Categories
Tourism Malaysia

CYCLING IN THE CITY

Question – what do Kuala Lumpur and Amsterdam now have in common? Answer – MikeBikes.

Yes, following in the tracks of the cycling city of Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur now has a new attraction – a cycling tour of Kuala Lumpur’s heritage areas utilising the original Dutch bicycle, no less, in the famous “oranje” colour! Nothing short of exciting and thrilling, the MikeBikes Tour offers a unique insight into some of the city’s oldest and historic quarters, and the best way to go off the beaten track in an otherwise modern and cosmopolitan city!

Before we ‘cycle’ any further, let me tell you that the local council of the capital has recently introduced a dedicated blue lane especially for cyclists. The 11-kilometer long cycling-track along selected major roads in Kuala Lumpur will ensure safety for all road-users and is a thumbs up towards reducing one’s carbon footprint in the city. Cycling in the city is still a new concept in Kuala Lumpur, but it looks like we’re headed in the right direction!

To register for a MikeBikes Tour, it’s best to call ahead and book (better than walking in) the tour package of your choice. At the meeting point, you will be given the Oranje Bicycle and a security vest. Two experienced guides will be at your service throughout the cycling tour.

The meeting point is well-placed certainly. MikeBikes is located at the Malaysia Tourism Centre (MATIC) in Jalan Ampang, a stone’s throw away from KLCC. It is centrally-located and easily accessible to many places of interest in the capital.

With a group of enthusiasts, I managed to join the tour recently. MikeBikes offers two basic, highly experiential tours namely The Best of KL Classic and The KL Sunset Night Tour.

According to MikeBikes, the first tour takes you along some striking and iconic spots in the city — the Petronas Twin Towers, the fruit and vegetable market in Chow Kit and the Sin Sze Ya temple. This one starts at 8 am and ends at 12 pm.

The latter tour is about discovering the city while it is getting ready for the evening. The guys at MikeBikes painted this picture for us: The locals gather on squares and they set up their food stalls. You will be amazed at the colors and aromas of the city after sunset. Of course, the original Nasi Lemak should not be missed. The beautiful architectural buildings look different at nightfall. The KLCC Tower, Kampung Baru and the Sultan Abdul Samad Building are just a small selection of the places you will visit.

We wisely chose the evening tour (to escape the scorching sun) that would allow us to see the best of of both modern and traditional Kuala Lumpur, a kind of 2-in1 adventure. Plus, I thought it would be interesting to see the changes as the city transitioned from a bustling business centre to whatever goes on at night.

We were all geared up by 5 pm, ready and waiting eagerly at MATIC for a four-hour journey that would cover more than 14 kilometres.

We first cycled to a very special area – the untouched yet famous kampung or village in the city, Kampung Baru. Against the backdrop of KLCC, the only-surviving Malay village of wooden houses looked strangely juxtaposed against its modern surroundings. As we pedalled through back alleys and age-old heritage houses, I realised then that the village wasn’t at all backward but was a symbol of cultural identity that stood proudly against the encroaching modernisation. What makes Kampung Baru near and dear to many is its charm as a street-food institution with more than 200 stalls selling a gobsmacking array of food at affordable prices.

We later passed the Loke Mansion building and then made a brief stop in front of Masjid India at Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, an area famous for local shopping and a melting pot of cultures. From time to time we digested morsels of interesting information and facts about the city dished out by our experienced guides.

As the sun started to disappear beneath the skyline, we reached the Sultan Abdul Samad Building. It was quite something to admire the Moorish architecture of this iconic national building in the fading light. Special arrangements were made for us to have dinner at the historic Royal Selangor Club, once a British-only place of gathering where membership was reserved to only those in selected social circles…and here we were, quite tired, hungry and sticky, yet able to enjoy a once elitist view of the city. How ironic, yet delightful!

After dinner, we had a chance to view Masjid Jamek by night. As we were photographing this centennial place of worship sandwiched by colonial buildings, I briefly felt like I was stepping back in time to what was once the beginnings of a small riverine settlement that later turned into a modern city of wonder.

In no time, we were weaving our way through the heart of Petaling Street, where small-time vendors did thriving business. We cicyled past the Mahamariamman temple from which aromatic incense wafted and fragranced the air, and later passed by KL Forest Eco Park (formerly known as the Bukit Nanas Forest Reserve), the last remaining tropical rainforest in the city.

When I glimpsed KLCC later, I knew that our journey was about to end. Towards the end, I thought that any tourist would enjoy and be happy with this authentic experience of getting up close and personal with Kuala Lumpur through the MikeBikes’ tour programme. Driving by these same places in a car would only leave a fleeting impression, if one were any observant. But cycling through the alleyways, weaving through foot traffic, passing by age-oild buildings within touching distance, really put a sense of perspective in me. Though my legs were tired, I felt a sense of pride to witness how my Kuala Lumpur had progressed well in its beauty and harmony. What a ride!

