Selangor-Negeri Sembilan : Kajang to Seremban Cycling

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Selangor-Negeri Sembilan : Kajang to Seremban Cycling

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AhPek Biker - Riding Adventures

Selangor-N. Sembilan : Kajang to Seremban Cycling

Kajang to Seremban : 12th December 2015

Medim size group ride - Kajang>Bangi Town>Bukit Mahkota>Nilai 3>Nilai Town>Labu>Seremban.

Cycling Distance Covered : 58.08 km
Time : 8:35 am - 2:45 pm
Time Taken : 6hrs. 10mins. (including stops for rest, regrouping, coffee break, lunch & cendol)
Level: Medium

Route Recommendations :
1. This is an interesting route that did use the main trunk road Federal Route 1 at all. Instead it was a route that cuts through Nilai and Labu. Most of the route was fairly light in traffic except for a couple of stretches; i.e. from Kajang to Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and from Labu to Seremban.
2. Most of the route is not shady, so do cover up.
3. Along the way, one can see the original small towns of Bangi and Nilai.
4. Interesting foodie place:
- Mexim Tim Sum located off Jalan Semenyih, Kajang; along same row as the famous Kajang Satay.
- Wong Yee Seng Kopi Tiam at Jalan Besar, Pekan Bangi. It's an old coffee shop that has retained much of it's old charm.
- The unique style Seremban Beef Noodles from Stall 748 at Seremban Main Market.
- Haji Shariff Cendol in Seremban; it's not one of the best in Malaysia but is unique with it's optional toppings of corn, red beans and glutinous rice.

PRELUDE

Friends at the Seremban Train Station at the start of the Seremban to Malacca Ride.

It was not too long ago that I rode with some friends in Negeri Sembilan; this was on a ride to celebrate Hari Raya in Malacca. We took the Commuter Train from Kuala Lumpur down to Seremban and cycled from there to Malacca (... see Cycling Malacca 2015 blog).
This time round I rode from Kajang in Selangor to Seremban in Negeri Sembilan, it was an appropriate ride that closed a cycling route link for me, so at least now I know how to ride all the way from Kajang to Malacca. Also this ride was organised by Rivern; it's been a while since I rode with him and his group of friends from the Facebook group My Cyclists, it was great to see them again.

THE RIDE

Ride route - Kajang>Bangi Town>Bukit Mahkota>Nilai 3>Nilai Town>Labu>Seremban.
From Kajang we avoided using the highway and main trunk road; and instead used roads that passed through the quieter small towns of Bangi, Nilai & Labu.

Betty, Freda & Chew in front of Mexim Tim Sum Restaurant, Kajang.

The meet up point was at the Kajang Railway Station. Some will be taking the train there while others, like me, drove there. Arriving at PappaRich Kajang's outlet at 7:45am, I quickly parked my car, unloaded and unfolded my bike. Odd though, none of my other friends who drove there seems to be around.... so I just cycled over to the train station where all were suppose to meet at 8:00am. Even more odd, when I reached the station, no cyclists were in sight. A quick call to Rivern solved my problem, they were now happily enjoying a dim sum breakfast at Restaurant Mexim (GPS: 2.992945, 101.789105). I rode over to join them... a mental note to myself... must arrive early for rides or else miss out on some of the good fun.
There I met my friends including Betty, who had anonymously contacted me through my blogs. In her blog message to me she mentioned that she was keen on taking up cycling and were looking for people to ride with. Since then, there was now turning back for her, she has become a strong rider and looking much better too. She has even got herself a second bike - a Brompton - and has since done some bike touring including a cycling tour of Japan. Well done Betty.

I was glad to see Mindy too. A few months back she had fallen from her bike and broke an arm. Healed now, she's back to riding. That's real passion for cycling, don't let the hurt deter.

Gan came with her newly acquired blue Brompton which she called the "Ice Queen", she trying out for longer rides.

I was surprised to see Bil too; it's been a while since I last rode with him so this was an opportunity to catch up with each other. It's a good thing he came along, being familiar with the route, he pointed us in the right directions a couple of times when we turned down the wrong road.

Dim sum in stomachs, we rolled off, riding along Jalan Reko up and over the fly-over running above the railway lines. It was mid morning and the sun shone brightly onto our faces, casting long shadows onto the road.
Jalan Reko is quite a long road, it led us passed the Kajang Main Bus Terminal, through several housing estates before it morphed and became Jalan Bangi at the point where the grounds of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia starts.

