It was a
long break from rnc ride between monsoon season and my job transition but in
the end all ends well as the weather clears and I get to continue to ride again.
This is my first adventurous ride for this year and after a month long wait we
finally had a proper ride to a campsite nicknamed Durian Belanja at Sungai Kelemin, Dungun. This is my second trip there
as my local contact, En. Zaki has confirmed that the place is still worth the
ride and he has also offered to prepare lunch for us.
Joining me
in this ride from Perak are Cikgu Joe & Cikgu Jasni, from south are
Bernard, Saini & Ross while from Klang valley are Ikhwan, Shahriman, Cusko,
Jezz, Kak Shida, Mizi and Zadiq. This is the first trip with us for Shahriman
and Mizi, although both are seasoned riders with vast experience riding on and
off the road. Cusko, Ikhwan & Mizi will meet Shahriman and me at a stall in
Gombak for breakfast while the rest will join us at second rendezvous point at Tol Paka.
It was around 7.45am on Saturday morning with
ambient temperature around 24°C when I departed from Rawang with
Shahriman. The weather was clear and we went through NKVE towards Gombak with
smooth traffic along the highway and Route 54 and 28 heading to SM Teknik
Gombak. We stopped to refill at Shell station before the exit to Jalan Sungai
Pusu and when we arrived Cusco and Ikhwan were already there. Mizi arrived
around 9 am and we immediately departed towards Route 68 Jalan Gombak heading
to Genting Sempah.
The old
road is quite famous to cyclist and we passed a few groups heading the same way
and some were heading down towards Gombak. The road surface is in moderate condition
and the weather was beautiful with canopy of tree keeping the route nicely
shaded.
We continued towards Paka through East Cost Expressway from Genting
Sempah and Cusco who have the smallest tank capacity among us has to stop at
Temerloh to refill while we ride directly to R&R Gambang.
The weather
was hot and humid but with beautiful cloud formation when we passed Sungai Pahang.
There were a few spots of major road repairs but generally the highway surface
was excellent. It was 11.10 am with ambient temperature around 34°C when we arrived at Petronas R&R Gambang to refill and have a quick
rest. There was also a group of Harley & Davidson riders with their loud exhaust
arriving minutes after us taking a break at the same station.
It took us
another hour to arrive at Paka exit to find the rest including Ross and Saini
whom had ridden all the way across the border from Singapore. However early starter Jezz and
Kak Shida, whom departed since last night was still missing.
We’ve decided to proceed
to Petronas al-Muktafi Billah without them. Cusco arrived slightly later as he
took a detour around Jabor to refill before coming here. Zadiq also has arrived
after spending a night at a resort in Kijal.
We had
lunch at Zaki’s house around 2.00pm and we had rice with masak lemak daging
salai, masak lemak ikan, pais ikan, kerabu pucuk paku and ulam with budu &
tempoyak cili. The food was tasty & delicious and we packed some food for
dinner.
Photo Credit to Fb Zeera Zaki
Photo Credit to Fb Zeera Zaki
Photo Credit to Fb Zeera Zaki
Photo Credit to Fb Zeera Zaki
Photo Credit to Fb Zeera Zaki
Photo Credit to Fb Zeera Zaki
Homestay Pasir Raja & Restoran Zeera Zaki
GPS: 4.564252, 102.979582
Jezz finally arrived after an hour with Kak Shida. Around 3.00pm,
we’ve gathered for a group photo and departed towards the campsite.
The weather
was clear & hot with ambient temperature around 32°C and I can
report that there’s not much changes to the village since my last visit here.
We stopped
at the trailhead to reduce our tyre pressures and secure our equipment.
Trailhead GPS: 4.71121, 103.02923
Trailhead GPS: 4.71121, 103.02923
The
road surface was made of compacted small and medium size pebbles with sand. All
of us ride without much hassle towards Sungai Loh bridge.
