Ipoh, Gerik & Betong Impromptu Trip

3-Days Ipoh, Gerik and Betong Impromtu Tour Ride
[20 Feb~ 22 Feb 2009]

Day 1, 20 Feb Friday

It was a nice Friday's morning, weather was pleasantly good with sunshine bright and cool. I began setting out for this 'long' awaited impromptu trip or some called it ad-hoc trip.

While travelling along BKE, KJE and AYE to Tuas 2nd link, the traffic was heavy and I was ½ hrs late meeting up Bay & Daniel.

Meet-up @ GP Esso

I reached GP Esso at 8.30am, meet up with the guys. We rested a little and started to begin our long journey along the North-South Highway. It was a smooth and pleasant ride, road condition - normal straight road with not much traffic unlike BKE, KJE & AYE that i encountered earlier.

Our first stop was Pagoh, followed by Dengkil petrol station to top-up our petrol. I had my lunch at Dengkil before we reach our 1st destination, Kellie's castle.

Kellie's Castle was known to be haunted. There is a bear-image tree on the garden and it was a 3-storey high and spacious colonial building. It is now empty and run-down.

Bear-image tree

Kellie's Castle

Our next destination, Ipoh town. A quiet town which remind of Singapore in the 70s. Reached Ipoh in the evening, booked Excelsior hotel for a night. Ride and park our bikes near the road side restaurant and order plum drinks [I had 2 glasses, very nice and quenching] + ya chai ji, famous chicken rice with fat bean sprouts in Ipoh.

Me riding in T-shirt, short & run-down SLIPPERS @@

Daniel, Me & Bay toasting on reaching our 1st destination, Ipoh


We stayed in Ipoh, Hotel Excelsior for a night. Bay & me share a room, damage RM158. [Note - I'm straight, so is Bay. LOL]

Day 2, 21 Feb Saturday

Next morning after breakfast, we move off at 8am and proceed our journey to Gerik.

We stopped at Lasar to take some photos. The mountain view was magnificient and weather is cold. Can feel my hands icy-cold even with my gloves on. I like this kind of weather.

Stop by to take photos

A refreshing me at the midpoint of Lasar

From Lasar's View

The trunk road ahead was winding and with slope going up and down. It was a great experience for me and I enjoying cornering my bike, one's has to be careful with the traffic.

The view, the weather, the music [with my MP3 on] and the ride was wonderful.


We reached Gerik after few hours, can't remember to be exact. The trunk road was same as Lasar, long winding, slope-y trunk road with trees along both side of the mountain.

I love the ride and view. I began to realise trunk road is much more fun riding than the straight normal North-South Highway for travelling. Unless one goes for speed, then Noth-South Highway is the road to go. Still continuing with our journey riding with my faithful MP3.

Half-way mark, we took photos on the Gerik-icon signage. Being the young-at-heart me, I climbed to the top of the Gerik sign and egging both Daniel and Bay to climb up. They, on the other hand were advising me to stop the climb. LOL.

My thought since we've travelled 600km here, isn't it a great 'achievement to get close and personal' to what we've been aiming for - GERIK. The photos tell its all.

GERIK - CONQUERED!

We continued the journey to our final destination - Betong, Thailand.

We reached the custom of Betong, Thailand after 4 hours ride from Ipoh.

Betong - A small town in southern Thailand with the people there conversing to us in Malay, Cantonese, Mandarin & Hokkien. And of course also their native language - Thai.

3 stages to go through to enter Betong, Thailand.

1. Pay RM2 for the counter lady to fill up the 'white card'.

2. Get the passport stamp.
3. Import the bike into Betong, Thailand. another RM2.

Betong accept both Ringgit & Baht.

BETONG, THAILAND - CONQUERED!

We entered Betong at ease, no checking just ride through. And start to look for hotel to stay for the night.

Along this only vehicle tunnel in Thailand, I lost sight of Bay & Daniel while entering the 200m tunnel. Probably I'm too slow..... in donning my helmet and gloves.

