After a couple of days in Kuantan, a bit of shopping and a visit to the fabulous mosque at the centre of town (where Bella ran off up the stairs and was found with all the women and girls, on her knees praying), it was time for us to hop on our bikes once more.
We enjoyed Kuantan, particularly the hospitality of the staff at the Vistana hotel where we stayed. We also were happy to track down a post office and send home a box of very superfluos cold weather clothing!
With, our panniers packed we headed onto the busy streets around 9:00am. It was already boiling hot, with not a cloud in the sky, but the roads out of the city were good. The kids slept for a couple of hours as per their usual riding routine, however once they woke up we were all suffering from the heat. Fortunately the route was full of roadside stalls selling fruit and drinks, though good shade was hard to come by. As we rode under any shade over the road we would stop pedalling for a second just to enjoy the massive temperature difference and both of us discussed the merits of a street tree program for the benefit of cyclists.
This route took us through some beautiful coastal areas as well as a dusty mining site. After this point the feel of the area really changed, with old wooden houses and tall coconut palms framing the road. We also came across lots of little goats and some lovely cows too.
It was an interesting ride, but was way too hot for us all and in hindsight we should have left very early in the morning to avoid the midday melt. The upshot was that the Cherating Legend Resort where we are now staying has lots of great swimming pools and jumping in was all the more rewarding after riding.
