Monsoon Season

30th January - Mersing to Kota Tinggi - 56.21 miles, Av 10.7, Max 28.5, 5 hours and 12 minutes 

Ummm - a quick description of the day - gradients, gradients, monsoon, snakes, flooding, kingfishers, monkeys and a thunderstorm plus more flooding...if you have not got the time this probably sums up the day.

This was a day of gradients and whilst we had not been in the saddle for a while, they were still undulating to say the least. We left Mersing in the murky dawn and arrived in Kota Tinggi in monsoon rain and flooding, it was one of those days were what you wore dictated how you felt.The hard shoulder was good though until we really needed it on the outskirts of KT were it formed a river 8 inches deep that neither of us could cycle through so we joined the traffic on the 2 lane highway which had its moments of scariness. 

We rode south from Mersing though palm oil after palm oil plantation with only the brilliance of the kingfishers to maintain our momentum. Our morning break stop in a tiny little shack on the road side was a most welcome break from the rain 

and lunch in a coach stop was a buffet affair where we came objects of conversation and viewing.

The roads were undulating and in one spot we stopped to test the water as it flooded across the road, I probably did not need to test it as many times as I did but it was a first and needed to be experienced.

should be ok

it is ok!

Relief at the top of a gradient takes many faces

especially when the next one is downhill

but then again up

and down and up and down and up

 Saw these 2 pill box affairs on the side of the road, as we rode past it was extremely concerning to note the amount of different colours of paint that had been left after drivers misjudging the fact that these small things jut out into the road very slightly!

Wish I could find out what these were?

 

 We rode on during the afternoon and then the rain of the monsoon really came down, cars hit their brakes and hazards went on, the traffic was crawling at around 5mph both ways and it is the only time on the trip so far we were (a) forced to stop because of the weather and (b) unable to get a shot of the 'beware of wild elephants' sign - looking just like the sign for cattle in the UK in an unassuming way but with the words 'wild' and 'elephant' emblazoned on them. We had been warned that during the early hours of the morning they do like to come on to the road as the tarmac retains the heat of the day. Many motorists coming north from Sing have met a sticky end at the flanks of one of these beasts but it kept our friend in Tioman in work!

Not impressed but better than riding out this one

Wet....very

 

 

 

This was the abandoned restaurant that sheltered us for 30mins whilst we waited for the rain to ease. Complete with rusty hinged swinging door, it wasnt relaxing but at least it was semi dry.


Once the rain had got down to a more manageable level, one in which we could see and be seen we headed on to Kota Tinggi. The flooding got worse and a hotel in town became our sole focus. The Water Lillies hotel would not pass through the ASA regulations as it was missing its vital title ingredient but the owner, we think he was, had a shop next door which he let us store the bikes in and then promptly shut the shop up. We strolled the town and supermarket opposite for last minute and breakfast supplies then we headed off to internet heaven in McDs which also sadly became dinner in the absence of any restaurant staff in the nearby eateries willing to serve us. Tomorrow we head into Singapore....