Day ride to Ipoh – Tasik Cermin & Intan Suraya Camp

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: 21^st February 2016

Ride and Camp to Langkawi Island

Langkawi is a very popular island destination in Malaysia. Located about 55km west of Kedah, the island is made of 99 isles but only 2 are mostly populated. The introduction of two ferry operators that transport vehicles from Kuala Perlis to Tanjung Lembong jetty, Roro Langkawi and Langkawi Auto Express recently has enable visitors to drive their cars easily into the island.

With a lot of beautiful beaches surrounding the island, a ride and camp trip is a must in the riding calendar. Hence I have planned a ride and camp since December last year and invited a few riders to join. The plan only materialized early this year and Mr. Zul Mamat who joined me in two rides last year confirmed his participation.

We met at R&R Rawang on Thursday night around 8.45pm and departed towards Kuala Perlis about 15 minutes later. The weather along north south expressway that evening is lovely with only a short rainfall in Tanjung Malim and clear sky with bright full moon light all the way to Kuala Perlis.

We stopped for fuel in Sungai Perak and later in Gurun for some food and rest before arriving in Kuala Perlis around 2.00am on Friday morning. The initial plan to rest for a few hours before the sunrise in a nearby mosque is hampered when the mosque gate is shut closed. We checked in a motel in-front of the jetty to catch the ferry tomorrow morning.

The ferry counter opened around 8.30am and after a quick checked-in we are onboard the ferry towards Langkawi. The current charges for motorcycle above 500cc is RM190 for a return trip. 

The Auto Express ferry is big and spacious with air-conditioned seat is available in the upper deck of the ferry. 

The trip took about 2 hours as the large ferry cruise slowly in-between small islands before docking into Kuala Lembong jetty.

We arrived at Kuala Lembong pier around 2pm and our guide Mr. Joe is already waiting for us at a nearby shed. 

We then take our lunch before taking a break for Friday prayers. 

Around 3.30pm, we went to our first destination, Gunung Raya lookout tower to enjoy magnifiecient 360° views of Langkawi Island. 

We stopped by a few spots along the way for a quick photography session.

Around 5.30pm, we began our descend and headed to our first campsite, Pantai Kok. 

We also went scouting for our 2^nd proposed campsite, near Langkawi Geopark but as the island is experiencing a dry season, the small stream flowing down from Telaga Tujuh is too small and most of the water is not flowing.

Pantai Kok is bustling with visitors enjoying the sunset and the beach view with berthed yacht and catamaran in the marina as the background. 

We picked a spot in between these crowd as there are not many options left after a half of the beach is closed for a project. I finished setting up my tent around 7pm and started to prepare for dinner. 

Campsite 1: Pantai Kok 6.366759, 99.678676

Facility: Petronas Quay Pantai Kok, 1.5km away

Later that night Mr. Joe came with his wife and a friend (Mr. Firdaus) preparing barbeque of chicken, sausage, sliced meat and fish.

Morning view from Pantai Kok

Our second day on the island started very early and with a magnificent view of the marina. I started preparing breakfast and packing up the tent. We had nasi lemak and instant noodle for breakfast. 

We departed from the campsite around 9.30am and headed into Kilim Geoforest Park for a boat ride.

Mr. Joe's wife camera from our escort car

The jetty is filled with visitors and the tour boat are lined up in the river bank. 

We boarded a boat and headed to the first destination – bat cave. 

The ride took more than 2 hours before we return to the jetty.

A tourist with pumped up body

Later that day, we went to Pasir Berdengung Beach through inner road to enjoy the scenery. 

We met this group of bikers, whom assemble to show solidarity to their Menteri Besar

It is here that thousands of bronok (retak seribu / shell) went ashore prior to the tsunami in 2014.

We also stopped at the end of the runway in Padang Matsirat airport to catch a glimpse of landing aeroplane.

From there we went to Cenang beach for a quick photoshoot and scouting our 2^nd campsite. The beach is filled with visitors and it is almost impossible to camp here for the night.

Indeed, we are truly happy here : )

We went on until we stopped at Pantai Tengah and found a spot just in-front of a resort under-construction. 

There is no shade and trees available here so we went searching for some shop selling cold water and met our 2^nd campsite, right in the middle of the crowd. 

We have to wait until 7pm before setting tents as it is too hot and the area is filled with visitors.

Campsite 2: Pantai Tengah 6.281043, 99.729848

Facility: fresh water pipe 5m (water sport counter)

I had a good chat with this lad who operate water sports from a counter behind our campsite. He was in the army before he opens the business here.

Nonetheless the view is breathtaking and sunset into Andaman Sea is simply beautiful.

 I prepare our dinner quite late that night as I have only finished setting up tent around 7.45pm. Note the mosquito coils.

Mr Joe came with his wife carrying late night snacks and we chatted until midnight. This campsite is a lot noisier than our first campsite as more people came that night to enjoy the night view.

On our last morning on the island, I took morning shower in the sea and the water is warmer than the ambient temperature. I went to a nearby village to get breakfast before preparing coffee back on the campsite. We packed and leave the site around 9.30am.

We went to Kuah to get some chocolates and souvenirs for our family before having lunch at a very nice seaside eateries. (prompt Mr. Joe for this)

We boarded the ferry at Tanjung Lembung back to Kuala Perlis at 2pm after a swift check through the custom. 

We went straight through north south expressway heading south. We stopped at Changloon, Juru and Tapah on the way back and it’s a heavy downpour when we passed through Kuala Kangsar.

At Sg Dua toll plaza

I arrived at home around 10.30pm that Sunday night.

It is sad thinking about beaches in Langkawi Island as more and more public beaches were turned into private resorts and closed to public. In my opinion, local authorities should look seriously into this matter and promote more public areas that is clean and easily accessible. Public toilet and public area is very hard to find along the beach and this is sad considering its status.

We find it’s hard to camp and having facilities nearby now and it may be impossible in the future. However this ride is a successful ride and a good hospitality & service provided by our guide Mr. Joe is a plus and I strongly recommended other riders to have this experience. Resort and chalet accommodation is plenty and available but when you opted into something rare, the reward is truly amazing.

Ride snippets

Rider: Mr. Zul Mamat & Myself

Distance: 920km (Kuala Perlis)

Duration: 3 days

Petrol:    RM150 for Petrol

               RM190 ferry ticket for M’cycle x 2 bikes

               RM36 ferry ticket for adult x 2 person

Date: 22^nd - 24^th January 2016

p/s: Mr. Joe can be contacted at 01121471800 or visit his facebook page Homestay Dan Kereta Sewa Langkawi