I've always enjoyed road trips because of the feeling it gives. Having embarked on a journey of a thousand miles before, I look forward to the next drive be it on a familiar or unfamiliar route.
The most important thing is preparation. Yes, you need to ensure that you're in good physical and mental condition for driving long hours. You need to ensure your car or vehicle can survive the entire journey to and fro. You need to get proper supplies based on duration and environmental considerations.
In the past three years I've done quite a fair bit of day trips to places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. Tanjung Sepat, Bentong, Hulu Yam, Kuala Selangor, Sekinchan, Bagan Lalang to name but a few. It's possible to do Malacca and Ipoh but for these and further destinations I prefer at least a night's stay, and for places like Penang I prefer two nights' stay.
Driving along the Kahang - Felda Nitar - Mersing route at night gives many opportunities for seeing stars. Without any street lights or populated areas, the whole road goes pitch black when car headlights go out. Some might feel nervous but I felt entirely comfortable doing it a few months ago. It's just me.
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road trip. Show all posts
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Friday, July 1, 2011
Bitten by the Travel Bug
I've been bitten by the travel bug and hence felt the need to explore more potential leisure destinations. Lots of gems are waiting to be discovered. They need not be super far, perhaps an hour's drive away at furthest, yet they're good spots for relaxation, food, leisure etc.
The trick is knowing when to be there and how to get there. Sometimes it involves getting out of one's comfort zone where everything's familiar. Often a spontaneous discovery leads to another new place and so on.
For the first half of this year, I've covered Tanjung Sepat, Hulu Yam, Bentong, Broga Hill, Malacca, Port Dickson, Kuantan, Sungai Lembing, Cherating, Kemaman, and Kota Kinabalu, not to mention numerous small destinations within the Klang Valley.
The trick is knowing when to be there and how to get there. Sometimes it involves getting out of one's comfort zone where everything's familiar. Often a spontaneous discovery leads to another new place and so on.
For the first half of this year, I've covered Tanjung Sepat, Hulu Yam, Bentong, Broga Hill, Malacca, Port Dickson, Kuantan, Sungai Lembing, Cherating, Kemaman, and Kota Kinabalu, not to mention numerous small destinations within the Klang Valley.
Friday, June 17, 2011
More Road Trips Taken
Back in December 2009 I wrote down a list of road trips taken. That post is available at:
http://ujoelee.blogspot.com/2009/12/road-trips-to-date.html
Since then, I've achieved the following visits from that list:
01. Port Dickson (twice)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach & several other beaches)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (thrice, all including Historic City, visited Portuguese Settlement but not yet Umbai)
05. Sungai Lembing (Lembing Mee, Tin Mining Museum, but not yet sunrise)
06. Seremban (to attend the funeral wake of a friend's father)
Also revisited Bentong twice and Tanjung Sepat thrice. Went to Penang once, and stopped by Ipoh on the way back. Went to Singapore thrice.
Taiping (Wild Boar Temple) and Kampar (Food, Waterfall) have not been achieved yet.
Kota Kinabalu can be considered a local overseas trip, as the only way to get there other than by ship is by aeroplane, a 2½ hour flight. The distance is roughly equivalent to that of Philadelphia to Miami, i.e. a journey of a thousand miles (1600 km).
I would like to revisit Sekinchan, and also explore other places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. I have several other potential holiday spots lined up in mind, but as per my modus operandi I'll only talk about them after I have personally recceed and evaluated the places first.
http://ujoelee.blogspot.com/2009/12/road-trips-to-date.html
Since then, I've achieved the following visits from that list:
01. Port Dickson (twice)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach & several other beaches)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (thrice, all including Historic City, visited Portuguese Settlement but not yet Umbai)
05. Sungai Lembing (Lembing Mee, Tin Mining Museum, but not yet sunrise)
06. Seremban (to attend the funeral wake of a friend's father)
Also revisited Bentong twice and Tanjung Sepat thrice. Went to Penang once, and stopped by Ipoh on the way back. Went to Singapore thrice.
Taiping (Wild Boar Temple) and Kampar (Food, Waterfall) have not been achieved yet.
Kota Kinabalu can be considered a local overseas trip, as the only way to get there other than by ship is by aeroplane, a 2½ hour flight. The distance is roughly equivalent to that of Philadelphia to Miami, i.e. a journey of a thousand miles (1600 km).