After the university, the road that led to Bangi Town narrowed but was still fairly wide. This section was a pleasure to ride on, shady and with bends that climb up and down some gentle slopes.

At Bangi Town, a short coffee break at Wong Yee Seng Kopi Tiam. We like this place very much, it still retained that old town coffee-ship charm of friendly vendors with old-styled shelves stocking old-styled items.
The coffee here is good, I tried ordering Kopi Kaw but the owner advised that their coffee here is already very kaw! I missed having my regular energy booster of two soft-boiled eggs, the ones here were done very nicely.... pumped up with energy we are ready to go again!
(Wong Yee Seng Kopi Tiam is located at 41 Jalan Besar Bangi. GPS: 2.900732, 101.783290)

Okay, how do I look here? Good? Great?
Ok... ok... I am not trying to show how handsome an old man can look. It's those sun-glasses that I am trying to show, they do look cool and most important is that they are very reasonably priced at RM30-00 a pair. I keep on misplacing or losing my shades, so I am opting for more affordable ones so that losing them won't hurt so much.
My cycling buddy Edmund got a couple of pairs from an optical shop near his place. The brand name is "Ideal" and the lens are polarised too!

10:30am - We were past the shady roads and into wider but still quiet roads of Bandar Bukit Mahkota. It's the monsoon season now and it was raining everyday, but the weather had been kind to us; the sun shone brightly and the skies were blue.
Somewhere after Bukit Mahkota and the Nilai 3 industrial park, unnoticed by us we had crossed the border from Selangor into Negeri Sembilan.

The sun was now shining brighter and it was getting hot, especially as most of the route ahead was not shady. Most started covering up, Betty wrapped her head, helmet and all with a light towel. Can hardly see her face and she reminded us of one of those monastery monks with hood over their heads, hiding their faces!

A quick stop at the Nilai Bus Terminal, no it was not for re-grouping or rest; Rivern just wanted to show us the station. This is in case anybody was tired and could not continue the bus is an option. A few roads behind this is the Nilai Commuter Train Station; so taking a train is also an option.

But all were okay, all still smiles and going strong despite the heat; i.e. none chickened out *Grins*

On quick rest and regroup at Kampung Lambar, just before Labu. It was a convenient bus stop for us; the girls taking some photos little realising the significance of the name in the Hokkien dialect.

At Taman Bukit Kaya, near the Seremban toll plaza: a final regroup where Bil gave some instructions on road and traffic conditions before entering the town.

1:00pm - Wohoooooo! Seremban, we have arrived!

The sky wasn't looking good though, with dark clouds looming over; we pedalled faster trying to reach our destination before the rain starts.

It started drizzling and we just made it to the Seremban Main Market (Pasar Besar Seremban) in the nick of time, we are heading up to the first floor where we will have lunch at the food court there. There's a ramp that leads all the way up, it fairly steep but cycle-able.

IT'S FOODIE TIME!

Most of us had the famous Seremban Beef Noodles from Stall No. 748. Not being familiar, I went for the Large Special order it came with a bowl of beef ball soup. It was not cheap though at RM12-50 per bowl. Bil being familiar went for two bowls of the standard which sells at RM7-00 each.

Seremban's Beef Noodles is a class by itself. It comes as a dry version with slices of beef and cow's stomach. The noodle is of the "Lai Fun" variety, something similar to Penang Laksa noodles but not as bouncy. The kicker to this noodle is the sauce, something dark, starchy just like those of used in "Loh Mee" but with a beefy flavour and ground nuts. To top it all, it was garnished with Chinese parsley, sesame seed.

Where's the beef?
In the Seremban Beef Noodles.... Yeah! It's good!

(Address: Stall #748, Pasar Besar Seremban. GPS: 2.730931, 101.936824)

Here's some advice for those who want to take away the Seremban Beef Noodles:
Ask for the lai fun to be uncooked, boil them back home so that they will be springy. The lady vendor also advise to keep the hot soup away from the noodles so as not to heat them up and spoil them. See.... I followed her advice hanging the soup and noodles on my Brompton on different sides!

It's dessert time! And where better to go than Haji Shariff's famous Seremban Cendol. I went for Cendol with Jagung (sweet corn) while Rivern went for the works... everything in... i.e. Cendul with jagung, red beans and pulut (glutinous rice). See photo above, looks good isn't it?