Down Memory Lane - A cycling trip to Pengerang

The nearby Johor fishing town of PENGERANG, just off the Changi coast, is a popular weekend cycling destination for Singaporean groups looking for a weekend getaway from the hustle and bustle of high-rise concrete Singaore. The following is an account of such an outing.

We probably will have to agree that we were blessed for this Pengerang cycling trip.

The rainy Saturday morning had really put our adventurous spirits to the test. All but one decided to stick to our Pengerang rendezvous despite the heavy downpour at daybreak which might have stopped us from cycling and tempted us to continue lazing in our warm comfortable beds. As we reached the Changi Jetty, we were all so glad that the downpour has been reduced to a slight drizzle.

Much to our surprise, the whole journey towards the Sunrising Resort was unexpectedly fast. Was it due to the blessed weather that we were all protected from the scotching sun that would otherwise slow us down? We were truly amazed by the speed of all the cyclists who came from different / unknown backgrounds. The youngest among us were our two teenage friends who showed so much energy and enthusiasm in the various activities.

After all the hard action, the bruises on our wrists - a result of the volleyball game - might be ugly ... but I guess it was "No pain No gain ... or rather, No Games !" There was so much fun among the players and encouraging cheers from the spectators. And oops, ... some scratches were also suffered by one of our cyclists while exploring the Kampong route further down the resort ... but ain't all these worth it as we found satisfaction in the serenity as we cycled further along the coconut and lalang-aligned coast? As the sun emerged from the clouds, it made for great picturesque scenery as the beautiful lalangs swayed mesmersingly in the sea breeze that blew slightly. As night fell, the lit lanterns and mooncakes were just some more surprises for the cyclists. I believe carrying the paper lanterns for many was a nostagic throwback to the fun of our childhood days! So too were the night walk with the lanterns in our hands, lying on the rocks by the coast and listening to the waves of the rising tides under the moonlight. These were totally new pleasant experiences for many of us who grew up in concrete jungles.

Well, the sunrise did not turn out to be fantastic as the sun was hidden behind the clouds but we did managed to see its shine as it peeked out of the horizon, didn't we? However, rising before the dawn break was naturally not easy for many. Some of us also experienced our darkest day ever when the resort's power supply failed, leaving our room in total darkness. This was reminiscent of a true kampong experience where electricity is generally dependent on the generator in the backyard. On a night of drama, we were also much shocked as one of the rooms had its bathroom's mirror burnt down by an unattended candle lit to provide the much needed light. Certainly we have learnt our lesson and from now on we should probably ban the use of candles during such trips ?!!

Before our departure from the resort, some of us had another exciting round of ball game - the mini football. Within our 100 square metres of sandy pitch, we still managed to squeeze in a round of warm up and good showcase of "Ronaldo-wannabes" demonstrating their much-vaulted kicking skills !

Fair as the weather may be, the scotching sun however did not spare us. As we rode off from the resort on Sunday morning, we could immediately feel the burning heat on our necks and backs. It was a sweaty sun-drenched ride throughout the return journey but don't you all agreed that we were decidedly blessed by both rain and shine in one safe riding journey!

While the little memories of the short weekend at Pengerang linger on, we look forward to the next exciting cycling outing to Desaru !

To my friends, here a group snapshot for the memory ...

... contributed by Gek Hoon ( October 2001 )