Hulu Langat, City escape. Morning ride

A good ride just out of KL...not as good as some say, but a nice quick fix all the same!

It makes for a good morning ride when you don't have the time or inclination to go too far. You can get to it by following Jalan Ampang out of KL. That in itself is pretty easy to do! Come to the end of Jln Ampang, make a right at the last traffic light and head for Hulu Langat.

Once off Jln Ampang, you'll be surprised how quickly the scene changes from cityscape, over a hill, through a Kampong and you wouldn't know you're anywhere near Kuala Lumpur. The road also changes after the first village and you'll be greeted with a nice twisty bit of tar that is nice and wide. Done a cog or two, and on the gas - you'd think this road is going to lead to something major or wind on for miles like all good Malaysian roads, but it's rather short-lived!

The road winds up a hill that has a rather good view of The City. The Hulu Langat Road runs along the ridge that forms the eastern section of the Klang Valley that contains Kuala Lumpur. Unfortunately the day I took my camera along, it was hazy thanks to the Southwest Monsoon that streams the remains of Sumatra's forest fires into Klang Valley.

From this ridge, you've got a great view of the mass of KL. Naturally the Twin Towers are easily identifiable. Continue on the road and you'll make your way past a huge lake that stores lots of water for KL. This is a nice section of tar as well with some really fast flowing corners.

Basically the Hulu Langat area is pretty small, so you can ride most of the roads there in a couple of hours and end up in a small kopi shop for a break. It's quite normal to see a few superbikes there on any given weekend. From the lakeside road, if you make a right turn, you'll be in for the Hulu Langat treat! It's a really twisty bit that leads over from the lake to a small village. It's mainly 1st and 2nd gear stuff and wringing the motor out. The 'Cups' (125cc's) will probably get through this section faster than you will, due to their lightweight nimbleness. This section is short enough to do it a few times within an hour, then find a coffee shop.

It's worth doing and exploring simply because it's so close to KL. If you follow the signs, you'll end up at the Hulu Langat waterfalls and there are some really nice weekend homes in this area. The contrast between city and country is pretty stark and you just won't know that over the ridge lies a huge colourful city.

A good city escape - gotta be done!

Ultimate Console Inflatable

The Walker Bay name is a familiar one from way back when they first introduced 'plastic' boats to the world. This Walker Bay Genesis has just arrived and I can tell you it's the smartest RIB to hit the market since RIBS were invented! I must admit, I have never been a fan of 'plastic' boats but after having received this, I'm convinced it's the way forward!

There's so many innovative ideas that as you assemble it, you sort of wonder why no one ever did it before. Starting with the packaging, the box is so flat, relative to all others, that you wonder how it could possibly fit. Putting it together is a one-person job...and you don't need special tools of any kind.

The secret to the 'flat' packet is of course the folding transom. Yes, the transom has a hinge in it so the whole thing folds really flat. As you pump the air into it, the transom just moves into the upright position... cunning indeed. The Console and Bench seat come in another box. Each component box can be handled easily by one person.

The console, bench seat and the hull itself are all 'plastic'. Initially you might baulk at the thought of this, but the quality, fit and finish honestly make their fiberglass cousins look well... rather outdated! For starters, there's storage compartments everywhere - canned-drink holders are molded in and due to the moulding process, there are no rough edges anywhere! Neat things like the battery compartment hidden under a hinging steering wheel console is a nice feature often lacking on other small RIBS. In fact it took me a while to find the steering wheel as it was hidden in this very compartment!

But the really nice bit about the components is the way they fit into the hull. With the hull inflated, it was easy to pick up each component block single-handedly and place it in place. It secures by the smartest arrangement I've seen... 2 ratcheting straps on each side of the component loop through hoops built into the hull. Then click the ratchet and you're done. Two screws keep it fixed to the floor and that's it!

