A picturesque view of Pulau Ubin

When asked about Singapore, many people tend to associate Singapore as a concrete jungle with its perfectly manicured trees, bushes and paved roads with meticulously spaced out buildings. Few would imagine that there exists an island just 15 minutes away from the city that still retains some of its village charm. Pulau Ubin is an escape for avid mountain bikers who love taking the road less travelled-the off road trails.  The small island attracts many tourists, families and couples who enjoy taking photos of the beautiful scenery especially weekends.

Our Ubin Participants

We started our day bright and early by gathering at the Changi Ferry Terminal at 8.30am. Most of the participants were regular SMUX members, but that day we had the pleasure of hosting an exchange student from Austria who was particularly delighted at venturing the lesser known places in Singapore with us. It takes 15 minutes by boat to reach the Ubin jetty.
On the bumboat to Pulau Ubin

Some of the participants bicycles sun tanning on the deck

Upon arrival at Pulau Ubin. 

Renting our bicycles

After getting off our boat, we made our way to the bicycle rental shop. There are quite a few shops around with quality mountain bicycles. We used this time of trying out our bicycles to get to know each other better. For many of us, it was our first time doing mountain biking so we were really excited!

All ready to start the adventure!

As long as there’s a camera, we have to pose!

Hong Taa briefing the participants on the route

Before setting off, Hong Taa, the training IC for the event briefed everyone on the route we were about to take. Although small in size, Pulau Ubin has many interesting places to explore. Just like the efficient friendly tour guide he is, Hong Taa gave an energetic explanation on the trails we were going to explore.

Happy faces after finishing the beginner’s blue diamond trail

We started off doing the easy blue diamond route. With well beaten paths for us, it wasn’t too difficult for anyone as we went up and down the slopes. We survived!

Us with our bicycles at Ketam Quarry

At the end of the blue diamond trail which was slightly more difficult due to the steep up hill, we were rewarded with the very beautiful view of the quarry and the blue sky. As with all fences, we were meant to climb on top and take photos while sitting on it! The Ketam Quarry as its name suggests was a quarry that was converted in to a lake. Once used for industrial purposes, it is now a postcard worthy photo taking spot.

Reach for the skies!

We can conquer anything even with our funny faces.

Going down the rocky slopes of the difficult double black diamond trail for expert riders

While most of us rested, the adventurous few tried the most difficult trail in Ubin. The challenge is all part of the fun as Warren made his way down the rocky path. After resting for a little while and plenty of camwhore photos later, we made our way down the hill for lunch.

Kayakers came to join us for lunch.

We quickly made our way back to the jetty for a well deserved seafood lunch. True to the SMUX family spirit, the Kayaking team came to join us for lunch. While we were cycling in Ubin, they were kayaking around Ubin. It was quite a sight as they parked their kayaks right beneath the restaurant and walked up the stairs to join us.

Our seafood lunch was scrumptious!

Our fried sotong with sweet sauce. Yum!

Enjoying the greenery at Chek Jawa

After our lunch at the jetty, we took a walk along the mangrove swamps of Chek Jawa. The mangrove swamps are very well preserved and still teem with wildlife of all kinds.

Walking along the Chek Jawa boardwalk

Going up the Chek Jawa viewing tower.

 
A wonderful shot of our heads looking down from the tower

 

Tired but happy faces

After trying out the mountain biking trails, taking postcard worthy pictures and taking a nice long walk admiring the sea view of Chek jawa, we finally had to go home! It definitely was an adventure as we spent 5 hours in a jungle trail with great company and a delicious seafood lunch. Do join the SMUX Biking Team for more fun rides in future!

written by Melanie Tan

Winter expedition 2011 was a 5 days 4 nights trip in the western part of Malaysia. We traveled close to 100km daily on our bicycles, starting from Port Dickson, to Melaka, onto Batu Pahat, cycled pass Pontian, stayed at Kukup, and finally cycle pass Johor Bahru before reaching back to mainland Singapore on our last day. The team comprised of 11 of us: Kelvin Liew, Kritboon, Gillian Goh, Lee Sze Ling, Chang Siyuan, Isaac Chua, Jeremy Say, Marcus Leong, Melanie Tan, Jethro Wong and Tan Hong Taa. Over the 5 days, we were blessed with fine weather and a smooth journey, stuffed with lots of awesome food and most importantly, returned safe and sound at the end of the trip after experiencing 5 days of fun-filled events during the trip.

Day 1 – 19/12/2011

Day 1 started off by when we all gathered in SMU around noon for a short briefing while waiting for our chartered coach to come. Everybody did their last minute equipment checks and prepared for the 7 hours long coach ride up to Port Dickson.

Our trip met with its first shocking event when the chartered coach finally arrived as it was way smaller than expected! As there wasn’t much that we could do, there was only one thing that we could do: ‘Make It Happen’. And we did manage to squeeze everything inside the coach, with much difficulty though.

After a group shot, the first group of bikers left for Malaysia in the coach, while Gillian, Sze Ling and Marcus went to collect the safety car, followed by picking me up at my place around mid-afternoon before leaving for Malaysia as well!

We stopped by KSL Expo in Johor Bahru first to grab some items and importantly food for the journey ahead! Then we began the long drive all the way till Port Dickson with Gillian taking the wheel. While we were cruising through Malaysia’s roads under the rain to Port Dickson, the other group on the coach had the luxury to have a stop by the best place in Malaysia for ‘Root Beer Float’, and also a splendid dinner after reaching the hotel. Slurps!

The few of us in the safety car finally reach the hotel around 10pm. We had our briefing for tomorrow before heading for supper and a long awaited rest for the night soon longer.

Day 2 – 20/12/2011

Day 2 started off really early, with a good western breakfast to fill our stomachs before setting off for our amazing biking expedition.

