Georgetown and bye bye Malaysia

07. april 2017 - 10. april 2017                                                                             (Update 08. juni 2017)

Nebung Tebal - Penang Georgetwon 43 km
Restdays in Georgetown

Da vi stod op næste dag, var Davids kone i fuld gang med at lave Tosai pandekager med curry og kaffe til.
Pandekagerme smagte meget bedre end dem vi havde prøvet at spise på de forskellige restauranter underejs. David skulle på arbejde og da vi havde siddet over morgenmaden et godt stykke tid, ringede hans alarm.
Han havde sat den, for at tiden ikke skulle løbe fra os. Det kan let ske når først vi kommer igang med at snakke.
Inden han kørte, skulle vi have taget billeder og David forærede os en en drikkedunk hver.
Vi havde kun vores badges tilbage, med forskellige cykel logoer og I love Denmark, som vi havde givet som en lille gave, en til David og  en til hans kone.
Så kørte David på hans scooter, han havde en god time foran sig inden han ville nå hans arbejdsplads.
Vi var også næsten klar til at sige farvel, vi skulle bare lige løfte alt vores bagage og cykler ned fra 2. sal.
Da vi er klar og cykler afsted, kunne vi kigge over skulderen og se Davids kone stå oppe ved lejligheden og vinke. Igen var vi en oplevelse rigere og en god en af slagsen.
Det meste af dagens rute, var igennem byområder. Hvilket betød en masse trafik og larm. Men vi havde en kort dag, så det gik nok. Da vi var 10 kilometer fra færgen, begyndte det at regne kraftigt. Vi når at komme i ly ved en tankstation. Da det blev tørvejr, cyklede vi videre og kom til at cykle forkert. Hvorved vi var lige ved at ende på motorvejen, som førte til den ene bro, som går over til øen Penang, Georgetown. Vi får vendt rundt i tide og kan se at istedetfor at cykle under en bro, skal vi op på broen og dreje til højre. Det er ikke lige let når vejene, går over og under hindanden.
Men nu cyklede vi i den rigtige vej og fandt hen til færgelejet. Her fulgte vi sporet for scooter og endte med at holde i kø med en kæmpe flok. To billetter til færgen kostede 2,80 Ringit, som er det samme som
4,40 Danske kroner og så var turen tilbage gratis. Sejlturen tog 20 minutter.
Da vi cyklede fra færgen på den anden side, cyklede vi direkte ind i den gamle bydel af Georgetown. LIge med det samme, kunne vi se at det var en meget interasant by. Der var gamle bygninger, den indiske bydel, China Town, moskeer, hyggelige cafe´er og ikke mindst gadekøkkerne. Vi havde været noget skeptiske undervejs på færgen, for det eneste vi kunne se ude fra havet var kæmpe højhuse. Men nu befandt vi os i en meget hyggelig by og kunne ikke se nogen som helst højhuse.
Første stop blev ved en af de mange hyggelige cafe´er. Hvilket passede perfekt, da det begyndte at regne. Vi havde ikke booket noget overnatning, så nu gik vi igang med at kigge igennem hotel og guest huse listerne på nettet. Der var godt nok mange at vælge imellem. Men vi havde vores ønsker og efter noget tid havde vi fundet det vi syntes så hyggeligst ud og til en god pris. Vi besluttede os for "Old Penang Guesthouse", som lå på Love Lane. Da det var holdt med at regne, cyklede vi hen til stedet og kunne samtidig med at vi checkede ind, fejre at vi i samme moment havde cyklet 7000 km.
Old Penang Guesthouse havde en hyggelig stemning og var etableret i et af den gamle handelshuse, med højt til loftet og masser af plads. Værelset var dejligt stort og pæn og rent. Udover det var det lige i midten af den gamle bydel, så der var tæt til alting.
Old Penang er på UNESCO verdensarvsliste og hele den indre bydel er udlagt som bevaringværdig.
Vi fandt os hurtigt tilpas i byen og derfor endte vi med at blive 3 nætter. Vi gik rundt i gaderne og oplevede stemningen og duftene. Spiste på gade køkkner og nød livet en stund uden cykling.
En af de ting som Georgetown er kendt for, er dens streetart. Der er ca. 12 - 15 malerier rundt om på husvæggene i den gamle bydel, som er blevet iconet for Georgetown. Specielt et maleri af en cykle med to børn er så populær, at det er logoet på mange T-Shirts der er til salg i Georgetown.
Vi syntes faktisk det var en dejlig måde at af slutte vores tur rundt i Malaysia, som vi helt sikkert ville komme til at savne. Tre uger med masse af gode oplvelser, de fleste "thumps up" og "Welcome to Malaysia" nogensinde. Nu ventede Thailand og vi var spændte på hvad vi ville komme til at opleve der.

07 April 2017 - April 10, 2017 (Update 08 June 2017)

Nebung Tebal - Penang Georgetwon 43 km
Restdays in Georgetown

When we got up the next day, David's wife was in the process of making Tosai pancakes with curry and coffee.
The pancakes tasted much better than those we had tried to eat at the various restaurants along the way. David was going to work and when we had been sitting over breakfast for awhile, his alarm went off.
He had put it on alarm so that time would not run from us. It can easy happen when we get started talking.
Before he drove, we should have taken pictures and David gave us a water bootle each.
We only had our badges left, with different bike logos and I love Denmark, which we had given as a little gift, one for David and one for his wife.
Then David drove off on his scooter, he had a good hour ahead of him before reaching his job.
We were also almost ready to say goodbye, we just had to lift all our luggage and cycle down from the 2nd floor.
As we where ready and rode off, we could look over the shoulder and see David's wife standing up at the apartment and waving. Again we were an experience richer and a good one of the kind.
Most of today's route was through urban areas. Which meant a lot of traffic and noise. But we had a short day so it went well. When we were 10 kilometers from the ferry, it began to rain heavily. We found shelter at a gas station. When it stopped, we  accually rode in the wrong direction. Here we ending on the highway that led to the one bridge that crosses to Penang, Georgetown. We turned around in time and saw that instead of cycling under a bridge, we had to get up on the bridge and turn right. It's not surposed to be easy when the roads go over and under eachother.
But now we rode in the right direction and found the ferry. Here we followed the track for scooters and ended up in line with a huge flock of scooters. Two tickets for the ferry cost 2.80 Ringit, which is the same as
4.40 Danish kroner and then the return trip was free. The sailing trip took 20 minutes.
As we cycled from the ferry on the other side, we cycled directly into the old town of Georgetown. At once, we could see that it was a very interasant city. There were ancient buildings, the Indian City, China Town, mosques, nice cafés and not least street food stalls. We had been skeptical on the ferry because the only thing we could see from the sea were huge high-rise buildings. But now we found ourselves in a very nice city and could not see any high-rise buildings.
The first stop was at one of the many nice cafe's. Which suited perfectly when it started to rain. We had not booked any overnight stay, so now we started looking through the hotel and guest houses lists online. There were plenty to choose from. But we had our wishes and after some time we had found what we thought looked nicely and at a good price. We decided for "Old Penang Guesthouse", which was on Love Lane. When it stopped raining, we rode to the place and checked in, celebrated that we had cycled 7000 km at the same time.
Old Penang Guesthouse had a nice atmosphere and was established in one of the old merchants, with high ceilings and plenty of space. The room was big and nice and clean. Besides that, it was right in the middle of the old town, so it was close to everything.
Old Penang is on the UNESCO World Heritage Site and the entire inner city has been designated as conservative.
We liked the town and therefore we ended up staying for 3 nights. We walked around in the streets and experienced the atmosphere and the scents. At street food and enjoyed life for a while without cycling.
One of the things Georgetown is known for is its street art. It's about. 12 - 15 paintings around the house walls of the Old Town, which has become the icon of Georgetown. Especially a painting of a bicycle with two children is so popular that it is the logo of many T-Shirts that are for sale in Georgetown.
We actually thought it was a lovely way to end our trip around Malaysia, which we would definitely miss. Three weeks with lots of good thrills, most "thumps up" and "Welcome to Malaysia" ever. Now Thailand waited and we were excited about what we would experience there.

Tirsdag d. 11. april 2017 -12. april 2017                                      (Update 14. jun. 2017)

Georgetown - Alor Setar 98 km
Alor Setar - Pedag Besar 87 km (Grænsen til Thailand)

Om morgenen da vi sad og spiste morgenmad, faldt vi i snak med et fransk ægtepar, der var på en 7 måneders rejse igennem Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australien og Indonesien. De rejste med deres 1 1/2 år gammel datter. Vi synes det er så cool, når nogen tager springet og rejser selvom de næsten lige er blevet forældre. Selvfølgelig vil barnet nok ikke huske så meget fra rejsen, men det beviser bare at mange ting er muligt også selvom man får børn.
Vi cyklede afsted mod færgen og kunne cykle lige ombord.
Vi har jo tit haft, hvor vi har mødt mennesker 2 gange på vores rejse og idag skulle ikke være anderledes, denne gang var det cruise skibet Queen Mary 2 vi fik et gensyn med. Skibet havde vi set ved indsejlingen til Melbourne for snart 2 måneder siden. Nu lå giganten i Georgetown havn.
Da vi kom i land på den anden side satte vi kursen mod Alor Setar. Vi fulgte vej 7 og nød de falde veje.
Stadig bliver der råbt Velcome to Malaysia og endnu flere tommel up, det er somom det bliver mere og mere jo længere nordpå vi kommer.
Da vi kom til Alor Setar måtte vi forbi to hoteller. Det første hotel (Fins) havde ikke vinduer og det synes vi er for deprimerende og indelukket. Så vi fandt et lidt finere hotel Hotel T+, de havde plads og værelser med vindue.
Cyklerne fik vi lov til at parkere i receptionen. Nu var vi vildt sultne og tørstige, så vi beholdt cykeltøjet på og gik hen til en gadebiks, er købte vi cocos drik og nogle tørre småkager. Damen fra boden tog billeder sammen med os. Da vi gik tilbage, var der en anden bod der lavede dybstegte bananer, så dem skulle vi også smage. Så vi købte en god stor pose, som vi tog med tilbage til hotellet.
Cykeldag 113 skulle blive den sidste cykeldag i Malaysia, vi fulgte stadig vej 7, den føre os igennem små landsbyer og vi ser mangotræer, banantræer, massevis af rismarker og nogen gange ser vi aber som balancere på el ledningerne. 
Til frokost holdt vi ved en af de små "restauranter" langs vejen. Her måtte vi finde vores fine smil frem igen, Da damen der ejer stedet vi havde taget et billede sammen med os. Bagefter siger hun Facebook, så vi tænker nok vi er havnet der.
Indtil middag havde temperaturen været OK, men temperaturen er steget en del grader efter frokost og nu er det ikke så behageligt at cykle. Kroppen fungere ikke så godt i den varme og der skal virkelig drikkes vand og vædske. Et stop 15 kilometer før mål hjælper, her får vi tanket op og det er altid dejligt med en kold falske i nakken. Det køler så dejligt. Men da vi sætter afsted igen, ser himlen meget sort ud og truende.
Vi når at nå til en tankstation lige udenfor Pedang Besar inden regnen styrter ned og det blev ved i 1 time.
Imens vi sad der i benzin duften, blev vi lidt fjollede og vi snakkede om vi kunne miste hjerne celler ved at sidde 1 time i den duft???
Efter pausen skulle vi cykle de sidste 3 kilometer ind til grænsebyen. Nu skulle vi finde et sted at sove. Vi have set via Google maps at der var et hostel ogforsøgte at finde det, men inden vi nåede så langt, var der en mand i en bil der gjorde tegn til at han havde et sted vi kunne sove. Så ham fulgte vi.
Ganske rigtigt, han havde et lille homestay, hvor vi fik et lille værelse og en garage hvor vi kunne stille vores cykler. Han kunne ikke engelsk, men igen med tegnsprog og smil klarede vi os. Han var så sød og rar.
Aftensmaden blev en tur på KFC. Vi kiggede efter et lokalt sted, men det så ud somom de var lukket. Så menuen, blev crispy chicken, kartofelmos og coleslaw. Det var ik´så ringe og vi blev mætte.
Da vi kom tilbage efter aftensmaden, væltede regnen ned igen og vi tænkte "gad vide om det bliver vejret til os imorgen"???
Men en ting var sikkert, vi cyklede ind over grænsen til Thailand næste dag og vi havde haft 3 dejlige uger i Malaysia, hvor vi havde følt os mere velkommen end nogensinde.

