Rural Malaysia, 1400 km, Rain and Roti

Oh this blog is driving me crazy, I have written and lost this one 3 times, the joys of dodgy WiFi and using a phone app!!
Putrajaya to Klang, 63 km
We left around 7 am, early for Malaysia as it is just getting light. We negotiated the morning rush hour traffic and headed south trying to avoid the motorways until we got to highway 5 which went north west. A pretty busy rd with just enough shoulder for bikes. At our lunch stop we met a young guy who loves cycling and is inspired by all cycle tourists, he was helping his grandfather over the Uni holidays, he was lovely, sat and chatted while we ate heaps, would not let us pay and we left with a very large Malaysian flag as well! It's these sort of things that really make your day. I love the plant with the eggs on top, (photo)  Very busy riding into Klang, 4 lanes,  bridges, overpasses, on ramps, one way streets, but we got through to the otherside, found a hotel and a great night market just down the rd selling all sorts of food so we tried heaps.
Klang to  Sungai Besar, 65 km
Uninspiring flat ride on highway 5. But met a young cyclist from Belgium, Ari, (20) who was in his first week. He joined us that evening to bike out to see the fireflies just 7km from where we were staying. We went in a little boat down the river in the dark. The fireflies were all in the trees, it looked like white xmas lights all blinking in unison. Very cool to see. Different to glow worms. Not many places in the world to see them in that concentration.
Sungai Besar to Koala Selangor, 58 km
Managed to find a service rd running parallel to highway 5 so quiet and easy riding spotting monitor lizards near the water canals. At the only hotel, we met another cycling couple from Holland, older than us and on the last 2 weeks of their 6 month trip. Ari was there as well. He told us his parents sent him to a pyschologist when he told them he wanted to take off to the otherside of the world with his bike! He was looking forward to reporting he was not the only crazy one. The dutch couple were very organized, they had a full bound book of their route, with detailed directions and maps, hotels etc. Not like us who change our mind every second day!
Koala Selengor to Ilan Intuk, 55 km
Using their route backwards we found our way through palm plantations to a little ferry and on to Ilan Intuk, arrived early and had plenty of time to view their very own leaning tower and get caught out for a very long dinner waiting on the thunder, lightning and rain to stop.
Ilan Intuk to Tapah, 48 km
Leisurely morning ride on pretty good rd to Tapah. The rain stopped us here but found a nice hotel, most hotels are about $30 NZ $80 ringitt. Indonesian hotels always included some kind of breakfast but not in Malaysia, we have to go find it and they don't eat early. Malaysia is a mix of Malay, Indian and Chinese people, they seem to live in relative harmony although the food places seem to attract their own. Often towns seem predominantly Chinese or Indian. Flags everywhere.
Tapah to Tanah Rata, 65 km ALL UP HILL
Slow steady up to the Cameron Highlands. All rideable, English made rd. So pleased to spot the blue plastic bag trees, ( photo) I was sure they must be growing them as there is a never ending supply!! Started raining early. We stopped for lunch near a popular waterfall. Trevor has the ability to jump off his bike and start eating curry, rice, chicken... anything anytime but I need a little more time especially after 35 km of hard work uphill. Turned out a really bad food day for me. Cold fried noodles for breakfast, cold sweet potato fritters for lunch and the soup for dinner was too spicy to eat so settled for bananas, biscuits and a cup of tea. We sheltered from the rain a couple of times until realising it had settled in for the day so just road the last 4 hrs in the rain, dodging the slips coming down off the banks beside the rd. Passed a tea plantation.  Arrived cold, wet and hungry and grabbed the nearest hotel. Some days are definitely better than others!
Rest day.
Changed hotels as the one we had smelt dank and mouldy. New guesthouse was great with a cafe selling scrambled eggs on toast, great! Went for a couple of walks and 7 km through to Brinchang to the night market and got a taxi back. Cameron Highlands is a popular tourist destination for trekking and seeing the tea plantations. All about accommodation and food. Although the cups of tea have been lousy!