The ride started off really bumpy, as the roads in Port Dickson were filled with potholes and big cracks along the way. And before we know it, we met with our first flat from Jeremy, followed by a combo with Jethro having an epic crash due to another flat, leaving him with pretty bad scraps and cuts all over his body. Thankfully there wasn’t any permanent injury and Jethro’s biking journey for the day ended abruptly, and he was banished into the safety car.

We took a couple of rest stops along the way, rehydrating and refilling our bottles as the weather started to get hotter as time went by. The hot weather and dehydration eventually got to some of our riders, with Gillian as our first person to be fragged after being drained out. And without fail, the efficient support team did not hesitate to revive her with queen-like treatment and nourished her with all the food she required, and perhaps a little something extra too

After a few more hours of riding, we soon reach the city of Melaka, where more good food lies. Our first objective was to reach the famous Teo Soon Loong Chan Zi Char Restaurant. But due to its immense popularity, the queue was too long and we couldn’t wait no further for our long awaited lunch as hungry people are angry people. So we changed our prey to the also famous Famosa chicken Rice Ball restaurant nearby.

With our stomachs filled with awesome food from lunch, automatically angry people became happy people and we left the restaurant for our hotel, ‘Motel 68’. After washing up and doing some bike maintenance, we left for Makota Parade shopping mall to shop, went for a cheap thrill at ‘Wonderland’ DATONA, and most importantly had delicious and cheap cake and coffee at Secret Recipe.

Unhappy with our failed attempt at the famous zi char restaurant earlier during noon, we smarten up and reserved places for dinner there. Dinner was as spectacular as we imagine, so good that even Marcus who was on strict race diet had to give in, while the rest just suck in the aromatic smell from the food placed in front of them with glee.

After dinner we headed back to Makota Parade, only to find out that the ‘Giant’ was closed and we had to get our supplies the next day instead. We all then went back to the hotel, with one group leaving on car and another group on foot. When the walking group reached back the hotel, we saw an interesting sight: one group of SMU students staring at the safety vehicle’s front. Our vehicle’s hazard light couldn’t be switched off even after turning off the engine’s ignition. Even with 11 SMU students brain combined, and even with the aid of friendly hotel staff, we were owned by one phone call to the rental company’s mechanic whom immediately taught us how to solve the problem. And that brought day 2 to an end.

Day 3 – 21/12/2011

With a hurried packing and loading of our stores and supplies into the safety vehicle, we began our second day of riding towards Batu Pahat. And of course we mustn’t forget about our wonderful hotel with a nice group photo.

Hungry and still slightly having morning blues, we stopped by at a roadside dian xin shop for our breakfast. Notice what hunger can do to a person, causing abnormal behaviors, such as indecent public display of agony (PDA) for the many baos that waited to be devoured by our dear Gillian.

With all the energy from the baos in our stomach diffused into our body, we began our journey towards Batu Pahat. Not long after we left the stall, we met with our next flat casualty. Marcus got a pretty bad flat, as his tires were slashed up pretty badly. Then in came our next shocking incident. Due to lack of sleep from last night and lack of energy, Melanie decided to pull stop cycling as she was feeling unwell, and she self-banished herself to the safety car. Not long later, we met with our next flat casualty again, this time it was Sze Ling’s turn. And without any delay, our efficient safety car came to the rescue, with the aid of highly skilled national rider Marcus Leong to speed up the switching of inner tubes for her bike. And there’s nothing like a well-deserved food resupply to replenish us with energy again.

After a couple more hours of riding, with our growling stomachs enduring pass lunch time, we finally reach Batu Pahat. And we immediately head towards the famous Bah Kuh Teh restaurant for lunch. Just look at how happy everybody was while waiting for the awesome food to arrive.

After emptying both table’s soup, we left for a nearby bike shop to get new tires for Marcus’s bike and also fix up Jethro’s bike, while I did up my loose bar tape as well. We then continued on our journey to Crystal Inn hotel to check in and wash up and also do a bit of bike maintenance before leaving in the evening for dinner at Old Town and Pizza Hut. We also did our grocery shopping at the Pacific hypermarket in the shopping mall before hitting the theater to watch our RM 12 cheap Mission Impossible 4 movie there. Tired and sleepy after the movie, we went back to the hotel and slept after our AAR and brief for tomorrow as usual.

Day 4 – 22/12/2011

Breakfast today was much better as it was buffet style! We all managed to grab a large bite in preparation for our ride later, before rushing for a photo and then setting off on our journey to Kukup!

Our journey started off wet with a slight drizzle that didn’t lower our spirits at all. Jeremy and I decided to cruise ahead of the group, only to stopped with a hat-trick from Jeremy with another flat again. As we actually ran out of working wheels to switch already, we had to slowly patch up the tire and switch the inner tube. Then what followed next was a blind chase to find the main group after Jeremy’s bike was done. Apparently, we cycled pass the main group without any side spotting each other and in the end Marcus, Jeremy and I were really far ahead of the main group.

After a long waiting game, and catching up, we finally found our way together to Kukup, with a new addition of Warren who joined us halfway. We then continued on with our scrumptious lunch at the seafood restaurant.

After lunch we slowly went back to wash up and clean our bikes. Some of us went out to get durians and explore the nearby Pasar Malam, while the rest stayed in the chalet to sing karaoke and play majong. Our BBQ dinner was served shortly after with awesome spicy seafood all over.

As it was the day to eat Tang Yuan, thanks to superb social Melanie for asking around, we managed to enjoy tiny and delicious tiny! We then proceed onto to play with our fireworks, this time only setting off the ultimate large that can launch a nuclear strike. Krtiboon had the honor of lighting up the fireworks as an unofficial handing and taking over ceremony. The day ended with AAR and then a brief for tomorrow as usual.

