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| Arriving at Pulau Daik |
My second international ride since Singapore. Well actually I've ride twice at Singapore. This time I was invited by fellow rider. The event was fully sponsored by the Lingga administration. All I had to bare expenses was my trip to Batam Island. The ride was in relation with Festival Gunung Daik, and a government programme called Visit Lingga. The main organisor as we far as I'm concerned was May Okatavia, a local, a fellow rider. She was the only liaison that deal most of the time with us.
While there are around 100 partcipants at the event, only around 40 cycle, which is quite a number of riders attended.
First day, as early at 4.30 am I rode from my house to Stulang Laut Ferry Terminal. it is only 6km from my house, so no sweat with that. Being early to arrive, I had time to have some breakfast and get some information about the ferry schedule. This was my first time to embark on a ferry to Batam Island. So I do not want to hassle around. Even the ticket counter is still not yet in operation until 6.00 am.
I was the second person in que to buy the ferry ticket. Bought to and fro, so I wont be to forget or even missed to buy ticket to get back to Johor Bahru. tickets total RM129.00. As for me this was my first time to Batam, Dabo and Pulau Daik, Indonesia. The ferry journye takes around 2 hours to Batam Island. the first ferry, I was joined with other fellow riders, Suzie, Bernie and Waldan accompanied by his mother and sister. There are also other fellow riders which I'm not familiar with.
Arriving at Batam Center, the custom terminal, we push our bikes all the way to the parking lot, as a van was waiting for us to carry our bags. I did not pack a lot, so I can cycle with my bag on my back to the hotel, which is only 1km from Batam Center.
After waiting for three hours, as the room was not ready for us, we decided to have lunch. Other members decided to just walk and find eating outlet, me I cycle around for better choices of eating establishment.
Lepas masuk bilik, rilek jap pastu turun ler, pasal kang nak kayuh kat Batam Drak Park. Dah alang alang ada kat Batam ni, bule ler layan trail jap. Bernie kata member Batam, Gunawan nak join skali, so bule ler jadik guide kitaorang. Dari hotel Harmoni One ka trail lebih kurang 5km jer so bule ler kayuh jer gi sana.
Gunawan kata sampai kol 1600hrs, Bernie cam dah tak sabar dah so terus kayuh gi Drak Park, rider yang ikut, Bung ngan Waldan skali, so kitaorang skali ngan Gunawan 5 rider layan trail Drak Park. Mula cam merapu gakler nak sampai, pasal ikut map jer carik tempat. at last jumpa la jugak.. So jumpa Gunawan masa kat dalam trail. Tu pun pasal gua berenti tengok map. Ye laa.. masuk takder guide, merapu sikit ler. Gunawan sampai, dia jer laa kat depan, so yang lain tu ikut jer laa.Kira layan trail tak habis ler, pasal cuaca pun cam nak ujan.. lagi pun kalau layan abis kang petang dekat malam baru kuar.. so patah balik ler kuar trail.
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| early stages at Dabo Trail.. ujan ada renyai sikit |
The second day, all of us went to Telaga Punggur Ferry Terminal, to continue or trip to Dabo Island. The organisor had chartered a ferry for our group only. this is convenient as the whole gang would take up the whole ferry seats. The ferry trip takes 4 hour to get to Dabo island, quite along ferry trip.
Reaching Dabo island, we continue a bus ride to the hotel. along the wa we stopped at Marquez Beach, as the beach is a popular spot for turtle laying egss. Since it was off season, we only watched the hacthlings in a small pool.
