Kuala Gula?? 18 Dec 2011

Bugged by the riding 'illness', we embarked on a ride to nowhere with organiser Sam and another rider KS. Started our journey at 7.44am & arrived at Ipoh for breakfast by 9.14am. I had chicken hor fun while the guys shared a huge portion of kueh-mueh ( crullers, yam cakes, vegy dumplings & banana fritters) and each had our own cuppa. Apology, no pictures taken as I was very hungry ( grinning...aint I always the hungry one?)
A quick check, and off we went to join Vincent & his wife at Bukit Merah Laketown. When we reached the traffic light heading into the resort, we were 'escorted' & directed to a special parking lot. Boy oh boy...it was a bike week at Bukit Merah Laketown Resort! Very happening with loud music and the emcee welcoming new riders coming in every few minutes. This time, the focus was more for the Goldwings - the huge Honda big bikes that is very comfy & expensive type. The last I checked, it ranges from RM140K and above! There were Harleys, and tiny cute bikes which I learned was FJR or JFK of FJK or something to the tone of it...duh, I pillion rider only okay not a genuine biker ya! Among all, I was attracted to the Indian...massive bike in striking blue..awesomely handsome. I was told it's priced about RM300-400K!! Oh my gosh!

Goldwings - frontal view

Rear View - lady inclusive!!

Anyways, it was all hyped up with loud music, stalls selling trinkets, apparels & bike stuffs. Lots of bikers. Some even have team shirts as they are club members coming as a club instead on individuals. Having no rights to their photo and lest being sued for no authorization to publish their pictures, I refrained from taking their pictures. Just to be safe from legal pursuits. Despite how the small bikes looks, please don't be deceived by the looks. Yours truly can hardly tip-toe on them...yes...you are so right, am really that short. Hey, I'm not even at eye level OK...happy now!?!?!

the FJR, JFK or whatever!!

guests checking them out

We hung around for about an hour, then we went to see people fishing at the river just about a kilometer from the resort. While resting, we ate fried jack fruit which was delectable, hot and fleshy. RM1 for 6 seeds - 100% cheaper than in Klang Valley. Then it was decision time to find a place for lunch. Think-think-think. KS suggested Kuala Kurau, so out came our GPS. It was 39.2km away..well, nothing is too far when the biking 'illness' attacks. So, off we went. It will be our very first visit to Kuala Kurau - both Rocker57 & I.
Well...what do you know? They don't serve seafood for lunch! The restaurant people were nice enough to direct us to the nearest town about 7km away - Kuala Gula. Into the wilderness we rode...no village or township in sight and out of the blue, there were two rows of shophouses on both sides. Our leader (interchangeably as we rode) brought us to a fishing village nearby a Chinese temple. We then headed back to the first corner shop on the right along the main road of Kuala Gula just before turning into the temple .
The shop is called Tee Kee Seafood. Couldn't take a picture as the signage was old & discolored. 
As we waited for our food, we noticed that along the river/water canal just a stone throwaway from our restaurant, the locals were resting with their cuppa and a group was playing mahjong in mid noon! With shades & trees, the ambient seemed conducive for the locals to 'chill out' after a hard day's work.

That's me digging in. Vincent & Mrs. Rocker57 being blocked by me.

 We had curry fish, vegy and crabs fried with vermicelli. The fish is as fresh as one can get, it was sweet, fleshy and fresh - of course! Hmmm...you must be thinking why cook in curry instead of steam, right? See...I knew what you were thinking....well, we have to be considerate when traveling in a group, right? Two of the bikers will eat some if only the fish doesn't reek of fish smell...so with curry, we get the best of both worlds. Plenty smart eh?
The crab vermicelli was the best I've tasted so far. The crabs though small in size was so so sweet, fleshy and super fresh. The tasty vermicelli complement the crab, a house specialty. (Pix of lunch complimentary from Sam) Again, yours truly forgot to take one for the blog....yes...am hungry mah!!! Top with a big bottle of mineral water and 3 glasses of kedondong drink. The damage? Only RM96 i.e. RM16 per person. Truly satisfying - both tummy & pocket.
After a hearty lunch, its a dread to travel over 300km as one will get sleepy on a full stomach. Case in point. Mrs Vincent who rides on a Honda Valkyrie (akin to a Goldwing) actually admitted she dozed off between Kuala Gula and Simpang Pulai! Imagine that!!! So risky and dangerous. Lucky nothing untoward happened. On the ride home, we faced rain, sun, drizzle, sun, rain...but everyone arrived home safely. 
It was the craziest ride I've been on, almost 700km in 11 hours of riding (pit stops inclusive). On hindsight, it was worth the ride, because I would not have seen Kuala Kurau, Bukit Merah or Kuala Gula if not for the spontaneity.