I would like to revisit Sekinchan, and also explore other places within an hour or two's drive of Kuala Lumpur. I have several other potential holiday spots lined up in mind, but as per my modus operandi I'll only talk about them after I have personally recceed and evaluated the places first.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Road Trips To Date
Done:
01. Kluang, Mersing, Tioman
02. Penang Island, Nibong Tebal
03. Ipoh
04. Cameron Highlands
05. Tanjung Sepat
06. Sekinchan, Kuala Selangor
07. Old Gombak Road
08. Bentong
Coming Soon:
01. Port Dickson
Potential:
01. Taiping (Wild Boar Temple)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (Historic City, Umbai Seafood)
05. Sungai Lembing (Sunrise)
06. Kampar (Food, Waterfall)
07. Seremban (Siew Pau)
01. Kluang, Mersing, Tioman
02. Penang Island, Nibong Tebal
03. Ipoh
04. Cameron Highlands
05. Tanjung Sepat
06. Sekinchan, Kuala Selangor
07. Old Gombak Road
08. Bentong
Coming Soon:
01. Port Dickson
Potential:
01. Taiping (Wild Boar Temple)
02. Kuantan (Secret Beach)
03. Hulu Yam Lama (Fishcake)
04. Malacca (Historic City, Umbai Seafood)
05. Sungai Lembing (Sunrise)
06. Kampar (Food, Waterfall)
07. Seremban (Siew Pau)
Monday, November 30, 2009
Driving Directions: Kuala Lumpur to Tanjung Sepat
DRIVING DIRECTIONS
==================
01. From Taman Tun go on to the Sprint Highway heading towards KL.
02. From Sprint Highway go on to the Kerinchi Link heading south towards Mid Valley.
03. Pay RM1.50 toll.
04. Keep left and take the exit to KL.
05. You are now on the Federal Highway. Mid Valley City will be on your left and Angkasapuri on your right.
06. Keep left and follow the signboard to Cheras. You will go through an underpass and emerge on to the East West Link heading towards Cheras. Taman Desa will be on your right.
07. Keep left but stay a little in the middle. Follow the signboard to Seremban. (This part is a little tricky)
08. You will go up a flyover that bends towards the right. You will see factories and an elevated highway on your left. Now you are on the KL-Seremban Highway for a short stretch. Keep left immediately and go up the ramp that goes on to the elevated highway you just saw. (This part is also tricky). It should have a signboard that says Putrajaya.
09. You are now on the Maju Expressway a.k.a. KL-Putrajaya Dedicated Highway heading south towards Putrajaya. Enjoy your journey, it should take less than half an hour to reach the end of the highway.
10. Pay RM2.50 toll at the Putrajaya toll plaza.
11. After the toll plaza, keep left and go on to Lingkaran Putrajaya (E20) heading towards Putrajaya. (If not sure, just follow the sign that says Dengkil).
12. You will reach a cloverleaf interchange. Take the "three o clock" (I don't know if there's a better way of saying this) to go on to Pintasan Dengkil Bypass (B15) heading south. (In other words, just follow the sign that says Dengkil).
13. You are now on B15 heading south. From now on, follow the sign that says Salak Tinggi. If you're on the correct route you'll go up an elevated section that passes by a lake and a Chinese temple in the distance. Go all the way to the end of B15 which should terminate in a half-finished flyover. Turn right onto B20. Go straight towards KLIA Masjid, then turn left onto Jalan KLIA 1. At the roundabout take a 9 o'clock to Jalan Pekeliling.
14. Continue along Jalan Pekeliling until reaching a traffic light. Keep left and turn left towards Sepang F1 Circuit.
15. Sepang F1 Circuit will be on your right. Continue straight until you reach a crossroads with a big @Enstek sign.
16. Turn right onto B48 that goes south towards Sepang town. Enjoy your journey. You'll pass by a Chinese cemetery and Hindu cemetery along the way.
17. In Sepang town you'll see a Shell Station on your right just before the traffic lights.
18. At the traffic lights, turning left takes you to Lukut and Port Dickson. So turn right to go to Sungai Pelek.
19. Now you are on on Route 5. Go straight all the way to Sungai Pelek town. Continue straight all the way through the town and out of town.
20. After leaving Sungai Pelek town for some distance, there's an exit to some housing developments on your left. Keep right to continue along Route 5. The new developments on the left side lead to Gold Coast and Bagan Lalang beach.
21. Just continue straight on along Route 5. The road will be very straight and flat. Beware of cows crossing the road. After you pass by a stretch where the sea almost touches the road, you'll reach Tanjung Sepat town. YAY!
Landmarks:
:: Hai Yew Hin / Hai Yew Heng pau shop is near the corner of Lorong 4 and Jalan Pasar.