It gives the Gensis tremendous versatility. For those who prefer a tiller steered boat, don't order the console and you'll get a neat bench seat instead that secures in exactly the same way! Kool. The whole process from box to assembled boat was about 40 minutes, but I think I could do it in 20 now!

Before the boat arrived, I read the literature but it was only when the boat arrived that it dawned on me what a breakthrough in forward thinking it REALLY is. The hull is 'plastic' which means they can be produced by the hundreds every day - no fibreglass boat will ever be able to match that! 

The other hidden benefit is that 'plastic' is very good at absorbing impact, i.e. smack it with a hammer and it has no ill-effect on the hull. But more importantly, this characteristic also carries over when you're on the water. Wave impacts will be absorbed by the material and not transmitted to the occupants - a better ride in a small boat is a big bonus.

If you look at the round tube ends, they're different to the 'normal' cones. Now, the cones are there for a reason and that is to prevent bow lift when you open the throttle. I pondered this for a minute and then had a good look at the hull near the transom. There's a couple of molded-in trim tabs that will do a better job of controlling the bow - smart. The keel also features a v-pad that allows moving water to flow higher up the leg of the motor and stops cavitation in tight turns - smart! 

But I leave the best feature of the hull to the last... Wheels! Molded within the trim tab pad are wheelies - seriously, and these make it a one-handed job to move the thing around! Also molded in the hull is an extra rubbing piece so that when you put it down, it rests on the wheels and this bit - NICE! Oh yeah, the other benefit of plastic technology, lightweight as in this case, is that it's compounded resin and not just 'plastic'.

It's also smarter on the inside. Apart from the luxurious molded components, the nose is much wider. I compared this back-to-back with another fiberglass RIB of the same length and the space in the bow was a good 18 inches more! This means a bow-rider seat in the Genesis is a practical reality! There's a proper seat and a proper cushion to match the rest of the boat and naturally, a decent storage compartment under!

If you look at the details, you can see just how much thought has gone into this. The oar-locks are the most stylish to be seen on any boat. Engaging the oar is a simple push-button arrangement, but what I really like about it is that when it's not being used, it sits flush, like its aerodynamic style!

Walker Bay has invested millions in the molding machines. Unlike fiberglass boats, these will have exactly the same tolerance time after time. Of course, the benefit of this huge investment is... A BOAT EVERY THREE MINUTES! But in my mind, the major benefit is that it's 100% recyclable - an Eco-friendly boat. Now that's a lot better!

All of this forward thinking can be attributed to one Paulo Rista. If you Google that name, you'll see he's one smart chap, with lots of ocean racing experience to his credit!

Have a look here or better yet, check out the Genesis that I've got here...

Eco-Friendly

Ultimate Inflatable Kayak

I've waited ages for this to come along! An inflatable Kayak that doesn't fold up around your ear when you hit the waves with it! I subscribe to the inflatable kayak because it's easy to store and cart around. Years ago, I inherited a Sevylor and that was the best there was. The Airis is way different from anything before.

I spotted this while at the Miami Boat Show and what caught my attention was that it was almost as hard as a rigid boat. To inflate a 'normal' inflatable to this level would end in disaster. What Walker Bay has done is to create a whole new skin technology. It's hard to explain but when you look in the Air-Web window, you'll see millions of fibres linking the deck skin to the hull skin. The fibres look to be aramid in nature, i.e. lightweight and super-strong.

The Air-Web allows load to be dispersed across a wider area... sort of like the trellis frame does on the Ducati. It's light and stiff, and allows the Airis to carry 4 x the inflation pressure of the average inflatable.

It comes complete with double action pump, fits in its own backpack, weighs about 8 kgs and will go anywhere and do anything.

So how does it go?

We tried it in flatwater on a lake 20 minutes north of KL and it glides effortlessly across still water. It tracks true and straight, mainly thanks to the tandem twin fin arrangement on the back. But it does behave more like a rigid boat than a blow-up!

