If Plan A is a no-go, proceed with Plan B. Else, proceed with Plan C.
Lemonade with extra pressing sort of thing.
the view of Sungai Sepang on board the ferry. On the right is Selangor, Negeri Sembilan on the left |
I was already in no mood to go to work, so I consoled myself to resort to Plan B i.e. a 42km mini tour from Sungai Pelek to Seremban via Lukut and Siliau. To get to Sungai Pelek, I'll be taking the bus from Terminal 1 in Seremban (cycling to T1 from home).
original route:
I took my sweet time prepping the bike after the rest of the family went out for school. For the first time I tested the bike bag that I had bought last year after the Labis to Seremban short tour. All okay, I set out to Terminal 1 at 9.00 am from home.
I reached T1 and went straight to the ticket counter to ask for the bus schedule to Sungai Pelek. I was told that there is none.
*blank*
Duhh... how uncharacteristic of me to not check for sure beforehand for such an important detail.
breakfast stop at Jalan Labu |
The very reason for the original mini tour is to get on board the infamous short ferry cruise crossing Sungai Sepang, the border of Selangor and Negeri Sembilan. That's the essence of it. And it is a very, very short ride. Not much of a drama, actually. So now the route has been extended extensively, I'm getting into the 'it's the journey that matters' state of mind.
The original route would have me pedaling about 42km, and with the additional adventure of about 60km (per Strava), the total is substantially extended to about 100km. Perhaps the longest I've ever pedaled in a day!
Not much preparation was made except on the bike that morning. A simple pack-up-and-go ride. Not even a proper breakfast (remind me not to do that again next time).
At 10:00-ish, I was on Jalan Labu and stopped for breakfast as soon as I spotted an eatery. After a plate of fried rice and iced tea (my current favourite drink), I continued on and headed towards Nilai on the spanking new road of Ainsdale after getting underneath the PLUS highway. It was already hot, but not to the point of getting exhausted and dehydrated. It was an okay kind of hot.
biggest pumpkin seen the whole day |
Aunty Aini's near Nilai |
not in Thailand |
I reached Salak and turned left at a T-junction towards Sepang on route B48. By that time there were many vehicles on the road as it was already nearing lunch time. I reached Sepang town at about noon and stopped for another cup of coconut water. I gave a call to Pak Ngah of DETC Bike Kitchen at Sg Pelek, asking if I could come around and say hi. Unbeknownst to me, I thought that Sg Pelek is not far from Sepang. It is actually about 12km. Seems a short distance by car. Hehe.
nearing Sungai Pelek town |
with Pak Ngah at DETC Bike Kitchen |
:D
one for the road - photo by Pak Ngah Ishak |
lunch stop at Sungai Pelek town |
unmarked lane to the jetty |
jetty on the Selangor side |
ready to disembark at Negeri Sembilan |
Troll on the ferry |
Mel and Penny |
So I stayed for another cruise to get to Negeri Sembilan and enjoyed the view of Sungai Sepang with healthy mangrove trees on either sides. Not a bad thing to have a double dose of the essence of the trip. With no extra charge.
:D
FYI |
at Chuah |
At the T-junction of routes 5 and 53, I went to the left and headed to Siliau passing by Lukut town. As I get nearer to the Seremban - PD highway, the surrounding became familiar. Not boring, rather exciting. I turned into the Springhill housing estate for a change of view and hoping for lesser rolling hills. Well, there were a few but not that bad.
at Lukut towards Siliau and Seremban |
Very soon, I came around Siliau. And yes, the route is nice. There are many trees lining up the road. As it was already the end of the work day, the road got busier. Lorries were plenty. Buses too. I kept on pedaling steady while glancing once in a while on my side mirror assessing the traffic.
I reached Mambau, which is very familiar. My wife's late aunt's house is in Taman Kelab Tuanku. It is not far to the roundabout towards Seremban. By this time I was already feeling hungry but didn't stop for anything. The next stop would be the final point of this whole thing - home.
I passed by Hospital Tuanku Jaafar in Rahang and pedaled towards KGV. From there I went to Jalan Keliling and to Kolej MARA Seremban and got to Jalan Dato Muda Linggi (aka route 51 aka the road to Ampangan) via Jalan Penghulu Cantik. One of my favourite stretch of inner road in Seremban.
Not long after that I reached Ampangan and up the hill at Taman Bukti before concluding the 100+ km journey at 7:00 pm.
All in all, I enjoyed the ride. Simple as that. I learned a thing or two. I was on roads I haven't been on before. I finally did some things that I have wanted to do for a long time. A bonus too, for pedaling more than 100km in a day - my first. It was great.
But no, I won't do it again.
There are many more routes to be ridden on.
Kan?
Captured routes on Strava:
1. home - Terminal 1 - Sg Pelek
59.8km
2. Sg Pelek - jetty - up to Siliau (hp ran out of juice)
32.3km
Photos are in here.
2 comments:
Salam bro... Bole bagi detail lagi x kt mana saya bole cari jeti ni. Dah lama mengidam nk try naik bot tu tp sampai skrg asyik sesat x jumpa.
Wa'alaikumussalaam Amir.
Di sini:
http://wikimapia.org/27151345/ms/Jeti-Penambang-Sg-Pelek
Dah sampai ke pekan Sg Pelek, boleh ikut route yang ada di sini:
https://www.strava.com/activities/558968037
Harap ianya membantu.
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