English

Tuesday, April 11, 2017 - 12th April 2017 (Update June 14, 2017)

Georgetown - Alor Setar 98 km
Alor Setar - Pedag Besar 87 km (Border to Thailand)

In the morning when we sat and ate breakfast, we fell in conversation with a French couple who spent a 7 month trip through Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Indonesia. They traveled with their 1 1/2 year old daughter. We think it's so cool when somebody takes the jump and travels even though they have just become parents. Of course, the child probably will not remember so much from the journey, but it just proves that many things are possible even if you get children.
We rode off to the ferry and could ride directly on board.
We have often had where we met people twice on our trip and today should not be different, this time it was cruise ship Queen Mary 2 we saw for the second time. We had seen the ship as we sailed into Melbourne almost 2 months ago. Now the giant was here in Georgetown Harbor.
When we landed on the other side, we set the course towards Alor Setar. We followed road 7 and enjoyed the smaller roads.
Still people shout: Velcome to Malaysia and even more thumbs up, it's as it's becoming more and more the farther north we come.
When we arrived in Alor Setar we had to pass two hotels. The first hotel (Fins) did not have windows and it seems too depressing and stuffy for us. So we found a slightly nicer hotel: Hotel T +, they had room and rooms with window.
We were allowed to park the bikes at the reception. Now we were hungry and thirsty, so we kept the bicycle on and went to a street stall, we bought cocos drink and some dry cookies. The lady from the store took pictures with us. When we went back, there was another stall that made deep-fried bananas, so we also tasted them. We bought a good big bag, which we brought back to the hotel.
Cycle Day 113 would be the last day of cycling in Malaysia, we still followed road 7, leading us through small villages and we saw mango trees, banana trees, lots of rice fields and sometimes we saw monkeys that balance on the power lines.
For lunch, we stoped at one of the small "restaurants" along the way. Here we had to find our nice smile again, since the lady who owned the place would like to have a picture taken with us. Afterwards she said Facebook, so we think we've ended up there.
Until noon the temperature had been OK, but the temperature has risen a few degrees after lunch and now it was not so comfortable to ride a bike. The body does not work well in the warmth and you really must drink water and liquid. A stop 15 kilometers before goal helped, we got the fueled up and it's always nice with a cold bottle of water in the neck. It cools so nicely. But as we set off, the sky looked very black and threatening.
We reach a gas station just outside Pedang Besar before the rain splashed down and it lasted for 1 hour.
While we sat in the gasoline smell, we became a little silly and we talked about if we could lose brain cells by sitting 1 hour in that smell ???
After the break, we would cycle the last 3 kilometers to the border town. Now we should find a place to sleep. We have seen via Google Maps that there was a hostel trying to find it, but before we reached so far, there was a man in a car that made signs that he had a place we could sleep. Then we followed him.
Quite right, he had a small homestay where we got a small room and a garage where we could put our bikes. He could not speak English, but again with sign language and smile we managed. He was so sweet and nice.
The evening meal was a trip to KFC. We looked for a local place, but it looked like they were closed. So the menu was crispy chicken, mashed potatoes and coleslaw. Great enough for us as we where hungry as always. 
When we came back after dinner, the rain started pooring down again and we thought "wonder if it will be the weather for us tomorrow" ???
But one thing was for sure, we cycled across the border to Thailand the next day and we have had 3 lovely weeks in Malaysia, where we had felt more welcome than ever before.

Downhill Cameron Highlands - Meeting David and his wife

Tirsdag d. 04. april 2017 - Fredag d. 07. april 2017                                (Update 02. juni 2017)

Tanah Rata - Ipoh 92 km
Ipoh - Kuala Kangsar 56 km
Kuala Kangsar - Nibung Tebal 85 km

Hvor havde det været dejligt at være i 1300 m højde, nu glædede vi os til en lang nedkørsel. Men den lod vente på sig og vi blev lidt skuffet i første omgang. Faktisk skulle vi over en del bakker før vi kunne suse ned  imod havniveau.
På de første del efter vi var cyklet ud af Tanah Rata, kom vi forbi massevis af jordbær farme. Cameron Highlands er kendt for dens jordbær såvel som Te. For os var det noget skægt at jordbærene voksede heroppe i højden. I Danmark vokser de jo nærmest i havnieveau. Vi købte en bakke for at smage på dem senere på dagen. Noget andet vi så undervejs, var store drivhuse, hvor forskellige grøntsager vokser. Klimaet heroppe må være helt perfekt til den slags. Der var ihvertfald masse af grøntsager.
Da vi når op i 1600 meters højde er det toppen og herfra går det nedaf. Først var det dejligt køligt, men jo længere vi kommer ned jo varmere bliver det. Naturen er utrolig smuk, med udsigt til bjerge og frodig grønne farver fra træer og bambus følger os hele vejen.
Selvom det går nedaf og vi ikke behøver at træde i pedalerne, kræver det fuld opmærksomhed, da underlaget skiftede fra at være super godt til nogen gange at være ujævn. Så ikke noget med at blive uopmærksom.
Vi ruller nedaf over 30 kilometer, inden vi igen skal til at bruge benene.
Vi ser også hvor skrøbelig naturen kan være, et sted har der været et kæmpe jordskred tæt på vejen og da vi kommer til byen Simpang Pulai, kan vi se hvordan industrien har ødelagt kæmpe bjerge. Her er der kæmpe buldozer og andre maskiner som har gravet hele bjerge væk, så sten og grus forvandles til byggemartriale.
Ikke et kønt syn og synd at ændre naturen på den måde.
Vi fortsatte til Ipoh, som i gamle dage har været et område med store Tin miner og tin handel. Her kunne vi se de gamle handels huse, som nu til dags flere steder er ved at gennemgå en større renovering og derved har lokket flere turister til. Samtidig med at hygelige cafeér og gamle bygninger har fundet nyt liv ved at blive bygget om til hoteller og restauranter.
Her fandt vi et hostel lige ved floden og en smuk gammel bro. Vi fik et værelse øverst oppe, med et stort rundt vindue så vi havde udsigt til bjergene og ud over byen. Meget spektakulært, specielt da det trak op til torden og uvejr hen under aftenen.
Senere gik vi en tur rundt i den gamle bydel og endte med at finde nogle små hyggelige gader med kinesiske lamper og paraplyer. Alt i alt en virkelig hyggelig by.
Turen fra Ipoh til Kuala Kangsar, var ikke noget specielt og faktisk var vi begge trætte og uoplagte. Vi havde set at der var to muligheder for at komme til Kuala Kangsar. Den ene var vi vej AH2, som ville bringe os over et pas og give os en mere direkte vej. Den anden var en vej som bragte os i en stor bue udenom bakken, men den var nok 10-12 kilometer længere.
Først sigtede vi mod AH2, men inden længe fandt vi ud af at det faktisk var en motorvej og at vi ikke måtte cykle der. Så vi fik drejet af i tide og måtte så cykle de ekstra 10-12 kilometer.
Vi havde ellers hørt om et par andre cyklister, der havde taget motorvejen. Men de var kun kommet halvvejs inden at politiet havde stoppet dem og de var blevet transporteret væk på ladet af en lastbil.
Da vi kom til Kuala Kangsar, var det første vi så Old Town White Coffee. En cafe´ kæde vi havde besøgt før, så det var fristende at spise frokost der. Det er ikke altid vi har lyst til ris eller pasta med en eller anden curry og chili. 
Efter sandwich og noget dejligt koldt at drikke, cyklede vi hen til et hotel vi havde fundet via google maps.
Det var stadig først på eftermiddagen, så da vi havde checket ind lå vi bare i sengen og lavede ingenting.
Vi havde lavet en aftale med Marianne´s forældre om at SKYPE, så dem fik vi snakket med og blev godt opdateret med hvad der var sket hjemme i Danmark. Det er dejligt, vi har mulighed for at se hinanden via Skype, når vi ikke har mulighed for at ses i real person i så lang tid.
Vi havde taget kontakt til warmshower host David Munusamy Reddie, for at høre om vi kunne bo ved ham og hans kone en enkelt nat. Vi havde mødt nogle andre turcyklister, der havde sagt at hvis vi cyklede igennem Nibung Tebal, så skulle vi se om vi kunne bo ved David.
Selvom vi havde skrevet til ham i sidste øjeblik, havde han svaret at vi var mere end velkommen. Han var godt nok ikke hjemme før efter klokken 18, men det var hans kone og hun skulle nok tage imod os. Så da vi havde fået morgenmad (Roti Chennai, curry, Kopi og juice) satte vi kursen mod NIbung Tebal. 
Idag var vi mere opsat på at cykle og på første halvdel af turen har vi udsigt til de flotte grønne bjerge. Men vi kommer også igennem områder med industri, som er mindre smukt.
En ung fyr på en scooter kørte op på siden af os og spurgte os om de sædvanlige ting: hvor er i fra ? hvor skal i hen ? osv..... og så kørte han videre, men kort efter køre han op på siden af os igen, denne gang for at give os to flasker vand. Hvilken en gestus. Vi var meget taknemlige.
Vejen var næsten flad hele dagen og vi blev inspireret af Malayerne, som køber drikke fra boderne langs med vejen. Det er ligesom en mini drive-in. Vi cyklede hen til en bod vi havde udset os og bestilte to gange grøn drik og vi ville gerne have det serveret i poser. Altså drikken hældt ned i posen med is og  et sugerør. For så kan drikken hænge på vores styr alt imens vi cykler og det er let og dejligt at have noget koldt til turen. Det er sådan vi ser de fleste komme kørende.
Da vi havde cyklet lidt over 4 timer var vi i Nibung Tebal. Vi havde god tid, da vi havde aftalt med David at vi ville komme sidst på eftermiddagen.
Så vi fandt en cafe´ og fik fyldt lidt mad og drikke på musklerne. Herefter cyklede vi hen til hvor David sjulle bo, men vi havde svært ved at finde adressen. Der var flere gader der hed det samme og vi havde ikke knækket koden til hvordan nummerne på gaderne var bygget op.
Først bankede vi på ved et hus, men der var ingen hjemme. Så vi cyklede hen til en cafe´ og spurgte dem til råds. Det endte med at vi ringede til David og han snakkede med en ung fyr, som herefter fulgte os hen til den rette adresse på hans scooter.
David og hans kone boede i et højhus kompleks og konen stod ude på den åbne gang foran deres lejlighed og vinkede ned til os.
En pige fra nabo lejligheden, kom ned for at hjælpe os med al vores bagage som skulle op på 2. sal. Her boede David og hans kone i en 3 værelses lejlighed.
Vi fik et værelse med en køjeseng, hvor vi kunne sove i den nederste seng. David havde en masse ting stående i den øverste seng, så der kunne ikke sove nogen. Men der var fin plads i den nederste seng.
Selvfølgelig fik vi fyldt værelset godt op med alle vores tasker, sådan er det for det meste når vi rykker ind ved nogen med alt vores cykelgrej.
Cyklerne kunne stå på den åbne gang ude foran lejligheden.
David´s kone lavede en drik med noget gele´ og var ellers igang med at lave mad. Vi snakkede lidt om løst og fast og vi kiggede i nogle af David´s rejse bøger, fra de mange cykelrejser han havde været på.
Det var helt vildt alle de steder han havde været. For hver af hans rejser havde han lavet et foto album og de stod samlet i en reol i stuen. Det var ikke alt. På væggene hang der billeder af alle de cyklister han havde mødt på hans rejser og af dem som havde boet ved ham. Ja, vi vil faktisk påstå at han er en af de cyklister i verden der har mødt flest turcyklister.
Selv om aftenen, da David er kommet hjem fra arbejde og vi havde spist lækker mad, som konen havde lavet. Viser han os 100 vis af billeder og fortæller historier om han cykelrejser og dem han har mødt.
Han var egentlig gået på pension, men var begyndt at arbejde igen, så hen kunne komme på en cykeltur mere inden alt for længe.
Grunden til han var begyndt at cykle, var at han havde haft dårligt hjerte og vejede for meget og her kom cyklen så ind i billedet.
Han havde også hans eget firma, hvor han tog turister med på en cykeltur rundt i hans nærområde og her kunne de opleve kinesisk bryllup, indisk bryllup, se palmeolie plantagerne og i det hele taget få mere viden om området.
David havde også hentet den lokale drik Toddy, som vi sad og drak imens han fortalte hans historier.
Toddy er en saft der tappes fra kokospalmens stamme og så står den i to timer og gære, derefter er den klar til at drikke. Den skulle indholde 5 % alkohol.
David ville gerne have at vi var blevet en dag mere, men vi havde besluttet os for at cykle videre næste dag.
Så det blev desværre kun et kort besøg, men meget interasant besøg.