Then I put it in the back seat of the Ford and drove it to Kuantan. Kuantan, at this time of the year, is relatively flat water but come September, well, the surf starts rolling in. On the day in question, there was a small beach break...small being the operative word. 7 minutes with the pump and it was ready to go.

The Airis was real easy to get on to the small surf and, as the photos show, besides being fun, will support the weight of a man standing in the middle of it. If I tried that on my other kayak, it would simply fold in the middle and go nowhere!

Having it backpack-able is great for me as it does mean that conceivably, it will fit on the back seat of the Ducati - although it would look real weird! Malaysia has got some great rivers that are just begging to be explored. I came across a couple of old Aussie diggers that had re-opened a gold mine in Kuala Lipis (geographic centre of Malaysia) and they had built a raft to go down the river there for weekend entertainment.

There's also the huge river at Pekan, the old Royal Capital. I was riding the Duc' through Pekan on one of my many sorties up the East Coast. Two things struck me - 1) it was far cleaner than the average Malaysian small town and 2) it has the Watercraft Museum there and that's a real treat as it has virtually the complete history of Malaysian watercraft dating back 1,500 years. The Pekan River is just begging for an 'exploratory' trip, but for that, we'll need to have a few RIBs on hand as it's probably a week-long venture!

Simply put, now that we've had a try of the Airis, we're off in search of some more action. There's 4 kayaks in the range - 2 'Play' and 2 'Sports' models. The Play models are shorter and designed for mucking about in waves or otherwise. The Sports are longer and have more carry capacity, including 2 racks with a bungee net arrangement and a bag like whitewater rafting bags built right into the back section of the hull.

A lot of thought has gone into the making of this kayak. It's light, robust, packs up small and, price-wise, is a bargain, considering the quality. It costs US$ 850 - 1,000, depending on the model.

The next adventure is to hit some decent waves with it, but I'm thinking of wake surfing with it, i.e. endless wave..!

Cat Sailing, Singapore

If you have to be in Singapore, THE best time is during the Northeast Monsoon which blows from late December - March. During this period, the East Coast of Malaysia becomes too 'rough' for boating and all the resorts on that coast shut down.

But if you're into thrills and spills, head to Changi Sailing Club (CSC) on Singapore's NE tip. You'll be treated to the full onslaught of the Monsoon winds. Plus it's a bit of Singapore that time forgot i.e. it's still virtually untouched, unspoilt. The Club has the most rustic of chalets in the Island Republic and its most noteworthy item is the catamaran fleet which now has the most numerous and high-tech fleet of Formula 16 catamarans in the cat-sailing world!

Just 6 months ago an brand-new 'weapon of choice' came off the design board of Greg Goodall. Based on some 40 years of experience in the cat racing league, the Viper has caught the imagination of the world! Only trouble with it - it's slow to produce as it's a time-consuming labour of love!

The Viper is a wind machine. We recorded 15.5 knots of boat speed in just 8 - 10 knots of wind in pre-monsoon trials! There are now 6 Vipers in Changi Sailing Club which complements the fleet of some 25 F16's. F16's are the fastest 5 metre cats on the planet although there are a few different designs, all racing in the same class. The modern F16 cat turns just a little wind into a lot of speed. It's a high-tech piece of machinery but is not an unmanageable beast! On the contrary, it's been so finely tuned that all it takes is two fingers on the helm to control it, even in a stiff breeze!

Changi Sailing Club has a great location and a great social calendar to go with it. If you're a competitive sailor and like action, head for CSC and check it out. Besides, the drive down the highway can be an enjoyable one!

Frasers Hill. 2 Day Ride

This makes for a great ride and a good stay. I shy away from Cameron Highlands these days simply because after they improved the road into the Camerons, well, all the crowds go there. It's still a nice place to visit but too many folks, especially on weekends. It was better when the old "hazardous" road was still in operation as it kept a lot of people away.

