night of wild camping.  Then I would spend a month in a floating house on the Sepang River. First, though, I had a chance to visit the turtle conservation centre in Masjid Tanah, just North of Melaka.

The centre is right on the water’s edge, just after the beach where the turtles come to bury their eggs.  They also have a special area for the turtles to shelter from the sun, an educational section and a pool to rear turtles.  There were few turtles in the pool, it was the wrong time of year.

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One continent finished and it was almost time for a break

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , , ,

Just two days in Singapore, it’s an expensive country.  So, I had a quick visit to Chinatown and the Buddhist monastery there.  It had become much focussed on tourists and every business was trying to attract you in.  However, some little places still cater to locals but you have to go down the backstreets.

The history of Singapore is interesting as well.  Whilst there was a small enclave in the 13th century of Indians and a small amount of Malays who used it as a staging post for fishing it wasn’t known as a country.  The British then came and decided to make it a new port on the link between East and West.  Plus it was also to wrong-foot the Dutch so that we could make more of the money in the area than they could!  It always boils down to money.

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The guard of Batu Caves

Kuala Lumpur, Batu Caves and a rush to Singapore

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Cycling into Kuala Lumpur is a nightmare and I can see why so many people with bikes take the train!  I however decided against that and to cycle anyway.  It soon became a nightmare and took an extra half an hour to get to Batu Caves.  I have seen many Hindu Temples on my travels through India but the Batu Caves are another level!  The statue of the god Murugan, the Hindu god of war, looms over you as you enter. Guiding you to the steps, oh sooo many steps after cycling.

But you also start to notice the hordes of tourists.  Hindus come to worship and others, like me, come to marvel at the intricate and colourful temples.  As you climb the many steps to the cave and the temples within you will find yourself coming face-to-face with the monkey troop which guards the steps.  They expect offerings; the monkeys being the real gods here.

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View looking South over the Camron Highlands

Broken tyres and dreams

by Nathan Molyneaux on category ,

The next destination I had in mind was the Cameron Highlands.  It is an area which the British had developed to escape the heat.  Now the area is known for hiking, tea plantations and agriculture.  But first I must leave Penang, easier said than done.  This was the second time I genuinely feared for my life on the roads.

A driver thought it would be a good idea to undertake me and completely mistimed where I was and clipped the bags at the back.  Luckily, I had the sense to realise what was about to happen and was able to react so I didn’t end up under his or anyone else’s car.

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The Lord Baldrick (my bike) resting on a bridge over a local fishing port

Langkawi and the wanting to leave the island

by Nathan Molyneaux on category , ,

Getting off the ferry in Langkawi you start to notice the more western way of life.  Everything is well developed and organised, except for cycling.  Something Malaysia seems to have forgotten about!  The country is set up for cars.

I was staying on the opposite part of the island, an area known for tourists.  My hostel was basic but nice enough and came with cooking facilities.  I also got to meet up with Fredrik again and we found a bar with a fire show for entertainment.  It was a nice chill evening with a beer.  Not had one of them for a while.

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