AddressMikeBikes’ at Malaysia Tourism Centre (MaTIC), 109 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur
Web: www.mikebikes.my
Operation     Open daily. Closes 10 pm
Phone:          +6017-673 7322

Categories
Tourism Malaysia

ROUGHING IT OUT AT KENABOI FOREST RESERVE


Kenaboi Forest Reserve is located in the district of Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan, which is about 85 km from Kuala Lumpur. Standing at 1,462 meters, Gunung Besar Hantu, which is the highest peak in Negeri Sembilan, is situated in this forest reserve along with its highest waterfall, known as Lata Kijang (Deer Waterfall). In 2008, the state government declared an area of 9,420 hectares of the Kenaboi Forest Reserve as a State Wildlife Park but was later renamed Kenaboi State Park.

This is the kind of destination that is certainly a little more challenging than your usual eco-destination, but if I may say so, one that is totally worth the effort.


Kenaboi State Park
Our journey from Kuala Lumpur took about two hours to reach Kampung Chennah in Jelebu, Negeri Sembilan. Far from the hustle and bustle of the city, the change of scenery was very welcoming as we were surrounded by greenery. The journey would have been pleasant if we didn’t have to go through a narrow and long serpentine road, which was a bit challenging for those suffering from motion sickness.

We had to switch to a four-wheel-drive (4WD) at Kampung Chennah as we got ready to go off-road, which meant a rougher ride ahead. It turned out to be fun when we had to go through the Orang Asli (aborigines) villages, where friendly children welcomed us with their friendly smiles and enthusiastic waving. After that, the road kept getting narrower and narrower until we reached our base camp near a small stream.

The soothing sounds of the running stream and the sounds of birds chirping somewhere above, and the smell of clean moist air, as well as the cool temperature were a lethal combination as we could get addicted to it.

Every one of us couldn’t wait to take part in the various activities that the state park had to offer. First, we went tubing in the lazy river for 1.2 kilometers. The river was gentle enough for us to float lazily while day-dreaming about our life but in some parts of the river we had to manoeuvre through bubbling rapids and huge rocks, which made our tubing experience a little bit more exhilarating.

From the river, we moved up to the tree top for a flying fox activity, which was a short distance but nothing short of fun and thrilling. It was definitely an exhilarating and unique aerial journey.

Some of us opted for another adrenaline rush activity, which was abseiling down a small cliff. I was told that the cliff was quite slippery and it was quite challenging to manoeuvre through a huge fallen tree that was blocking their path. And at the end of the cliff, they could just let go and jump down to the cool stream below.

Lata Kijang (Deer Waterfall)
We continued our journey with a visit to the highest waterfall in Negeri Sembilan, Lata Kijang. It took us about 30 minutes to reach this 93-meter waterfall by a four-wheel-drive. It was such a bumpy ride that some of us felt like throwing up.

On the way to the waterfall, we stopped at an ideal spot to check out the hornbill nest on top of a really tall tree. Unfortunately, the hornbill was not at its nest but the surrounding view was really fantastic.

We continued our journey to the waterfall but this time around, the journey was really smooth because the road was tarred. Once we arrived there, the view of the statuesque waterfall really took our breath away. The sounds and sights of the cascading waterfall brought peace to our mind after such a hectic journey and activities. Apart from enjoying the view, there’s nothing much to do at the waterfall except taking a selfie. After that, we returned to the base camp for a
much needed rest.

Jeram Berungut
Our second day mission was to find the “Malaysian Lord of the Rings”, which was the hidden gem at the Kenaboi State Park. Jeram Berungut is flanked by 40-meter high rocky cliffs covered in green moss, thus creating a river canyon that is so breathtaking. It was such a surreal experience. The fantasy-like surroundings that we needed to pass to get to the cool and clear water of Jeram Berungut really made us feel like we were in the “Lord of the Rings” movie.

People always said that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations and we can assure you that in the case of Jeram Berungut, it’s all true. The journey tested not just our fitness but also our patience. No wonder it was called Berungut, which means grumbling because you’d find yourself grumbling throughout the tough journey.

The journey started with a 15-minute jungle trekking, which was easy peasy but then the nightmare began. Well, you have to give us the benefit of the doubt because this was our first river trekking. The effort to find our footing on the slippery rocky river floor for 45 minutes made us feel like no river canyon was worth the torture, but it was all forgotten once we saw the stunning view and the cool and crystal clear waters that looked inviting. Some of us couldn’t wait to jump right in but some just let their eyes slowly take in the quiet beauty around them.

We may return to Kuala Lumpur black and blue from the many tumbles we took while crossing the river, but for that kind of wonderful nature, we wouldn’t mind returning to this river canyon again and again.

Contact Person

Juliana Yahya
District Forestry Office
Negeri Sembilan Utara
71600, Kuala Klawang Jelebu
Negeri Sembilan
Tel: 06-6136500
Mobile: 012-7056551