Frasers, on the other hand, well, if you go up via the normal western approach, you're still confronted with the one-laner for the top ascent. Here traffic flows up/down on alternate hours. This section has countless hairpins but on a superbike, it'll just be too tight. It's still a worthy ride and one thing for sure...there won't be any oncoming traffic!

The first bike I rode into Frasers was my ZX1100 Kawasaki - as you might say wrong tool for the job. The Kawasaki liked the NS Ekspressway but not really the tight twisties of Frasers. The next bike I road into the Highlands was my Suzuki TL1000s. It's thumping Vee-Twin filled each valley with thunder - nice! When I got the Ducati, my friends said it would never run long enough to enjoy - eat dirt, it's done 50,000 miles on Malaysian, Singaporean & Thai roads and never missed a beat. The Ducati might not be as quick on the highway as some of the Japanese machines, but it sure is more accurate on the brakes and that's what counts on the testing back roads! Without the standard issue Brembo brakes, am sure I wouldn't be here today to waffle on!!

On the lower reaches, it's a narrow two-laner, complete with oncoming cars and trucks! The last time I was mid-corner only to be confronted by a huge semi-trailer with a trailer far too big for the road, so take it easy on this bit. It's a nice road that winds up about a 1000m so it gets nice & cool.

The main thoroughfare has big sweeping curves following an undulating path around a huge lake. It makes for a great getaway from city life. Frasers was a British retreat and still has the charm of an English Village, not that I would know what one of those are like but I guess it's something like Frasers!

It's a good idea to go up on the western side and then come down via the back road - out to the southeast. This side is more prone to landslides than the drier west side. I counted 5 on my last road trip, but that makes it so much more exciting. Anyway, they're just small landslides!! Again this is a 2-lane road with tight 1st and 2nd gear corners for most of the descent and you'll feel it warming rather too soon. Once on the lowlands again, there's a few paths you can take so you'll need to look at a map or just follow the GPS. Either way will take you through some small towns and then dump you back on the Karak Highway.

While you can hop on the Karak, I prefer the road which parallels the Karak. This is the old road hidden in the jungle at points about 200m higher than the Highway. There's a big 'H" shaped intersection right where the Highlands intersection MacDonalds is. If you stay on the southern side of the Rest Area, you'll find the old road. It does eventually lead back into KL and makes for a good blast i.e. out of KL...onto the Karak...get to the Rest Stop...peel off and head south on the old road. This route will give you a mix of every type of road, speed and corner as well as some cool weather! The old road gets a few rogue trucks so keep an eye out for them!

Frasers itself is a peaceful place that is so nutrient-rich that every conceivable colour of flower has made its home there. Choice place has to be Ye Old Smokehouse. It's a charming old homestead that the Red Cross used as a retreat for ex-servicemen. Today, it's a great place to stay charmed by the old setting and even has a fireplace.

Frasers comprises just a few roads pretty much in a ring fashion. So you really can't get too lost (well, not for long) unless you wander off into the rainforest that is thick and lush! What's there to do? Soak up the atmosphere, enjoy the peace and absorb all that nature has on display. I did chance upon some professional bird watchers, but for the love of me, I can't figure that 'sport' out! !

Street ART, KL

It's hard to find good street art in Southeast Asia..but this is a good start!

Take a mountain bike, if you dare, and ride around Central Market KL and you'll come across this stuff. I'm sure there's more around and I'm likely to find it at some stage.

There's a few boutique galleries around the area so it makes quite a good tour and, if you do it on a long weekend, well, most of the KL traffic will be gone!

Lost World of Tambun, Ipoh. 2/3 Day Ride

Another good find on the roads around Ipoh! Make it a 3 Day Ride so that you can take in Ipoh Town, Clearwater Sanctuary and Kellies Castle plus, you just might want to jump in the hot springs at The Lost World after a long ride!

