Day 5 - Kuantan & Pekan

So every morning, before I load up and tie down all my stuff, I’ve been checking my bike for snakes, spiders, fire ants and other assorted creepy-crawlies. When you go to places labeled “tropical paradise”, “rainforest preserve” or “seafront resort at one with nature”, it is a good precaution to take. 

If I was a venomous cobra, I’d love to coil up round the engine block, just in that space between the V and the fuel tank. And if I am rudely awakened the next morning by my bed getting gradually hotter, unpleasant vibrations, wind in my scales and an annoying rumble (which as a cobra, I’d feel, not hear. Cobras can’t hear), my first frightened instinct would be to rear back and bite. And I’d have a choice of left calf or right calf as when the booted feet are placed on the foot pegs, the soft part of said calves above where the boot ends would be conveniently located on either side of my face.

I also tend to place my helmet on the handlebar while loading up. If an unnoticed fire ant were to crawl in, and start exploring and taking gentle nips on my face and ears as I am riding - well, we can all imagine what would happen.

Animals. I was hoping to see quite a few on this trip. In the past, I’d crossed paths with a massive iguana, a family of wild boars, a hornbill and countless monkeys. Despite the multiple signposts on the East-West Highway warning of elephants crossing and other wildlife, I didn’t see any. Pity, because that would be an unforgettable highlight, wouldn’t it?

I did see a family of monkeys on the road out of Damai Laut early in the morning. They all stopped what they were doing to watch warily as I stopped to take a photo with my handlebar-mounted cam. Then as I started up again and rode by, one of the adults did a glance-over-shoulder-half-stick-out-arm - basically the same move I make when checking to make sure my children are not walking into oncoming traffic. It made me chuckle. Parents throughout the animal kingdom have similar annoying habits.

On the way to Tanjong Jara, I saw another primate but this one was definitely from the ape family. Baboon maybe, it had the trademark bum. It was a young ‘un and loped across the road in the ape way - almost upright but almost incidentally using it’s hands as well - and as it reached the end again did a very human childlike thing; it jumped over the drain while simultaneously raising its arms. Body language seemed to say, “Yaaaaaay!”

Saw a hornbill (picture below, try and spot it) in Tanjong Jara Resort, and a lizard of some kind that walked alongside me for a short stretch as I tried to find the pool.

And while poolside at TJR, I heard a different kind of animal. Slightly intoxicated, too loud and trying to impress her partner, the one sentence I overheard (which I might misquote but conveys the exact sentiment), “I love studying humans because they are the only species able to think and feel”

Twit. It is because of opinions like these that we continue to decimate the life around us and drive species to extinction. Opinions like these also excuse practices like slavery, I’m putting that on you, too. Not to mention colonialism, genocide and religious crusades.

Ok, end of rant part one.

Woke up, had a breakfast of nasi dagang - an east coast delicacy of rice, mackerel and a delicious usually not spicy curry - and departed leisurely at 0945hrs. Google suggested the highway which would take about 2hrs and 10mins. I had fond memories from when I was in my single-digit years of gently meandering roads with picturesque kampungs dotting the countryside, with views of the ocean all along the way. So I opted to take Route 3 instead. This would go from Dungun through small towns like Paka, Kerteh and Kemaman before bringing me to Kuantan.

Growing up in Kuantan, my family had family up in Dungun. Also, my dad worked up in that area for a while, so I remember weekend drives up with my mum. Later on, my dad use to work some Sundays for the Petronas klinic in Kerteh (it was basically an oil town), and I used to go up with him and enjoyed the drives tremendously.

Speaking of my dad’s stints in Kerteh, I’d go along with him, entertain myself for the ENTIRE DAY while he worked and then come back with him. This was in the days before handheld electronic devices, mind you. How did I survive?! It was actually quite enjoyable. I’d alternate between watching him work, reading a book for hours in the staff coffee area, chatting to various people and walking around the grounds playing imaginary games.

The kids are henceforth leaving the i-everythings at home. And I’m turning mine off when we’re together. It is surprisingly easy to do, as I’ve done consistently on this trip.

Was that a rant? No that was context for my choice to take Route 3. Now comes the rant.

If you’re ever doing this trip, take the highway. At least til you’re past Kemaman. The gently meandering roads were replaced with dual carriageways, and with dual carriageways came - you guessed it - traffic lights. Not as many as on Route 5, but enough to be annoying with their complete pointlessness. At about 30% of these I sat burning in the heat at a red light for longer than necessary for zero number of cars to pass in any other direction. The kampungs are gone, or at least unrecognizable with the advent of progress. Now who am I to complain about progress? Isn’t economic betterment a benefit everyone deserves? What right do I have asking the world to stand still so I can relive my 30-year-old memories?

None whatsoever. I have nothing against progress. I just don’t see why it needs to be so fucking ugly. Here’s how planning happens in Malaysia. “oh look! There’s a stand of woods I’m going to cut down! While I’m at it, I’ll build a sawmill right here, in a residential area.” Meanwhile, 500 meters down the road, the same conversation is happening and another sawmill is built. And 500 meters after that, “Say, you building some houses? Can I supply the cement? Oh look! Here’s some sand, right across the road from your housing project! Let me build a cement factory right here big enough to block out the sky!”

Someone needs to sort out how these permits are issued, and control their environmental impact, is all I am saying.

So traffic lights. The signpost said Kuantan, 134km. I thought, “No way is it going to take 2hrs and 15mins.” I was wrong. I didn’t take into account the needless time standing still at traffic lights.

Passed through Kemaman and didn’t recognize it. It had “progressed”. Then passed the turnoff to Cherating and the road was quite nice from here all the way to Kuantan. I talked a bit about this stretch two years ago. Everything is still tinged red from bauxite mining pollution, but a lot less so. Someone needs to take a spray gun down that road.

Stopped at the Kota SAS Burger King for a quick lunch with my dad. Like sinful, non-abstaining Catholics on Good Friday, I had the beef and he had the chicken. He urged me to get going before Friday prayers are over as traffic would get heavy, so after a 45 min lunch I headed out through Tanjung Lumpur and into Pekan, a short 40 min ride.

Same hotel I stayed in before. Not much to do, just writing and reading before the final leg tomorrow.

Time to go home to my family.

Sun sets behind me, moonrise over the South China Sea

Had to walk in my home surf. (Home turf, geddit? Geddit?)

Spot the hornbill.

Walk to breakfast, two hours past sunrise.