The Man Who Rode Around Borneo - 4 Off We Go!

Today was the ‘D’ day for Ride Around Borneo 2013 (RAB). I have been waiting for this day for a while now and hello the first day of RAB. I’ve been through an accident, in the hospital, broke my ankle and was asked to postpone RAB and here I am ready for the go. I didn’t sleep well the past 2 night. Apparently some guest decided to watch the television until early morning.  I spoke to the both of them last night and apparently they are both from Kuala Lumpur. A student and teacher team that worth telling the story here. The student wanted to show her teacher how it’s like to be staying in backpackers and also to show her hometown in Sabah.  Since her teacher never been to Kota Kinabalu and never climb Mount Everest before, she booked two tickets to come here and Google search  budget slash backpackers and found Borneo Beachouse.  Since this is the first time the teacher staying in backpackers and saw a “strange” person (Me!), she decided not to sleep at night and got her student to stay up all night watching television. Of course she wasn’t convinced even after I told them I am not a bad guy and will be leaving the backpackers to cycle far away.

Other than that, staying at Borneo Beach House has been great. The boys’ hospitality was superb. We got dinner cooked for us on Friday and Saturday night. Though it was simple, it was definitely something I will remember for a very long time. I don’t usually recommend my friends places to stay as I have really cheap taste when come to staying in a hotel but I can assure you  for home away from home experience, give Borneo Beachouse a try.

Heather and I got all our stuffs down by 6.50 am. It’s really a simple affair as we have everything, our gears ready the night before. We looked at each other and I spoke softly, “Here we go teammate”. Heather smiled signal that she is ready. Alex, a friend from Kota Kinabalu took a few shots of us at the start point outside Borneo Beachouse and we rode off immediately after. I led and Heather wasn’t far behind and followed with Alex close behind Heather. Our route today was supposed to be straight forward and short. Basing from the information received and Google map, we are heading to Beaufort about 100km away and pretty much “flat”. It was fairly an easy Sunday morning ride though I was feeling nervous. I am going to be cycling around Borneo and I am also doing it with someone I had known for just a short while. I got to know Heather via Facebook, a friend posted something about her intending to cycle in Sumatra and we hook up from there. We met once, a month before RAB to start in Kuala Lumpur to bond and also delivering RAB shirts to our supporters. We got on well I thought and to ride in Borneo together was on. Well, with or without a riding partner, the ride will go on at least for me.

We were only about 10km from our start point when Alex guided us to our first rest stop at a small town. A great start! As I need coffee before all my system can function in the morning. I did manage to walk around the market very near the coffee shop to see and feel the local. It was so colourful and crowded, the Sunday’s market. There seems to be people from all over Sabah trading their wares and some brought their home made Malay pastries prepared very early in the morning. I bought some Malay traditional kueh for Heather and Alex, took some photos  and explore the further in until I am happy before going back to join the two of them for coffee. I am happy already. Exactly what I’ve been doing whenever I am cycling anywhere. Over breakfast, we spoke about the speed we will be doing and what will be our ideal distance before we rest and Alex would be leading us until we arrived at the next rest stop and however long Alex wanted to ride with us. I am fine and happy with those suggestions.

After many months of talking about it, looking at maps, convincing friends that cycling around Borneo should be attempted or I will be regretting it at a later stage of my life. It wasn’t an easy decision though. There are many uncertainties. Such as the road in Kalimantan, the kind of weather I will be expecting other than the weather. Will it be really hot or if it going to be raining, will there be floods? What will it be like cycling through the forest and plantations in Kalimantan? Will I survive it? Between taking on the challenge and ditch the whole plan, ditching it was the easiest but that wasn’t what human are made for. I believe we are brought up in this world to challenge ourselves and test our limits. It is safe to be sitting at home, hangout with friends but that isn’t what we are born in this world for –at least that is what I believe. To make everything as normal as possible, I am taking this adventure like any other camping trip I had done previously. Get the bike out, cycle as far as I could, find a place to rest, eat, sleep and repeat. Boy I was wrong as I found out later on in the trip.

We rested for about an hour before heading off to our next stop, Papar which was about 25km away from where we are now. Alex took the lead now, Heather follows and I took the sweeping position. I wanted to go slow, stop whenever I wanted too or when I see something interesting so the last position was the best for me. So far our ride has been good, nice people on a Sunday morning giving us the thumbs up and friendly honk. I even witnessed how a big lorry slowed down behind Heather and waiting for the other side to clear before overtaking. I do not want to say this early in our ride but nice place to be cycling in Sabah – so far.