Tambun, or rather, the Lost World, is quite a place! It's nestled amongst some really nice limestone cliffs 20 minutes north of Ipoh Town and easy enough to find as it has become a Sunway development. The Needle of Ipoh is located here. The Needle is a really sharp rocky outcrop that is located within the confiines of the LOST WORLD. It's a challenging and popular rock climbing venue.

The Lost World is a theme park that features a nice natural hot spring pool. There are two other redeming features here:

One - the limestone valley and

Two - the tigers!

The real lost world however is just outside the gates of the theme park. Sunway has built some really nice residences here and surprise, surprise, foreigners have bought all the properties with the best views of the limestone cliffs! It's a beautiful setting and, as a holiday home, it will be hard to beat - there's just something so majestic about cliffs in your back yard! It's a sight that few places can boast (although I have found another one very close to KL, but more about that later in another post).

Malaysian property developers, especially the reputable ones, have progressed in their work when compared to the developments of a few years ago. Sure, there are still the shoddy guys but there is a good movement towards better quality. The choice properties of the Lost World are going to be the 7 homes on the upper ridges of the valley - whoever buys those is going to be buying a real treat, overlooking a multi-million year old valley.

Across the road from the bungalow development is a small valley that narrows to a pond. Lying on the water surface of the pond is a floating rope. The rope leads to a cave entrance that can't be seen until you're at the entrance itself. This leads to 6 mile tunnel. During the Communist incursion, the rebels used the cave as a hiding base but the tin miners also knew about the cave and their handiwork can be seen clearly in the cave.

Tigers - one of the good things Sunway has done is to create a natural enclosure using the limestone valleys and a moat. Of all the animal enclosures in Malaysia, this is the best one. The handler is also passionate about his charges and it's really good to see the big cats respond to him.

I had no idea what to expect when I first heard about the Lost World but have to say that I'd like a bungalow lot there overlooking the cliffs. It's worth the ride or drive, especially via the old highway.

Kellie's CASTLE. 2 Day Ride

Depending where you depart from - Singapore, make it a 3 Dat Ride minimum, KL well up and back with an overnight will be just nice! This was an amazing find while digging around the backroads surrounding Ipoh... You'll see why Ipoh has become my favourite Malaysian town!

Take one Scottish Castle and mix it with inspiration from the Taj Mahal and plonk it on a hill south of Ipoh... It's an interesting beginning. Over 100 years ago a young Scotsman found his way into Malaysia and by way of hard work and good luck became a member of the rubber plantation elite. He built a beautiful homestead which was a bit ravaged and occupied by the Japanese in WWII.

Inspired by a trip to India, he returned full of good ideas, one being to build his own 'Taj' for his wife. Construction of Kellie's castle was well underway when he succumbed to disease while back in Europe so he never had his dream completed... It's an incredible shame!

Today the Castle still sits proud on a poromotory overlooking his estate. For the princely sum of RM4 you can venture into and all over the Castle. To do so is a real treat and to think that it was one man's dream. Indian labourers toiled away to build the castle and I would imagine many artisans were imported just to get the job done.

There's a structure that would have been Malaysia's first lift had it been completed, although I would not have liked to be the man who had to hand crank the lift up and down! The castle is a true castle with escape tunnels and alleyways everywhere.

From the roof, you can survey the estate and thankfully they haven't installed guard rails as that would surely spoil the architecture. In fact, there are only a few restricted areas in the whole building. Perhaps it is the fact that Kellie's spirit is still seen gliding down these harrowed hallways that keeps it safe!

Architecturally, when you have a closer look, you'll notice an eclectic mix of Scot and Indian design that seems to work well perched on a hill near Ipoh!

For more than 10 years I've past the Kellie's Castle sign on the highway but never ventured in as I had always thought it would just be some guy's KTV Pub! But one day recently while passing through and with a bit of time on my side, I ventured in and what I found absolutely amazed me. I'll go back for sure and catalogue Kellie's dream.