English

Tuesday April 04, 2017 - Friday, April 07, 2017                                        (Update 02 June 2017)

Tanah Rata - Ipoh 92 km
Ipoh - Kuala Kangsar 56 km
Kuala Kangsar - Nibung Tebal 85 km

It had been nice to be at 1300 m altitude, now we were looking forward to a long ride downhill. But it did not happen at once and we were a little disappointed at first. In fact, we had to do a lot of hills before we could cruise down towards sea level.
On the first part after we cycled out of Tanah Rata, we came across lots of strawberry farms. Cameron Highlands is known for its strawberry as well as tea. To us it was funny that the strawberries grew up in this height. In Denmark, they are almost growing at sea level. We bought a tray so we could taste them later on that day. Something else we saw along the way was big greenhouses, where different vegetables grew. The climate here must be absolutely perfect for that kind of thing. There was a lot of vegetables.
As we reached 1600 meters, it was the top and from here it went downhill. At first it was cool, but the longer we came down the warmer it got. The scenery was incredibly beautiful, with mountain views and lush green colors from trees and bamboo following us all the way.
Even though it went downhill and we did not have to pedal, it requires full attention as the road changed from being super good to sometimes being uneven. So we were 100 % concentrated.
We roll down over 30 kilometers before we had to use our legs again.
We also saw how fragile nature can be, at one point there had been a huge landslide close to the road and as we came to Simpang Pulai, we could see how the industry had broken huge mountains. Here were huge buldozer and other machines that have dug all the mountains away, so that stone and gravel are transformed into building material. Not a common sight and a pity to change nature in that way.
We continued to Ipoh, which in ancient times has been an area of ​​great tin mines and tin trade. Here we could see the old trading houses, which nowadays several places are undergoing a major renovation, which has attracted more tourists. At the same time, cherished cafes and old buildings have found new life by being converted into hotels and restaurants.
Here we found a hostel right next to the river and a beautiful old bridge. We got a room at the top with a large round window so we had a view of the mountains and beyond the city. Very spectacular, especially when iwe had thunder and lightning during the evening.
Later we went for a walk around the old town and ended up finding some nice streets with Chinese lamps and umbrellas. All in all, a really nice city.
The trip from Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar was nothing special and in fact we were both tired and not really in the mood for cycling. We had seen two options for reaching Kuala Kangsar. One was road AH2, which would bring us over a pass and give us a more direct route. The other was a road that brought us around the hill, but it was probably 10-12 kilometers longer.
First we aimed at AH2, but soon we found out that there was actually a highway and that we were not alowed ride a bike there. So we turned in time and then had to cycle the extra 10-12 kilometers.
We had heard of a few other cyclists who had taken the highway. But they had only gone halfway before the police had stopped them and they had been transported away on the back of a truck.
When we arrived in Kuala Kangsar, the first thing we saw was Old Town White Coffee. A cafe' chain we had visited before so it was tempting to have lunch there. It's not always we like to eat rice or pasta with some curry and chilli.
After the sandwich and some nice cold drink, we cycled to a hotel we had found through google maps.
It was still in the early afternoon, so after we checked in we just lay in bed and did nothing.
We had made a deal with Marianne's parents about SKYPE, so we talked with them and became well updated with what had happened at home in Denmark. It's great we have the opportunity to see each other via Skype when we do not have the opportunity to visit in real person for so long.
We had contacted the warmshower host David Munusamy Reddie, to hear if we could stay with him and his wife for a single night. We had met some other cyclists who had said that if we were cycling through Nibung Tebal, we should see if we could stay at Davids place.
Even though we had written to him at the last minute, he answered that we were more than welcome. He was probably not home until after 18, but his wife was and she would take care of us. So after we had breakfast (Roti Chennai, Curry, Copy and Juice) we headed for NIbung Tebal.
Today we were more keen on cycling and in the first half of the trip we had a view of the beautiful green mountains. But we also came through areas of industry that where less beautiful.
A young guy on a scooter drove up on the side of us and asked us about the usual things: where are you from? where are you going ? Etc ..... and then he drove on, but shortly afterwards he drove up on the side of us again this time to give us two bottles of water. What a gesture. We were very grateful.
The road was almost flat all day and we were inspired by the Malayans who buy drinks from the stalls along the way. It's like a mini drive-in. We rode to a store we had chosen and ordered two green drinks and we would like it served in bags. So the drink poured into the bag of ice and a straw. For that reason, the drink can hang on our steering wheel while cycling and it's easy and nice to have something cold for the ride. That is how we see most people ride on bikes and scooters.
When we had cycled for more than 4 hours, we were in Nibung Tebal. We had enough time when we had told David that we would arrive in the late afternoon.
So we found a cafe 'and got a little food and drink on our muscles. Then we cycled to where David should live, but we were struggling to find the address. There were several streets called the same and we had not broken the code how the numbers on the streets were built up.
At first we knocked at a house, but nobody was home. So we rode to a cafe and asked them for advice. We ended up calling David and talking to a young guy who followed us to the correct address on his scooter.
David and his wife lived in a high-rise complex and the wife stood out on the open hall in front of their apartment and waved down to us.
A girl from the neighboring apartment, came down to help us with all of our luggage bringing it to the 2nd floor. Here David and his wife lived in a 3 bedroom apartment.
We got a room with a bunk bed where we could sleep in the bottom bed. David had a lot of things standing in the top bed, so nobody could sleep there. But there was enough space in the bottom bed.
Of course, we filled the room well with all our bags, it's mostly like that when we get to stay with someone with all our bike gear.
The bikes could stand on the open hallway in front of the apartment.
David's wife made a drink with some gele and was otherwise cooking. We talked about different things and we looked into some of David's travel books, from the many bicycle trips he had been on.
It was absolutely wild all the places he had been. For each of his travels he had made a photo album and they all stood in a bookshelf in the living room. That was not all. On the walls there were pictures of all the cyclists he had met on his travels and those who had visited him. Yes, we will actually say he is one of the cyclists in the world who have met the most cyclists.
Even in the evening, when David got home from work and we had eaten delicious food that the wife had made. He showed us 100 kinds of pictures and told stories about his cycling trips and those he has met.
He had actually retired, but had started working again so that he could go on a bike ride before too long.
The reason he had started cycling was that he had a bad heart and weighed too much and here the bike came into the picture.
He also had his own company, where he took tourists on a bike ride around his area, where they could experience Chinese wedding, Indian wedding, watch palm oil plantations and generally gain more knowledge about the area.
David had also picked up the local drink Toddy, which we sat and drank while he told stories.
Toddy is a juice dropped from the stem of the coconut tree and then stands for two hours and yolk, then it is ready to drink. It should contain 5% alcohol.
David would like us to have stayed one more day, but we had decided to ride on the next day.
So unfortunately it was only a short visit, but very interesting visit.
 

Goodbye - Leaning tower - Tea fields and Cameron Highlands

Torsdag d. 30. mar. 2017 - Mandag 03. apr. 2017                             (Update d. 26. maj 2017)

Klang - Sekinchan 81 km
Sekinchan - Teluk Intan 74 km
Teluk Intan - Tapah 43 km
Tapah -Tanah Rata 60 km
Tanah Rata - Pausedag