 Day 5 – 23/12/2011

It was the last day of the trip already and also the day that we’ll ride the shortest but the most rushed day as we needed to meet certain timings to be back to return the safety car. After our wanton mee breakfast and another group photo again, we embark on our last journey back to Singapore. Jeremy and I went ahead first, only to be stopped with a hat –trick from Jeremy with another flat again. We then continued on our journey to find the delicious chendol, only to find out that the stall wasn’t open yet.

So we headed straight towards Taman Sentosa, and was joined by Gerald Lim, Christina Boon and Ng Yilong for yummy seafood lunch. Afterwards we all rode across to Kranji MRT and was dismissed from there. And that ended our amazing 5 days of Winter Expedition 2011. J

It started pouring heavily as we set off from the causeway. Despite the cold wet weather and crazy bus drivers, it didn’t stop us from riding speedily to our breakfast stop.

We had breakfast at kfc where everyone  happily embraced the warm drinks and food there although we were all soaking wet from the rain.

During the ride to Kukup, my tire exploded! I was already having some problems with it as we were approaching Kukup town, but I did not expect it to explode entirely. Everyone else thought the explosion sounded like a gunshot! But luckily no one including myself was injured.

 The road was muddy from the rain. As we rode alongside the vehicles, mud, dirt and dirty water got splashed onto our clothes. Look at what will happen if you wear light coloured shirts! The one in the middle was a special case as he cycled off road alongside the rest of the group.

Finally we reached kukup, and there first thing we did was to eat.We had a seafood feast ranging from fried sambal fish to crabs and even lobsters.  It didn’t take long for me to realize that all we did was to cycle to eat and eat to cycle.

The sight of the delicious food is good enough for me to want to participate in more cycling trips with the SMUX team!

Kukup is a fishing village as well as a port. It was nevertheless necessary to visit a kelong! Some of us went to see how fishes were bred. It was a treat for fishing enthusiasts such as the SMUX biking team manager. We even bought some fish and prawn snacks to share amongst ourselves.

It was a long tiring day for everyone. While we could, we tried to catch up on some sleep before dinner time where we would eat and be merry again.

Again for dinner, we had a calorie laden feast! We had BBQ chicken and plenty of seafood.  Looking at everyone’s happy faces in the photo, they certainly enjoyed themselves.

There was plenty of leftover food from dinner. Food never goes to waste when you are around bikers! These two had a food competition where they competed against each other’s wits and stomachs to see who could eat the most in the fastest time. The fortress of satay sticks is proof of their prowess when it comes to eating large amounts of delicious food.

Here comes the highlight of the kukup trip! FIREWORKS!! We had a box of more than 100 shots.  As can be seen by the box carried by Kelvin  in the middle, the box was huge!

After a day and night in Kukup, we took a photo for memory of the place and headed back home.In the end we all made it back to Singapore with full bellies, aching legs and butts. But most importantly we brought back the memories that we have made with each other!

In SMUX, your belly keeps you going and that’s what Rengit ride is about. With splendid seafood located at the coastal town called Rengit, on the eastern side of Malaysia, how could we resist?? For me I’ve cycled to the town of Rengit twice before. In both times, the nice flat coastal route accompanied with the sight of coconut trees and the slight sea breeze made up the best biking conditions. For Rengit 2011, I wanted my friends to experience Rengit for themselves.  What were their experiences? We’ll lets’ see…

Before we start the ride, we had to endure an hour long bumboat ride. Good thing we have friends to make the journey there super fun and entertaining (ignore the fierce looking uncle at the back)

Other people like Gabriel got the chance to sit outside and emo by himself, Teehee.

Finally after the topsy turvy boat ride, we embarked on our journey for seafood.

Along the way we met school children cycling home. I’m jealous, I want their basket for my bike.

Some tried to ride their bikes in a peculiar way.

At last we made it to the seafood place!! WOOHOO! The commando parachuted in to join us.

The food came, it was good.. really good and yummmmy and cheap! Just to clarify, 100 plus didn’t sponsor us.

Remember this pic in the emailer? Promised and delivered. Salted egg lobster- da best.

On our way back a typhoon hit us. Well that’s what it felt like. Little droplet of rain shot us like bullets, and the wind was so strong I almost saw people flying with bikes, possibly a future Biking and Xseed team collaborative event.

We headed back to Singapore after the typhoon, while on the boat some riders enter the deepest level of sleep- Limbo.

Thankfully, we all made it back alive. Thank you all for joining us for the ride!

Our summer expedition was a 6 days 5 nights trip that covered the state of Johor in Malaysia. We transversed the sparse but not-so-flat roads of Malaysia that spanned 500km ride over 6 days, through the towns of Kota Tinggi, Mersing, Kluang, Batu Pahat and Kukup. And what can I say of the 6 days? Nothing but AWESOME! The trip comprising of the 8 of us, Kelvin, Gillian, Rico, Clement, Winston, Kinkei and Isaac, was a memorable and fun one.

Day 1: Singapore – Kota Tinggi

The first day after travelling by ferry to reach the Pengerang Jetty, we finally embark on our trip to Kota Tinggi. But first stop first, we headed to Renggit for seafood – Salted egg lobster, steamed fish, deer meat, you name it and we had it on our lunch table. And after a fulfilling lunch, we continued on our journey.

The meal that we had, was one that would prepare us for what was about to lie ahead. Other than the rolling hills, there was the impending dark clouds that hovered above us. Just as when we thought we had moved out of the cluster of the dark clouds, the sky decided to be merciless and it poured down relentlessly on us. It was awhile before a shelter showed up. For the most of us besides those who were in the safety car, we were drenched to the skin. We were lucky that our shelter had a make-shift store and we warmed ourselves up with a cup of hot Milo and a plate of fried mee, before we went on our way again before the sky started to dim for the day. We finally arrived at our very first hotel for the day. It was a well deserved meal of seafood and we all turned in early to prepare for the next day.

