We Back in Borneo!

We are shy of 2 months away from two years after our epic Ride Pusing Sabah in December 2021. How time flies!

And around this time last year, DocZul and I was on the dream excursion to KARAKORAM! (with DocZul as well). 

Can't believe the "change" obly after a year....

lest we forget.... Zack, John & Izad with our guide Talha

"dreams are made of these..." @Karakoram

The planning for this North Borneo Ride Part 1 has not been easy. Originally, our intention was to do a second Ride Pusing Sabah within six month after our maiden ride venturing Sabah. But, eighteen months later, nothing seem to materialise. And in all that time, our friend Alinur has been burdened with looking after our Dom400 (our = DocZul's & mine's). So, I decided to do something about this - either ship the bike back to Semenanjung or take her to Saratok where my dotter & son-in-law is currently staying. With the first option, I could make full use of the bike; but it would leave all the plans to ride as many part of Borneo as possible to be a bit hard. With the 2nd option, there will be room to more rides around Borneo in coming months/years. However, the only snag is that the nearest airport from Saratok is Sibu, about 2 hours drive apart.

The Three Must-Keep-Steer or The 3 So-To-Just (ride) 😆

Idrus and I originally plan to do the ride cum taking both the Dom400s to Saratok in May. DocZul agreed for Idrus to use his green Dom400 as he himself could not ride during that period... DocZul has received his calling to perform hajj this year. However, as we were finalizing the dates, Idrus also received his calling. Alhamdulillah. So, the plan were put on hold. When both Pak Haji returned in July, DocZul suggested to do the ride in September or October. While being silent when DocZul and I were setting the dates, Idrus quitely bought his flight ticket after we bought ours!

dubbed "Lori Cargo" by his friends, this beast is most comfortable on long rides..

Since DocZul is also going, Idrus shipped his Kymco400 scooter to KK with intention to also leave the bike in Saratok for more rides in Borneo later 😬.

The route would be Kota Kinabalu - Brunei - Miri - Bintulu - Mukah - Sarikei - Saratok. So our return flight would be from Sibu, the nearest airport from Saratok. We bought flight tickets KL-KK for 12th Oct and Sibu-KL for 20th Oct. Hovewer, just over three weeks before the flight dates, DocZul informed us that he got the dates (for his vacation) mixed up. It should be one week later! Huhuhuhu... Thus, we  changed our plans and flight dates (with some additional cost, of course 😅).

Waiting to board the MAS flight to KK

09:00pm, Friday 20th Oct was our flight. With luggage to check-in, I was just in time arriving at the airport due to, firstly left home not early enough, secondly it was raining heavily with rush hour. Alhamdulillah managed to drop the luggage (containing helmets, bike rack and topbox) in time 😁

We arrived KK International Airport around midnight with Ali already waiting to ferry us to our transit hotel just nearby the airport.

The 3-bed container accommodation at Grapevine Garden motel was comfortable, convenient and importantly with a very good rate!

By the time we hit the sack, it was already past one o'clock. Subuh is about an hour earlier in Sabah, so we were already up by five in the early morning. And Ali was already on the way to pick us up by eight, for breakfast and to bring us to the bikes (parked at his office near the airport). 

At breakfast we were introduced to Shafiz whom will also be joining us on this ride.

 

First order of business before starting our journey on the morning of Day 1 was to install the bike rack and topbox (my Dom400). This new addition would give flexibility to carry more cargo!

Yours truly, Shafiz & DocZul

Our first night-stop will be in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei, about 270km of ride distance from my calculation. And we need to have Brunei dollars! So, our flag-off had to be postponed for a bit to get some money exchanged - the money changer only opens for business at 10:00am! So, this and that, we finally flagged off around noon for the first leg of our tour! 

First re-fuel stop at Petron Lok Kawi.

There are two main road going to Papar from KK, the seaside route (via Kinarut / Jalan Pengalat) or via Route A2 that we took. 

We literally forgot to re-hydrate at the fuel-stop. Thus, made a quick stop just few km ahead for sip...

Part of our mission for today was to lunch in Papar, specifically at Aneka Nasi Ayam Puteri that went viral in the past months. Alas, it was not open that day. The consolation was, it is situated next to Mr. DIY - Idrus forgot to pack his riding glove for this trip - bought two pairs here!

It was already way past 1:30 when we finished "shopping" at this Mr. DIY. Some 3km and 5minutes away, we had lunch at Ikan Bakar Benoni, apparently a popular makan place in Papar. 

Copyright Reserved - photo from the web (link above)

Wise decision to have ikan bakar plus telur dadar a few other dishes here...