Heidi var frisk igen, så efter en god gang morgenmad og hygge sammen med familien, var det nu tid til at sige farvel. Det er nok noget af det vi aldrig kommer til at vende os til og ligeså blev med famiien Kamsol.
De gav os to poser boller og en masse frugt, så vi havde mad til de næste par dage og da vi cyklede afsted var det med tåre i øjenene. Hvem ved om vi nogensiden kommer til at se dem igen ???
En ting er sikkert, at hvis de kom til Danmark, så er de mere end velkommen i vores hjem.
Det var meget nemmere at cykle ud af Klang end da vi ankom hertil.
Vi holdt en længere pause i Kuala Selangor ved Altingsburg Lighthouse. Det er et fyrtårn som blev bygget af britterne i 1907 og taget i brug i 1910. Fyret skulle hjælpe skibe med at navigerer igennem Malacca strædet og advare skibe om andre skibe der sejlede ud fra floderne. Det er opkaldt efter en Hollandsk guvanør. I dag er det et historisk område med museum og det hele ligger på en lille bakketop. Her var også det der hedder Monkey Hill, hvor vi så massvis af Silver leaf aber og Java aber. De hoppede rundt på jorden og sprang rundt i træerne og på en kæmpe stor elmaste. Sliver leaf aberne kom helt tæt på os. Først var vi lidt bange for om de ville prøve at tage nogle ting fra cyklerne, men der var en mand der solgte frugt på stedet og han sagde at de ikke gjorde noget. 
Vi cyklede videre til Sekinchan, hvor nummer 104 cykeldag sluttede.
Dagens ruten var igen flad som en pandekage og næsten ingen vind. Så vi rullede stille og roligt afsted. Der var ingen grund til at være bange for om vi kunne få proviant undervejs, for hele tiden var der boder langs med vejen masse af tankstationer og ikke mindst 7 eleven.
Vores frokostpause holdt vi i et busskur, hvor vi spiste nogele af bollerne og frugten vi havde fået af Familien Kamsol. Temperaturen var oppe på 40 + så det var godt vi kunne sidde i skyggen.
Jeg begyndte at få problemer med min kæde. Den hoppede over tandhjulet nogle gange, når vi skulle starte op. Vi blev enige om vi skulle se om der var en cykel butik i byen Teluk Intan og få dem til at skifte kassetterne på begge cykler. Vi ville ikke tage nogen chancer, da vi skulle cykle op i bjergene om et par dage.
Vi fandt JTC Bike center i Teluk Intan via internettet og cyklede direkte derhen. Men butikken så ud til at være lukket. Men lige som vi var ved at cykle afsted, kom der en mand og sagde: de åbner igen efter bønnen er ovre. Nåh ja, nu kunne vi også høre at der var gang i bønnerne.
Der gik ikke længe inden at butikken blev åbnet igen og cykel mekanikeren skiftede begge kasetter iløbet af en halv time. Super service.
Vi blev i Teluk Intan og det var et godt valg, for ligesom vi kom hen til hotellet vi havde bestemt os for, begyndte det at regne og torden.
Teluk Intan er hovedstaden i Hilir Perak distriktet og har et indbyggertal på cirka 120.000. Selvom vi i danske øjen nok syntes det er en storby, så føltes det ikke sådan når vi gik rundt.
Inden vi spiste aftensmad, gik vi rundt og kiggede lidt på byen. Her så vi det skæve tårn i Teluk Intan, som er en
af attraktionerne i byen. 
Tårnet blev bygget i 1885 af Leong Choon Chong og var et vandtårn, som gav vand til området i tørketider og i tilfælde af brand. Ligeledes fungerede det som pejlepunkt for skibe som skulle ind i Telok Anson havn.
Nu tildags er tårnet et klokketårn.
Aftensmaden spiste vi på markedet lige overfor tårnet. Vi smagte på Laksa Nur, som er noget Malayerne spiser meget. Det er en suppe med nudler, kylling, et halvt æg og et eller andet karry. Det var meget spicy og her må vi være ærlige og sige det ikke var noget der smagte os. Vi fik også forårsruller og de smagte rigtigt godt. 
Næste morgen fik vi den billigste morgenmad endnu til dato. To kopper Kopi og 4 roti chennai med curry kostede os 7 ringit. Roti chennai er en slags pandekage og lige disse pandekager blev vores ynglings morgenmad imens vi var i Malaysia.
Vi kørte af små veje fra Teluk Intan til Tapah og forskellen kunne mærkes, nu havde vi mindre trafik og kom igennem små landsbyer. Naturen var frodig med rismarker, palmeolie plantager og en behagelig temperatur.
Vi ville kun cykle de 43 kilometer til Tapah, da vi vidste at der ventede os en hård dag med turen op til Tanah Rata i Cameron Highlands næste dag. Så vi var tideligt fremme og fandt et godt hotel, hvor vi fik vasket vores tøj og ellers ladede op til bjerg etapen næste dag.
Dagen startede med morgenmad på værelset. Vi havde købt kokosboller, kaffe og yoghurtdrik med jordbærsmag dagen før. Så nu var vi klar til at cykle med fyldet maver.
De første 10 kilometer var flade, herefter startede dagens arbjede. Nu gik det opad, ikke en slem stigning til at starte med. Vejen snoede sig igennem den smukke natur med palmer, grønne planter og kæmpe bambus træer. Vi cyklede igennem små landsbyer med små hytter. Da vi havde cyklet 24 kilometer nåede vi op til Lata Iskander, hvor der var et smukt vandfald. Her holdt vi pause. Det var tydeligt at det var et sted mange turister holdt pause, da der var en masse boder og souvenir butikker på begge sider af vejen.
Da vi cyklede videre derfra, tog stigningen til og nu skulle vi træde til i pedalerne. Stille og roligt åd vi kilometer for kilometer. 
Undervejs stoppede vi af og til, både for at få pusten, men også for at tage billeder af hvad vi så undervejs.
På et tidspunkt så vi en stor edderkop i et kæmpe spind lige ved siden af vejen. Den ville vi kigge nærmere på, så vi holdt en længere pause. Senere da vi var kommet på cyklerne igen og var på vej videre opad fik jeg noget af et chock, da der pludselig lå en stor slange på vejen. Heldigvis var den død og senere fandt vi ud af at det var en Red Blood Python, som ikke er giftig. Den slår sit bytte ihjel ved at kvæle.
En af gangene hvor vi holdt en pause, bemærkede jeg at Heidi´s ene sok var smurt ind i blod og med det samme har vi en mistanke om, at der må sidde en igler et eller andet sted på hendes fod. Ganske rigtigt, da hun tager sokken af finder vi synderen og får den fjernet. Den har holdt en godt fest alt imens den har suget blod til sig.
Nu var vi nået til Ringlet og vores første indtryk af byen, var en mand der truede af os. Han var vist ikke helt OK.
Vi var sultne og fik os en stor portion mad. Det var meningen at vi ville blive i Ringlet natten over inden vi cyklede de sidste 13 km op til Cameron Highlands og Tanah Rata.
Men klokken var kun 14:00, så der var der god tid til at cykle de sidste 13 kilometer. De første 3 kilometer gik nedaf og herefter kom det stejleste stykke på turen. Men inden længe begyndte vi at se det vi var kommet derop for: Te marker og sikken et flot syn. Te markerne var plantet på bjergskråningerne og havde den flotteste grønne farve. Så smukt. Vi holdt i længere tid, bare for at stå og nyde udsigten og tage billeder.
Da vi nåede Tanah Rata, havde vi cyklet 60 kilometer og klatret 1500 højdemeter. De fleste højdemeter til dato på turen. Så vi var godt trætte og meget sultne. Så dagens belønning blev Pizza.
Vi blev i Tanah Rata to nætter og nød den dejlige temperatur der var deroppe i bjergene. Faktisk skulle vi have en langærmet bluse på om aftenen når vi gik ud. Et dejligt afbræk fra varmen.
Grunden til at vi ville blive deroppe, var at vi havde et interview med Lars fra Check-in bladet og så var det tid til at få klippet vores hår. Det har vi selv gjort siden Australien, hvor vi købte en trimmer.
Heidi brugte tiden på at finde ud af, hvor vi skulle tage hen i Thailand for at snorkle, når vi kom dertil.
Mere på vej.........

English                                                                                             (Update 26. may 2017)

Klang - Sekinchan 81 km
Sekinchan - Teluk Intan 74 km
Teluk Intan - Tapah 43 km
Tapah -Tanah Rata 60 km
Tanah Rata - Rest day

Heidi was well again, so after a good breakfast and time spend with the family, it was time to say goodbye. That's probably something we'll never get used to and likewise was it with the Kamsol family.
They gave us two bags of buns and a lot of fruit so we had food for the next couple of days and when we rode off there was tears in our eyes. Who knows if we'll ever see them again ???
One thing is for sure that if they came to Denmark they are more than welcome in our home.
It was much easier to cycle out of Klang than when we arrived.
We spent a longer break in Kuala Selangor at Altingsburg Lighthouse. It is a lighthouse built by the British in 1907 and commissioned in 1910. The lighthouse should help ships navigate through the Malacca Strait and warn ships about other ships sailing out of the rivers. It is named after a Dutch guander. Today it is a historic area and there is a ​​museum aswell and it is on a small hilltop. Here is also something called Monkey Hill, where we saw lots of Silver leaf monkeys and Java Monkeys. They jumped around on the ground and jumped around in the trees and on a huge electricity pole. The sliver leaf monkeys came close to us. At first we were a little afraid if they would try to take some things from the bikes, but there was a man who sold fruit on the spot and he said they did not do anything.
We rode on to Sekinchan after Kuala Selangor, where our number 104 bike day ended.
Today's route was again flat like a pancake and hardly any wind. So we where crusing. There was no reason to be afraid if we could get someting to eat along the way, for the time being there were lots of stalls along the road  and lots of gas stations and not least 7 Eleven.
Our lunch break we stayed in a bus shed where we ate some of the buns and the fruit we had received from the Kamsol family. The temperature was up to 40+ so it was nice we could sit in the shade.
I started to get trouble with my chain. It jumped the gears sometimes when we had to start up. We agreed to see if there was a bicycle shop in the town of Teluk Intan and make them change the cassettes on both bikes. We would not take any chances as we would cycle up the mountains in a few days.
We found the JTC Bike center in Teluk Intan via the internet and cycled directly there. But the store seemed to be closed. But just as we were ready to leave a man came and said, they open again after prayer is over. Well, now, we could also hear that there was time for the prayers.
It was not long before the shop was opened again and the bicycle mechanic switched both casettes within half an hour. Super service.
We stayed in Teluk Intan and it was a good choice, just as we arrived at the hotel we had decided for rain and thunder began.
Teluk Intan is the capital of Hilir Perak district and has a population of approximately 120,000. Even though in the Danish eye we thought it was a big city, it did not feel like that while we walked around.
Before we had dinner, we went around and looked a little on the city. Here we saw the leaning tower of Teluk Intan, which is one of the city's attractions.
The tower was built in 1885 by Leong Choon Chong and was a water tower that gave water to the area during drought and in case of fire. Similarly, it served as a beacon for ships that would enter Telok Anson harbor.
Nowadays the tower is a clock tower.
At dinner we ate at the market just opposite the tower. We tasted Laksa Nur, which is something Malayans eat a lot. It is a soup with noodles, chicken, half a egg and some curry. It was very spicy and here we must be honest and say it was not something that tasted us. We also got spring rolls and they tasted really good.
The next morning we got the cheapest breakfast yet to date. Two cups Kopi and 4 roti chennai with curry cost us 7 ringits. Roti chennai is a kind of pancake and these pancakes became our favorite breakfast while we were in Malaysia.
We drove on small roads from Teluk Intan to Tapah Rata and the difference could be felt, now we had less traffic and came through small villages. The nature was lush with rice fields, palm oil plantations and a comfortable temperature.
We only wanted to cycle the 43 kilometers to Tapah Rata, as we knew that a hard day was waiting for our trip up to Tanah Rata in Cameron Highlands the next day. So we arrived early and found a good hotel where we got our clothes washed and otherwise getting ready for the mountain stage the next day.
The day started with breakfast in the room. We had bought coconut buns, coffee and yoghurt drink with strawberry taste the day before. So now we were ready to ride on a full stomach.
The first 10 km were flat but after that the days work started. Now it went up, not a hard increase to start with. The road snuggled through the beautiful nature with palms, green plants and giant bamboo trees. We cycled through small village with small huts. When we had cycled 24 kilometers we reached Lata Iskander, where there was a beautiful waterfall. Here we had a longer break. It was clear that there was a lot of tourists stopping here as there were a lot of stalls and souvenir shops on both sides of the road.
When we rode of from Lata Iskander the climb got steeper and now we had to push into the pedals. But we ate kilometer by kilometer and got closer to our goal.
Along the way, we stopped, both to breathe, but also to take pictures of what we saw along the way.
At one point we saw a big spider in a giant spiderweb right next to the road. We wanted to take a closer look and took a longer break. Later, when we got back on the bikes and were on our way up, I got a bit of a shock when suddenly a big snake lay on the road. Fortunately, it was dead and later we found out that it was a Red Blood Python, which is not poisonous. It's killing his prey by chocking it.
One of the times we had a break, I noticed that Heidi's one sock was soaked in blood and at the same time we suspected that there should be a leker somewhere on her foot. Quite right when she took the sock off we found the sinner and got it removed. It had a good party while it had sucked her blood.
Now we reached Ringlet and our first impression of the city was a man who threatened us. He was not quite okay we think. 
We were hungry and got us a large portion of food. We were supposed to stay in Ringlet the night before we rode the last 13 km up to Cameron Highlands and Tanah Rata.
But the time was only 2PM so there was plenty of time to ride the last 13 kilometers. The first 3 kilometers went downhill and then came the steepest part of the trip. But soon we began to see what we had come up here for: Tea fields and what a beautiful view. The fields were planted on the hill slopes and had the finest green color. So beautiful. We stayed for a long time just to stand and enjoy the view and take pictures.
When we reached Tanah Rata, we had cycled 60 kilometers and climbed 1500 altitude meters. Most altitude meters to date on the trip. So we were well tired and very hungry. So today's reward became Pizza.
We stayed in Tanah Rata for two nights and enjoyed the lovely temperature that was up there in the mountains. In fact, we should wear a long-sleeved blouse in the evening when we went out. A nice break from the heat.
The reason we would stay two nights was that we had an interview with Lars from the Check-in magazine and  it was time to get our hair cut. We have done that since Australia, where we bought a trimmer.
Heidi also found out where we should go for nice snorkeling, when we reached Thailand.
 

