Sun 1 - Mon 2 Feb:
To Kukup, Johore, Malaysia, 223 km. I'm in trouble with LAW. Lost. Alone. Wet from the rain. Three guys (including AD and SY) ride to Kukup. Two decide to take the ferry back. I hit the road - my first solo ride in Malaysia. I study the map - there's a short cut. It turns out to be a "long cut", adding another 14 km to the ride. It could've been worse. I could've got a puncture in the rain. Or not met the Indian motorcyclist who tells me the way to go, then waits at a junction to show me the way. I cycle for three hours, with only one break of 10 minutes. The other four stops are to check directions; I'm lost in a scenic but barren place with no watering hole. As for the rain: water, water everywhere, but not a drop to drink. Back in Johore Bahru, a shopkeeper tells me the place has changed a lot, unlike my map.
Kukup is a village on stilts above the sea. Mud skippers as big as your hand and crabs as small as your thumb make tracks on the tidal flats. Riding a century to get there isn't torture. But the karaoke from neighbouring chalets sure is.
Tech note I find another grain of sand in my tyre. I change both tyres to 1.25" slicks so I can cycle harder, faster and longer.
Photo courtesy of AD
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