Day 11: Wednesday, 1 May 2013 – Sibu to Sarikei
Day 11 was when I woke up to another new task. My bicycle needed attention. It just didn’t feel good with the sound coming out from the bottom bracket*. I didn’t remember when or how the sound got there but I had distances to cover with load. Our very first place for the morning was to a local contact cafe with Heather leading. I lost her initially but after about 10 minutes, saw her across the junction, by luck. Heather was looking for the cafe and I was just following with my creaking bicycle. I lost her another time, getting hungry and needing to get my bike fixed, I sent her a text letting her know I had stop to have breakfast while waiting for the bike shop to open. I suggested she carrying on riding ahead first. My morning turned out to be memorable. I met a lovely couple, we chatted and they gave me basic navigational direction to get out of Sibu, the short cut and landmark to look out for. This was on top of what Simon Sandi provided me with and they both gave me similar directions and landmarks.
After fixing my bike, I sent Heather another text message informing her I was done and to let me know if she was on the move. As the signs out of the town would be tricky, I took off after sending Heather the message. I rode consistently, cranking 22km/hr on a decent flat road after the Lanang Bridge all the way until Bitangor, where I sent a message to Heather on the way to the short cut, without any response. I found out later when we met again by accident in Sarikei town that her battery almost flat. Now that we’re together again, I suggested we ride together, but I was told by her she preferred to ride alone. When I asked why, she simply told me she did not wish to see me again. Fair enough. That was the last time I saw her and in my heart of heart, I prayed for her safe journey. So there, Heather was no longer with Team RAB.
The Lanang Bridge
Sheltering from the storm before Bintangor
The next thing for me to do was to relax a little, get a room and reorganised the packing as by now, I had the full load of Team RAB. Repacking was easy, but I tell you cycling with that kind of load was a pain in the neck. To be honest, I am happy to be riding alone. After repacking, I went to sleep and it was a good night sleep.
Day 12: Thursday, 2 May 2013: Serikei to Betong
My dream of a beautiful morning was granted on day 12 as it was raining! I woke up at 5am, brewed coffee, got all my stuff sorted and was ready to go by 6am. When I got everything down, it was still dark, so I moved slowly towards the main road to Kuching. The rain was just perfect. Not too heavy and it was cooling. I raced to the 10km mark where I was told I could find coffee and breakfast. Although I ordered breakfast, I wasn’t in the mood to gobble everything down. My mind was on just hitting on the road. I convinced myself to enjoy the coffee and that probably save my live. 5 minutes later, just 200 meters after the rest stop, a Toyota RAV4 skidded of the road, and went into the ditch. I could have been on that side of the road. You never know. After witnessing that, I stayed longer and finished my coffee. I was a little shaken, so I rode slow and checked my side view mirror regularly. Since there was nothing to see or photos to capture, I picked up my speed on the flat road out towards Kuching until about 25km out, where the famous Bukit Sebangkoi was waiting for me. Well, I am fitter and I know how to handle such a hill, I stopped, took out my stove and brewed a cup of coffee and just enjoyed myself. A truck driver stopped just ahead where I was sitting and drinking my coffee, he asked if I needed a lift. I was that closed to saying, “Yes!”. Instead I just said thank you and smiled. It was nothing really, that Bukit Sebangkoi, but try riding up with my loaded bike! After the two hills, I was practically racing back down, and down and down until I hit the 60km mark at 10.30 at Saratok rest stop. After an hour of water break and phone charging, I moved again slowly, by now the sun was just sitting on my head. I only managed to pedal 20km before my brain start fry and told me to look for shade.