However after the
second river crossing, I found that Cikgu Jasni & Joe, Saini, Kak Shida and
Jezz are still not in-sight, so I have double back looking for them. After a
few minutes, I have found them so we proceeded to the campsite.
Second river crossing, the river was shallow with sandy bottom
The trail was relatively easier as compared to my first ride here with no mudholes,
slippery section and we made it to the riverbank of Kelemin after an hour of
offroad riding without any incident.
Photo Credit to Jezz
Photo Credit to Jezz
The last
hurdle to the campsite was loose sand and rocky riverbank that most of the
heavy dp bikes were struggling. Most of us fall down here but got back up with
smiles.
Bernard run out of oxygen.. his bike run out of traction
50m to campsite.. last breath, fall again
Photo Credit to Jezz
Photo Credit to Saini
The team made it to the campsite around 4.30pm and we began to set up
tents and hammock. Slightly larger built than me, first timer Mizi bought a new
4P tent for this trip and was quite contempt with his purchase. Double layer tent was highly recommended, which provides the best protection against the elements or you can opt to use hammock for the night.
Campsite Durian Belanja, Sungai Kelemin, Dungun GPS 4.78993, 103.03072
Campsite Durian Belanja, Sungai Kelemin, Dungun GPS 4.78993, 103.03072
Photo Credit to Bernard Ling
Photo Credit to Bernard Ling
Photo Credit to Bernard Ling
Photo Credit to Jezz
My token of appreciation & would like to congratulate Terengganu, because unlike other campsites at certain state
in Malaysia, this place remains magnificent even after 3 years since my last
visit.
The river is crystal clear and it is comparable to bottled mineral water level of clearness. We took time to swim and have fun in the river until sunset. Zadiq said one night here is insufficient and pledged to return for two nights.
The river is crystal clear and it is comparable to bottled mineral water level of clearness. We took time to swim and have fun in the river until sunset. Zadiq said one night here is insufficient and pledged to return for two nights.
Photo Credit to Zadiq
Photo Credit to Zadiq
Photo Credit to Bernard
Photo Credit to Zadiq
Photo Credit to Bernard
Bernard as
usual was diligent to gather firewood, setting up a fire pit and dry leaves to
set up fire.
Photo Credit to Bernard Ling
Photo Credit to Cikgu Joe
By nightfall, it was lit up and we have dinner of packed food by
our tents. 
Around 10pm, I began to cook lamb slices brought by Jezz and we
chatted on the riverbank. The temperature began to drop and by 11pm, we get
into our tents to rest. I woke up around 4.30am to pee and the campsite was
bright from moonlight.
The next
morning, morning dew was engulfing the entire area and it was so thick, it can
be seen by our eyes. After the morning prayer, I grab the mini tripod and began
capturing the campsite sceneries. The jungle was still filled with chimes and
rhymes from the surrounding fauna as the sun began to rise in between tree
canopy. 
The weather was perfect with morning ambient temperature around 22°C. We have instant noodle and instant naai lemak for breakfast. We jumped back into the river soon after breakfast and I dare to say
that most of us just couldn’t move on from the river.
Photo Credit to Jezz
Photo Credit to Jezz
Photo Credit to Ross Vstrom
By 10am we
began to pack our equipment and helped to clean the campsite. It is important to note,
for sustainability we need to clean our campsite just like we would like to
find it, including packing and bringing back our garbage.
Dirty campsites not just an eyesore but also potentially lead to disease outbreak.
Photo Credit to Jezz
We gathered for group
photos before departing out of campsite around 10.30am.
Some of us
fall again in loose sand and rocky area before getting back to the trail. With
team effort and little bit of perseverance we clear the obstacle.
Getting out
of the campsite seems easier for most of us and we clear the 11km offroad
section under 45 minutes, despite spending some time to cross the rivers.