It was a good call (collectively) to  stop at the first masjid along the route and do jama' awal at Masjid Azizurahman, Kg. Baru Kimanis some 15km from the lunch place. Tho' it was already close to asar (3:25pm), we got there around 2:4pm - ample time still.

Our next stop would be Sipitang, Espalanad Sipitang to be exact some 90km away. We arrived around 4:45pm, and just good timing for a much needed break & rehydration.... + satay!

 

Dusk would be around 6:00pm and with more than 120km to reach Bandar Seri Begawan, we did not spend much time in Sipitang nor could we explore this small town.

Copyright Reserved - pics from Google.

Sindumin checkpoint is the border separating Sabah and Sarawak. Merapok is the town on Sarawak side. For Malaysians from Semenanjung, entry/exit between the two states require immigrational process. This also apply for Sabahans entering Sarawak and vice versa.

Welcome to Sarawak!

We were greeted by azan maghrib as we queued at the immigration booth. And we were greeted by a light drizzle as we cleared immigration and did this wefie. When asked each other, we unanimously agreed not to put-on our raincoats thinking that the drizzle will not escalate into rain. Hahahaha... In just about ten minutes later, it rained sometimes lightly but at times heavily. This continued even after we stopped for refuel at Petronas Lawas.

Petronas Lawas - Photo Courtesy of Google

We tried to wait it our for the rain to stop, but... it didn't..

It was getting late.  With approximate one hour of riding still before we get to Sarawak/Brunei border, we agreed not to wait for the rain to recede.  The heavier rain earlier has simmered down much.  We are already drenched, so no point to don the raincoats.

Just after we passed the Labu (Brunei) Immigration Checkpoint around 8:00pm

Probably it was a small miracle. When we entered Brunei, the rain stopped.  It would another 50km or so with about 45mintes travel via Jambatan Sultan Haji Omar 'Ali Saifuddien (SHOAS) before we reach our last stop for this Day 1 of the ride.

We rode at night, thus could not really see this picturesque view of the bridge...

By the time we checked-in at Jubilee Hotel, it was already past 9:00pm.  All wet and cold, the first thing to do was freshen up and solat. Then the "hungry" kicked in! Small problem, most makan place is already closed well before 10:00pm here... adoiiii...  Idrus, Shafiz and I tried our luck taking a stroll into downtown and found a 24-hour outlet selling Nasi Ayam Katok, a popular dish here in Brunei.  

Nasi Katok Mama Express was our saviour for the night..

B$1.50 satu bungkus 😁

End of Day 1. 

Starting Point: Bangunan DCA KK.. Total tine on the road+stops: 9hrs

Day 2, Sunday 22/10/2023

Not sure what time they went to bed, but I was already with Mister Sandman almost immediately after having my Nasi Ayam Katok.  This family room is meant for four pax - with one double bed and two single beds in two rooms.  Since there was five of us, we asked for an extra bed although Ali was set to sleep on the couch.

The couch would have been comfortable since there are extra pillows provided. But since we are going to be two nights here, an extra bed is better. 

Waraq atau Wa Rock? 😅

Some says, its never too late to do things that you couldn't or didn't do as you grew in life. Some even says, its better to regret doing than regretting not trying (of course this should apply to good deeds only 😁). 

GS: Geng Skuterz! 

I could identify myself as an avid motorcyclist (entirely my own opinion 😁). I would even go to the extent of saying that bikes and riding is a passion, a deep one if I may add. And, this enthusiasm about two wheels is something that I have in me since I was at a single digit age! But for many others, they find joy in having wind smacking their face and body a bit later in life.

Some waited until after retirement to "do all those things that I did not have time for when I was busy running the rat race". Some could not afford to indulge in their passion or hobbies. Whatever their reasons (or excuses 😁), many take up their bucket list items after retirement...

Haji Poazi rekindled his interest in riding just as he was taking an early retirement. At our "prime" age, the wise choice of a two-wheeler has to be a scooter - twist and go, no worries about going at a wrong gear position. And a wiser choice is to start with the entry sub 200cc machine. Thus his N-max155 is definitely the right pick. 

Haji Poazi is a cool dude!

Haji Alinoor on the other hand started much earlier - in his late 40s, with a VTS200. He had even made an epic ride to Krabi on that bike after getting the SYM. But Pak Uda as he's passionately known amongst friends had to be on a hiatus for a for a few years after going through minor health challenges. Just before the Covid MCO, Pak Uda made a come-back with an X-max250! 

Haji Ali, @Pak Uda @ChefAli - a sempoi buddy..

