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| The Magnificent Seven |
After our last adventure to Sedili Besar jetty, there were some regrets as some of us did not complete the whole journey. So after some careful planning and consideration, we decided to make it a 3 days 2 nights trip instead of 2 days 1 night. We were to discover later that this was indeed a very wise decision.
We left Changi jetty before 2pm and arrived at Tanjung Pengelih before 3pm.
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| On the Ferry |
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| Have a nap first |
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| At Tanjung Pengelih Jetty |
Tommy, one of our support vehicle, came to meet us at the Jetty. He had earlier driven across from the causeway. With our back packs loaded into Tommy's vehicle, we enjoyed a slow easy ride to Sungai Rengit. We were caught by a passing shower but the sky cleared as we got closer to town.
We had an early seafood dinner, had some coffee and tea and then had an early night.
The next morning, we came down for our breakfast at 6.30am and were surprised that the coffee shop was already crowded with local uncles and aunties having breakfast. After breakfast, we set off for Sedili at around 7.15am.
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| In front of hotel |
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| One more photo before we set off |
The morning weather was nice and cool and we were all happy with the smooth ride and also enjoyed the slight tail wind.
In no time, we had reached the round-about near Desaru. This was our first rest stop. With Stanly's car stocked with watermelons, bananas, 100 plus and water, we were all well replenished.
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| Stanly with our refreshment |
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| Sweet and juicy watermelon....hmmmm nice |
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| Fluid replenishment |
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| Our bikes, resting as well |
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| Everyone fresh and smiling |
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| Second pit stop |
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| Tommy with his car |
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| One more watermelon stop |
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| The watermelon is sweet and seedless |
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| View of our bikes |
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| Can you see the plastic wrapping on one of the bikes? |
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| No sweat so far |
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| We are still relax and smiling |
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| Group photo with Tommy |
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| Group photo with Stanly |
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| Off we go again |
At Sedili Kechil, Raymond, who just came back from Penang and had not been cycling for quite some time, suffered cramps and had to take the support vehicle to Sedili Jetty.
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| What is taking Raymond so long? |
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| We are at Sedili kechil |
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| I need to put my bike on the rack |
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| After much fiddling with the bike rack |
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| Putting on the bike |
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| More fiddling |
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| Why are they taking such a long time? |
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| Yes, up at last!! I will be taking the car |
The rest of us carried on towards Sedili Jetty. Even Frank, who also has not been cycling much, managed to push on and reached the jetty. This time the journey to Sedili jetty seems to be quite comfortable compared to the last time when we felt quite tired with muscle aches. The distance from Sungai Rengit to Sedili Jetty - 80km.
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| At Sedili Jetty |
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| Group photo at Sedili Jetty |
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| With Tommy |
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| With Stanly |
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| The shops at Sedili Jetty |
We were all happy that we managed to arrive as scheduled even though we took it easy during our ride. We had a nice lunch of shark meat rice and seafood Hor fun and looked forward to our return journey which we thought should be not much of a problem. All of us were in high spirits and did not realise what was to come later.
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| Relaxing at the restaurant |
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| We only had lunch, not bird's nest |
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| Shark meat with rice ..... yummy |
After lunch, we headed back at around 12.30 pm. As Frank had reached his limit, he loaded up his bike and took the vehicle. The rest of us, including Raymond proceeded to ride back to Sungai Rengit.
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| Preparing to put Frank's bike on the rack |
The good and easy early start did not prepare us for what was to come. The afternoon sun was scorching hot and there was a strong head wind. At some areas, we could only manage 20 to 24 km/h. The wind was strongest at the open fields.
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| Another pit stop |
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| Very hot, need more water |
The heat and the head wind soon proved too much and due to leg cramps, Raymond and Dennis had to abandon their ride and get into the support vehicle. We were lucky to have 2 support vehicles to help us.
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| I have no choice, the cramps were really bad |
As can be seen by the lack of subsequent photos, all of us were tired and pushing on and no one was in the mood to take photos. The remaining four of us were determined to complete and we plodded on together through the rolling hilly slopes. We worked and stayed as closely a pack as possible and helped each other to continue on.
After the slopes ended, around 20km from Sungai Rengit, Raymond, Frank and Dennis, with great sporting spirit got on their bikes and cycled all the way back.
We all reached Sungai Rengit at about 5pm, an hour later than what we have originally planned. Total distance travelled -160km. It was another great ride but it was more grueling than the last time. The heat and the head wind made it one of the toughest ride we had.
That night, we had a sumptuous seafood dinner and had a good time sharing our day's adventure.
The next morning we had a relaxing time exploring the fishing jetty and buying some stuff before heading back to Tanjung Pengelih.
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| Walking to jetty |
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| Jetty at Sungai Rengit |
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| How come I don't see any fish? |
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| Maybe I have to catch my own fish |
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| Raymond, are you going out to catch fish? |
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| All freshly baked |
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| How many packets can we buy? |
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| Must make sure they give me the fresh one |
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| Back at the jetty |
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| The four who completed |
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| At last I made it.. very happy |
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| Rest and relax |
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| When are we coming back again? |
Everyone of us enjoyed this trip. We are especially thankful to Tommy and Stanly for their support. We would not have had such a successful ride without their help. In total, we consumed 12 big bottles of 100 plus, 23 big bottles of mineral water, 2 big watermelons and countless bananas. This excludes the electrolytes and gels that we brought personally. You can imagine how hot the weather was.
Now what will the next adventure be .............
Mersing???
Photo credits : Dennis, Raymond and Chee Hwee