While scanning further up, I saw an old lady crossing the road towards what looked like an abandon shade with the traditional Sarawakian farmer basket behind her back. I pedalled on thinking that I should take a picture of her. I made the turn to the shade and as I got nearer, the shade had water and ‘sayap ayam pangang’ (bbq chicken wings). The old lady looked really tired and I was not sure how far she was going to walk and to where. I dismounted and leaned my bike, greeted the old lady and the stall owner, an old lady too. I thought both ladies gave me the “poor guy, cycling in the scorching sun” look.
the Sebangkoi climb
I started a small conversation with them and found out that she went into the wild daily to look for edible vegetables to sell it at the market. I asked the location of the market and was told it is at her long house. I didn’t ask how far but I did offer her my lunch, this somehow managed to get her to feel relax. I needed the break too as it was too hot for me to go on. I also brought out my bananas and oranges to share with both ladies. (I didn’t know then it was going to be very difficult to find anymore lunch stops). We sat and chatted for almost an hour where I got to share with her my stories and she in return gave me a little bit of education on the Iban and their longhouses. I also learnt something from her, kindness begets kindness. She told me when I was down and needed help, someone will come forward instinctively. No need to worry.
“I would like that to happen now. I need all the help now to reach Kuching”. I told the old lady in broken Malay.
She gave me a smile which I thought was priceless.
I left the shade at 2pm after the old lady, as she needed to move on and get to her village (the longhouse she lives in is her village) to sell her wild vegetables. I remembered Heather buying those before we entered Niah National Park and got the cafe owner to cook it for us. I did try it and it tasted just like ‘Kangkong sambal belacan’. Very nice.
I had 104km to Sri Aman and 50km to Betong from where I was. I was aiming to get to Sri Aman for today. But it was late and only Betong was realistic, so I planned my next checkpoint to be Betong. What I found out during these early stages of Ride Around Borneo was that the distances indicated weren’t consistent. One time I saw the road marker showing 74km to Bintulu and a kilometre later, it jumped back up to 75km to Bintulu. This was not it, there were a few others which I hope JKR Sarawak would do something about it.
I rode away from the shade starting slow again after an hour of rest and with music volume on high on my mp3 player. There wasn’t anything on the left or the right. Just some abandon oil palm and emptiness. I needed to be in the “zone” to get going, to doing 20km/h again if I was to get into Betong before 5pm. There was so much to do, laundry, write-ups, emails to reply and what not.
10km passed me by just slightly after 3pm and I was again frying. 40km to go and suddenly I felt the hunger pang. I didn’t have lunch, I gave mine away. And I had forgotten to order the chicken wings either! Blardy road was just nothingness. I have 40km more to go and I couldn’t do it without food; I have no food to speak of. I have reserve water on my rear rack and that was it. By now, the going was like forever. I broke the last 40 km into 4 parts just to make it easy for me. The next 10km came and that was it, I stopped the moment I saw a small shady area. “Fark, I couldn’t go on anymore!”. I heard myself saying. I just can’t. I have burnt up everything in me. I took out a bottle of water, gulp down and gulp again then used some to wet my head. Maybe a ten minutes break would help. Ten minutes later, I mounted my bike and that was all I could do, the pedalling didn’t come. After only 5 metres, I dismounted. I am not that weak that I can’t handle such heat or distances. We did 135km a few days ago from Niah to Bintulu and on the same level of terrain and heat. Was it that I didn’t have lunch today? What am I going to do? I have nothing left. Then I remembered a small ziplog bag that I stashed in my front pannier. It was from Gracie, and in it all sort ofs energy gel. I was jubilant and felt like I was rescued by some angel. I took one banana flavoured out and suck it like a starving man.
I didn’t get moving until 10 minutes later and Betong was 30 km westward. I flew down the slope and back up again this went on until the 22km mark where I saw the sign ‘Betong 8 KM Turn Left’. I stop to cross check my map, it showed two entrances to Betong. Obviously the one I saw was the short cut. I felt like I was in heaven taking the old road to Betong. Though it was blardy hilly, and no less shady, I was in Betong in less than 20 minutes and what I saw immediately was so unreal. A blardy helicopter landed in the public sports ground. The area was a buzz of election activities. Government labelled stationwagons were everywhere and I was so dirty, I felt out of place. Just to have a little bit of fun, I approached one of the officers standing around outside what look liked a state government building and asked if I could camp in the ground and use their shower facility. Well, my luck wasn’t that good, I was asked to wait as he went inside and came back with a young chap.
