3/4 of the way there...

What an adventure yesterday's ride turned out to be. The first 30km or so to Samas beach proved to be no sweat as I pedaled out of the city in the early hours of the morning (at 0530 to be exact!).

How is Samas? Well.. It was one hell of a sad place compared to Parangtritis. And certainly enough to deter me from bothering to stray off the main roads to look at the other beaches on the southern coastline.

The conditions of the road were pretty nice, long straight stretches through the miles of rice fields, except for the portion where I seemed to be on an unmarked (yet tarred) road immediately after leaving Samas (you can see this portion on the map). I was in for a rude shock after cresting a small incline... the road suddenly ended and gave way to a steep downslope trail strewn with rocks of all sizes. Now, when one is on skinny road tyres that is so not the surface to be cycling on. Thankfully I did not shred the tyre or get a pinch flat as I rocketed down the slope while trying to stop and not lock up the brakes or break the bike or crash or any of the above combination.

At the huge bridge at Srandakan, I was faced with a dilemma on whether to push on or turn back, as by now the weather was becoming rather hot and I was woefully aware of a stomach that was crying out for proper food (and not fruitbars!)... If I turned back at this point and followed the same route back, I would just touch 100km. Unfortunately, I had a misplaced desire to try an achieve my first century (100miles or 160km) today.

Still not properly dialed into the bike at this point of time... the knee voiced its concerns as I passed the bridge at Glagah. Thus ending the push for the day and making a slow cycle back home. If only there is a professional here to help me fit the bike. The slow method of making an adjustment, riding, making an adjustment again, riding is surely going to end up taking a long time.

Got to be more progressive as I pile on the distance I think... century it is not, but at least I made 3/4 of it :P

Outbound Route

Homeward Route

There but not quite

Ride distance: 61km
Ride time: 3h 8min

The weather was perfect for a day's ride, heavy overcast, but unfortunately rotten for photographic opportunities. Anyway, today I attempted to explore an alternative route down to Parangtritis, with the intention of passing through Imogiri - Panggang.

Woe to me, I had severely underestimated the steep climbs up Gunung Sewu, the long string of mountains that make up most of the Gunung Kidul regency. Not to mention getting lost while trying to get myself onto Jalan Imogiri to begin with. (Note to self: Turn right upon seeing Polsek Umbulharjo)

Needless to say, I didn't make it to the coast, after having wasted an immense amount of effort climbing up what turned out to be the wrong road leading up a spurline to the royal cemetery of Imogiri, I was totally sapped of energy. And it was only a mere 200+m climb in terms of height! I *shall* return again. If nothing else it makes for good training.

Anyway since this was the first ride on the new bike, I spent some time getting used to the different riding positions, shifting and braking. After 50km or so, every small error in posturing/position makes sure you know in the form of pain. (Note to self: Saddle moved forward 1cm. Height dropped to 5.5)

Next Ride: Trisik, Glagah and Congot beaches?

Exploring the Park Connectors

On one windy, rainy early morning, I went off to accomplish one of the things I had planned for this rather long return back to Singapore. Explore our much lauded park connector network. A 75km ride that took me from home, through 5 (Bishan, Kallang, Geylang, Tanjung Rhu, Coastal) Park Connectors, 2 major parks (East Coast and Changi Beach), many other stretches of road, and some really beautiful scenary.

For the uninitiated, the Coastal Park Connector at the very least ought to be on the "Must Explore" list. It is really a beautiful route and tranquil ride. One that has definitely got my interest in returning and this time make the ride all the way Pasir Ris as the heavy rain derailed my initial plans of doing so.

Despite it being a weekday, I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who were out and about taking a morning stroll, or running for the fitness buffs.

Through virgin eyes

At a grand old age of 25 years, 10 months, and 14 days... I lost my virginity. Uhm... Oh scrub your filthy minds. It's not what you think it is.

Today (6 July 2008), in the company of wonderful friends, I made my virgin trip to Pulau Ubin. Yes, believe it or not, despite my line of work and some love for the outdoor, I had never set foot on this little island, located a mere 7 minutes away from mainland Singapore via bumboat.

Stepping off the jetty, I was struck by the rustic surroundings. Despite the short distances involved, and the fact that this is still part of Singapore... There is a world of difference between the two. Although there are a couple of new buildings here and there, the old charm of the kampungs is still very much alive here. I suddenly felt like I had been transported back in time (also geographically... it felt like I was in the villages in Indonesia again!)



Coconut trees... something not in short supply on this island!


A quick look around showed the main livelihood of the last remaining villager-Singaporeans... Food&Drinks and... Bicycle rental! Numbering in the hundreds and in a variety of sizes from child to adult full-sized mountainbikes, there is a two-wheeler for just about anybody that comes here for a quick getaway from the hustle and bustle of the city.

Pedaling out of the main village at the jetty we headed West. On account of the company we were in and the fact that I got myself a real creaky bike (which was more effective than a bell in warning people I was approaching!), we gave the Ketam trail a miss, but instead continued on to the end of the road which was Wat Siam... or what was left of it. Not fully aware of the history behind the demolition, I felt it was quite a waste to destroy an old temple just because they have decided to move elsewhere. At any rate, the deed was done, and all we could see was the remnants of the flooring where a temple once stood.

Re-tracing our route back to the central area, this time we headed northwards via Jalan Batu Ubin. After hitting the long up-slope... in a moment of glee the 3 of us in front foolishly speeded down the down-slope immediately after... Wind in our hair... grins on our faces... and also completely oblivious to a certain Gorilla hollering at us from behind to STOP AND TURN LEFT! We only realised our folly when we reached the bottom and saw the signboard that read "Jalan Ubin" and not "Jalan Noordin". Good grief! The pedaling back up the slope ensured we learned our lesson well!



