RIP Simoncelli

The passing of one of the motor-sports elites, Marco Simoncelli during the MotoGP 2011 at Sepang is a sad moment. It also goes to show that even with the gear and rider at its very best as possible within the limitations of our current time, taking a fall does not always have a happy ending, so on your next ride, treasure your life and advise your loved ones to treasure theirs.

Sometimes, having the right gear or even having something as simple as the right mindset whilst riding could save your life.

R.I.P Marco Simoncelli

Trip to Port Dickson: Riding Around Port Dickson Pt 2.

The General Overview of Port Dickson

Getting Lost There isn't so bad.

Port Dickson is home to quite a number of army installations and not one, but two army museums. The entry to this museums are of course free. However if you do try to go to Port Dickson by Bus, Please be prepared that there are NO MOTORCYCLE/SCOOTER rentals available. For some reason, they are just not willing to loan out motorcycles or scooters. 

The public beach where you find a car has driven up the grass

I bet you could swim onto that island and have some
private fun. 
Do however remember that this is a strict Muslim
State in Malaysia.

I went around most parts of Port Dickson, though due to the lack of time during the trip I was not able to fully photograph and capture the scenery of the place. What a bummer, well maybe next time. The public beach was clean and the water was clear. The only problem was the accessibility, it was 2-3miles away from the hotel, which itself had a private beach.

Private beaches always look nicer than the public ones

However for those of you who enjoy riding there are ribbons of asphalt that are located in Port Dickson. The map below is an example of some of those ribbons of asphalt. Do be CAUTIOUS as some of the roads there may be quite treacherous due to negligent maintenance. However the road closer to the sea side has crests and drops through the corners which makes them interesting if you take those roads at around 10-11am when there is less traffic, even if you rent a car the roads are still a sight and experience to behold. 

Taking corners one step at a time




The Town in Port Dickson


If you do  however go to the Bandar Baru Sungala which is sort of the town area in Port Dickson you will find money changers, DVD stores and many other simple amenities. One of the places that I personally find superb is an Ice-Cream Parlour located near the entrance of the town.

It never looked so good for 20RM.


The conveniently located Ice-Cream Parlor in the town is a welcoming Oasis if like me you decide to head out on a sweltering hot Afternoon. The place is something which you can't miss an entire area of the building in green, with the words ICE ROOM on the side.

The Hotel Again


After the meal and romping around town it seemed inevitable that I would return to the hotel to retire as the stresses of the heat were getting to me.

Traumatizing people since 1990.


A quick walk by the beach and back to the hotel room for the evening.

The First Trip: To Port Dickson Malaysia Pt 1.

As all good things start small I have decided to start small and go on a road trip from Singapore to Port Dickson Malaysia, doing this journey using a 400cc motorcycle.

Obviously it is a sports bike as this isn't the Dakar Rally.

By the Beach at Port Dickson.

Before leaving I had the entire bike checked as it is quite an old sports bike, produced by Honda in 1992.

Here is a map of the route, however I had made quite many a detour and headed to Malacca for a short period of time.

Everything looks very nice on a map. Doesn't it?

Across The Causeway

On this trip i could not get any on board videos as the riding tripod had broken down :O.

So, I left Singapore at 10:00am and headed to the border to start the trip. Crossing the borders at the causeway was a pretty simple task.

Next was going to the money changers to get some MYR.

They are conveniently located just after the causeway and in large numbers too!

@ the money changers in Johor Bahru


After which I proceeded onto the North-South Highway. This was going to be a long ride, about 200 miles in distance. However there are great views that make for good accompaniment along the way, Gunung Pulai, Gunung Ledang, (Gunung = Mt. in Malay). Views such as these are not uncommon.

The view from the side of the Highway, Please do note
that it is illegal to stop at the side of the highway.


The BreakDown


Along the way I faced certain problems, my "excellent" luck, a screw had fallen from the fairings and it caused the entire left fairing to break and rip itself apart at 100mph on the Malaysian highway.

This is quite the time to go oh S*it.


Along the super heated M'sian North-South Highway, one of the worst things that could happen is this.
So there and then on the road shoulder, I started to do the repairs.

Gaffer Tape and a singlet solves many problems on a motorway


Now it is fixed, however I was behind schedule as the fairings had broken and left me stranded at the 200km mark on the North-South Highway. Leaving the spot, I tried to make up for lost time by overtaking the many lorries and trucks along the highway.

This feels a long way from home;
when you're left stranded on the highway.


We hit Malacca and we went out into the state for lunch, at the Botanical Gardens Café Malacca. We were pleasantly delighted by the food and the peaceful surroundings that enveloped the cafe.

The Perfect Lunch for a sunny day.

Café Botanikal Malacca


After the lunch I made haste, with only 90km/50 miles left to the Resort in Port Dickson.
The Last 50 miles though were very scenic as I cruised through the highlands and hills of Seremban.
The roads were more or less even and the traffic flow was light due to it being a country road so I gave it the beans and went for it.

The Resort


Reaching the Resort was like getting to the promised land, I was dying for a bath as I had been sweating the whole afternoon in the tropical heat, 32º / 26º with a humidity of over 80%.

A very elaborate Lobby.


Arriving at the lobby of the Avillion Admiral Cove Resort was comforting and cozy. Arriving at the rooms was an even bigger surprise, I had booked the Superior Suite, and the hotel was prompt and quick to hand me my room.

A cosy little abode for the weary traveller


The travel was tiring and it was time for some well deserved rest.

The Starting Line

Hi Guys and Gals, this blog is meant to be a travel log, of locations and places that are mostly in South East Asia, however most of the travels will not be done by plane or boat, but instead by road, to fully absorb and enjoy the scenery and also for those who enjoy touring on motorcycles/cars. 

There will also be features on touring related matters and also nice spots/roads/eateries in my homeland, the little sunny island of Singapore.