Monthly archives: July 2009

A quick update before I hit the sack, the last time in Langkawi for a while.
We rode 75k today, no gunung raya. Went round to the east of the island where the 2007 Ironman went by, which brought back memories of that painful February day.
Made a little detour up to Tanjong Rhu beach, supposedly the best beach in Langkawi and the site of the Four Seasons. Then headed back down the middle past gunung raya for home, but of course not before some Bucks and Kenny’s!

The weather was pretty cool today compared to yesterday, and thankfully there was no puncture drama. So all in all a good day of cycling.
Because we woke up about an hour earlier than usual, left for our ride earlier and avoided climbing any mountains today, we got back to the hotel pretty early – about 1pm. I did some laps in the pool again then we headed out to explore the main street of Pantai Cenang. Nothing much really, touristy shops that sold pretty much the same things, Langkawi’s underwater world and little cafes, coffee shops and restaurants offering anything from chinese to italian, mediterranean to american.
Dinner was at a restaurant called Sunday, which if not for shabby service would have been perfect. I had a rib eye steak and Damo a creamy chicken pasta dish. Yummy.
So we leave with reluctance tomorrow morning for Singapore. In fact we’ve already planned to return soon and have our eye on staying at a villa we spotted across the street. The excellent cycling routes, chilled atmosphere and inexpensive food of Langkawi will be missed till then.

Where were the storms that were forecasted for Langkawi all week? Certainly someone’s got a bad weather meter cos it was scorching out today. How hot? Well I got burnt through my cycling jersey even though I was slathered with sunblock. Ouch!
Undeterred by the heat, we set off at about 11 for gunung raya again. We decided to take the quickest way there – about 16k – and return by a longer way. Damo had a flat after about 8k due to a cut from a little piece of rock. We fixed that with a trusty dollar bill and continued on, but less than 2k later I had a flat of my own. It really was a huge explosion that blew the tyre partially off my rim. I had inflated my tubes to just over 120psi, but with the heat and hot tarmac, the air expanded and exploded my tube. Bang! And the wheel came to a complete halt. It’s the first time such a thing has happened to me, and I definitely will remember in future not to overinflate in sizzling conditions.
So fixed the flat, deflated my front tyre a little to make sure it didn’t happen again, and got on with our ride, albeit gingerly.
With all that drama, gunung raya was pretty uneventful in comparison, other than a herd of cows blocking the road up and the feeling of being eaten alive by the heat.
Today’s climb seemed to pass faster than the first time though, even as the weather made it much harder today.
I was so glad when I made it to the top, a mental victory as much as a physical triumph.



We took a 40k route back to the hotel, Damo pulling me all the way. It was an extremely enjoyable route, flanked by trees and paved with smooth tarmac. Langkawi drivers also tend to be very patient, always overtaking us with caution, never honking, and allowing us our equal right to use the road. If only the same could be said of Singapore drivers!!
Of course a day of cycling would not be complete without a stop at the airport for some grub before the final 8k to the hotel. We got our usual Starbucks coffee and also shared a Kenny Rogers quarter chicken meal. Ah, bliss.

And so it was back home, 85k in all today. Off the bike, I did some laps in the pool to relax. A dip in the warm sea, a warm shower later and here I am under the covers in the cool comfort of the room.
Just two more days till we go back to Singers. I’m definitely not looking forward to leaving!