Kuala Lumpur and Lovely days with Kamsol Family

Mandag 27. mar. 2017 - 29. mar. 2017                                                      (Update 21. maj 2017)

Pausedage i Klang

Dagene ved familien Kamsol var meget afslappet. Mandag gik med en dagstur ind til Kuala Lumpur. Efter vi havde spist morgenmad, blev vi kørt til togstationen af Kamsol´s søn. Han skulle selv den vej, da han havde første dag på sit studie. Tog turen tog 45 minutter og så var vi nået ind til midten af byen.
Dette var anden gang vi besøgte Kuala Lumpur. Vi havde været her i 2010, efter vores Tour de Nepal tur. Så vi var spændte på om vi kunne kende byen igen.
Der gik ikke lang tid inden vi kunne genkende veje og gader. Først gik vi igennem Kina gaden, derfra gik vi om for at se om vi knne finde de to hostels vi havde boet på tilbage i 2010. Det ene var der stadig, hvor det andet var lukket.
Hele dagen gik vi rundt og kiggede. Vi gik til Petronas Towers og ind i det kæmpe shopping mall der ligger for fødderne af tårnene. Herfra gik vi til KL Tower (Fjernsyns tårnet) som er 421 meter højt. (1.381 Ft). Vi tog turen op i elevatoren, for at få udsigten over byen. Det gik hurtigt og inde i elevatoren viser et display hvor langt du er nået. 
Inden vi havde set os om var klokken mange og det var tid til at finde tilbage til Klang. Det var midt i mylder tiden og hold da op hvor var der mange mennesker der skulle med togene. Der kom flere tog efter henanden, men alle var så fyldte at der ikke kunne presses flere mennesker ind. Men til sidst kom et tog hvor der var lidt plads i og vi kom med. Først til KL Central, hvor vi skulle skifte til toget som kørte mod Klang. 
Da vi nåede til Klang tog vi en taxa, da der var 5-6 kilometer til hvor Kamsol boede.
Da vi var tilbage, sad familien og hyggede i køkkenet. Så vi satte os sammen med dem og havde en dejlig aften.
Næste morgen var Kamsol kommet tilbage fra Campingpladsen i Benut. Med det samme han var tilbage, ville han hjælpe os hen cykelforetningen vi havde fundet på internettet. Marianne´s gear kabel var næsten brækket og så ville vi have tjekket vores kassette og kæder. Bremserne trængte nok også snart til en kærlig hånd.
Men inden vi tog hen til butikken, skulle vi havde morgenmad. Rose havde købt alle mulige ting, som malayerne spiser til morgenmad, da vi skulle prøve at smage. Der var chicken and rice, en form for sticky rice, kaffe. Nogle lækre søde kager og meget andet. Jeg tror vi kunne trille, da vi var færdige med at spise.
Så sødt af familien og vi fik ikke lov til at hjælpe. Vi forsøgte flere gange om vi måtte hjælpe med at rydde op efter vi havde spist, men nej vi var altså gæster, så vi skulle ikke lave noget.
Vi fandt butikken som hed Keen to Cycle og Kamsol kørte os og cyklere derhen. Butikken var ejet af en kineser, som med det samme kunne tjekke alt. Han anbefalede at vi fik skiftet kæden og så ville han se om kæde og kassetten kunne køre sammen uden at hoppe. Hvis de hoppede ville han også skifte kasetten.
Bremserne blev også tjekket. Her var det kun bagbremserne som trængte til at blive skiftet.
Han beholdte cyklerne i 4 timer og så var de klar til vores rejse videre.
Det blev kun kæden som blev skiftet, da han mente vi stadig havde 40 % tilbage på kasetten.
Da vi hentede cyklerne, var det begyndt at regne og torden. Der kom vand i massevis, så der stod store vandpytter rundt omkring på gaderne.
Familien Kamsol er muslimer og imens vi var ved dem oplevede vi hvordan de undskyldte når de skulle bede. 
Vi kunne sidde i køkkenet og snakke, men når det var tid til at bede, sagde de: I må have os undskyldt, men det er tid for os at bede. I skal bare fortsætte med jeres gøremål og så ses vi efter vi har bedt.
Vi snakkede om hvordan det kan være at 5 forskellige religioner kan leve side om side i Malaysia, uden at blive uenige, når der er lande som er i krig pga. to forskellige religioner. 
Fordelingen er på følgende måde: 61,3 % Muslimer, Budhisme 19,8 %, Kristne 9 %, Hindu 6,3 %, Kinesisk religion 2,6 % og anden religion eller ingen religion 1 %.
Det er virkelig sådan at en kinesisk kirkegård kan ligge lige ved siden af en muslimsk kirkegård og ligeså med en moskee, som kan ligge ved siden af et Kinesisk tempel. Hvilket vi så mange gange på vejen igennem Malaysia.
Vi havde gjort os klar til at cykle videre næste dag, men da vi vågnede havde Heidi fået migræne. Så vi blev en ekstra dag. Det var overhovedet ikke noget problem for familien. Vi kunne blive så længe vi havde lyst til og vi skulle ikke cykle videre inden Heidi var rask igen.
Heidi sov det meste af dagen, men følte sig meget bedre om aftenen. Så planen blev at vi cyklede videre næste dag.

English

Monday 27th mar. 2017 - 29th mar. 2017                                                   (Update May 21, 2017)

Restdays in Klang

The days with the Kamsol family were very relaxed. Monday we went on a day trip to Kuala Lumpur. After we had breakfast, we were driven to the train station of Kamsol's son. He had to go the way when he had the first day of study. The train ride took 45 minutes and then we reached the center of town.
This was the second time we visited Kuala Lumpur. We had been here in 2010 after our Tour de Nepal trip. So we were excited to see the city again.
It did not take long before we could recognize roads and streets. First we walked through China town, from there we went to see if we could find the two hostels we had stayed at back in 2010. One was still there and the other was closed.
The whole day we went around and looked. We went to Petronas Towers and into the huge shopping mall that is located at the feet of the towers. From here we went to the KL Tower (Television Tower) which is 421 meters high. (1,381 Ft). We went up the elevator to get the view of the city. It went fast and inside the elevator shows a display how far you have reached.
Before we knew it the day was comming to an end and it was time to find Klang again. It was in the midst of the rush hour, and there were many people going with the trains. Several trains arrived, but everyone was so full that more people could not be squeezed inside. But eventually there was a train where there was little space inside and we could go along. First to KL Central, where we had to switch to the train that drove towards Klang.
When we reached Klang we took a taxi as there were 5-6 kilometers to where Kamsol lived.
When we were back, the family sat in the kictchen and chatted. So we sat down with them and had a lovely evening.
The next morning Kamsol had returned from the campsite in Benut. Immediately he was back, he would help us to the bikeshop we had found on the internet. Marianne's gear cable was almost broken and we would like to have checked our cassette and chains. The brakes soon also needed a loving hand.
But before we went to the store, we had breakfast. Rose had bought all sorts of things that the Malays eat for breakfast as we should try to taste it. There was chicken and rice, a kind of sticky rice, coffee. Some delicious sweet cakes and much more. I think we could roll away from the table when we had finished eating.
The family was so sweet and nice and we were not allowed to help. We tried several times if we could help or clean up after we had eaten, but no we were guests so we should not do anything.
We found the store called Keen to Cycle and Kamsol drove us and bikers there. The store was owned by a Chinese, who could immediately check everything. He recommended that we change the chain and then he would see if the chain and the cassette could run together without jumping. If they jumped, he would also change the cassette.
The brakes were also checked. Here it was only the rear brakes that needed to be changed.
He kept the bikes for 4 hours and then they were ready for our futher journey.
It was only the chain that was changed, because he thought we still had 40% of use left on the cassette.
When we picked up the bikes, it was starting to rain and thunder. There was a lot of water, so there were big waterpits all around in the streets.
The Kamsol family are Muslims and while we were with them we saw how they apologized when they were praying.
We could sit in the kitchen and talk, but when it was time to pray they said: You have to apologize, but it's time for us to pray. You just have to continue with your chores and see you after we have prayed.
We talked about how 5 different religions can live side by side in Malaysia without disagree when there are countries in war because of two different religions.
The distribution of Malaysia religion is as follows: 61.3% Muslims, Buddhism 19.8%, Christian 9%, Hindu 6.3%, Chinese Religion 2.6% and Other Religion or No Religion 1%.
It is true that a Chinese cemetery can lay right next to a Muslim cemetery and the same as a mosque that can be next to a Chinese temple. Which we saw many times along the way through Malaysia.
We had got ourself ready to cycle the next day, but when we woke up, Heidi got migraine. So wechose to stay an extra day. That was no problem at all for the family. We could stay as long as we wanted and we should not ride on before Heidi was back on track again.
Heidi slept most of the day, but felt much better in the evening. So the plan was that we continued the next day.
 