“This gentleman will help you with the hotel direction”.
“Thank you”. I replied. “After you”. I said to the young man and smiled. He was on his motorbike riding so slowly and I followed.
His first stop was a corner Malay coffeeshop and I was introduced to all his friends apparently mountain bikers. I was hungry, dirty and the last thing I want to do was to sit around people. I apologised for my indecent appearance and asked if I could sit at the next table. They understood my request but the question kept coming fast. Where was I from, where was I going, is the bike heavy, how fast could I go? But I need to eat first. I ordered one fried rice and an ice-lemon tea, recommended by one of the guy. It was good with just a small portion of chicken. I was not sure when I said it was very good was due to me hungry or that it was really that good. I ordered one more set after the first. I was tempted for a third, but then suddenly a strong wind blew down my bike and the rain came out of nowhere. I excused myself from the group, made payment and off across the road to the cheap hotel recommended. Disappointment as the hotel was full with election officers (Police, same as many other hotels I stayed in). I was shown to another, this time cheaper but also full. The only one available was at RM55.00. My mind raced for alternatives, I knew the fire station wasn’t far from where I was and I also knew that fire stations love receiving strange people for example, me. Before I could leave, the hotel owner showed up and asked if I am a cyclist with lots of “barang barang” on my bike? (barang barang = stuff. Referring to my bags). I told him yes and that was it, I got one room that was RSVP’ed. RM30.00, on the highest blardy floor. But I appreciated it. I did my laundry, went back down again for another round of meal, my third within two hours. I wanted to write about day 12 after shower but the eyes and body just couldn’t hold up anymore. I fell asleep at 9pm and didn’t wake up until early the next morning.
Day 13: Friday, 3 May 2013 - Betong to Serian
It was so rough that I have a hard time getting ready for day 13. I woke up at 4am but it was tough to get moving. My whole body was aching. I had about 200km to cover on day 13 to be in Serian. The furthest I had cycled was twice 180km around Singapore, as flat as an airport runway. We are talking about Sarawak, blardy slopes, hills and the heat. Well, I could slow down, take my time, take it easy and spend a night somewhere, but my bicycle needed attention.
It’s all in the mind; it’s all in the mind. Easier said than done. Finally I was out of the bed at 5am, showered, packed everything in and got everything down from the third floor down one by one. It was a tedious job. First was the front two panniers and the duffle bag (tent, inflatable matt and 20 pieces of shirts), than second was my two rear panniers. I was sweating buckets already. Third the bike from the reception on the second floor. (Ground floor to the Malaysian)
It was only 6 am when I got everything loaded on the bike when a Chinese uncle approached me to ask about the bicycle. Where was it from, how much, where was I going and if I wanted coffee. Sure, coffee then. I pushed the bike while we walked across the street to get to a Malay coffeeshop. Betong looks completely like a typical Malaysian small town in Penisular Malaysia. There are equal spread of Chinese and Malay with the minority for Betong , being the Ibans. While waiting for the shop to set up, I rode around the small town and survey for a shorter route out of Betong. There was one shorter way out and there was one other to the river and a boat out to Sri Aman. Is this for real? I would love to boat out of Betong and river cruising in Sarawak sounded adventurous. I stopped somewhere to refer to my map. Yes, the long boat will take me pass Maludam National Park, Kampung Trisho and into Batang River then into Sri Aman. That was what I was seeing on the map. Again, the time factor doesn’t allowed me to do it. I needed to get my bike fixed as soon as possible. If the shop in Betong couldn’t do it, my next hope was in Kuching, but that was 260km away.
I rode back to the coffee shop happy with the route out of Betong. Hilly but I liked it because of the shade it provided.