 Day 2: Kota Tinggi – Mersing

After a warm meal at Macs, we started off on our second day towards Mersing. Not long after setting off, the winds started to howl and in order to avoid a similar scenario that occurred on the first day, we went into a shelter as soon as we saw one. Thankfully, all that we experience was a slight drizzle. By the time it poured down on us, we were all safe in the shelter- nice and dry. It was a good break and when the rain lightened, we were ready to set off once more.

It was late afternoon when we finally reached the quiet coastal town of Kukup, known for its delicious spread of seafood. After some servicing of our bikes by our very capable vehicle-commander of the day, Isaac, we were ready to whack the seafood that Kelvin claimed to be very famous. The first one we went to, refused to take us in without a reservation, so we had no choice but to settle for second best. As usual, we ate to our heart’s content and went on to even more dessert after dinner!

Day 3: Mersing – Kluang

The terrain on the third day ran parallel to Endau Rompin and the terrain micmicked that of the mountaineous region. To add on to that, there was no sign of any form of shelter or makeshift stores. Instead, what surrounded us was trees and more nature. And to add on to that, the Sun burnt overhead as we attempted to clear the slopes quickly. Not withstanding that, we were hit by a series of tyre puncture which delayed us further.

However, as a team, we persevered on and encouraged each other on through the countless hills and it was only during the late afternoon that we finally caught sight of civilization that we were overjoyed to know we were approaching Kluang. We had a good lunch of beef noodles at the famous Tangkak Beef Stall before checking into our hotel room. Also, Kluang had quite a few shopping malls, and knowing that the next day was going to be a short day, we decided to indulge a little and rewarded ourselves to a movie.

Day 4: Kluang – Batu Pahat

Just outside our Kluang hotel was a superbly nice Dimsum place. And to take advantage of the short trip to Batu Pahat, we decided to set off later by having a good breakfast of Dimsum. After filling our tummy, we set off for Batu Pahat and it was a smooth ride of 50km and we reached Batu Pahat for lunch.

We were excited to have a quick shower, so that we could proceed for more shopping. Batu Pahat had this very nice place that reminded us of Chomp-Chomp, and it was good food all over again! And it really felt like as if we were in the middle of Serangoon Gardens. We also had durians as our dessert after dinner. We squeezed in time to watch another movie and to pose with all the movie posters. Through the laughter and teasings, we felt close like a family on a road trip together.

Day 5: Batu Pahat – Kukup

And on the 2^nd last day to Kukup, we were looking forward to the BBQ dinner that Kelvin had been boasting about over the whole trip and how our houses would be on stilts. And that our toilet would give us a good view of the wonderful nature beneath us. It was hard to imagine what it would be like but it was exciting to live in a different kind of accommodation. The trip to Kukup had rather rough and uneven roads and the winds were strong against us. It was a tiring ride, nevertheless, the anticipation of the BBQ seafood kept us all going and we reached in the late afternoon.

We had a special visitor, Warren, who rode down on his motorbike to visit us. And as soo as we reached Kukup, we were treated to a seafood lunch before checking into our “hotel”. It was a nice and cozy bungalow, which we had to enter by walking on erected platforms. And what surrounded us were mangrove swamps filled with mud during low tide and flooded when it was high tide. We took special care not to fall into the swamps that was just right beneath us.

The house was super spacious with many rooms and huge beds. We had karaoke, mahjong tiles and it was clean! The toilet was a open toilet bowl concept with no flushing system so what belonged to nature really went back to nature. But above all, we were looking forward to the hightlight for the night-BBQ. Towards evening, there was this man who started preparing the BBQ pit and not long after, the distinct smell of charcoal and BBQ food whiff past our nose. We were also given a selection of fireworks to choose from, in which we chose the biggest box that would explode 25 times- our post National Day celebration. I must say, that the food prepared was filled with dedication and love as each dish was prepared and BBQ-ed specially and meticulously by them. Even the barley water was home-brewed and it brought to us the familiarity of our home.

After which, we decided to head out for fireworks. We started with a few small ones before ending off with the biggest one as our finale. It was a huge explosion of the most colourful fireworks and a brilliant sight to behold. The night soon came to an end and we had to get ready for our final day of riding before heading home. It felt all too soon that our trip was coming to an end after spending 5 awesome days together.

 Day 6: Kukup – Singapore

Our final day home saw us having a meal of Wanton Mee, specially packed and delivered to our house by them. Following which, we made our way to leave Kukup. Along the way we had Ice Kacang and a few other rest stops as we pushed on to Johor Bahru in order to finish our eating spree with one last good seafood meal at Taman Sentosa. The seafood over there was worth it and we just simply whacked the food that was so irresistable. A short ride down to the causeway and we were back to our the land of HDBs.

In all, the trip was a fruitful one and being a small group, we became closely knitted and having spent 6 days together made us wished that the trip would never end. But like they always say “all good things must come to an end”, we baded farewell but deep down, looking forward to future expeditions together. So where is SMUX Biking heading to next? Stay tune for our next exciting biking adventure!:)

Signing up for the SMUX Desaru Ride was definitely not a mistake. Initially, there was trepidation as I would not know anyone who is going. I thought that I would feel very left out, but truth is the biking team made me feel extremely welcome. From the moment I met them at Changi Village, they were very hospitable. Forming up, I seemed to sense great camaraderie among the members. Upon learning that there are fresh graduates and working professionals among those going for the trips, I felt safe knowing that they are there.

At Changi Village, almost everyone had their breakfast there. I was told that this is a SMUX specialty, whereby members eat at every pit stop, potty breaks and rest points. It was there that I met Rico, who was supposedly my Group Leader, Gillian and Sze Ling. My first SMUX friends! From there, we procee ded to Changi Ferry Terminal, whereby we waited quite a while for the ferry. I manage to converse with other SMUX members to ask them about SMUX. 

