I was pleased to leave the Cameron Highlands because of the crowds. Last night Tanah Rata was completely gridlocked and during the day, the sole road north was a car park. It felt like Venice. You know that there’s something nice there, but you can’t experience it because 50 million other tourists are doing the same as you.
Today’s ride was a net downhill, but also included 28kms of climbing – 700 verts in all.
After the initial downhill, it was a steady climb to Brinchang and beyond, but that was followed by a steep and exhilarating 8km downhill. Luckily the traffic was light and well behaved because a bike is quicker than most cars around these swooping bends.
I left the main road and followed some very sketchy lanes through an agricultural area. They grow their produce here, almost exclusively in greenhouses. It made the valley look like some sort of poly tunnel breeding ground. As the lanes deteriorated, they rejoined the main road for the main game … woohoo…
This was 40kms of almost continual downhill. I was either yelping or salivating for the whole 40kms. Being a Sunday, there were lots of cyclists tackling the hill.
After the downhill, the remaining kilometres felt boring as the day warmed up. I checked into the hotel and wandered into the centre. Ipoh is a cool town, and it shows the rest of Malaysia what’s possible.
Dinner was at Lou Wong’s for their famous Chicken Rice. So simple and so tasty in a busy hard working restaurant.
