It was a hectic week with new projects in the office
and the gap between rides really wearing me down. Browsing through my fb
groups, I decided to join a ride organized by road less travelled Guru from
Penang, Mr. Teh Soon Kwang (Teh SK). The ride is to a spot called ‘Lubang’ which is a
caved entrance to Tasik Cermin, which is a natural lake formed in the middle of
limestone walls and cliff in Gunung Rapat, Ipoh.
I ride solo from Rawang all the way to Gunung Rapat that
Sunday morning through north south expressway. The traffic is clear and weather
is wonderful with beautiful cloud formation was seen above Tanjung Malim skies.
I arrived at Tasik Cermin (Coordinate: 4°33'33.01" 101°7'10.47") around 11.15am only to find that the entrance was
blocked by a company who is running a quarry operation in the surrounding area.
Teh SK and his team arrived about 30 minutes later and at
that time the entrance is opened and we ride into the area with ease. There is
a little bit off road action getting into the opening as the quarry is still
active and the dirt road is muddy.
The entrance is carved from the rock forming a cave and the
cave is big enough for our motorcycles to pass through and parked at the end of
the opening right before the aluminum pier.
The team had their brunch on site
and we spent time relaxing and enjoying the scenery but nobody dares to swim in
the lake.
More photograph session as picture last longer!
Later that day we departed to our second destination, which
is Intan Suraya Camp (Coordinate 4°56'59.8", 100°58'50.9") located just after the historical Chenderoh dam.
We stopped by a small stall in Sungai Siput for a refreshing herbal drink, recommended by Mr. Kalai
The last section of the journey is through plantation and small but nice road
(Ignore the date on picture)
The camp
is nicely set up on the riverbank of Perak River with a nice view of the dam
wall and lush greenery along the riverbank.
The camp owner sat with us and we
chatted over Nasi Goreng and drinks. It is this kind of hospitality that made
the ride to rural and less-travelled areas such as this made it worthwhile.
but the owner left seconds before I snap this picture!
I took a dip in the cold and refreshing river 2 times and
the current in-front of the resort is quite strong. Buoy ride from the dam to
the resort camp is also available which will take about 15minutes to complete.
We took off from the camp around 6pm and we say goodbye to
each other at Kuala Kangsar toll gate. Teh SK and his team departed north back
to Penang while I ride down to Rawang. My advice to riders anticipating the
same ride is to bring along food to Tasik Cermin but do not leave any litters
around.
Photo Credit to Teh Soon Kwang
I had a blast riding and I do hope to join them again in the future.
Photo Credit to Teh Soon Kwang
Ride snippets:
Riders:
Teh Soon Kwang Versys 650
Ryo Nurshirwan KTM 690 SMC
Lee Tuckwai FZ150
Eddie Quah ER6F
Gerald Richards Versys 650
Kalai Selvan Ramanathan F800
Myself Versys 650
Distance: 250km (just for me, the others are from Penang)
Duration: 9 Hours
Petrol: RM90
Date: 21st February 2016