After an easy ride to our first rest stop, getting in to Papar wasn’t straight forward, at least for a Sunday morning on the start of RAB. At one point, I almost dismount from my bike and push. All in the spirit of cycling I kept going. Anyway, we all made it to Papar as happy as the bird Heather and I saw high up on the trees in the middle of our first climb.

We saw the cloud while having our break at the corner coffeeshop in Papar. The next thing on my mind is to get moving before the rain came. We got everything to where it supposed to be and quickly mount our bike. Same formation, Alex up ahead, followed by Heather and I am behind.  We went slightly faster doing 25km per hour as it was flat and the clouds looks like it going to pour anytime. I definitely do not want to be riding in the rain on our first day of RAB. As predicted, the rain came 10km after we left Papar.  We didn’t expect it to get heavier and we left with little choice but to encourage Alex to turn back. It took some convincing to get Alex to agree and after realising the rain not going to get any better, Alex agreed to turn back. Heather and I move on and less than 2 km into our ride after we parted ways with Alex, the rain got heavier. Heather at the front turn back to me and immediately I gave her the turnaround sign (read: turn around, I saw a chicken wing shop). She gave me the smile and we turn back towards the chicken wing stall. There we got 3 boiled eggs, paid by a fine gentleman, 4 hot drinks and a simple vegetables and white rice and spend two hour at the coffee shop. Heather managed to get the laptop out and did some writing. Me? I walked around to see if I can capture anything interesting while waiting the rain to past.

We made the decision to get going at 2.30pm in order for us to reach Beaufort at 5pm. The rain doesn’t looked like it is going to stop but we have not much choice but to go on. Riding in the rain reminds me during my younger days playing with my friends in the rain so I don’t mind actually. I go slow, steady and try to scan for outstanding scenery or subject to shoot. Heather was way ahead of me. I don’t mind either as we already established where to stop, how long to wait and all the SOP of team riding. Also riding by myself behind, I have the freedom to stop whenever I wanted to and spending some time interacting with any local that attracts my attention. I love asking the local on my destination ahead of me, what to expect, what is good for food and where is good to stay. I managed to stop for fruit juice and pack some cut fruits for Heather before catching her up at the last 12km marker. We rode into Beaufort together and the first thing on my mind was to get soya bean drink and the Indian rojak was a bonus. Both of us were wet and cold. What a way to start RAB.

We rode around the small Beaufort town to look for a place for the night. I think by now we were getting a little uncomfortable riding with our wet gears and needed a place asap and camping is definitely out. We found a reasonable price hotel in this little town, Beaufort. We get ourselves sorted quickly, wash up, did our laundries and hang it to dry before we head out to look for dinner. We do not need anything fancy so it was easy for us to find dinner and within an hour; we were walking back to our room and all set to rest for the night. I am happy with my first day ride and no doubt, RAB will get tougher. I am going to do this one day at a time.

  I woke up early and after day 1 introduction of cycling around Borneo, which I thought  was like riding in a park other than the climbing and the angry rain. I found out later day 2 was something else. The moment we got out of Beaufort, the sun was in my face. I still remember the first picture I took of Heather; it was nothing on the screen but the glaring of the sun. It was that hot at 8.30 in the morning. I have this love hate relationship with the heat (I almost died of heatstroke in Thailand while serving in the army) and the rolling hills didn’t help either.  Our first check point for today was Weston. We picked it up while having coffee in the room. It wasn’t in our initial planning but we decided to give it a go. What do you know, it was nothing there. That place is like a retirement village. So I advised that if you’re thinking to head down to a fancy place called Weston, don’t! Well, the maps we have was a little misleading, it place Weston very near to the sea and from the way in look in the map, it was like a beautiful bay to be visited. One thing I noticed about the roads in Sabah is that it was well maintained, no potholes and are clearly marked. Most comes with hard shoulder and I have no complains about that. There wasn’t a lot to see actually other than miles and miles of Oil Palm plantations so I plugged in my earpiece and rocks along in the burning heat towards Weston.

We left Weston as quickly as we got in. We’re heading to Sipitang next.  I call this stretch the “blue stretch”. There is more blue than you can imagine. Make a guess? Well you see, we happened to be cycling around the period of Malaysia’s general election, and most places in Malaysia are control by Barisan National and being the current government, they are doing a good job making their party flags seen all the way from where we started, Kota Kinabalu. One experience which later on convinced me to be at the election centre during Election Day, out of curiosity.

