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| The Grand Old Lady was all wet! |
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| Waiting out the rain at Persatuan Kiung Chow |
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| Somewhere...on the move! |
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| Note VT is always checking his phone to ensure we are on the right route |
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| Tasik Raban's Recreation Center |
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| Here's one for us... |
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| ...and one to Suzie! |
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| Lunch stop in Lenggong after Tasik Raban |
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| Lunch stop in Lenggong after Tasik Raban |
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| Lunch stop in Lenggong after Tasik Raban |
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| Even when you spot the signange, the town is still some legwork away!!! |
The sky was bleak when we got down to retrieve our bikes from the shop lot adjacent to our hotel this morning. Possibly owned by the same proprietor, it was used as a store and upon our request had allowed us to park our bikes there overnight. Thankfully, the pre-arrangements had been made earlier, for the rooms were painfully small despite artistically decorated.
By the time, we had set up our bikes, the first drops of rain had made contact. This delayed our push out as we had to pull out our rain gears to put them on. Thankfully, our objective to get to our breakfast venue before the actual downpour was a success. We only faced a light drizzle.
Returning to Persatuan Kiung Chow for their beef noodles which were sold out as early as 11.30 am yesterday, it started to pour heavily. The stall owner was surprised to see his first customers of the day as early as 6.20 am and immediately apologized as they were only setting up. But we were just happy to wait as we couldn't go anywhere else with the wet weather.
Disappointingly, when the noodles were finally served, they were nothing to shout about. When we could not wait any longer, we decided to make a go despite the rain.
Back tracking our way on Route 1, we hardly rode more than 400 m when the rain turned into a downpour. Braving Sultan Abdul Jalil Shah Bridge, the rain pelted so hard on Claudine's cheeks it was actually painful. Every time she struggled to open her eyes, the rain drops will hit her eyeballs, causing her eyelids to shut in reaction.
She screamed for a halt. It was way too dangerous to ride!
Taking refuge at a row of food stalls beside the road, right after the bridge, another check in was made with Uncle Meng. We were all surprised it was only drizzling on his side!
When the downpour finally teetered off to manageable levels, were continued our ride. Initially on Route 1, we turned to Route A156 just as the sun began to shine! The wind had swept the clouds away and the change was felt immediately.
We picked up Uncle Meng in Karai and with him taking over the helm, led us to the grand old lady, Victoria Bridge ! Built in 1897 and commenced operations by 1900, the bridge is a single track truss bridge which traversed the Perak River. It remained in use until 2002 when a a concrete girder bridge was built to replace it. Ever since, the footbridge remained open to pedestrians and motorcycles.
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| Thanks to Suzie for taking our photo |
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| Possibly the gatekeeper's lodging on the other side of the river |
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| On the other side of the river |
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| On the other side of the river |
We spent a long time on Victoria Bridge. Long enough to see the rain clouds come in again. Thankfully, the rest of the journey was merely plagued with light drizzle and blessings of a cool temperate for it was a long 110 km journey!
Right after the bridge, we followed Route A11 for 8 km before taking refuge at Kak Tun Kuih Talam stall just as the clouds caught on with us once more! Most of the kuihs were sold out by then but the fresh roti canai and hot teh tarik were a treat on a wet day. Our timing were perfect as the rain stopped just as we finished breakfast. Asking permission to use the toilet, we were pointed towards the multi-purpose building on stilts across the road. The toilet was an outhouse structure,separate from the building. We were also grateful to the stall owner who called up some friends to check on the road conditions. Apparently, the road was not passable at Tasik Raban a few days ago due to floodings!
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| Waiting for Suan with a tyre puncture after the left turn into Sauk...
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Waiting for Suan with a tyre puncture after the left turn into Sauk...
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| She was loaded into Suzie's car and brought to our meeting point for tube change. |
We took Jalan Kampung Ngor instead of Route 76 for Tasik Raban. Stopping at Lenggong's for lunch, we were surprised the town has a high Chinese ethnicity. There were a lot of Chinese coffee shops to choose from.
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| Jalan Kampung Ngor |
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| View of Tasik Raban and Route 76 running parallel to Jalan Kampung Ngor |
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| The other side of the lake |
After lunch, Claudine decided to browse the fresh market situated next to the bus stop for some fruits but most stalls were already packing up. Her hunt only proved successful just as we were rolling out. The shopkeeper on the main road was such a good salesman, he kept selling 2 bunches to her despite her insistence for 1. Acting ignorant but selling cheap, he came up triumphant. Thankfully, Suzie was just passing by and the bananas were loaded into her car.
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| At Hentian R&R Selat Pagar |
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| At Shell's Kampung Lawin |
Our next stop was 13 km later at Hentian R&R Selat Pagar; after a short struggle at "Bukit Penat" with 3% grade hill. Iced lime and 100 plus was just what we needed on a hot afternoon but the banana was to wait until our next stop at Shell's Kampung Lawin.
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| ....almost to the peak! |
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