Thumps up Malaysia - Plan changed

Torsdag d. 23. marts 2017 - Søndag d. 26. marts 2017                                           (Update 11. maj 2017)

Muar - Melaka 48 km
Melaka - Port Dickson 80 km
Port Dickson - Morib 80 km
Morib - Klang 49 km

Vi startede på cykeldag 100 siden vi rejste hjemmefra i oktober. Vi var lidt trætte. Værelset vi havde boet på havde ingen vindue og derfor havde vi et lille lys tændt. Dette fordi Heidi kan gå i panik hvis det er for mørkt. Jeg var vågnet op flere gange i løbet af natten og havde troet det var morgen pga. lyset. Udover det havde det lugtet af røg og hvis der er noget vi ikke kan lide, er det lugten af cigaret røg.
Dagen bød ikke på de vilde oplevelser. Vi ville kun cykle til Melaka, hvilket betød vi fik en kort cykeldag. 
Helt fra starten af vores tur, var det meningen at vi skulle sejle til Indonesien/Sumatra fra Melaka og så cykle rundt der i en lille måneds tid. Men vi kunne godt se at hvis vi gjorde det, ville vores tidsplan skride ret så meget og vi ville ikke kunne nå at cykle hele vejen hjem til Danmark. Altid godt at være optemistisk, men også godt at vi kan justere undervejs. Indonesien må blive en anden gang.
Vi var i Melaka lidt over middag og fandt et billigt hotel i bydelen Taman Melaka Raya. Resten af dagen gik med et besøg i et stort shoppingmall, hvor vi fik lidt frokost og ellers gik rundt og kiggede på de forskellige ting der blev solgt der.
Sightseeing var det alt for varmt til og vi var bare dovne. Så senere var vi på hotellet og lavede opdate på bloggen og andre små ting blev ordnet.
Turen fra Melaka og til Port Dickson blev en våd oplevelse. Da vi startede først på dagen var det overskyet og imens vi sad og spise morgenmad på Mc Donalds (Pandekager, æg og Kaffe), begyndte det at regne. Men det var vi faktisk glade for, da temperaturen var faldet en del grader og regnen virkede forfriskende.
Godt nok fik vi nogle ordentlig plask fra biler og lastbiler der kørte forbi. Men det var bare vand og det ville tørre igen på et tidspunkt.
Vi cyklede stadig af rute 5 og skulle cykle lidt ind i landet, hvilket betød at vi fik lidt bakker at cykle opad.
Vi kom igennem et stort område med palme olie plantager på begge sider af vejen. En kæmpe skov at store flotte palme træer, som stod i lige rækker. Faktisk oplevede vi at der ikke var nogen butikker på en strækning af godt 20 kilometer, som virkede lidt mystisk da vi alle andre dage havde cyklet forbi den ene lille butik after den anden.
Undervejs så vi også mange af de traditionelle Malay huse (Charlets). De er typisk bygget af mørkt træ og bambus. Desværre er de svære at vedligeholde med det fugtige klima og en anden plage er termitter. Så vi kunne også se hvordan nye mere morderne huse var ved at tage over.
De traditionelle huse er et flot håndværk, med udskæringer og tit bygget på pæle, for at undgå oversvømmelserne i regntiden og for at have en skygge plads for dagens varme.
På et tidspunkt cyklede jeg som i en hypnose. Jeg cyklede og kiggede lige ned i jorden og tænkte på at jeg var meget sulten. Det var så gralt at jeg ikke så to andre cyklister komme cyklende i modsatte retning og det var først da Heidi råbet højt: HALLØJ Marianne kig over på den anden side af vejen. At jeg så dem.
Det var et par fra Belgien (www.fiestje.wordpress.com) Jurgen og Eline. De var cyklet fra Belgien og var på vej mod Singapore, hvorfra de ville flyve tilbage til Iran og derfra cykle tilbage til Belgien igen.
Indtil nu havde de cyklet 16.000 kilometer. Vi snakkede i en god halv time. Hvor de kom med nogel gode tips til os og vi kunne ligeledes give dem nogle tips. Faktisk har vi set siden hen, at de også har boet ved Wim og Amy.
Det var jo meget nærliggende, nu hvor Jurgen og Eleine var fra Belgien og det var Wim også.
Vi nød virkelig at møde andre cyklister og det gav lige dagen et extra boost.
Vi så også aber undervejs. De balancerede på el ledningerne og hoppede over i træerne som voksede lige ved siden af. Meget legesyge.
Inden vi sluttede dagen, cyklede vi ned til Port Dickson Wellness Walk, hvor der var massevis af madboder og et strand område, hvor rigtig mange malayer var ude at bade. Der var massevis af hoteller og resorts langs vejen. Så da vi fandt et hotel 10 kilometer før Port Dickson i bydelen Tanjung Lembah, var det noget dyrere end hvad vi før havde betalt. Både fordi det var et ferie område og fordi der var noget der hed Weekend takster, hvor der lige blev lagt 40 - 60 ringit oveni prisen.
Men så fik vi også lov til at tage cyklerne med op på værelset og hotellet hed Hotel Mirage.
Det var ikke fordi at turen fra Port Dickson til Morib bød på de store forandringer. Der var stadig mange malayer, som råbte "Welcome to Malaysia" og gav "Thumps Up". Vi cyklede igennem områder med store banan plantager og palme olie plantager. Altsammen grønt og frodigt. Varmen fulgte os stadig og solen skinnede fra en skyfri himmel.
Undervejs begyndte vi at se skilte til KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) og pludselig befandt vi os lige der hvor flyene starter deres indflyvning til lufthavnen. Her blev vi stående i et godt stykke tid. Faktisk var der en Airbus 380 fra Thai Airways, som fløj lige hen over hovederne på os. Vi kom til at snakke om, at hvis vi cyklede til lufthavnen, så kunne vi være hjemme i løbet af 24 timer. Hvilket virkede fuldstændingt uvirkeligt, nu vi stod her midt på vejen med vores cykler og havde stadig mere end 11 måneder tilbage af rejsen.
Det blev ved tanken og vi satte os på cyklerne igen og fortsatte mod Morib. Inden vi nåede til Morib, havde vi været forbi et andet overnatningssted, som lå midt i et sump område. Udefra så det vildt hyggeligt ud, bygget i den traditionelle malay stil af træ og bambus og der var en lille sø og vilde aber løb rundt.
Da vi kom ind i receptionen var der ingen, så vi prøvede at råbe "Hello", men stadig ingen. Vi gik rundt i 5 - 10 minutter og kiggede på faciliteterne. Til sidst var der en der kom og han viste os et værelse. Men det blev en tand for primitivt, samtidig med at prisen ikke passede med det vi så. 80 ringit for et fugtigt værelse, som lugtede af mug og meget slidt. Så vi sagde tak fordi vi måtte se værelset og cyklede videre.
Senere da vi kom til Morib, fandt vi et lille hotel der var helt nyt og til den samme pris, som det vi havde set først. Igen kunne vi tage cyklerne med op på værelset.
Om aftenen ringede Kamsol. Han ville høre hvor langt vi var kommet og så ville han sende os vejbeskrivelsen til hans hus i Klang. Han var ikke selv hjemme, da han var i Benut på camping pladsen og først kom tilbage til Klang om to dage, men det var ikke noget problem. Han havde ringet til hans kone og fortalt at vi kom næste dag og hun havde gjort et værelse klar til os. Vi skulle bare føle os hjemme og så sås vi om to dage, sagde han.
Vi havde god tid næste dag. Turen fra Morib til Klang var ikke så mange kilometer. Så vi tog os god tid.
Da vi havde cyklet de første 10 kilometer, kunne jeg pludselig høre Heidi snakke med en. Da jeg kiggede over skulderen, kunne jeg se en ung fyr på en racercykel. Han hed Najib og var cykelrytter og cyklede for det nationale handicap team. Først tænkte jeg at jeg havde hørt forkert, for han så ikke handicappet ud. Men da vi holdt en pause ved en tankstation, kunne vi se at han havde beskadiget hans ene underben og fod.
Han fortalte at det var sket år tilbage, hvor han havde motorcykel og var kørt galt. Så hans hofte var også beskadigt. Men han havde kæmpet sig tilbage via genoptræning og var derefter begyndt at cykle.
Imens vi holdt pause snakkede vi om cykelløb og fik taget nogle billeder. 
Ialt cyklede vi 20 kilometer sammen, inden at Najib drejede af for at cykle tilbage til Morib og vi skulle ind imod Klang, hvor trafikken blev mere intens og til tider kørte vi på 4 sporede veje. Men stadig var det let nok, hvis vi skulle skifte bane, var det bare at give tegn og så holdt bilerne tilbage for os.
Vi kørte lige til vejen, hvor Kamsol´s hus lå. Men vi havde sagt at vi ville være der klokken 14:00 og klokken var kun lidt over 12:00. Så vi fandt en lille købmand, hvor vi købte nogle boller og lidt at drikke. Så sad vi i skyggen og slappede af.
Da klokken nærmede sig 14:00, cyklede vi over til vejen hvor Kamsol boede. Men vi var lidt i tvivl om det nu var det rigtige hus vi stod udenfor. Så vi ringede til Kamsol. Det var godt vi gjorde det, for det var det forkerte hus. Vi skulle 200 meter længere ned af vejen. Her kunne vi genkende Kamsol´s bil og gik ind igennem porten til huset og bankede på.
Der gik lidt tid inden døren blev åbnet og Kamsol´s kone, Rose, tog imod med et stort smil. Hun viste os værelset vi skulle have og sagde vi skulle bare føle os hjemme og derefter forsvandt hun op ovenpå.
Efter vi havde fundet os tilrette og taget bad, blev vi budt på lidt mad og drikke. Her sad vi i køkknet og nu mødte vi den ene af 3 døtre (Naziha), som havde to søde børn. En dreng på 3 og en pige på 1/2 år.
Vi følte måske det var lidt skægt, at det var Kamsol vi havde mødt og at han ikke var hjemme da vi kom. Men familien var så søde og vi følte os godt tilpas i deres selskab.
Da vi skulle have aftensmad, mødte vi den yngste datter og sønnen (Nazrul). De havde bestilt pizza og imens vi sad og spiste. Snakkede vi om mange forskellige ting og lærte hinanden bedre at kende.
 

English

Thursday 23rd mar. 2017 - Sunday  26th mar. 2017                    (Update 11th may 2017)            

Muar - Melaka 48 km
Melaka - Port Dickson 80 km
Port Dickson - Morib 80 km
Morib - Klang 49 km

