June 15, 2015
Contradictions: Contrasts & Crisis
On Malacca
I met a few characters in Malacca. There was the resident German expat who made an excellent start to our relationship by telling me, in an oh so quiet whisper, that I walked too loudly and that it was a privilege to be staying there. Oh my!
Well, my wife does tell me that I walk very heavily. All the while I was wondering what a good headbutting might do to put our relationship on a footing I'd be more comfortable with. I did tiptoe about after that and the man did provide me with hours of bemused entertainment.
The town is so busy on a Saturday/Sunday night and then deserted on a Monday, with many of the shops closed; no tourists to entice, everything just slows way down. But again, I'm seeing the contradictions and contrasts here. There are so many empty derelict buildings and empty shopfronts I wonder how they can sustain their culture and city with such a lopsided boom/bust tourism economy.
I also met Howard, the owner of Ringo's Foyer Hostel. He loves bicycles and touring and many of the long distance tourers stay at his place. I wanted some insights into my decision to ride north through the middle of the country with the imminent onset of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of prayer and all day total fasting. Howard convinced me to abandon that route and to stick to the west coast. The road would be flatter and food/water a certainty. He collects Kuwahara BMX bikes and again my bike got special notice. Everyone tells me to keep a close eye on it at all times.
He also tried to convince me to get a "special" Thai massage when I get to Thailand, the exact nature of which shall not be explained in this a strictly PG rated family blog. Highly recommended Howard says. Two other cyclists joined us for dinner. Winson, a Warm Shower host from Penang and Ziggy, an epic young cyclist from Adelaide who has cycled overland through the Stans, in winter, and is on his way home. He rolled into the hostel having cycled from Kuala Lumpur in one day - that's about 175 km in tropical heat and heavy traffic on a fully loaded touring bike. He and Winson started out together, but Winson caught the bus after a while. Howard paid for our meals and we didn't finish up til late, cycling back to the hostel in the wee hours down the quiet backstreets of 700 year old Malacca. I think I probably woke up the resident German... I tried to be quiet, really I did...
To Pangkor Island
I left Malacca early, most definitely waking my neighbour in the process. It was 82 km to Port Dickson.
My ride notes say there was little if anything about the ride to commend itself. The pollution here is crippling and impossible to ignore. The cars, trucks and motorbikes are all unregulated and belch out huge amounts of toxic fumes. The roadsides, front yards and canals are covered in plastic rubbish. Some make an effort to rake it up, and then they set it alight. I ride with a bandana, but think I could do with a proper WW2 gas mask.
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There is evidence everywhere, literally every few kilometers, of failed mega investments: modern office blocks, industrial centres and housing tracts lying fallow and going to ruin. And all this while they are bulldozing down farm land and building more. As my quiet German friend said: big money must find a home. It is all clearly unsustainable and many of the locals will tell you so, but don't know what to do.
The traffic is a full on assault of trucks, buses, cars and motorbikes. Mostly the heavy vehicles try to give cyclists some room, but the situation sometimes does not allow - it can get very intimate. If I get taken out here, it will be by a crazy car driver or high speed hoon on a 100cc two stroke motorbike, throttle wide open.
Banting: Approaching Klang
It was an 86 km ride from Port Dickson to Banting. Covering more km than I should have, I had to resort to the Sponge Bobs half way through the ride - my backsides letting me know they had enough unprotected contact with the Brookes saddle. I wish I were capable of doing more miles, just to get past this part of the journey. I'm approaching Klang/Kuala Lumpur, the industrial and population centre of Malaysia, so the pollution is increasing and the traffic is building.
I had tailwinds and hills and averaged about 15 to 16 km per hour.
The boys in Malacca convinced me to join Warm Showers. I'm of two minds about it as there is a difference, not subtle, between being invited and having to ask to stay at someone's home. I enjoy inviting cyclists I meet to stay at my house and go out of the way to make it a memorable and comfortable experience. It's a short ride tomorrow to my first Warm Showers encounter. I'll stay the night and see how it goes and will hopefully get some tips from my host on how to get into and out of Klang.
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