Merdeka Folding Bike Touring, Klang to Langkawi: Day 6

Had a very lazy morning, knowing that we will be touring the isle of Langkawi without our pannier. So after a hearty breakfast in the hotel restaurant, we set off about 8am.

Nearby the building there was a mock-up Mango of enormous size....

The first destination is the Mari Research Station, however when we reached there (after some climb), it was closed. So next we decided on Kampung Buku (Village of Book) which is just a few km away.

Once we cycled into the entrance of the Kampung Buku, I was puzzled why they stopped halfway on the road. As it turns out, they spot a bronze-back snake on the road.

At that time I had no idea if the snake is poisonous, but they have no fear and keep taking photo of the snake. Mike was so fearless that he placed the snake on top of his bike for more photo opportunity.

Next time bring a camera with long zoom lens..... imagine my pounding heart as I tried to take this photo.

After spending a good deal of time on our serpent friend, we proceed into the Kampung Buku. But alas the attraction was closed as well…..

It was getting close to late morning, which they decided to cycle to one of the best beach on the northern side of the isle. Weirdly today I feel so damn tired. Discussed this with my mates and Mike concluded that I have too many rice last night, which induced sugar overload. Crap

Since the only solution is to cycle off all the excessive energy, I virtually struggled to keep up with them. Not to mention that I suffering from butt-pain since day 1 of the tour.

After some serious pedaling, I reached Tanjung Rhu Beach, remarked as the best beach in Langkawi!!! Clean sandy beach, scenic view, and the lack of commercial container ship that spoilt the look. And it is a clear blue sky tops it off nicely.

After admiring the view of the beach, we proceed our way to view the Black Sand Beach.

I almost went the wrong way, instead of going to route 113, I took the route 112. Luckily my mate calls me just in time when we waited too long for me.  So I went back to the correct route and meet them at the Black Sand Beach.

The Black Sand Beach is truly what they describe on the brochure. Unlike many beaches I went, the sand here is mostly black-grayish in colour. Of three theories to explain the black nature of the sand, I believed that it was the chemical reaction caused by large amount of tourmaline and ilmenite in the granite. The other two theories are local-folk legend & the petroleum buried underground.

After admiring the black beach, we had a short break, cooling ourselves with coconut juice. Also we spotted one t-shirt which we loved it so much that each of us bought one. It was getting late then, but we took our own sweet time to cycle to Langkawi Craft Complex.

“Setup in 1996 to promote Malaysia’s cultural heritage and houses a wide array of handcrafted items reflecting the diverse cultures and lifestyles of a multi-racial Malaysia. It also houses a Royal Museum, an Islamic Museum and a Heritage Museum” (http://www.fun-travel-malaysia.com/Langkawi-Attractions-Craft-Complex.html)

After exploring the complex (and enjoying the cool air in the aircon complex), it was time for lunch. Since we don’t have any idea where to eat, we decided to find one eatery randomly as we head toward the Oriental Village.

After struggling with the distance, I finally reach the meeting point at the Perdana Quay, with the backdrop of expensive looking yacht docking behind the row of shophouse.  Looking at the limited option of the eatery, we decided to try out the café which is just opposite of where we stopped.

The owner of the restaurant is an expat who have worked around Kuala Lumpur, before setting up a café in Langkawi.

When our food arrived, we were extremely pleased with the appearance of the order. The order of the beef burger is big! The beef looks like overflowing of beef sweetness, and not to mention the freshness of the salad, which give an impression of well-balanced meals. (I can only drool on their thickness of their meat burger since I do not take beef)

During our dining, the owner noticed of our bike and started a conversation on our journey, and he was certainly impressed with our travel so far!

After a hearty meal, and generous ice-cold water refill from the chef!!! We have to head off to the Oriental Village. But not before that we visited the pier where all the expensive yachts dock!

When we reached Oriental Villages, we weren’t allowed to bring our bike in, so we chained our bike to the railing near the guardhouse (lucky I was the only one bothered to bring bicycle lock for the trip), then proceed to the village.

There were many attractions you can try out while in the village, but we are only interested to take the cable car up to the peak of Gunung Machinchang.  Paid Rm30 for the cable car ticket and up we go!!!

The cable car ride was an interesting affair. There is two stop in which you can stop either at the middle station or the top station. If you alight at the lower station, we are standing at 652.5 meter above sea level, and you can use the sky-bridge as well. But to my frustration the management seal off the sky-bridge for maintenance… #@$%^&*(*&

After admire the view, we can continue our ride up to the top station, which you will be 708m above sea-level. From there, you have the commanding view of the isle of Langkawi.

Nearby the Oriental Village, there is a natural waterfall called the Seven Wells Waterfall (aka Telaga Tujuh Waterfalls). Despite the initial steep climb to the waterfall, it is quite accessible with our bikes.

One of the well-known spot in Langkawi, the Seven Wells Waterfall doesn't disappoint. Green and clean environment, with refreshing cool & clear water does certainly have it charm. And already my mates have jumped into the water without wasting any second.

I was about to jump into the pool when I got a phone call from work (Crap!). As it turn out they couldn't solved one of the technical issue on their own. So during the 20 minutes conversation I have missed out on the fun. And that really take the fun out of the holiday.

It was getting late in the evening, so decided we should go over to the Mahsuri City (Mausoleum & Museum) as the last stop of the day.

By the time we reached the Mahsuri Tomb, the museum was closed and the sun was already halfway from disappearing from the horizon.  But at very least we arrived at one of the more intriguing legend of the Langkawi. You can read more about the legend here.

Since the sun had already disappeared, the most common thing to do is to cycle back to Kuah town for dinner. Cycled around the town for a while before we settled for another round of Chinese cuisine.

To end the night with our fantastic tour of Langkawi, Mike went on the drinking spree with his special frozen can of beers, which I quietly declined his offer for a nice cup of hot Japanese green tea. Despite in good spirit, I'm already dreading that we will be coming to the end of our touring trip. After spending six days on the road, I couldn't help but feel that the time travelled very fast, especially when you were enjoying every minute of it...... Well since we still have 2 more days before returning back to reality, we will make full use of our time to enjoy it while we can... night

Ride data of Day 6

Distance: 85.5km
Average Speed: 14.1km/hr
Max Speed: 47km/hr
Total cycling time taken: 6h 13min