Today’s riding felt a little different, first it wasn’t a Sunday ride like I enjoyed back home and secondly it was really hot , 34-37 degree Celsius. The heat was bothering me throughout and from Weston, Sipitang was just about 40km a distance which I can usually covers without sweat but it feels like forever so far away. I took my time riding 2km behind Heather and tackling the small hills one at a time. I wasn’t tired or anything, it was just the heat; it wasn’t something I am used to. I kept pushing, one pedal after another. Slowly but surely, we arrived in Sipitang. We sat under comfortable shades in a parking lot and had simple lunch of rice, fish and vegetables. We were recommended a special kind of little fish which we can consume the bones too; well I am game and got the young excited server to bring out some. While chilling out and waiting for our lunch, we had the chance to dry our wet socks and shoes from yesterday rain. There and then I felt like taking a quick nap as I felt my energy was all squeeze out from the heat. It was that hot and we have long way to go. Lunch came and mostly the vegetable goes to Heater and being a “fish-man”, I have most of the fish. We spend another 30 minutes consuming lunch before consolidating our wet gears and taking our leave.  I had totally enjoyed the lunch break. We slowly rolled our bike out and searching for the toilet nearby so we could settle some urgent matters and we found one at a petrol kiosk. Again, I am surprised it was a well maintained rest room! We took turn to visit the rest room. Before heading out, we met with someone who had read about us on the papers published on the weekend and were greeted and obliged to a photo request. We stayed for a little while to chat and it was good to know people recognized us even in this quiet little place, Sipitang.

I had thought the toughest sections were behind us as we pedaled slowly towards Lawas, Sarawak on flat roads. I was wrong again. The slopes appeared as soon as we left Sipitang. It went up and down like a roller coaster ride and made worst with trucks using the small trunk roads. After about 20km, I found Heather resting in a wooden pergola outside someone’s wooden bungalow. I rode in, towards her, leans my bike against the pergola and strip my riding jersey off my body and get downs some liquids in me. I was burning from the heat. The next we knew we were both laying on the long bench taking a 10 minutes nap. I learn from my army days about this power naps. Too long and you’ll wake up feeling groggy and too short you’ll feels as tired. The best duration for power naps should be 10 minutes and never take your naps in darkness. It is best to expose your face in some lights to keep yourself semi conscious while at the same time resting your “engines”.

We took off after regaining some energy and not 5km later we found the border crossing post between Sabah into Sarawak. No big dramas as we were told to expect before crossing into Sarawak. The only problem I had been with my bike stands giving way. It was a small problem which can be solved later. Again, the roads were perfect and not much vehicles over this side of Sabah and we rolled quickly into Sarawak. We have about 40km to reach Lawas from here. Immediately after crossing into Sarawak, we stop at a fruits stall to get bunch of banana and a papaya for the journey ahead and the papaya for following morning breakfast. It was cool, shady and flat riding towards Lawas. But not for long, the sun shone on us again. Blistering hot and what best was the climbing along the way. A good combination to torture your legs. My speedometer drop from 20 to 15 and a little later after much battling with the slopes, it dropped further to 12 and towards the end 10km/hr.

“Another hill climb, I’m going to stop and have a break”. I hear myself saying. By now, Heather should be about 3km ahead of me...The heat going to slow me down and knowing there is no way I can chase her and 20km outside Lawas, I decided to stop at a small stream to take a dip. I went back to my bike and telling myself an hour or so we should be in Lawas. I was wrong, 15km outside Lawas, I was texting Heather, “Hey go ahead find a cheap hotel. I will ride slowly in”. I was with a friendly villager who serves me ice-cold mineral water and a can of coke. I return the kindness and gave the shop owner little girl RM 4.00. After 4km where I last rested, I cross the bridge I was told about at the last rest point. I did a quick stop to take a picture and I was told by one contractor working on the bridge there is no way I will make into Lawas before dark.

I take a quick look at the time and it was 6pm (here in Borneo, 6pm is like 7pm in Singapore) and I was 11km out. I can do 10km in 30 minutes, in an ideal world, yes 10 km in 30 minutes. In Sarawak, I don’t think it would be possible. A lady stopped her car before the bridge and we start chatting. I kept making excuses to leave but she kept going at it, where I am from, where I am going and who I am with. In my head I kept telling myself, “We’re running late Ra!!!! Get the fark out!”

Even at the last ten kilometres, the slopes just won’t go away. I kept going as it was getting dark. Until I saw the 4km marker to Lawas and the road was flat, I cranked up harder all the way towards Lawas. It was a relieved reading Heather message she was at Sugar Bun having a deserving break. I pulled into Lawas slowly recovering and I was glad I made it safely. The first thing came to mind was fried chicken. I wasn’t sure why but after we check-in at a cheap hotel, we headed to KFC for what I thought at that moment was like food’s from Heaven.