Desaru Day 1

Day 1: Singapore to Pengarang to Desaru (18/12/06)

I arrived slightly later than the stipulated timing of 9.30 am at Changi Jetty but quite a lot of people have not arrived yet. Me and my army friends signed up for the Desaru cycling trip before the exams which is organised by NUS ODAC club. There is a total of 30 plus people going for the trip and we had to be separated into 3 bumboats to Pengarang.

After the bicycles arrived via lorry at around 10.30 am, we brought a bike each and transported them onto the bumboats. The process was delayed by some administrative procedures and we left Singapore at around 11 am. The bumboat ride is about 1 hour and we took a few photos along the way.

On the boat to Pengarang


Zhangyi, Kang Rui and myself

We arrived at Pengarang jetty at around 12 noon and it was drizzling slightly. The customs there is just a small building and the security is quite lax.

At Pengarang jetty

Zhangyi, Kang Rui and i waited for the rest of us to arrive as we were on the 1st bumboat. Soon, it was 1 pm before we set off on our cycling journey to Desaru.

Zy, Bc, Kr, Gk and Ks, our bikes and the sea near the jetty

We were soon cycling in the rain and we took out our ponchos and raincoats. We proceeded with the cycling as the rain is not very heavy but after cycling for some time, the rain got heavier and heavier and all of us stopped at a provision shop by the road for shelter.

I was thinking in my head i probably shouldn't have signed up for this WET cycling trip when i was cycling with the rain pouring, our clothes wet, my spectacles foggy, and my thigh muscles ACHING! I haven't exercised for a long time since before the exams and the cycling indeed proved my determination and willpower to complete the trip.

We continued cycling after the rain subsided and it was better but only for a while. Soon, it started raining again but it wasn't too heavy and there were no shelters along the way. Thus, we proceeded with our cycling until we reached Sungei Rengit at 4 pm. We had cycled almost 20 km in the rain and we finally reached the place where we will be having our lunch.

Sungei Rengit

The organisers' plans had gone awry as we were supposed to reach Sungei Rengit at 1 pm for lunch. The morning delay, the rain, and their poor estimation of time had prevented their plans from running smoothly. Anyway, we had our late lunch at Jade Garden, a famous seafood restaurant.

Jade Garden Restaurant

It started raining heavily again while we were having our lunch and we all waited for it to subside after finishing our lunch. It is now impossible to cycle to Desaru before sunset as the time was 5 pm and the organisers had to think of a backup plan.

They contacted the Desaru Resort which will be providing our dinner and minibuses from the resort arrived shortly to fetch us there. We loaded the bicycles back up on the lorry and had a nice and wet-free ride to the resort. The trip from Sungei Rengit to Desaru took about half an hour and the distance between the 2 towns is around 40 km.

In the minibus


Pineapple plantations on the way to Desaru

We reached Desaru in the evening and took a closer look at the beach. Actually once we stepped out of the minibus, we were greeted by extremely strong winds. When we were closer to the beach, the sand particles hit our legs perpetually due to the strong winds. The waves were incredible strong and they created a waterlogged area separating the beach.

It is due to the monsoon season and no one would be so stupid to swim in the super choppy waters as anyone or anything will be swept away in seconds. The waves hit the beach repeatedly with double or even triple layered waves in the background. Not a nice sight for a supposedly nice beach indeed.

Desaru Beach with waterlogged area

The resort had provided us with a shelter and toilets for us to wash up. All of us were supposed to pitch tents by the beach but due to strong weather condition, we had to pitch tents in the shelter. We explored the resort a bit and we found the toilet which was given access to all of us. The light doesn't seem to be working and it was shrouded in darkness. The sight of the eerie and old toilet dampened our mood a little and we jointly agreed to book a resort room to have a good rest, nice and comfortable beds, and a decent toilet to shower in.

Eerie toilet


By the coastline


People setting up tents in the covered shelter

The 5 of us booked a chalet house which costs 200 RM for 1 night. It was rather expensive but we went ahead with the booking and unloaded our backpacks in the chalet. There are 2 rooms, a living room and a kitchen, which can accomodate up to 5 people. Ks, Kr and i shared a double bed while Zy and Bc took the twin beds.

We had our packet dinner at the eating area beside the resort restaurant after the rest of them finished pitching their tents.

After having our dinner

We were feeling a little bad for the rest of the cycling group as we had took one of the last few cheaper chalets available and we offered them to use our chalet's toilet.

After washing up, it's daidee and bridge all the way until midnight when all of us turned in.

Playing cards