Cycling in South-East Asia

Singapore - Teluk Intan
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Country

Singapore, Malaysia

Region

South East Asia

Distance

589km

Time

4 days

Elevation

2740hm

Difficulty

Medium

Contributor

Roger S.

Short Description

My first longer ride outside of Europe. Sadly, I had bad luck with my bike and quite some things broke. Due to Chinese new year, most shops were closed, so, I had to skip quite some parts and take the bus to get repairs. Also, the trip was in Jan. 2020. Corona was on the rise and countries started to close down. I actually wanted to cycle to Bangkok. But due to the situation, I only made it until Teluk Intan, took the bus from there to Georgetown and flew back home to Germany before everything went into lockdown. Not the trip I hoped for. Also, I can only recommend to do this ride with a companion.

I added the route from Batu Pahat to Kuala Lumpur to the collection, but marked it as not ridden due to technical issues.

Route overview

Insights

Adjustability route

Medium to hard to adjust. I had difficulties to find accommodation in good distances.

Recommended time of year

December - April

Anything to consider?

It's very humid. Drink a lot. It can get lonely, when you're used to interaction with locals.

Travel to start

Flight to Singapore

Travel from finish

Bus to Georgetown

Highlights

Kuala Lumpur

Food

Easy to get

Road Surface

Mostly good, but be aware that you will have to ride on the highway. This can be quite stressful.
Reommended Bike Type

Recommended Bike Type

Trekking bike, something with wider tyres.
Stage

Stage

Travel to start

Singapore

Stop

Pontian

Distance

90km

Elevation

630hm

Getting out of Singapore was a bit stressful for me. First, I am not used to leftside traffic, secondly, there is a lot of traffic. Passing the border by bike is also a bit weird. I used the car lane, which I shouldn’t have. Luckily, the people were friendly and let me pass anyways.
As soon as I arrived in Malaysia, I bought a local Sim-card for my phone.

While cycling, you have to get used that you need to ride on the autobahn, 3 or more lanes, from time to time. It’s actually not as bad, as it sounds, but it can be stressful.

Finding food in Pontian wasn’t so easy, but I managed.

Stage

Stage

Travel to start

Pontian

Stop

Batu Pahat

Distance

80km

Elevation

250hm

Nice ride, nothing special, until my tyre ripped open and I had to stop. A nice woman that even spoke German helped me, but since it was Chinese new year, everything was closed and no chance of getting a new tyre.
Therefore, I need to jump on a bus because everyone told me only in KL, I will have the opportunity to find an open shop in the next few days.

Stage

Stage

Travel to start

Batu Pahat

Stop

Kuala Lumpur

Distance

245km

Elevation

1460hm

Not ridden! 

Stage

Stage

Travel to start

Juala Lumpur

Stop

Kuala Salangor

Distance

74km

Elevation

290hm

Nothing special! I just drank like 10liters without peeing once. Luckily, there are enough gas stations etc. on the road.

In the hotel, I read about the first borders closing due to Covid (I did this trip in Jan./Feb. 2020.)

I actually planned to cycle to Bangkok, but I started to feel that Covid isn’t just a flu and that there will be harsh restrictions coming up. Therefore I decided to cut my trip way shorter and booked a flight from George Town in 3 days.

Stage

Stage

Travel to start

Kuala Salangor

Stop

Teluk Intan

Distance

99km

Elevation

120hm

I knew I wouldn’t make it in three days to Georgetown, and also, I wanted to at least enjoy one day at the beach, I decided to took a bus from Teluk Intan to Georgetown and from there, fly back to Germany.

To the road, there isn’t much to say. Quite unspectacular.

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