Gorilla on two wheels


Noordin Beach itself... well... It was nothing special, though the stakes planted just a little off the coastline would make a pretty picture, and for the birders, this would also be a good place to frame a shot of the egrets which seem to have taken a liking to perching themselves on top of the stakes.

After some confusion initially on which was the right trail, we happily went on our way into the forest. Only to realise when we emerged that the trail was actually closed due to some danger or other! Apparently they had happily marked one end of the trail with orange netting and signs... but there weren't any signs where we entered. And well... the orange net was on the ground! (which we promptly rode over. LOL!)

After a rest and much needed drinks at the "Cookie Monster" house, we proceeded on to the final part of our trip - Chek Jawa. Maybe it is just me, but somehow I found the construction of the boardwalk has blemished the natural beauty of the place. Sure it has opened up the area and made it more accessible to visitors but the artificial feel of walking on it seems somehow wrong to me. Perhaps the memories of the swamp walks in the mangroves of Temburong Brunei have made my view biased. That aside, it was a pleasant enough walk in the late afternoon sun, and we were treated to a sighting of "Singapore's only wild population of the Oriental Pied Hornbill". Some orgasmic noises were made as we (Ok, actually only one person... You know who you are! LOL!) oohed and ahhed over the really unique looking bird.

In some 3 hours we had covered quite abit of ground as far as exploring Ubin goes... But this is merely scratching the surface as we had stuck mostly to roads and established trails. Some additional walking and biking should be able to let us appreciate more of the nature.

In the warm glow of the setting sun we returned to the main village and how could we depart without having sampled some of the local cooking? Special it is not, but as far as the standard of cooking goes, it was delicious enough for our ravenous appetites after an afternoon of biking.

Return trip? Definitely. And this time round to schedule the visits to coincide with the tide and rising/setting sun to capture some really beautiful photos.

Visiting the Queen

For a change, I have decided to introduce some photos into this blog as I write an After-Action Review of this morning's semi-crazy attempt to see the southern coast of Jogja. Steep in mysticism, Parangtritis beach is the "doorway" to the underwater palace of Ratu Loro Kidul, or Queen of the South Seas. I shan't elaborate too much on this, you can google it ;-) Now, on to the report proper.

Set off point: Novotel Hotel along Jalan Jenderal Sudirman.
Destination: Pantai Parangtritis on the southern coastline of Yogyakarta

The ride: The bicycle was alright. Horribly expensive if you compare to renting from elsewhere, but I wanted some reliability considering the distances involved. As you can see, it at least has suspension on the front forks... not that I think it made a very big difference! The lack of suspension at the rear reminded my butt constantly as I rode over the uneven roads leading out of the city.


Taken while resting at Km13, Jl Parangtritis


The time: 0600 (the earliest I could depart) proved to be a good choice as I avoided much of the traffic. It also provided some good photo opportunities with the rising sun and the farmers coming out to work in their wet rice fields. Weather also remained relatively cool during this leg. At a relatively leisurely pace, 2.5 hours later I touched sand. The return leg commenced at 0930, with the blazing hot sun overhead and the very gentle climb, some rather long breaks, and some detours down the side-roads, I made it back in 3.5 hours. Total journeying time: 7 hours.


Made it! :)


The route: The "published" 29km distance to Parangtritis was not entirely wrong... but inaccurate since they purely mentioned the length of the road which led there (Jalan Parangtritis). For my case, it was an additional 4km or so from Novotel before I was at the start of Jalan Parangtritis. The signboards above the shophouses along the way provided good information as I covered the route, since the addresses posted there included the Km marking (e.g. Jalan Parangtritis Km 13, No. xxx). Getting there was pretty straight forward, stick to the main road heading south without making any turns, and there you are. Total distance covered (including some detours down side-roads to take a look): +/- 70km


The last 100m of Jl Brigjen Katamso before the start of Jl Parangtritis


Sights along the way: Plenty of rice fields, some small-scale timber processing, shops and houses. Most of these would probably look their best at the "golden hours" of the day (which explains the lack of photos on the return-leg). The weather was a little uncooperative with low visibility, if not one could catch a view of Gunung Sewu (the thousand mountains) which form a large part of the south-eastern regency.


Sun rising over a plot of sawah


The beach: If you're thinking nice resort like beaches, think again. Stretching a few km in length and around 300-400m at its widest, it is by no means small, but nice golden sand with swimmable waters is far from what it is. The guidebooks describe it as bleak and desolate, and I would have to say the description is not too far off from reality. Nonetheless, there were plenty of people around just playing on the beach or on the edge of the water (despite huge signs warning of the strong undertow). To the eastern end of the beach, a cliff protrudes out prominently over the sea as the strong waves hammer into it, looking at the wet portions of the beach, it would appear that at high-tide, the water advances right up to the edge where the cliff begins. I should imagine sunsets to be gorgeous from here, perhaps not so much for sunrises as the cliff obscures much of the skyline to the east.


Pantai Parangtritis


Personal thoughts: Having not seen Parangtritis before and also having never attempted such a ride, it was not a bad experience overall. While the "touristy" attraction level of the place is certainly low, I would figure I will make visits again there in future, if only for the sake of cycling that distance and to breathe the clear air tinged with the smell of the sea, just like how it is in the coastal regions of Singapore, oh how I miss it. There is some potential for a very nice shot involving the cliff and the waves that I could possibly try if I bring the right gear along. Next trip I will probably try a different route heading down to Parangtritis, going through Imogiri and a number of other smaller townships instead of the main road. The G9 performed remarkably well, though it seemed to make alot of the mist-obscured regions of the photo turn out purple... a polariser might be of some help here.

Other photos can be found here.