Upon arriving at the jetty on the Malaysian side, I was bummed that the other boats would be reaching very very late as I look forward to cycling with other SMUX members. Anyway we were allowed to begin cycling to Renggit. I was stoked to cycle as this would be my first time cycling in a foreign land, but at the same time, there was apprehension. Would the roads be safe? From my experience, cars would speed along Malaysian roads, especially Singapore-registered ones whose speed limits are bounded by laws and the traffic police. To my pleasant surprise, the roads were very under-used. Occasionally a car would zoom past, but it would keep a safe distance from us. Our first stop is a small town called Renggit. It has no traffic lights, thus I must always be on the lookout for errant drivers. We stopped by a restaurant to have our lunch. I can tell that the restaurant has fantastic food by the number of Singapore-registered cars parked in front of the entrance. Luckily for my group, we had Benedict Chen who ordered the food for us since we is a regular at the restaurant. The food was very cheap! After lunch, we continued on our way to our hotel-Chalet D’Punggai. Due to the delay at the ferry terminal, we had to cut our route short. For my group, we arrived at the chalet roughly 5pm and waited for dinner. Dinner was pleasant as the food has been barbecued for us by the locals. Surprisingly, I slept very very early.

The next morning, after a safety briefing by team manager Kelvin, we embarked on the journey back to the ferry terminal. The safety car followed us and helped us capture pictures of us cycling. We had a pit-stop at an ostrich farm, which was a first for me. I had the honour to witness ostrich mating and their mating dance. The farm, like all zoos, smells of faeces! The ground I also tasted ostrich egg, which was similar in taste to a chicken egg. Though the bigger egg translate to a larger volume of egg white and bigger yolk. After the farm, it was a short journey until we reached the same restaurant as day one. When full, we cycled back to the ferry terminal for a safe journey back to Singapore!

We are Famous!

Channel 8

Video

http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2010/sources/Channel8_20100814_1.pdf

The Straits Times, p C36

http://www.smu.edu.sg/news_room/smu_in_the_news/2010/sources/ST_20100814_1.pdf

http://sphreg.asiaone.com/RegAuth2/stpLogin.html?goto=http%3A%2F%2Fsphauth.asiaone.com%2Famserver%2Fcdcservlet%3FTARGET%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.straitstimes.com%253A80%252FSports%252FStory%252FSTIStory_566186.html%26RequestID%3D31812%26MajorVersion%3D1%26MinorVersion%3D0%26ProviderID%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.straitstimes.com%253A80%252Famagent%26IssueInstant%3D2011-07-12T13%253A39%253A53Z

Taiwan- the land of Janet Hsieh, Jay Chou, bubble teas, XXL chickens and awesome street food. May 2011, SMUX Biking Team embarked on our very exciting cycling adventure round Taiwan. ????? Beginning from and ending in Taipei, we travelled to Hsinchu, Taichung, Chiayi, Kaohsiung, Kenting, Taitung, Hualien and Luodong. For many of us, it was our first time going for an overseas expedition for 2 weeks. Kudos to our dear recce team (Kelvin, Szeling, Gillian, Rico and Darren) for going earlier to check out the road conditions and to confirm our hotel reservations. Our biking journey officially began on the 2^nd of May but some of our garang friends decided to bike up Yang Ming Shan on Day 0. (From top left in a clock-wise direction: Rico, Ben, Kelvin, Jins and Angie the man) According to them, this totally trashes our very challenging Mount Faber.

2^nd May: WE BEGIN CYCLING FROM TAIPEI TO HSIN CHU!

After 2 days of R&R in Taipei where we ate NON-STOP (you can never say no to the tantalizing Taiwanese street food), we were finally beginning to burn away some of the fats that we’ve been accumulating We were donned in our damn ? (cool) red jersey designed by Ben! We all look so fresh, happy and FAIR.

For much of the front part, it felt like we were riding around Singapore again- only this time, the signages were in Chinese. The roads were really busy but the dedicated motorbike/scooter/bicycle lanes did make it easier for us to cycle. The motorists were also a lot friendlier compared to the “you-are-so-freaking-sexy” honks we receive in Singapore!

We cycled up the highways and flyovers! Super eggcites because bikes in Singapore are not allowed on expressways. Our eggcited friends on their bikes:

It was really super eggciting (for lack of a better description) to be riding on a different terrain (uphills, downhills, bumpy roads, smooth roads). The ride was pretty manageable and rather flat until the slight uphills at the end. The weather was also super kind to us! It was largely cloudy (means not sunny and yay no ugly tanlines yet) We stayed at a student hostel for the night (not our best accomodation but rather decent).

3^rd May: FROM HSINCHU TO TAICHUNG

We started the day with a super steep uphill even before breakfast. Super shag! (sadly, no photos of how steep it was) But traditional Taiwanese breakfast pretty makes up for our output BELOW: pork floss crepe! And the best part about Taiwanese food is that it is MAD cheap! 2SGD would be more than enough for people who eat regular food portions (hurhur)

 And our journey begins! 2^nd day of riding LET’S GO SEXIES!

A rule of biking: if there is an uphill, there WILL BE a downhill. For the slight uphills at the end of day 2, we were rewarded with downhills (yay- pretty much effortless riding)

The distance traveled today was longer than the first day but also more flat and manageable. Our happy riders for the day:

 As much as we love biking, there is one thing that we love more: FOOD. Taichung has the biggest night market in the whole of Taiwan so we were quick to attack the FENG JIA NIGHT MARKET!

Shih Haur with tons of food!

Ben, our beloved video ic who made the most awesome (and embarrassing) Taiwan trip video ever.