I got myself 5 banana fritters and a cup of coffee. Answered all sorts of question from the senior citizens who sat at the same table as me. I sent Simon Sandi a text message and true to his style, I got an immediate response. “Yes, there might be a bike shop in Sri Aman”. That was all I needed. I wouldl race to Sri Aman about 60-70km away, be there by lunch, get the bike fixed while I ate lunch, then race another 60-70km or less to Serian, with a hope of finding a place to stay or camp. My first 20km was fast. I must admit, the load today got blardy heavier. I don’t know why, maybe the aches all over my body. Still, I raced to Sri Aman, 50km away. I didn’t stop at the next rest point either until the 50km mark when the sound, “clack, clack, clack” came from under. I knew I was screwed. I stopped when I saw the only shady place near a road construction site. I saw that the bottom bracket seal was leaking and my heart sank. That was the last thing I wanted to see. There were two possibilities. The first, the bike shop in Sibu didn’t do a good job. Second, the fall from yesterday. I didn’t know which caused it but it was bad. I could still cycle but the sound was just so heart breaking and bothered me.
"the damage"
What choice did I have? Call Simon? Definitely I will but only if it’s an emergency. Like RAB Base Camp Manager put it, “One pedal at a time. Push, ride, doesn’t matter mate as long as you move forward”.
“Blardy hell, keep going I will.” I jumped back on the bike and pedalled on. I’ll stop if the bike breaks down. Not very far from Sri Aman, there was a gradual long slope that almost killed me and the bike. We were lucky to get through that and cruise down with me smiling from cheek to cheek. It was the battle between human and nature. In the end the heat and those slopes got me. I could only race so far. There was something wrong with the road design in Sarawak. Must they have slopes, one after another for 1,000km? I mean seriously, like the heat wasn’t enough, they must add those slopes to make it harder. I say build a flat coastal road like the one in East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia. It was hot and I needed to be as far as I could from my last destination. I had no other choice but to battle on until I have nothing left in me, until the juice in me was all sucked out.
Day 13 ended late and when I got into Serian, the one and only bike shop was already close. I was so hungry, in need of food and dirty. Went over to the night market and got myself a whole chicken, a plate of fried rice, 5 banana fritters, 5 curry puffs and 2 ice lemon teas. Yes, it was over budget but I needed to eat.
Everyday reaching the destination was an achievement for Ride Around Borneo but day 13 felt like the destination was getting further, harder and hotter. This was Ride Around Borneo.
Day 14: Saturday, 4 May 2013 – Serian to Kuching
Day 14 got tougher as my whole body was aching so badly. I didn’t want to wake up. I wanted to continue sleeping and just do nothing. The time was 5 am when I finally got up. It was way too early. Next on my mind was to message the people I was supposed to meet asking them if it was possible for me to meet them the day after, day 15. If I did that, I could stay and rest for a day, there would be another day that I would ask the same again. I pushed myself to get up and to start packing. The first step was always a challenge. I got up, took out my stove and got to boiling water for my coffee, then started to pack. My aim was to wait for the bicycle shop to open and try to get my bike serviced and then get into Kuching if my body was able to do it.
Before coming to Borneo, I did manage to train regularly up until the last two months where my schedule suddenly got hectic. I still got to ride, but the distances were too short and mostly without load. I wasn’t worried as the plan for Ride Around Borneo did factor in that for the first leg from Kota Kinabalu it would be an easy ride, short with recovery rides in between. But 14 days into Ride Around Borneo, even the recovery rides weren’t easy. The endless slopes, the heat and the fast moving traffic was enough to stress me out physically and mentally. Here I was struggling to get moving on day 14.
I was ready by 7am, checked the bike and forgo the idea of waiting for the bicycle shop to open. If I move on slowly, I might just be able to cover the distance and get into Kuching, which was approximately 60km away, by noon.