Tanah Rata to Ipoh, 110 km
Most km today, a tough undulating first 40 km in drizzle, including a detour down and back up to the Boh tea plantation. Enjoyed the interesting look around and the lovely pot of hot tea and cake in the cafe with great views across the tea plantation. Then a fast 50 km downhill, great rd with wide sweeping corners blatting along in top gear. Beautiful scenery  through bush and valleys. We had organized to meet a warm showers host who had an apartment above his furniture shop, especially for cyclists,  10 km on the other side of the city, so a tough 20 km through the city at rush-hour in the rain, traffic lights, lots of lane changes and fly overs,  although at least rush hour gridlocks the traffic and slows it down. Got there eventually to meet Michael. Had a quick shower and he took us out to dinner with his wife Alison as well as a French guy and his daughter who were also staying, they are cycling for a year on a tandem.
Michael (51) has just brought a double recumbant for him and his wife to tour the world when he retires next year, a lovely generous couple who we hope to see in NZ. We enjoyed both evening meals of claypot chicken and rice and then Punjabi Indian, naan bread and many curry dishes. We biked about 100 km around Ipoh over 2 days mainly to caves with amazing Buddest temples, got wet and lost a lot and succumbed taking shelter at McDonald's, once from the heat and then from the rain, of course it was about the WiFi and not the food...
Ipoh to Kuala Kangsar, famous for the first rubber tree. 50 km.
Heavy rain stopped us today. Highlight was the roti telur (Indian bread with egg)  on the way for breakfast. Been finding that a lot and it is good, cheap and does not include Chilli! They just make it as you wait.
Kuola Kangsar to Lenngong, 52 km.
Hard setting off in the rain but a steady drizzle all morning. Stopped in Lenngong for lunch and then decided to stay, we were spotted out the window of a local Chinese hotel by a mum and daughter putting up curtains. Nice clean room and an amazing family who could not do enough for us. The dad came over from his hardware shop and he and his daughter took us 7 km back to a world heritage site, an archeological site where ' The Perak Man' was found. Interesting museum and they organized the documentary in English for us. They also brought us snack food for the next day and gave us a t-shirt each as well as buying us a Chinese noodle breakfast the next morning. Very lovely, generous and kind family, they really did not want us leaving in the pouring rain. Lenngong to Gerik, 50 km Fast non stop ride in heavy rain with lots of flooding around. Only took 2.5 hrs so found a hotel before lunch and dried out. Forecast for more heavy rain so had a rest day on December 24, Xmas eve, although there is absolutely no evidence of xmas in this town. Ate lots of Indian food, a day and a half of Roti and rain. Gerik to Baling, 65 km, xmas day. The kids woke us early to Skype again and watch their present opening. Feels strange being so far away. Clearer day, hilly ride getting very close to the Thai border with a nice lunch stop ( photo of xmas dinner...) Good Chinese tea. Big old hotel by the river in Baling, thunder lightning and heavy rain as we were looking to eat so our eating place was decided for us. Everywhere is flooded so enquired about a bus to get somewhere fast but they won't take our bikes... Baling to Kuala Nerang, 109 km, clocking over the 3000km total Big day along country roads trying to get across Malaysia. I don't think these last few towns have seen many tourists, there is not much reason to stop in these places but they are the real Malaysia, small country towns. The lush tropical bush has given way to rubber plantations. Just got wet getting into town about 5 pm. Only one hotel out of town a bit, one of those rooms you do not want to spend much time in. Unfortunately it bucketed down for 4 hours non stop and we had no food. After 3 hrs, the hotel guy drove us down the road to an eating place and came back for us an hour later so that was really nice. We checked all the weather reports, 160000 people evacuated from their homes in Malaysia, mainly in the north east and state of emergency has been declared in the 8 southern states of Thailand so rethinking our plan. Kuala Nerang to Padang Basar, Thai border. 85 km Another big day which turned out our last in Malaysia. Great road through rural working area, quarries, rubber plantations, ( photos) rice fields, monkey's swinging through the trees and found our first live snake, ( photo) we have seen plenty of dead ones on the roads. Kept going across country till we got to the train station heading north. Night train to Bangkok, time to find blue sky before we get webbed feet!