 Angie the man who loves her ba la (guava) & other assorted food

The highlight of the night market was this entirely obscene corn dog which really eggcited almost everyone (the decent ones were just plain disgusted). The shape of the corn dog is similar to the shape of their signboard.

4^thMay: FROM TAICHUNG TO CHIAYI

For our 3^rd day of riding, most of us are getting more accustomed to riding long(er) distances and the traffic. Traffic on highways are generally less busy than our cities so it was a lot more manageable compared to the hectic roads we have in Singapore during our traning rides. Our highlight of the day was the huge SPECIALIZED BIKE SHOP! (for the biking fanatics and uncles à PILGRIMAGE!) Pictures of the bike shop and cool display at the bike shop are below In the first picture, please take note of a very bimbotic girl with a pink ribbon on her hair aka Gillian HEHEHAHA Goh!

Having already been to the largest night market in Taiwan, a lot of the smaller night markets like the one in Chiayi no longer eggcited us as much. Nonetheless, hungry people will eat anything and everything Lu rou fan! loosely translated into pork stew rice (?)

5^th May: FROM CHIAYI TO KAOHSIUNG

After 3 days of intense riding, some bikes began to display signs of fatigue so the bike shop uncles started work

While the bike shop uncles were working, we discovered a celebrity look-a-like in our midst:

You are very much welcome, rico

Our happy riders along the way (let’s pretend the photos are not similar)

If there was anything spectacular about this day, it was that the SUN WAS BLOODY HOT. Like hotter than Jessica Alba and Megan Fox combined kind of hot. Like hotter than Mexico and you will melt outside like ice-cream kind of hot. Our very embarrassing graduate duo even resorted to using the 7-11 refrigerator as air-con

Fortunately, the rest of us discovered ????? a fruit juice drink that will put peelfresh to shame. SMUX???? ambassadors!

On this super hot day, our safety car and vcomm were gloating nonstop about escaping the heat with totally no respect for the poor riders- THEY WERE EVEN CAM WHORING IN THE CAR! Tsk tsk.

 At the end of the super hot day, we were rewarded with an awesome night market in kaohsiung dear readers, please prepare tissue paper for your saliva. Thanks.

According to jins, who had the best ??? ever in his life…

 “These are fried xlb!! One bite on it and e soup spurts out really far. Ha” (Kelvin Liew, 2011)

and kelvin’s favorite roasted bun filled with cheesy potato (with a picture of ben who sampled it) SEE THE CHEESE ZOMG

6^th May: FROM KAOHSIUNG TO KENTING

FINALLY THE COASTAL ROUTE!!!!! (pardon the eggcitement) and here’s a really sexy pic of us before we set off from our awesome kaohsiung hostel

The weather this day was hot like Rosie Huntington Whiteley. And it got progressively hotter- like how Rosie’s lips in the Transformers 3 movie got progressively bigger. Our dear Fengru was all prepared with the sunblock (please prepare for geisha shot) CUTE RIGHT

 The route to Kenting was COASTAL! So we have the sun and the sea! With pretty blue waters, most of us were put in good mood almost immediately and we had to stop ourselves from stopping too frequently for photos. Let the camwhoring begin.

We also stopped for a very sumptious lunch and gui lin gao Good break on a hot day!

After we reached our hotel, we were quick to head out to EAT and of course, play with the firecrackers/ fireworks! Fireworks shopping:

The pictures of fireworks never ever do them any justice but here’s one to celebrate the beginning of 1 day R&R!

7^th May: KENTING REST & RELAX

WOOHOOO A DAY OF REST BY THE BEACH! The waters are clear blue. (stark contast to those black ecp/ sentosa waters that we are used to)

Despite it being an r&r day, most of us couldn’t resist the temptation of the wheels so we rented motorbikes to get around

A picture of our beach hunks and babes sexy gao gao!

And one of tery… :O

We also went to the southern most point of Taiwan!

and we caught the sunset

Good night Kenting )))

8^th May: FROM KENTING TO TAITUNG

The most eggciting part about this part of the the journey is that we pass by the reknowned DARREN TOWNSHIP the ascend was amazingly tiring but once you reach the top (daren township) you realize that the hardwork was worth it. We learn how to enjoy the build-up of the lactic acid in our legs and hamster (paddle) our way up! The winds were also considerably stronger (if we’re not paddling I swear we’ll be blown backwards) so we were drafting behind our trusty safety vehicle

Pictures taken during our quick breaks/ pre climb energy top-ups:

and the famed darren township! (picture of darren winnie the pooh with his town) we love taidao, right, Darren?!

and a picture of us monkeying around at darren’s town!

9^th May: FROM TAITUNG TO YULI

To Yuli: one of our prettiest accomodations ever! It actually marks the end of our coastal road BUT we were treated to wonderful views of mountains and padi fields

 Jins also attempted to cheat by holding on to the car (dangerous max)

And we discovered the jins style of keeping your shades: by fitting it on your thigh (zomg)

For the night, some of them even went to the hot springs! (Angie the man insisted her/his skin is a lot smoother after that)

Here’s a picture of our pretty accomodation!

Food-wise… Yuli was also the place we all discovered our ALL-TIME FAVORITE YAM MILK WITH PUDDING BY DINGO! (it will be the one drink we drink everytime we see it)

10^th May: FROM YULI TO HUALIEN

To Hualien we goooooo if you realized, we all started getting a lot more tanned but the smiles never left our faces as we rode the joy of the ride!

uphill here we go now! (let’s all wonder who rico is trying to seduce) by now rico’s bike is officially dead so he’s riding Jon’s green bike.

