March 19th: Tok Bali to Kampung Sekeping – 66km
Day 157
We were asleep by 6pm and slept an incredibly deep 12 hours of sleep. I could have slept more when the alarm woke us up at 6am.
Learning from the experience yesterday, I did some research on accommodations in Malaysia. A homestay turned out to be something completely different from we thought. It is a fully furnished house, with a kitchen, living room and bed rooms that can be rented out on a daily basis. It is not a budget choice for cyclists, as we always come in pack of 2 or less. Also, cheap sex motels that are abundant in Thailand simply do not exist in Malaysia, as the culture here is heavily influenced by Islamic laws. Traveling for Malaysian people is more of a family event than a personal odyssey, so fancy resorts survived the market while budget hotels only exist in big towns.
With that in mind, plan ahead is going to be the rule of the game. I found a resort that offers a “backpacker’s suite” for 50 RM on the beach 66km away, and a couple of other cheap places further away for the next few days. Hopefully we won’t be blindly searching for hotels under the hot afternoon sun.
The ride was hot and humid as usual, and due to our proximity to the ocean we got strong headwinds all the way through. But we were rewarded by the stunning view – white sandy beaches which stretch on uninterrupted by rocks or large resorts, with absolutely no one on it except us.
When we got to the beach front resort, we were the only guests and as advertised they had a cute little A-frame house for backpackers on a budget. After a tiring swirl of ferries, buses and trikes transfer, this was the perfect spot for a rest day.