To find Kellie's Castle you need to be on the old KL - Ipoh highway, not the North-South Ekspressway! It's about 20 minutes south. You'll pick up a signboard and just follow the trail! When I can, I hop off the NS Ekspressway and choose to use the old backroads as it's far more interesting and see, you'll find stuff like this.

What has become real handy is my new Altina GPS - why, it even has Kellie's Castle preloaded! I bought the GPS for RM 1400 and it's become a real handy tool. At first I was a bit skeptical that the roads wouldn't be accurate - WRONG! It's really good and, with it, I've discovered even more great paths through Malaysia.

Kellie's Castle is worth the visit and you can stay in Clearwater which incidentally is only 15 minutes by road from Kellie's. Plus, you can savour some good Ipoh food while you're there...more coming.

Clearwater Sanctuary, Ipoh. 2 Day Ride

This was a choice 'find' - stumbled over it while heading south out of Ipoh! It makes for a great overnight stop that's for sure. You'll appreciate the silence here just so that you can can listen to your ears ring after all the engine and wind noise!

Seemingly I do like my peace and quiet and this place has to be one of the best I have so far encountered. Drive in and you won't feel like leaving! It's about 20 minutes south of Ipoh on the old No. 1 highway to KL. Its well sign-posted so fairly easy to find. It is a little hike off the main road but persist as it's really worth it!

Clearwater makes use of three small lakes - all ex-tin mining pools. It's also the site where Anna and the King was filmed - and you thought it was filmed in Thailand! (well, some bits were) But on the Clearwater Lake, you'll see Anna's summer palace!

The Sanctuary is in reality a golf resort with a well-known golf course strung out between the lakes. I've already inquired, but no boats are allowed on the lakes as they fear pollution, which is fair enough. A stroll around Clearwater will give you an idea how fresh the air is.

There are villas right on the water's edge and you can even fish from your balcony. I've seen some of the catches there and a 5 or 6 kg fish is not out of the question! Instead of molesting the inhabitants of the lake, I can just see myself motoring out into the middle of the lake in total silence and reading a book!

There are still some old dredging machines lying around and they are really massive iron structures that now make impressive art pieces! I'm surprised they haven't been knocked-off and melted down in the scrap yards! Mind you, it would take quite a piece of machinery just to pick up a small piece!!

The Villas at Clearwater follow a Bali theme, but thankfully they've been rendered in a way which blends in nicely with the local surrounds. I've seen other places in Malaysia where Bali Villas have been transplanted lock, stock and barrel and to me, that's an odd thing to do! In this case, the terrace style with the balconies overhanging the lake is clean, tidy and tranquil - perfect!

I've always liked Ipoh town. I know the whole of Malaysia raves about the food in Ipoh and I have to say...it is good, but you do have to know where to go and don't go late or it'll be all gone. Yes, I have friends who drive to Ipoh (3 hours) with the excuse of playing golf but we know it's just cover for eating!

I'm due to take my electric punt to Clearwater and introduce them to the modern delights of silent, clean electric power...going to need a long extension cord - kidding! The little aluminium punt has a MotorGuide car-battery driven motor. It's an uncanny feeling to move effortlessly along and have no noise. More on that next month!

Kuantan Inflatable CLUB

With so many good places to go boating in Malaysia, I'm going to base a lot of activity on the east coast, beginning with Kuantan, mainly because it has good access to KL. It's also because there's a lot to see and do there, especially in the water.

To get the program rolling, the first Inflatable is already at 'Leo Village', Duta Village Resort, right next to the Swiss Garden Kuantan. I've got 2 bigger trailerable boats moving into Kuantan but these will be kept in the confines of LBC, Kuantan's only boatel. For the action set and beach-launched brigade, well, we've got an activity base on the beach.

Leo Village Watersports makes for a great venue for all beach-launched boats!

An Inflatable boat is such a handy thing - keep it in the boot of your car and just take it to wherever you want to go. The Rhino Rider is a QuickSilver product and quite a handy piece of kit. Leo purchased the boat as an assistance to his kiteboarding school. By the end of the month we'll have another 2 QuickSilvers on the beach there and then we're really ready to explore the bay and beaches around Kuantan.