11^th May: HUALIEN REST & RELAX

HUALIEN! HOME OF THE VERY VERY GORGEOUS TAROKO GORGE! As usual, while some of us took the opportunity to rest and relax, our other xiong friends decided to challenge themselves by riding up the gorge! (RESPECT MAX) Those who decided to rest and relax also rode up the gorge in style on motorcycles

Our brave friends who decided to ride up the gorge (on their own bikes)

DO NOT UNDERESTIMATE THEIR PROWESS:

they had to cycle through dark tunnels…

across bridges…

and survive treacherous uphills…

to enjoy the gorgeous views at the gorge:

and reach their highest point at Sibao!

Obviously as SMU students, we had to take the mandatory jump shot, completing ths SMU legacy of jumping anywhere and everywhere.

 12^th May: FROM HUALIEN TO LUODONG

The initial plan was to cycle from Hualien to Luodong but the route was too dangerous (if we cycle and fall, we might literally fall off the cliff into the sea) so we opted for the train and the safety car! Pictures of the treacherous road from the safety of our safety car:

Nonetheless, our adventurous trio on the safety car (Kelvin, Ben and Jon) decided to try the killer chilli ice cream available at a rest stop along the way. They literally ate ice cream until they perspired. Caution: being a singaporean doesn’t prepare you for all the spicy food in the world.

And our accomodation (the best everrrrr) it was kind of like a farmstay with a river behind our huts and the owners reared dogs and rabbits which were roaming about and the best part… FLYING SQUIRRELS!

since we did not ride, we had a lot of time to kill so while some of us were playing wii in the huts, others went fishing!

Apparently these fishing uncles are not bad we had a really good night’s rest at the the most accomodation to prepare us for the last ride of the trip and the highest ascend. Boomz SMUX Biking!

13^th May: FROM LUODONG BACK TO TAIPEI

The last day of riding and the impending end of the trip We have been thoroughly warned by the recce team about the difficulty of the ride that would require us to ascend 9x mount faber (and into the clouds) back to Taipei. Pictures of our still happy and ultra zai riders:

The ascend was so tedious that even veteran riders like Darren displayed signs of fatigue:

We also ran into fellow riders from the Giant bike tour along the way. Showing courtesy for their fellow riders (aka us), they actually blasted and danced to songs such as Shakira’s Waka Waka and cheered us on the way up! In comparison, our own safety car blasted classical music as encouragement.

Our 3t news network (hosted by Darren and Jins) was also in the limelight.

And when fellow riders get together, we all take a happy picture together! They also shared tips with us: ??????????????????(Loosely translated into: DO NOT RIDE DOWNHILL TOO FAST BECAUSE IT IS DANGEROUS)

So we (tried to) go downhill slowly…

And before we knew it, we were already back in Taipei!

We arrived back at Taipei’s Chocolate Box Hostel where it all began. We got a lot darker, our bikes got a lot dirtier, some of us came back with scars while most of us just came back with really ugly tanlines. But the best part is that we came back together with tons of memories to last us for a really really long time… or at least, until our next ride. Tour de Taiwan 2011… Success

Tour de Taiwan 2011

Reflections

Jonathan Chng

My cycling expedition to Taiwan was simply world-class adventure. ?Fourteen bikes, eleven days, ten cities, eight boys and six girls, more than 1000km; one complete round around Taiwan. What can I say? This was an episode of a lifetime.

 Reflecting upon the trip, I have truly picked up many important lessons. I have grown as a cyclist; Taiwan galvanizing my love for the sport. I have grown as an adventurer; Taiwan conditioning me to traverse an entire island without an engine. I have grown as a person; Taiwan building my endurance and tenacity in the face of physical hardship.

A Steep Learning Curve

I began my journey with almost no experience. I had previously only cycled on cycling paths, and most of these were the flat roads of East Coast Park. At this point, I was unfamiliar with many elements of cycling, such as varying conditions (ascents and descents), techniques, and hand signals. Coupled with low street confidence, I could never imagine the possibility of taking on the formidable feat routing Taiwan on bike. However, I felt that this was too epic a journey to forfeit, and I took on the challenge.

Thankfully, the team was accommodating and encouraging, guiding patiently wherever they could. Looking back, I am very happy that I managed to complete the round trip around Taiwan. It would not have been possible without the constant support of all the members of the team.

Taiwan: Awesome Cycling Destination

My impression of Taiwan prior to the trip was limited to what I had encountered on the only other time I had travelled to Taiwan. During that trip, I had only visited Taipei, and I associated all the landscape with city-life, heavy traffic, and moderately high buildings. What a big misconception I had about the island!

The thing that struck me most about the island, therefore, was its diverse range of landscapes. On the West, the hustle and bustle was indeed captivating; the roads lining with sign boards and filled with cars. Yet on the East, the scenery was the stunner. I remember the coastline towards Taitung bisected by high mountains and interspersed with rift valleys, and rushing rivers that spill into the surrounding emerald ocean. It was a sight to behold! The Taiwan government advertises that Taiwan will touch your heart, and I have to concede that the slogan is the simple truth.

Another key memory is the weather of Taiwan. In the north, the air was dry, and the temperatures were lower. As we headed south, the weather became hotter and more humid. Both extremes were comfortable. Through the trip, we were blessed with very good weather. Mild rain was the worst we were hit with. When we were at Taitung, we received word that a typhoon was expected at Hualien the day we were expecting to arrive. Thankfully, the typhoon altered its course, and we were acquainted at Hualien with only light rain.

Epic Journey on the Bicycle

Let me continue with a narration of the average day of the extraordinary eleven days that we circled the island.  Each day would begin early, and breakfast was usually rushed. Most of the accommodation venues provided us with a simple meal, although on occasions we would go out to hunt for food before setting off. Simultaneously, we would load our baggage onto the vehicle and prime our bikes and our bodies for the day. I remember the hilarious sight of the “snowmen on bikes” every morning, as we smacked on lumps of sunblock on our faces to protect ourselves from the roasting sunrays of the day.