We started on cycling day 100 since we started our journey in October. We were a bit tired. The room we had stayed at had no window and therefore we had a small light on during the night. This because Heidi can panic if it's too dark. I woke up several times during the night and had thought it was morning because of the light. Besides that it had smelled of smoke and if there is something we do not like it is the smell of cigarette smoke.
The day did not offer any wild experiences. We only wanted to bike to Melaka, which meant we had a short bike ride.
Right from the start of our trip, we intended to sail to Indonesia / Sumatra from Melaka and then cycle around there for a little month. But we could see that if we did, our schedule would get to tight and we would not be able to bike all the way home to Denmark. Always good to be optemistic, but also good that we can adjust along the way. Indonesia have to be another time.
We were in Melaka a little after midday and found a cheap hotel in the Taman Melaka Raya district. The rest of the day went with a visit to a large shopping mall where we had some lunch and went around and looked at the different things that were sold there.
For Sightseeing it was way too hot and we were just lazy. Then later we were at the hotel and updated the blog and other small things were sorted out.
The trip from Melaka and to Port Dickson became a wet experience. When we first started the day, it was cloudy and while we were eating breakfast at Mc Donalds (Pancakes, Eggs and Coffee), it started to rain. But we were actually happy because the temperature had fallen a few degrees and the rain seemed refreshing.
Offcourse we got some good splashes from cars and trucks that drove past. But it was just water and it would dry again at some point.
We still rode along Route 5 and had to ride a bit into the country, which meant we had some hills to climb.
We came through a large area of ​​palm oil plantations on either side of the road. A huge forest with big beautiful palm trees, which stood in even rows. In fact, we expirenced that there were no shops on a stretch of about 20 kilometers which seemed a bit mysterious as we had cycled past one little shop after another all the other days.
Along the way we also saw many of the traditional Malay houses (Charlets). They are typically built of dark wood and bamboo. Unfortunately, they are difficult to maintain with the humid climate and another nuisance is termites. So we could also see how new more modern houses were taking over more and more.
The traditional houses are a beautiful craft, with carvings and often built on poles, to avoid floods in the rainy season and to have shade for the heat of the day.
At one point I cycled like in a hypnosis. I cycled and looked straight into the ground thinking I was very hungry. It was so bad that I did not see two other cyclists coming cycling in the opposite direction and it was only when Heidi shouted loudly: HALLØJ Marianne looked over to the other side of the road. That I saw them.
There were a couple from Belgium (www.fiestje.wordpress.com) Jurgen and Eline. They had been cycling from Belgium and were heading for Singapore, from where they would fly back to Iran and from there bicycle back to Belgium again.
Until now, they had cycled 16,000 kilometers. We talked for a good half hour. Where they came with some good tips for us and we could also give them some tips. In fact, we have seen that they have also lived at Wim and Amy after meeting us.
It was very obvious now that Jurgen and Eleine were from Belgium and that was Wim also.
We really enjoyed meeting other cyclists and it gave an extra boost to the day.
We also saw monkeys along the way. They balanced on the power lines and jumped into the trees that grew right next to the power lines so playfull.
Before we left, we rode down to the Port Dickson Wellness Walk, where there were plenty of food stalls and a beach area, where a lot of malays were out to bathe. There were loads of hotels and resorts along the way. So when we found a hotel 10 kilometers before Port Dickson in the Tanjung Lembah district, it was somewhat more expensive than what we had previously paid. Both because it was a holiday area and because there was something called Weekend rates, where 40-60 ringt was added to the price.
But then we were allowed to take the bikes up to the room and the hotel was called Hotel Mirage.
It was not because the trip from Port Dickson to Morib offered big changes. There were still many malays who shouted "Welcome to Malaysia" and gave "Thumps Up". We rode through areas with large banana plantations and palm oil plantations. Both green and lush. The heat still followed us and the sun shone from a cloudless sky.
Along the way, we started to se sign to KLIA (Kuala Lumpur International Airport) and suddenly we found ourselves where the planes start their approach to the airport. Here we stayed for a good while. In fact, there was an Airbus 380 from Thai Airways that flew right over our heads. We started to talk about that if we rode to the airport, we could be back home within 24 hours. Which seemed completely unreal, now we stood here in the middle of the road with our bikes and still had more than 11 months left of the trip.
So we started to cycle again and continued towards Morib. Before reaching Morib, we cycled passed another hotel/resort, which was in the middle of a swamp area. From the outside it looked nice, built in the traditional malay style of wood and bamboo and there was a little lake and wild monkeys running around.
When we entered an went to the front desk there was nobody so we tried to shout "Hello" but still no one. We walked around for 5 - 10 minutes and looked at the facilities. Eventually there was one that came and he showed us a room. But it became a little to primitive, while the price did not match what we saw. 80 ringit for a damp room that smelled of mold and very worn out. So we said thank you for seeing the room and cycling on.
Later when we arrived at Morib, we found a small hotel that was brand new and at the same price as what we had seen first. Again we could take the bikes upstairs to the room.
In the evening, Kamsol called. He wanted to hear how far we had come and he would send us directions to his house in Klang. He was not at home as he was in Benut at the camping site and would be back in Klang in two days time, but that was no problem. He had called his wife and told her that we would come the next day and she had made a room ready for us. We just had to feel at home and then we would see Kamsol in two days, he said.
We had enough time the next day. The trip from Morib to Klang was not that many kilometers. So we took our time.
When we had cycled the first 10 kilometers, I could suddenly hear Heidi speak with someone. When I looked over my shoulder, I could see a young guy on a racing bike. His name was Najib and he was a road cyclist and he cycled for the Maly National Handicap team. First, I thought I had heard wrong, because he did not seem disabled. But when we stopped at a gas station, we could see that he had damaged his one lower leg and foot.
He told us that it had happend some years back, at that time he had a motorbike and had an accident. He also damaged his hip. He had struggled back through rehabilitation and then started cycling.
We took some photos while we had the break and talked about roadracing.
We cycled togehter for 20 kilometers, before Najib turned off to ride back to Morib and we headed towards Klang, where traffic became more intense and at times we drove on 4 track lanes. But still were let through, if we were to change lanes, just give the sign and then the cars held back for us.
We drove straight to the road where Kamsol's house lay. But we had said we would be there at 2PM and it was only noon. So we found a small grocery store where we bought some buns and a little to drink. Then we sat in the shade and relaxed.
As the clock came closer to 2 PM we rode over to the road where Kamsol lived. But we were little in doubt if it was the right house we stood outside. So we called Kamsol. It was good we did, because it was the wrong house. We had to cycle 200 meters down the road and now we could reconice Kamsol´s car, so we went in though the gate and knocked at the door.
It took a little while before the door was opened and Kamsol's wife, Rose, welcomed us with a big smile. She showed us the room she prepared for us and said we should feel at home and then disappeared upstairs. 
After we had settled in and taken a bath, we were invited to have some food and drink. Here we sat in the kitchen and now we met one of Kamsol three daughters (Naziha) she was visiting the family with her two sweet childern. One boy 3 years old and a girl only 9 mounth old, som havde to søde børn. 
We felt a little strange that it was Kamsol we had met and that he was not at home when we arrived. But his family was so nice and we felt good in their company.
When we had supper, we met the youngest daughter and son (Nazrul). They had ordered Pizza and we talked about many different things and got to know each other better while we ate.
 

On the bicycles again - Malaysia here we come

Mandag d. 20 marts 2017 -  Onsdag d. 22. marts 2017                                                    (Update 10. maj 2017)

Singapore - Skudai 57 km
Skudai - Benut 78 km
Benut - Maur 110 km

Så var det på cyklerne igen. Vi var spændte på hvordan det ville blive at cykle ud af Singapore og krydse grænsen til Malaysia.
Først cyklede vi langs med stien der går langs floden og inden længe var vi ude på den almindelige vej. Faktisk blev vi ret overrasket over hvor let det var at finde vej.
Vi havde en dejlig temperatur og endda godt med regn, så vi nåede at blive meget våde. Dette gjorde ingenting, da vi stadig havde omkring 24 -26 grader.
Heidi havde læst på en blog at når vi kom til grænsen skulle vi følge scooter skiltene, for at komme iden rigtige kø. Vi fandt godt nok grænsen, men blev forvirret af skiltene og inden vi havde set os om havde vi taget den forkerte afkørsel og befandt os nu på motorvejen mod noget der hed BKE. Vende om kunne vi ikke, så vi måte fortsætte på motorvejen et stykke vej inden vi kunne dreje fra og loope tilbage til grænsen.
Det var undervejs på denne omvej vi krydsede 6000 km cyklet, så det skulle vi også lige fejre med et par billeder i et busskur.
Vi skulle op over en bro/rampe og for at komme derop lavede vi en lidt alternetiv rute. Vi trak cyklerne imod trafikken og kom over på den anden side, hvor vi kunne cykle op på rampen og herfra kunne vi se scooter banen, som vi fulgte sammen med en masse andre scooter, der også skulle til Malaysia.
Vi skal lige huske at næve, da vi var ca. 3 kilometer fra grænsen, så vi nogle skilte hvorpå der stod: At alle der var fra Singapore skulle huske at deres benzin tank skulle være fyldt 3/4 del op. Dette for at undgå at indbyggerne fra Singapore krydser grænsen til Malaysia, for at fylde benzin tanken op med billig benzin. Så tænker du nok....hvem checker det???? Det gjorde politiet. Da vi cyklede over den lange bro der er imellem Singapore og Malaysia (Ingenmandsland) kunne vi se at politiet stoppede bilerne for at checke.
Inden vi kom så langt holdt vi i kø i 45 minutter. Men ellers ganske nemt at krydse grænsen. Først stemples ud af Singapore og så senere blive stemplet ind i Malaysia.
Da vi nu var kommet godt ind i Malaysia og klokken var næsten 13:00, var det tid til frokost og det blev ganske let. LIgesom vi var kommet over grænsen og havde cyklet den første kilometer, så vi en hyggelig cafe´.
Her bestilet vi kyllinge sandwich og en god kop kaffe. Regnen var stoppet og vi kunne tørre. Nu var priserne også noget helt andet end hvad de havde været i Singapore, Australien og New Zealand.
Fra cafe´en cyklede vi via Lido Beach, Denga Beach af en meget trafikeret vej med op til 4 vejbaner i hver side.
Selvom der var meget trafik,var bilisterne gode til at tage hensyn og der var også et bredt stykke vi kunne cykel på, hvor det næste kun var os der cyklede.
Da vi kom til byen Skudai, bestemte vi os for at blive der for natten. Efter to forsøg fandt vi et lille billigt hotel. Skudai Hotel, de ville have 75,- ringit for en nat, som svarede til 125,-. Et lille rent værelse med eget bad og toilet. Der var endda aircon og TV også.
Damen der sad i receptionen var enorm sød og hjælpsom. Så cyklerne fik lov til at stå indenfor på gangen.
Om aftenen spiste vi på en lille lokal resturant. Buffet til 15,- danske kroner pr. person med drikkevarer.
Næste dag fortsatte vi med at cykle via hovedvej 5, mod vest for at komme ud til kysten og derfra forsætte nordpå stadig ved at følge vej 5. Morgenmaden indtog vi på en Petronas tankstation. Her blev det til noget brød der minder om pølsebrød med noget marmelade creme indeni og iced coffe drik.
Vejene er flade og det er somom vi cykler i en lang by. Hele tiden er der butikker, restauranter, tankstationer og boder. Vi føler os meget velkommene. Mange gange dytter bilerne når de køre forbi os, for at hilse og folk på scooterne råber "Welcome to Malaysia".
Vi nåede ud til kystbyen Pontian Kechil og købte lidt frokost ved en "bager butik". Derefter fandt vi en lille bænk i skyggen helt ned til vandet. Vi havde været spændte på at se hvordan vandet ville se ud. Desværre ikke noget eksotisk i denne omgang, men mere brunt muddervand, som fra en udmånding fra en flod. Men der er en dejlig vind som giver os lidt luft alt imens vi sidder og spiser.
Da vi cykler videre, kan vi bestemt mærke at det er blevet varmere. Vi cykler med en god fart og hen på eftermiddagen kommer vi til byen Benut. I første omgang cyklede vi ind til centrum af den lille by. Her holdt vi en pause ved en lille butik. Undervejs havde vi holdt øje med om der var et lille hotel eller guset house, men havde ikke set noget. Vi prøvede at spørge i butikken, hvor der var to unge piger. Den ene siger noget med supermarket og pejer ad den retning vi lige var kommet. Vi prøvede at cykle i den retning, men finder ingenting.
Så prøvede vi at tage Google maps og skrev Hotel in Benut. Google gav os en link til en Caravan park ????
Den troede vi ikke helt på??? En caravanpark i Malaysia ?? Men den skulle ligge 3 kilometer fra hvor, vi var og via linket kunne vi se fine billeder af nogle container og campingvogne.
Så vi ville tjekke og se havd det var. Ganske rigtigt, da vi var kommet 3 kilometer ned at vejen, var der et skilt til caravanparken og da vi kom derhen kunne vi se det var et overnatningsted.
Der var campingvogne og container som var bygget om til små hytter. Der var endda en container swimmingpool.
Der gik to mænd og arbejdede på pladsen. De kunne godt nok ikke engelsk, men forstod vi gerne ville overnatte. Så de viste os en af containerne. 
Den var indrettet med en sofa, skab, TV, to senge og aircon i den ene ende og et lille bad med WC i den anden. Rigtigt fint og pænt. Vi var glade for at prøve det, da vi havde snakket om at lave noget med en container når vi kom hjem engang.
Vi skulle godt nok betale det dobbelte af hvad vi havde betalt på Hotel Skudai den første nat, men det var pengne værd.
Senere mødte vi ejeren af pladsen, Kamsol. En meget interesant mand, som også havde rejst utroligt meget.
Han ville høre hvordan vi havde fundet stedet og høre om vores rejse. Han spurgte hvor vi havde regnet med at spise aftensmad og da vi sagde lige nede af vejen på den lille restaurant, sagde han: Nej, ved i hvad jeg vil gerne invitere jer ud at spise i aften og en anden ting. Hvis i vil blive en, to, tre nætter mere. Så skal i ikke betale mere end for den første nat. I er gæster i mit land. Vi var målløse og så taknemmelige. 
Så senere på aftenen kørte vi med Kamsol ind til byen og spiste lækker mad, samtidig med vi snakkede om at rejse og andre spændende ting.
Faktisk skulle Kamsol på en længere rejse med hans campervan igennem en hel masse forskellige lande hvor han skulle ende ud i England. Han vidste så mange spændende ting og vi havde meget at snakke om.
Da vi havde spist, kørte han os hen til et apotek, da vi havde snakket om at vi manglede noget solcreme. Her gik han med ind for at se om vi kunne finde noget vi kunne bruge. Så hjælpsom.
Da vi kom tilbage til pladsen, foreslog han en rute vi kunne cykle og ikke nok med det, sagde han at vi kunne komme forbi og bo ved ham og hans familie når vi kom til Kuala Lumpur, nærmere sagt Klang, som ligger 25 kilometer fra Kuala Lumpur. Vi kunne blive så længe vi havde lyst til.
Det var sådan at han var på caravanpladsen 3 dage om ugen og så i hans hjem 3 dage om ugen i Klang.
Vi havde bestemt os for at cykle videre næste dag, men var opsatte på at besøge Kamsol og familien når vi kom til Klang og takkede mange gange for invitationen.
Næste dags morgenmad skulle være ægte Malaysisk. Vi havde spurgt Kamsol hvad man spiser til morgenmad i Malaysia og han havde forklaret os at vi skulle bestille Nasi Tomek, som er kokosris, æg, tørrede sardiner og sambal olek. En anden ting vi snulle prøve var Tosai. Det er en form for pandekage, som serveres med 3 forskellige saucer. Så var der den traditonelle Kopi. Det er kaffe med kondenceret mælk i bunden.
Altsammen blev bestilt og af prøvet og vi skulle betale 8 ringit, som er det sammen som 13,- danake kroner.
Efter morgenmaden cyklede vi afsted mod byen Bahu Pahat som lå 52 kilometer længere fremme. Vi nåede dertil til middagstid og holdt en pause.
Da vi cyklede videre var det atter blevet utroligt varmt, men vi var så heldige at cykle igennem et område hvor der var en lang alle´ hvor træerne gav os skygge, så det var til at holde ud.
Undervejs fik vi flashback til da vi cyklede i Indien i 2010. Varmen, luften som til tider var fyldt med røg og dufte. Gode såvel som dårlig dufte.
Undervejs mødte vi to cyklister. Den første vi mødte hilste bare og cyklede lige forbi. Den næste var en mand fra Østrig, som var på en tur rundt i Malaysia. Han fik vi en snak med og så var det ellers videre.
Vi fortsatte til Parit Jawa, hvor vi fandt frem til et lille resort. Men det var alt for dyrt, så istedetfor cyklede vi 12 kilometer mere og endte i Maur, hvor vi fandt Elite hotel til 65 ringit for en nat.