:: Ocen Seafood Restaurant and Lovers' Bridge are near the RHB Bank row of shophouses.
:: Yek Loong Enterprise fishball factory is in the row of shophouses behind the Pasar Baru Tanjung Sepat building.
Notes:
:: The seaside in Tanjung Sepat is not suitable for swimming. For a beach that seems okay for swimming, there's one at Sepang Gold Coast in Bagan Lalang, after Sungai Pelek.
:: It's recommended to make reservations for the Hai Yew Heng pau to avoid disappointment, especially on weekends and public holidays when tour groups have made mass bookings. Call 012.272.9009 (Mandarin-speaking) for pau reservations.
==================
01. From Taman Tun go on to the Sprint Highway heading towards KL.
02. From Sprint Highway go on to the Kerinchi Link heading south towards Mid Valley.
03. Pay RM1.50 toll.
04. Keep left and take the exit to KL.
05. You are now on the Federal Highway. Mid Valley City will be on your left and Angkasapuri on your right.
06. Keep left and follow the signboard to Cheras. You will go through an underpass and emerge on to the East West Link heading towards Cheras. Taman Desa will be on your right.
07. Keep left but stay a little in the middle. Follow the signboard to Seremban. (This part is a little tricky)
08. You will go up a flyover that bends towards the right. You will see factories and an elevated highway on your left. Now you are on the KL-Seremban Highway for a short stretch. Keep left immediately and go up the ramp that goes on to the elevated highway you just saw. (This part is also tricky). It should have a signboard that says Putrajaya.
09. You are now on the Maju Expressway a.k.a. KL-Putrajaya Dedicated Highway heading south towards Putrajaya. Enjoy your journey, it should take less than half an hour to reach the end of the highway.
10. Pay RM2.50 toll at the Putrajaya toll plaza.
11. After the toll plaza, keep left and go on to Lingkaran Putrajaya (E20) heading towards Putrajaya. (If not sure, just follow the sign that says Dengkil).
12. You will reach a cloverleaf interchange. Take the "three o clock" (I don't know if there's a better way of saying this) to go on to Pintasan Dengkil Bypass (B15) heading south. (In other words, just follow the sign that says Dengkil).
13. You are now on B15 heading south. From now on, follow the sign that says Salak Tinggi. If you're on the correct route you'll go up an elevated section that passes by a lake and a Chinese temple in the distance. Go all the way to the end of B15 which should terminate in a half-finished flyover. Turn right onto B20. Go straight towards KLIA Masjid, then turn left onto Jalan KLIA 1. At the roundabout take a 9 o'clock to Jalan Pekeliling.
14. Continue along Jalan Pekeliling until reaching a traffic light. Keep left and turn left towards Sepang F1 Circuit.
15. Sepang F1 Circuit will be on your right. Continue straight until you reach a crossroads with a big @Enstek sign.
16. Turn right onto B48 that goes south towards Sepang town. Enjoy your journey. You'll pass by a Chinese cemetery and Hindu cemetery along the way.
17. In Sepang town you'll see a Shell Station on your right just before the traffic lights.
18. At the traffic lights, turning left takes you to Lukut and Port Dickson. So turn right to go to Sungai Pelek.
19. Now you are on on Route 5. Go straight all the way to Sungai Pelek town. Continue straight all the way through the town and out of town.
20. After leaving Sungai Pelek town for some distance, there's an exit to some housing developments on your left. Keep right to continue along Route 5. The new developments on the left side lead to Gold Coast and Bagan Lalang beach.
21. Just continue straight on along Route 5. The road will be very straight and flat. Beware of cows crossing the road. After you pass by a stretch where the sea almost touches the road, you'll reach Tanjung Sepat town. YAY!
Landmarks:
:: Hai Yew Hin / Hai Yew Heng pau shop is near the corner of Lorong 4 and Jalan Pasar.
:: Ocen Seafood Restaurant and Lovers' Bridge are near the RHB Bank row of shophouses.
:: Yek Loong Enterprise fishball factory is in the row of shophouses behind the Pasar Baru Tanjung Sepat building.
Notes:
:: The seaside in Tanjung Sepat is not suitable for swimming. For a beach that seems okay for swimming, there's one at Sepang Gold Coast in Bagan Lalang, after Sungai Pelek.
:: It's recommended to make reservations for the Hai Yew Heng pau to avoid disappointment, especially on weekends and public holidays when tour groups have made mass bookings. Call 012.272.9009 (Mandarin-speaking) for pau reservations.
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