I did a U-turn. Bay saw Daniel entered the small street and chased after Daniel to inform of my 'lost'. I was lucky to see Bay & Daniel waiting for me in one of the small street road leading to Sri Betong Hotel, if not I'd probably be doing a solo trip back from Betong to Singapore. And that's another achievement or record for me, provided I can find my way. Heehehehee

We booked our hotel - Sri Betong Hotel. Place our stuff into our room - my tankbag with my clothings and take a good nice bathe, and proceed to had our lunches opposite the hotel coffeeshop.

After filling our hungry stomache, we made our way to the Hot Spa, riding passed narrow kampong street. Along the way, some Malaysian bikers were riding up to with their class 2 big bikes.

I bought a Thai sticker which the uncle-seller told me it is a 'L-plate' sign in Thai. I pasted the sticker on my bike's box to make people aware that I'm a L-plate rider...in Betong. :D

Visitors would buy quail eggs, chicken eggs and had it boiled-cook with the hot spa water. Not so much of an attraction to me.

Next we went to Piyamit Tunnel which was built by the Malaya Chinese communist. The tunnel was cooling, very cooling although outside it was sorching hot. The road to Piyamit Tunnel was a high steep slope trail and our bikes were going at 1st to 3rd gears only. It was another new experience, new road condition for me riding on.

After the Piyamit Tunnel, we proceed to Winter Flower garden. it was yet another high steep slopes but this is a mountainoues route. We're travelling at 30 kmh, one wrong corner or slip, the bike would falls off the mountain together with the biker. So we'd to be extra careful. And I was still riding in my T-shirt, short and worn-off slippers. No protective gears with me.

On our way back to hotel for some rest, it started to rain heavily and we had to stop at the half-way mark stall for some light refreshment. We're all drenched but not down. Our spirits getting stronger and higher the more we travelled.

Reached our hotel and keeping ourselves dry and fresh, ready for dinner. We shopped around and I bought myself a pair of slippers to replaced my worn-off slippers. It cost me 200.....baht. We'd our dinner - Thai horfun style 35 baht and walked around to look-see look-see. Tried some kind of prata - just to oblige the ladies and to try out the country street delicacy. Prata-with-condense milk 15 baht. it tastes ok to me only, kind of too sweet for me. [No more sweet tooth]

the 200 baht slippers - nice and comfortable to wear,

35 baht - thai horfun,

15 baht - prata with condense milk and i'd a good time teasing the lady how to do prata Singapore style. Hahaa.

Into the night and in my room, I engage a massuer to massage those aching muscles of mine. Damage 500 baht.

Day 3, 22 Feb Sunday

Next morning ready to head home. It was fogging and the visibility is low at the Betong custom. The fogging was the cloud passing by...

We went home to Singapore thru the Gerik trunk road once again, it was fun as we're doing zig-zag cornering with my MP3 on. It was kind of a playground for us. The ride was like a roller-coaster, going up and down, turning left and right, speed fast and slow... except the difference here is we controlled the speed, the direction. It was thrilled all the way.

We stopped at Gerik & Tapah to top-up our petrol. After Tapah, it was rain, drizzles, heavy rainfalls and occassional lightenings along north-south highway. Along the north-south highway, we past few accidents with the car into the pits, drain. And there was few cars about 10 bumping onto one another. It was a terrible sight and we rode cautiously. Resting at Pagoh for rain to subside.

Bay & me lost Daniel at our last destination home. We're in Johor 1st link Petronas whereas Daniel was in 2nd link GP Petronas. My friend, Fuji called to ask me where am I as he is in 2nd link GP Petronas. I'd have met Fuji if I went to 2nd link GP Petronas.....

Reached home safe and sound after getting myself tired and wet...in the rain. It was a memorable and tremendous trip for me as I've experienced different kind of terrians and road condition, clocked 1600km, conquered 3 places - Ipoh, Gerik, Betong.

I do not know will I have the time to travel like this again.

Last but not least, I love my super-four and begin to appreciate it more and more...

Sawadee Kup