Englsih

Monday, March 20, 2017 - Wedensday, March 22, 2017                                                  (Update 10. may 2017)

Singapore - Skudai 57 km
Skudai - Benut 78 km
Benut - Muar 110

Now it was on the bikes again. We were excited about how it would be to ride out of Singapore and cross the border to Malaysia.
First we rode along the path that goes along the river and before long we were out on the ordinary road. In fact, we were quite surprised at how easy it was to find our way.
We had a nice temperature and even good rain, so we got very wet. That was fine with us since we still had about 24 - 26 degrees.
Heidi had read on a blog that when we got to the border we should follow the scooter signs to get the right lane to the border. We found the border, but were confused by the signs and before we had realized we had taken the wrong exit and found ourselves on the highway towards something called BKE. Turn around we could not, so we continued on the highway a bit before we could turn back and loop back to the border.
It was on this loop we crossed the 6000 km biked, so we also had a small celebration and took a couple of pictures inside a bus shed out of the rain
We were going up over a bridge / ramp and to get there we made a slightly alternate route. We pulled the bikes against the traffic and came over on the other side where we could ride onto the ramp and from here we could see the scooter track, which we followed with a lot of other scooters that were also going to Malaysia.
We just have to mention this that when we were about 3 kilometers from the border, we saw some signs that said: Everyone from Singapore should remember that their gasoline tank should be filled 3/4 part up. This in order to prevent the inhabitants from Singapore crossing the border with Malaysia, to fill the gasoline tank with cheap gasoline. Then you think .... Who's checking it ???? The police did. As we cycled across the long bridge between Singapore and Malaysia (No man's land) we could see that the police stopped the cars to check.
Before we got there we had to stand in line for 45 minutes. But otherwise quite easy to cross the border. First stamped out of Singapore and then later stamped into Malaysia. Easy peasy!!!
When we had arrived well in Malaysia and the time was almost 12:00, it was time for lunch and it became quite easy. As we had crossed the border and had cycled the first kilometer, we saw a nice cafe.
Here we ordered a chicken sandwich and a good cup of coffee. The rain had stopped and we could dry. Now the prices were also quite different from what they had been in Singapore, Australia and New Zealand. ;-)
From the cafe we ​​rode through Lido Beach, Denga Beach, by a very busy road with up to 4 lanes on either side.
Although there was a lot of traffic, the drivers were good at taking care of not hitting us and there was also a wide shoulder on the side of the road where we could ride.
When we came to the city of Skudai, we decided to stay there for the night. After two attempts we found a small cheap hotel. Skudai Hotel, they charged 75, - ringit for one night, which is the same as 125, -. danish kroner A small clean room with a private bathroom and toilet. There was even aircon and TV as well.
The lady sitting at the front desk was hugely sweet and helpful. So the bikes were allowed to stand inside in the hallway.
In the evening we ate at a small local restaurant. Buffet for 15, - Danish kroner per Person with drinks.
All in all a nice first day cycling in Malaysia.
Next day we continued cycling via highway 5, west to get to the coast and from there continue north by following road 5. The breakfast we bourght at a Petronas gas station. Here we got some bread that reminds of sausage bread with some jam cream inside and iced coffe drink.
The roads where flat and it was like we rode in one long city. All the time there where shops, restaurants, gas stations and stalls. We feel very welcome. Many times the cars honk thier horns as they drove past us to greet and people on scooters shout "Welcome to Malaysia".
We reached the coastal town of Pontian Kechil and bought some lunch at a bakery shop. Then we found a small bench in the shade right down to the water. We had been excited to see what the water would look like. Unfortunately, nothing exotic at this time, but more brown mud water, like from a flood of a river. But there was a nice wind that gave us some air while we had our break.
As we cycle further, we could definitely feel that it had become warmer. We cycle at a good speed and in the afternoon we came to the city of Benut. Initially we cycled into the center of the small town. Here we stoped at a small shop. Along the way, we had kept an eye on whether there was a small hotel or guset house but had not seen anything. We tried to ask in the store where there were two young girls. The one said something with the supermarket and pointed in the direction we just came from. We tried to ride in that direction but found nothing.
Then we tried to use Google maps and wrote Hotel in Benut. Google gave us a link to a caravan park ????
A caravan park in Malaysia ??? It should be 3 kilometers from where we were and via the link we could see nice pictures of some containers and caravans.
So we would check and see what it was. Quite right when we got 3 kilometers down the road, there was a sign for the caravan park and when we got there we could see it was an overnight place.
There were caravans and containers that were converted to small cabins. There was even a container swimming pool.
Two men were working at the campground. They did not know English, but realized we would like to stay overnight. So they showed us one of the containers.
It was furnished with a sofa, closet, TV, two beds and aircon at one end and a small bathroom with WC in the other. Really neet and nice. We were happy to get to try it as we had talked about doing something simular with a container when we get back home to Denmark.
We would probably pay twice what we had paid at Hotel Skudai the first night, but it was worth it.
Later we met the owner of the place, Kamsol. A very interesting man who had also traveled incredibly much.
He wanted to hear how we had found the place and hear about our journey. He asked where we had planed to eat dinner and when we said just down the road at the little restaurant, he said: No, you know what I would like to invite you to dinner tonight and another thing he said: If you want to stay one, two, three nights more. Then you will not pay more than for the first night. You are guests in my country. We were speechless and so grateful.
Then later in the evening we went with Kamsol to town and ate delicious food while talking about traveling and other exciting things.
In fact, Kamsol is going on a longer journey with his campervan through a whole lot of different countries where he will end up in England. He knew so many exciting things and we had a lot to talk about.
When we had eaten, he drove us to a pharmacy when we talked about needing some sunscreen. Here he went in to the shop togehter with us to see if we could find something we could use. So helpful.
When we got back to the campground, he suggested a route we could cycle and that was not all, he said we could stay with him and his family when we arrived in Kuala Lumpur, in particular Klang, 25 kilometers from Kuala Lumpur. We could stay as long as we wanted.
He was like at the caravan site 3 days a week and then in his home 3 days a week in Klang.
We had decided to ride on the next day but were keen to visit Kamsol and the family when we came to Klang and thanked many times for the invitation.
Next day's breakfast should be genuine Malaysian. We had asked Kamsol what to eat for breakfast in Malaysia and he explained that we should order Nasi Tomek, which is coconut rice, eggs, dried sardines and Sambal Olek. Another thing we should try was Tosai. It is a form of pancake, served with 3 different sauces. Then there was the traditional Kopi. Wich is coffee with condensed milk.
All of them were ordered and tried and we had to pay 8 ringit, which is the same as 13, - Danish kroner.
After breakfast, we rode to the city of Bahu Pahat, which was 52 kilometers further ahead. We reached there for lunch and had a break.
As we rode on, it was again incredibly hot, but we were lucky enough to cycle through an area where there was a tall alley where the trees gave us shade, so it was OK to cycle.
Along the way, we got a flashback to the time we rode in India in 2010. The heat, the air that was sometimes filled with smoke and smells. Good as well as bad smell.
Along the way we met two cyclists. The first we met just wawed and cycled past us quickley. The next one was a man from Austria who was on a tour around Malaysia. He talked to us for a while and then it was on our way again.
We continued to Parit Jawa, where we found a small resort. But it was far too expensive, so instead we rode 12 kilometers more and ended up in Maur, where we found the Elite hotel and paid 65 ringit for one night.