With only 1 mug of coffee as my fuel, I set off at 7.30am, pedalling out as quietly as I came in. My first check point would be Siburan, 27km away to meet Reo, a friend from Kuching and Ride Around Borneo supporter. I was told by Reo the night before that the route out to Kuching would be flat and I joked about how Simon Sandi telling me the same thing while we were in Sabah, “Flat”.
I should write a little bit about Simon Sandi since I have been mentioning him in my writing. Simon is like a brother to me. We can get along really well, and we have so many things in common except the choice of our bicycle in Borneo. He rode and completed cycling Tip-to-tip from Kudat, Sabah to Kampung Pueh, Sematan in Sarawak. Total distance covered, 1674km. A respectable achievement considering his age, the terrain and the weather. I would love to cycle with him one of these days.
I could not believe my eyes the moment I got out from Serian, the road was flat as a pancake and as far as I could see. 10km out, it was still flat. It was good for the bike and I did not think I needed to be stressed about the bottom bracket at all. Just when I thought it would be a breeze to cruise into Siburan about 17km away, the creaking sound came back. At 12km mark, I saw a row of shop houses and decided to check it out to see if I could find anything resembling a bicycle shop. Not lucky but saw but saw a crowded Chinese coffee shop and I thought it would be a good idea to stop have my second morning coffee and to check the bottom bracket. It was leaking very badly. I could go on until the bottom bracket gave way or contact someone in Kuching for a pick up. Well, I needed to replace the bottom bracket for sure so I decided to ride until it gave way.
I finished my coffee, got going again and the clacking sound was gone. Still rough pedalling the bike but no sound. I rode on slowly covering the next 15km into Siburan and met Reo and wife driving passed me. I was so happy to meet someone that I could talk too, a friend and supporter of Ride Around Borneo. I had a big order of breakfast, chatted with Reo while scoffing my murtabak and thosai. It’s rare for me to have murtabak in the morning or rather it was my first! We said our goodbye after an hour. I headed to Kuching while Reo southward to Sibu, his hometown to cast his vote.
After such a heavy breakfast, the going was getting slow and I have only had 33km to go to get into Kuching with a broken bottom bracket. At this point of time, I broke the 30 odd km into parts of 5km to make it less painful for me. I cancelled off one part each time I crossed 5km and that made it easier for me mentally. While cranking, I saw the sign ‘Panchor Hot Spring’, the same hot spring Simon had directed Heather and I many months ago for our stopover into Kuching. Now that I am alone, with broken bottom bracket, I wasn’t at all that enticing to make the stopover. I cranked on slowly until 10km outside Kuching when I stop to take cover from the rain, where I saw missed calls from Francis and Simon. Both had arranged a bicycle shop for me. I felt good knowing both of them thought of me. Since Simon was waiting for me 5km outside Kuching, I went straight to Simon, cranking like there was no tomorrow and 15 minutes later I saw him on his dirt bike parked on the pavement. From there on, I chased him like I was on a road bike. I totally forgotten how heavy my bike was and how bad the bottom bracket had gotten.
We arrived at W.G Cycle in Kuching in about 20 minutes and sat around talking to Michael from Sarawak Tourism Board as Collin was busy. After an hour, without getting the bike done, I contacted Francis and was directed to Moh Tak (Ah Siong) bike shop. Simon and I took off from W.G Cycle towards Moh Tak with a quick lunch stopover.
From there on, everything else went quickly. Left the bike at Moh Tak, took a cab to Simon’s place as he was riding his dirt bike. Upon reaching Simon’s place, took out my dirty clothing for laundry work, cleaned up and took a short nap. At night, Greg came over and together with Simon, we headed to D11 Steamboat. The most awesome steamboat place I’ve ever been too. But it was freaking hot that we left immediately after dinner for a short walk by Sarawak River, which I secretly planned to return for some daytime photo without my two awesome hosts Greg and Simon.
When we got home, my body had already switched off and I went to sleep quickly knowing it was going to be a long day on Sunday. I was told Simon and Greg would be going to bring me to the polling centre, long houses, water fall and more. It was a perfect night to end a story.
