November 21, 2012
We got a late start out of Rawang and the New Wave Hotel. Some days it's just harder to get out of bed. We had originally planned on a short day and that also played into our slow start. Our route today was Route 1 which runs parallel the new E1 expressway. We also started seeing more hills after riding over fairly flat terrain for the past 3 weeks. Just as we were thinking of stopping for lunch a guy on a mountain bike caught up to us. Nadzir was out for a 50 mile loop ride. We invited him to stop with us for lunch. His English was limited but we still had a very nice visit. He took lots of pictures and posted them on Facebook. Nadzir had many miles to go and pushed on.
After checking the map, we noticed another town beyond Kuala Kubu Bharu and made that our destination. The temperature and humidity were quickly rising in the afternoon. It was very hot and I was suffering.With every climb came the pollution from truck and car exhaust. By the time we made it to Kuala Kubu Bharu I was completely overcome by the fumes and couldn't go farther. It was as if I was suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning. I was disappointed to stop after only 20 miles but there wasn't anything else to do.
This town is the gateway into the Cameron Highlands and the Frasier Hill area. I expected to find tourist hotels but we only found one and it was very rundown. The hotel lobby and rooms were on the second floor. There wasn't a convenient place to put the trikes except up the stairs. The hotel owner offered to help bring the trikes up the stairs but I wanted to try and find something easier. Next door was an immigration office and the officers came out to look at the trikes. I asked if we could keep the trikes in their office over night. 'No can not.' Bummer. One officer suggested the police station. The police station was on the other side of town and I didn't like the idea of having the trikes so far away. We ended up having the hotel owner help us carry the trikes upstairs. It was actually easier than I imagined. I'm always worried about my back whenever I have to lift the trikes but I took the back rack and the hotel owner carried the front wheels. The trikes certainly were going to be safe up here.
This hotel would be our first 'authentic' experience but it looked worse than it was. The floor was cement, the towels were thread bare and all the switches for the lights were in the hallway. We could have stayed in a fan room for $11.70 but chose an air-con room for $18.30. The room included a bathroom with a cold water shower and a working toilet. It certainly could have been worse.
I felt so much better after a shower and we walked around the small quaint town. I found a medical clinic and stopped in to ask if I could get on a scale. No problem. The receptionist escorted us into an exam room. She seemed puzzled by the request but went along with it. I explained that I have been dieting and wanted to see how my weight was doing now I am traveling. What a shock to see I was only 1 pound above my lowest weight and well below my Weight Watchers goal weight. Apparently I had lost quite a bit before we met Mama Ching. This was fantastic news. Next, we stopped in a yogurt shop for a fabulous mango ice dish. Our real mission was wifi and we had dinner at an indian place getting caught up online.
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