It’s raining…I’m cold but I’m sweating at the same time. My thighs are burning, muscles working overtime. I ask myself again why I’m doing this - travelling solo by bicycle from Singapore to Malacca and back.

Why?
Six months ago, I suffered an extremely severe and painful bereavement. Through it all, although I had lost interest in most things, my love of cycling was still there. I’d done numerous cycling tours before, always in the company of fellow bike enthusiasts, and sometimes even with a back up car/truck in tow. In the end, the decision to take off solo was not a difficult one. “It’s too dangerous”, “you’re a girl, you can’t possibly cycle by yourself”, friends exclaimed. That of course only made me even more determined to go.

As I wanted to enjoy myself while riding my bicycle and at the same time do some “soul searching”, Malacca seemed an ideal destination; only 230km from JB, I could make it there comfortably in 2 days via Batu Pahat.

I crossed the causeway and cleared immigration in the motor cycle lane with no hassles. The immigration officer even wished me “Selamat Jalan”. Taking the coastal road at 7am, Johore Bahru was strangely quiet and calm. It was rare to see so little traffic, and I had the road almost all to myself.
 
 

The road to Batu Pahat via Ayer Hitam is about 125km. It’s a slightly overcast day and the wind is behind me. I stop after Kulai for some tea. A solitary cyclist is an object of curiosity to most people, and it’s not long after ordering my tea that I get the first of many “interrogations”.

“Where are you going?”
“Batu Pahat”
“So far! Are you alone? No friends? No husband?”
“No”, I smile sheepishly as I put on my helmet and get going.

That’s part of the beauty of travelling solo by bicycle. I set my own pace, going as fast or as slow as I want. Yet, I’m never out of touch with people. Solo touring is a great way to start conversations or a good excuse to end them.
 
 

Travelling on the trunk roads, my fellow companions are cars , trucks and the occasional motor cyclist, whizzing by in a blur. I see lots of animals, almost all of them dead on the roads and I wish I had the courage to be a vegetarian. Unlike cycling in Singapore, the road is almost never flat and I encounter continuous hills.
As I keep spinning my legs, I ask myself again and again, “why am I doing this?”
But, I’m not allowed to wallow for long… someone sounds his horn as he passes me. I look up and the passenger has his hand out the open window, showing me a thumbs-up sign.

 I ride past small kampungs. Some kids at the bus stop cheer. Their excitement and enthusiasm keep me going. Sometimes, there is nothing to see on the road but grass and coconut trees on either side. It’s almost a relief to get to a small town where I know there will be at least a coffee shop and a provision shop to stock up on water and snacks. Most times, I’m famished and tuck into a large plate or two of fried rice. Another good thing about cycle touring is the fact that you can eat almost anything you like and a lot of it as well, with no fear of adding unwanted inches to your waist line.
 
 

In Sungei Rambai, a town halfway between Muar and Malacca, I’m unusually thirsty and order 2 cups of tea straightaway. When it comes time to paying the bill, the coffee shop boss tells me that Mr Tan, sitting quietly over in a corner eating his kuay teow soup, has already settled up for me.

I go over to thank him and he is full of questions.
“Where are you from? Where are you going?
“Cycling alone? Aren’t you scared?”
 
 

As I try to answer all his questions, I wonder about fear. I realise it keeps me alert and as long as I don’t let it overcome me, it’s a good thing.

I still don’t have all the answers to my own questions, the reason for this road trip.
But my encounters with the local people, the truck drivers who drove past slowly, waving and shouting words of encouragement, the grandfathers who cheered while having their morning coffee, the list goes on and on; these total strangers have renewed my faith in humanity. What’s next?
 

Bangkok to Singapore – 2000 kms – 2 weeks, in aid of the Breast Cancer Foundation.
 
 

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