For over a year, both had been pestering me to do a medium distance ride "santai2". And there's another friend, Hj. Ishak whom would have joined us on this ride if not for a last-minute unforeseen circumstances... 

This ride? Originally, the proposed route destination was a ride to Taiping. But after some discussion, we agreed to go to Lumut instead (also at first we planned to book a chalet at Teluk Senangin).

 

Starting off at 8:00am from Shah Alam, we stopped for a late breakfast at this Restoran Dinding Gelas Besar in Tanjong Karang. The Roti Titab was quite good - but the sekaya (coconut jam?) doesn't really fit this dish IMHO.

Roti Titab - I've had better...

As we left this establishment, the sky grew dark and just moments after we were on the road, it drizzled, then rained heavily.  We made a quick stop at a petrol station to put on our rainsuits.  The rain only stopped when we got to Teluk Intan some 40 minutes later.

Continuing our ride, the next stop was at Hj. Poazi's friend's home in Kg. Batu Sembilan, Lekir. It was already half past noon then.  Dr. Shatari served fruits and some local delicacies which was too much for us! 

His traditional wooden house is perfect for retirement.... 😁

We spent a good one hour one hour there not realizing it was already 1.30pm when we bid adieu. 

When we finally reached our destination, it was almost half past two. Both "newbies" looked beat. Thus, when we finally got into our room, both of them straight away dozed off... Hahaha

This Marina Heights Residence Hotel nearby Teluk Batik is quite popular with families, probably because of the pool.. Else, I opined that it will be as attractive... 

All rested, we went out to Lumut town for an early dinner and some shopping (of seafood products - dried squid and such). 

End of day one - we retired rather early that night... at around ten something... 

The next morning, all were up before 5:30am. The plan was to leave around 8:00am, stopped at any nearby restaurant for breakfast and go to Ipoh for an appointment that I set with a t-shirt printer there. 

Teluk Batik beach is just a few kilometers from the hotel. Before going for breakfast, we made a quick visit to this famous-amongst-campers spot. 

Nothing fancy for breakfast. We stopped at the first mamak corner on our way out of Lumut. Roti canai & kueh2 with coffee/tea was good enough 😁

As we were finishing, Haji Poazi suggested another visit to an ex-colleague/friend whom is in Parit. We agreed to drop by on the condition he does not prepare heavy dishes for us... hahaha... 

Haji Syed Rahman was most delighted to receive us to his weekend home in Parit. But the condition we set was... shall I say not really observed? huhuhu.. Just couldn't resist the lempeng with gulai ayam kampung! 

Haji Syed's refurbished traditional weekend home is indeed a nice quiet place...

Back in the road again, my Google Map is set to Medan Gopeng in Ipoh town. 

It so happened that I ordered t-shirts from a supplier based in Ipoh, this Medan Gopeng to be exact. The tees are for UOMOs upcoming Borneo ride, sometime end of October. 

This is our second time dealing with AFA Graphic. Thiis repeat order (our first was for the Ride Pusing Sabah) is a result from a rather good customer service they gave, in our opinion. Plus the tees they used are "good" according to the more cerewet UOMO rider, Idrus 😁

with Amir, the guy behind AFA Graphic - a family business.. 

 

Well, that's that. We stayed a while at the foodcourt there for a drink (fresh orange/soursop).  Then, it was time to start our ride back home... 

As we approached the exit (to PLUS highway) at Simpang Pulai, it was coming to Zohor/Zuhur/Zuhr. And we were passing a masjid, thus we decided to stop for solat Zohor and rest a bit before starting the rather long ride home (200km more or less). 

Power nap - they woke fully energized!

Well, that would be the last interesting part of our maiden ride together, I guess... except for the part of both of them confidently trudge the Ipoh-KL highway is most confident style.  I think most of the time, Haji Poazi was on full throttle! hihihihi...

We left Ipoh just before three and reached the Sungaio Buloh RnR at 6:00pm.  Not too bad ehhh... As you would know, scooters' comfy speed is around 110 to 130kmh for a 250cc.  Haji Poazi was doing 110 to 120 or so... boleh tahan for a 155cc scoot !

The Last Pit Stop - RnR Sg. Buloh

Well Pak Uda & Haji Poazi - I would rate both of you as EXCELLENT !  Pass with flying colors as they would say...  ✌  You guys ROCK!

err.. what? hihihi.... Next ride?  "But of course!" said Haji Poazi.

Alhamdullilah for a safe Journey!

This ride was on Saturday 7th October 2023 and Sunday 8th Oct 2023.