Once we've done that and made sure everyone is pretty adept at having fun, we'll move the Inflatables by road up to Marang and then head to Gem Island for a weekend rendezvous. Have a look at their website and you'll see what the fuss is about!

I've got the 'dream' of booking the island for a huge weekend of boating in June. Larger trailerable boats can easily make the Kuantan - Gem Island trip while the smaller beach-launched boats will easily make the 5nm from Marang to Gem.

The Rhino Rider has been pottering around the beaches near Cherating fishing, snorkeling and even pulling a small boarder - not bad for a 15hp motor. The boat is kept under Leo's careful guard at his beach hut and will soon be joined by a few more.

It seems like we are just managing to get the Inflatable 'Club" inflated slowly but surely. If there are any other souls who'd like to take part, please let me know.

Kuantan River Adventure

Kuantan has long been the home of Club Med in Malaysia. Well, Cherating really, but since that's only about 20 minutes north of Kuantan Town, it'll do. Cherating has a really nice beach hence why the Club has been there for the last 20 years or so.

Kuantan lies directly east of Kuala Lumpur and it's a nice 3 hour drive via the Karak Highway. I've made the trip numerous times on the Ducati and the first 60km out of KL is a biker's dream - fast sweeping, undulating strips of wide bitumen. Okay, so on the Ducati it doesn't take 3 hours but who's counting!

The Karak Highway has been cut through a pass over the southern end of the Cameron Highlands. It's a pretty amazing highway with 3-lane switchbacks and mountain passes. Right at the turn off to the Camerons has to be the best MacDonalds Restaurant in all of Southeast Asia - and it's not for the food, just the setting.

It does require some caution especially in the wet as some of the corners are a bit off-camber and always seems to catch a car out. Every time I've made the road in the wet there is always a car parked in a ditch at the top of the pass!

Once you hit the flatlands the road straightens up and it will lead you straight into Kuantan town. I've 'found' a little boatel that is nicely located upstream where there is no boat traffic. The Kuantan River is a treat for natural life. In a 40 minute period on my last trip there, I counted no less than 7 sea eagles soaring over the river. The time before that, I spotted prawns as big as my forearm! So the River is alive and well. 

Heading upstream from LBC (boatel), you'll come to a dam in about 30 minutes at a good pace. Although relatively short, the trip is a treat as it winds its way through the countryside. There's even an Orang Asli village a wee way up. But it's the natural splendour, the peace and tranquility that I love!

If you head downstream from LBC, you'll pass under 2 bridges - a small one near the Boatel and a big one on the edge of town. The trip from LBC out into the South China Sea takes about 20 minutes and is easy as there are really no hidden dangers. The nice aspect of Kuantan City is that it is based around the River so you get a good view of the city.

Once out in the South China Sea, your range is the limit. Head north and you'll come across all the nice beaches in the Cherating area. Leo Watersports is on Balok Beach and, just north of that, you'll find the Kuantan Port. There are countless fish here. Just offshore are 2 reefs and a couple of wrecks so diving/fishing is good but you will need local knowledge onboard. More clearly visible are the small islands close to shore.

With a decent boat, it is possible to go from Kuantan up to Gem and Kapas Islands. These are well...real Gems! Gem Island has a nice little resort and really good snorkeling. An anchorage is possible between the two islands. An easy fetch is from Gem Island directly inshore to Marang. In all my rides up and down the East Coast, I've found Marang to have the best beaches. Marang to Gem Island is only 5nm so any boat can make that!

Living in KL and being a boating enthusiast, I can tell you I'd prefer to drive the 3 hours to Kuantan and have plenty of boating activity than to drive 1 hour to Port Dickson where I'll be bored out of my brain. You see, Kuantan does have some nice restaurants, you can buy a cold beer and there is a personable boatel that can take care of a boat. But better than that, you can get out fish/dive/explore plus the water is clean with good visibility!

