To Kota Tinggi

We were talking about it on Thursday night at Holland V. Coffee Club - and well, it did materialise on Saturday, though there was a slight change in plans. Instead of cycling in Singapore (yawn), we met at 630am, cycled across the causeway and up to Kota Tinggi. Cycling across to Malaysia is probably something very common for many cyclists here, but for me, it was only my second time cycling across the causeway (though not in Malaysia). It feels very different (duh), as though one could feel every sense of movement whilst pedalling the bike on that narrow stretch of road that separates Singapore from its northern neighbour. I don't get that feeling when i take the bus to Johore, which is what i usually do when travelling to Malaysia. Most often, it's a tiring business going by bus: you have to alight at the Singapore custom checkpoint and then board the bus again, then alight again at the Malaysian side - and going through all this whilst squeezing with families, workers and hordes of other people eager to beat others at the immigration queue.

Going by bike entails a lot less hassle. After going up a steep slope, we turned to the extreme left where the signboard indicates the lane for motorbikes. We were the only cyclists around, and we dutifully joined the motorists in front of us. The queue was slow moving on my side as it was served by only one counter. Whilst queuing, i noticed that the cars heading towards Malaysia were mostly Singapore-licensed plates. Are these Singaporeans going for a weekend getaway, to play golf, or visit their relatives? No doubt they were early because they wished to avoid the nasty traffic jam.

Finally, when we were done clearing the Malaysian customs, our passports kept, we rode to the main road where fast-passing cars made me feel uneasy. There was no problem finding our way as it is a very straightforward route from Johore Bahru to Kota Tinggi. There were big, prominent signboards that show the way and besides, both K and Jon had cycled to Kota Tinggi before. In less than 2 hours we reached Kota Tinggi. We had a pleasant breakfast that consisted of mee rebus and roti prata. Needless to say, we paid what would have cost us twice the amount in Singapore.

It was a good ride overall. Jon and K both make for great cycling company; we always have interesting conversations and laugh-out-loud jokes, not least because Jon always spouts crassly hilarious lines. The only gripe we have was the bumpy road and air pollution in Johore. At the end of the ride, we were covered by a visible layer of grime and dirt!