Photo Credit to Jezz
Photo Credit to Jezz
and Jezz dropped his stuff.. again
Photo Credit to Cusco
We have regrouped before moving towards Petronas
al-Muktafi.
After
petrol refill and some refreshment, we said goodbye to each other. Team Lion;
Ross, Saini & Bernard will go towards ECE heading south, Team Perak with
Zadiq & Cusco will head to Kuala Berang and the rest of us will take Route
14 towards Jabor and Kuantan Bypass.
It was scouring hot and we rode on the ‘old
road’ through vast palm oil plantations passing Durian Mas and Neram. There
were not many vehicles on the road and the ride back was smooth.
It was
around 36°C when we stopped for lunch at
Restoran Sedap Wehh near Taman Permatang Badak, Kuantan. Jezz and Kak Shida
arrived slightly later to join us there.
We continued riding to Gambang and Jengka through Route 2, so we won’t be bored by highway’s straight lanes and hot weather. We also took turn to lead & trail the group to ensure everyone are not bored and sleepy during the ride back.
We made it to Masjid Karak just before Asar prayer and took our last rest. Our last leg through Karak Highway was also smooth although there are a bit of traffic pile up before Tol Gombak. I said goodbye to Ikhwan and Mizi to continue towards Rawang with Shahriman. We safely arrived home around 6.15pm.
We continued riding to Gambang and Jengka through Route 2, so we won’t be bored by highway’s straight lanes and hot weather. We also took turn to lead & trail the group to ensure everyone are not bored and sleepy during the ride back.
We made it to Masjid Karak just before Asar prayer and took our last rest. Our last leg through Karak Highway was also smooth although there are a bit of traffic pile up before Tol Gombak. I said goodbye to Ikhwan and Mizi to continue towards Rawang with Shahriman. We safely arrived home around 6.15pm.
It was yet
another memorable trip filled with adrenaline and sweat. I enjoyed every moment
of it and hope the rest would felt the same too. My final hope is for all
of us to preserve our nature so we can get more places like this to enjoy and we could continue doing this in the long run.
Ride
snippets:
Riders:
1. Rashidin Kawasaki Versys 650
[Central]
2. Ikhwan Kawasaki Versys 650
[Central]3. Kasko Y15 [Central]
4. Mizi Kawasaki Versys 650 [Central]
5. Man BMW GS310 [Central]
6. Jezzrey Yamaha FZ150 [Early starter]
7. Kak Shida Yamaha LC135 [Early starter]
8. Izadique GS Dakar [Early starter]
9. Ross Suzuki Vstrom 1200 [Singapore]
10. Saini NC750X [Singapore]
11. Bernard BMW GS1200LC [JB]
12. Jasni Kawasaki Versys 650 [Perak]
13. Joe Kawasaki Versys 650 [Perak]
Distance
(from central): 785km
Date: 23th
– 24th February 2019Average moving speed: 80km/h
Lowest
temperature: 22°C (Campsite)
Highest
temperature: 36°C (Durian Mas)
Expenditures:
Petrol:
RM100
Food: RM15 – Lunch
Food: RM15 – Lunch
p/s:
Anyone who would like to get in touch with En Zaki for reservations or inquiry, his number is +6017 944 0803
Terengganu is easily the most beautiful state in Peninsular Malaysia, and this is due to 2 reasons: 1) Less oil palm 2) Less logging. And this is because of the oil fields off the shore of Terengganu which reduce the pressure to log. But still, it would be better with ZERO logging, however. Like Brunei has little logging and most of their forests are still virgin forest. Then you will get plenty of such beautiful, pure rivers. Sg Kelemin catchment is from the Taman Negara region, hence the water is so clear. Actually, Peninsular Malaysia used to be like this from north to south, before 1960s. Now much of this original beauty is gone (or diminished). Too much oil palm plantations everywhere, and too much of logging leaving only secondary forests everywhere. I can only imagine the landscape and life before the 1960s in Peninsular Malaysia......
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