WAKE boarding, Puchong, KL

With KL being somewhat inland, finding locations for water sports pursuits is a bit of a challenge. I came across this one via word-of-mouth (typical) and just proves it's not what you know, just who you know. I love wakeboarding and although I'm not great at it, I do like hitting the water... in more ways than one!

Taman Tasik Prima in Puchong is a dis-used old tin mine, as are most of the 'puddles' around KL. Aaron Chin has 2 Ski Nautiques and a great beach set-up. Once you've found his hideaway, you're in for bit of a treat. It's a sort of Bali set-up with good wooden furniture and, most importantly, a beach bar!

The old tin mines that lie scattered around KL are not small affairs. In this case, it's about 20m deep. The water's clean and fresh so it's a welcome treat hoping out of the water and not being all sticky. The other good bit about boardin' on lakes is that the water's just about always as smooth as butter! The Puchong Lake only gets "un-rideable" when a Sumatra is passing through. But as with most storms in this area, they don't last long and generally 45 minutes is all it takes for the storms to blow over.

Aaron's also got a trampoline in place so you can warm up on that before you hit the water. I used his set-up to try out my Liquid Force Watson pro '08...what a board! While it's well beyond my capabilities, what I really like about it is that it does everything with consumate ease. Aerials are easy, landings are soft unless you bungle it up and slides are infinitely controllable. Whatever changes they made between '07 and '08 really made a difference because I've ridden that board too. My only other board is the original Wake Tech Flite 69...which is still a really kool board to ride, in a retro sort of way. A few boards are available in KL and if you need to know where, drop me a note.

Riding at Aaron's joint, it's really neat to be able to cut out and make it through the reeds that line some of the shores of the lake. Like most water sports venues in Malaysia, you'll have the whole lake to yourself. On the water there are only two boats - both Aaron's, so it's hardly going to be the traffic-jammed clutter that I've experienced in some locations in other parts of the world! Malaysia is a treat like that. Whether you board, bike or boat...you're going to have mother nature pretty much to yourself.

GETTING THERE: That's a good one and you're better off calling Aaron for directions (+6012 324 6677). Basically, it's about 25 minutes south from KL centre through an area called Puchong. Taman Tasik Prima is a pretty new development so it's not that well sign-posted and the lake is not really that visible until you trip over it. The Lake is in the midst of being surrounded by developments and there are some really nice places right next to Aaron's place.

It took me about an hour to find it the first time. Subsequently I locked in his location on my GPS and that was MUCH easier to find!

You can check out Aaron's website here

Kiteboarding in Kuantan

The Malaysian East Coast hides many 'secrets' and, by a twist of fate, I've come across a great stretch of beach and Leo Watersports Village. Tucked away nicely under some pine trees is Leo's Kiteboarding School. Chances are when you show up there, you'll have 20km of prime beach and water all to yourself!

Getting there is easy and can be entertaining...

The Karak Highway that leads from Kuala Lumpur to Kuantan is a great stretch of road. The first 60km of the Ekspresway are a fabulous set of interlinked corners. For my Ducati, it's just awesome! For my Ford Ranger, well, not quite as rewarding.

You can polish off KL - Kuantan in an easy 3hrs, less if you're on a superbike! Take the Karak Highway all the way to the end. Then follow the signs to Kuantan. When you come to a T-intersection, turn right and follow the signs to the Swiss Garden Resort.

Right next to the Swiss Garden is Duta Village Resort. Swiss Garden is very nice, but if you want a pleasant chalet on the beach, try Duta Village.

On the beach of Duta Village you'll find Leo Village Watersports. And you've found the Kuantan Kiteboarding School. Leo is well-known and there is a KL crowd which ventures there on weekends. During the NE Monsoon, kiteboarders are known to make the drive up from Singapore and it is worth the drive!