The ride to Melacca was very pleasant, through small kampung (villages) and plantations. We once again experienced the Malay hospitality when a small restaurant owner refused to let us pay for our iced teas and food. The people are very interested in our bike and the trip and we are interested in the way of life outside the cities, which appears very relaxed.
We found the traffic in Melacca difficult to get through, but eventually found a cheap hotel with a friendly Chinese owner in the new part of town. That night we treated ourselves to a bit of Western culture and went to the cinema to watch the much talked about Avatar. The next day we took a break from riding to explore the old parts of Melacca, in particular the majestic colonial district with its Portuguese, Dutch and British influences and vibrant China Town. In the afternoon Kate ambled around the trinket shops in China Towan while Rowan snuck off to buy a certain something... under the pretense that he was sick of spending time with Kate.
We set off for our final three days of riding, feeling a bit miserable that our trip was coming to an end. After a few loops around Melacca trying to find the road south, we headed for Batu Pahat. Batu Pahat was another one of our transit towns but we have come to enjoy these places the most. While there isn't that much sightseeing to do the people are always super interested and friendly and we feel we get to witness the real everyday life of the locals. That evening we joined a number of Chinese families in the vibrant hawker stalls and ate rice and chicken cooked in claypots and served by a no-nonsense grandma who had been doing it for years.
The next day we set off for Pontian Kecil, which turned out to be a very pleasant seaside town with a promenade and seafood restaurants. The road was quite and windy through yet more plantations and we were once again treated to free tea and food in a Malay eatery. On account of Australia day and it being two years since we met, we got a niceish place and an even nicer dinner with many beers to keep Rowan happy, although it was hard to find somewhere that served alcohol!
Our last day of riding was very hectic. We were forced to ride through busy Johor Bahru, which involved getting stuck on freeways and being nearly blown off by passing trucks. It was pretty surreal passing though Malaysian and then Singaporian immigration on our bike. Upon reaching Singapore we immediatly noticed the drastic difference from Malaysia. Everything was clean and orderly and there were lots of trees and public open spaces. Rowan insisted that we must ride the whole legnth of Singapore (taking about 2 hours) so we could say we finished the trip. So after a sweaty ride involving some illegal maneuvors and a frightening stint on a major freeway we arrived on Sentosa Island with its fake beaches and theme parks and made our way to the 'Southern most point of the EuroAsian landmass'. After a giant jug of pina colada to celebrate completing our trip we walked accross the bridge to the Southern most point, being unable to take our bike across due to the very obvious sign saying no bikes (amongst otherthings). Atop the viewing pagoda looking at Indonesia, reflecting on the trip and dreaming of adventures to come, after 3,616km on a bike together, Rowan proposed to Kate. Kate, completely shocked, in her sweaty riding gear collapsed. So unHollywood but it was perfect (of course she said yes!).
Later than evening we rode back through Singapore to Kate's Aunty's house. Veronica and her son Luke were so welcoming and we had a great time catching up on news and eating Veronica's delicous home-cooked pasta. The next day we designated to sorting out the bike and our stuff. After a trip on the bus with two huge cardboard boxes we were helped by Luke (8 years old) to clean, dismantle and pack the bike. He did an excellent job! That evening Veronica and her partner Ken took us out with her expat friends for Singapore's famed Chilli crab. It seems people are always on the hunt to find the tastiest and best value crab in town and this local eatery did a very good job! The next day we did a spot of sightseeing, wondering around the business district, old colonial buildings and high paced malls. Singapore really is a 21st century city. However, although raw culture has succumbed to souless consumerism, the place still has a certain charm, or maybe it is because we were hanging around some really cool expats.
We spent the final evening of our trip eating with Veronica and swapping travel stories. The next morning before departing for Australia we managed to squeeze in one more dramatic experience. At 5am Veronica, Ken, Luke and us headed down to Little India to watch the goingson of one of the most interesting Indian festivals, Thaipusam. It was a complete sensory overload - in a crowded hindu temple, with rythmic Indian drums and horns, the wafting smell of incense and chants of family members going in and out of trance like states, men were being pierced by bars and hooks through their mouths, tongues, lips and body and adorning lavishaly decorated kavadi, supported by needles spiking into their chest or dragging carts from the hooks in their backs. It is hard to describe in words, but we will post some pictures and videos.
So here we are at the end of our trip and heading back to real life. In the comming weeks we plan to do a review of our experience bicycle touring in general, tandem biking in particular, and our thoughts on Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. For now we can say it has been a truely unforgettable experience!
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