Sunday Morning Rides: August 2008

Kampung Satau - Sun 17th August 2008

Mark Hon is my cousin and “drain fishing” buddy from days gone by. After countless persuasion to join our Sunday Morning Rides, he decided to follow starting last weekend. Vunderba! The deciding factor must have been the Tigers and Johnny Walker Blue Labels that we had the night before. Last weekend was the normal, breaking-the-ice Semaba route. This weekend on his second session with us, our newest member endured a 33 km feat. What started out as the normal Tondong - Singai run off the mill route ended up with a rather pleasantly surprising ride through Kampung Satau to the waterfalls nearby. As usual, we started off at Tondong around 6:30am with our GPS in hand. See photo below.

This time, it turned out that we failed to update our GPS map with the latest version and we had to use the traditional way of opening our mouth and asking the kampung folks for directions. Something which made me realized, as a gadget freak, all those technology that we hold dear to our hearts, have utterly made a recluse out of us. It is time to return to human kindness. And it was in the kampung that we see people greeting us for the sack of seeing us with no string attached. Every smile was returned with an even bigger smile. And that, as I apprehend, was one of the reasons why we keep riding in the rural areas, week after week. Now I truly understand why I turned down a ride with another team who invited me to join them every Tuesdays and Thursdays. They are riding through the urban areas of Petra Jaya. That…. and also because their bikes were like two generations ahead of mine. Apart from my humble aluminum frame which I thought was inferior enough compared to their carbon fiber frame, I looked at my brakes and I thought they were quite modest, except that they were not disc brakes but the normal type. Then I took a hard look at their brakes and what do you know, they were not even playing with cables. Hydraulic man! Something which I thought only existed in cars. So quietly I turned down their invitation citing timing issues.

The ride through Kampung Satau was truly memorable and above all, relaxing. The road weaves through the kampung with houses dotting up next to the roadside which were surrounded by trees with low hanging branches. With the early sun trying to shine it rays through the dense leaves of the surrounding trees and sometimes successful with the help of the passing breeze, our agonizing biking endurance was all but forgotten and quickly assimilated into a slow motion ritual from one of John Woo’s movie clips. We made a few wrong turns and had to ask for directions. Finally we arrived and had to walk another 5 mins or so, by foot, to reach the waterfalls. Our persistence was rewarded with a 20ft waterfall surrounded by tall trees of what seemed to be a primary forest. Slippery green fungus covered rocks were plentiful. Curse! I slipped on one and if not for my super duper, double padded with improvised wife’s monthly pad, cycling pants, it would have been much worst.

We ended our excursion at around 9:00 am back at Tondong bazaar. Yip came in a minute behind Nic and I. Leg pain my arse. Mark came in 8 minutes behind and needs to quit smoking.

This is Mark. If you are interested, pay Choice Daily or Choice Super Mall a visit. He will be the one trying to sell you whatever he can sell.

(Left Photo) : Mark showing the true meaning of “push bike” as we climb the highest hill of the day.
(Right Photo) : Mark and Nic. Gay couple holding hands?

Another odd couple on the relaxing journey into Kampung Satau. Ladies, like their sexy arses?

(Left Photo) : Showed this photo to me wife and she said, how come Nic is so fit without the beer belly. Bloody hell! This guy spoils the market!
(Right Photo) : Yip of the Jungle.