 And then we would be off. Cycling is pretty much an individual sport, but there is a social element while traversing long stretches of roads. Some of us would chat alongside someone else, which helps to make boring routes much livelier. Others would practise balancing on the bike, in order to pose for the camera. Where possible, we would race one another, usually downhill, to set personal records for fastest instantaneous speeds. For me, I really enjoyed just soaking in the landscapes, and imagining what it would be like to live as a local. I clearly remember the smells of the countryside, the beauty of the vast areas of vegetation, and the simplicity of life as a villager.

Of course, the cycling experience is not complete without a description of the indispensible 7-11. Convenience is truly a way of life in Taiwan: nearly every city hosts one of the island’s thousands of 7-11s. Every 25km we would search out the nearest one to take a break. This was where we loaded up on snacks, sweets, and drinks, such as coffee, juices and supao! We even decided to have our lunches at 7-11, tasting (in turn) the huge variety of instant food available. Of course, 7-11 came with all kinds of other services, even pumping tires for free!

To me, the greatest challenge came in the form of ascending mountains. This was a daunting feat, because it involved pushing my physical and mental limits. My mind would be fixated on arriving at the peak, and I had to constantly encourage myself that I would be there soon. It was massive amounts of sweat and blood, but the rewards were fantastic. The feeling of reaching the top was simply exhilarating. Even more thrilling was the journey downhill. In fact, it is the downhill that characterizes biking as an extremist sport – speeding alongside fleeting cars, negotiating sharp bends, avoiding the deep trenches by the side of the road. Dangerous, but electrifying!

Truly, cycling is THE mode of transport to explore Taiwan. Given the chance, I would definitely do it again.

Powered by Street Food

Every city that we went, there was a night market waiting for us. The night market pretty much defined our memory of each city, because the time we spent exploring the night market was synonymous to the time we spent exploring the city. Indeed, I conclude that Taiwan’s unifying passion must be its superb food culture, having tried all the wonderful xiao chi carried by the stalls in the night market.

 Prior to the trip, I held the conception that all night markets were the same, having similar layouts and selling the same food. But alas I was wrong! Many items had overlaps, such as the fried mushrooms, guava and strawberry, and certain kinds of buns. Yet each night market had its own unique foods as well! In Kaohshiung, famous for its seafood, I got to try oysters and fried baby crabs! Of course, none of us can forget the yu xiang nai cha from Hualien, which we consumed in huge quantities when we were there.

Taiwan is simply a food paradise. 

The Driving Experience

I was the driver of the safety vehicle on two legs of the trip. The driving party also doubled up as photographers and navigators for that leg of the trip. Both my driving duties were very different, perhaps because of differing natures of the cities that we were at. The first one was from the bustling and congested cities of Taipei to Hsin-Chu, while the second was from scenic Yuli to Hualien.

The first time I drove the vehicle was the first leg of the trip. This was terrifying, because I was very unfamiliar with the vehicle. We had loaned a 9-seater Volkswagen Transporter, larger than anything that I had driven before. Furthermore, I had to get used to the left-hand drive vehicle, and remember that the road signs and directions were opposite. Surprisingly, the LHD was not difficult to get used to, save for the signaling. Thankfully, an activated rain-wiper in place of a left-turn signal did not stand out so much on a drizzly day.

Perfect Pit Stops

Of course, all work no play makes Jack a dull boy. We had certain days dedicated to recharging our weary bodies, although many would argue that the cycling itself presents the best form of relaxation!

We stopped for R&R at Kending. On the night we arrived, we wasted no time in hurrying to the beach. We bought a big box of fireworks, and let them out in splendid patterns over the moonlit sky. The next day, most of us rented motorbikes from a local shop to tour the city. We made our way to the beach because we could not get enough of the sun, despite having already spent 5 days baking under it! We had a late lunch at a steakhouse, before proceeding to the southernmost point of Taiwan. We took in the magnificent view of the setting sun, while snapping away at the silhouettes of various poses we could think of. To end of the fun-filled day, we went to chu huo, a natural site where gas from the ground fuels a burning fire. We had a most enjoyable time cooking popcorn, although the experience in itself was much better than the taste of our product.

]]> http://smuxtremists.net/2011/07/08/tour-de-taiwan-2011-by-jonathan-chng/feed/ 0 http://smuxtremists.net/2011/03/02/hot-wheels/ http://smuxtremists.net/2011/03/02/hot-wheels/#comments Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:03:09 +0000 SMUX http://smuxtremists.net/?p=1818 Started out at ECP with a breakfast at Burger King’s and off we go biking towards Woodlands checkpoint to enter Johor Bahru!! For majority this was the first time they were biking across the causeway (via motorcycle lane)

And towards the 1^st highlight of the day – Awesome and cheap seafood lunch at Taman Sentosa!!

(10 WHOLE crayfish for table of 10!!)

Look at Darren’s face!! (Black shirt, top right) Ready to tackle!

After slacking around and ‘networking’ at the lunch point we headed towards Permas Go-Kart and met with an off-road trail (a mini highlight) that added more excitement to the long ride on even, not-so-flat roads!!

Everyone managed to reach Permas Go Kart safe and sound… with a little help from our safety car… for our 2^nd main highlight: GO-KART!

Go Kart + Noisy Engines + F1 Style crashes (sorry no photo for the crashes)

And we ended the day with a long ride back home to Kranji for dismissal and on the way we passed by a spectacular sight not to be missed making it our final highlight of the day!! The 999999km long traffic jam from the causeway to some part of Malaysia at 7pm. Truly a man-made masterpiece.

~THE END~

AND SINCE WE FEATURED A DAMN CHIO EVELYN LOW AS THE ENDING PIC… IT’S A GUY THIS TIME

Wait till this dude from Year 1 becomes a Year 4. Then compare the difference. Heh.