The Malaysian Foldie Issue 13, September 2014 | Page 6

CRUISIN'

Ride review

Charming Chamang

Bentong's rustic countryside and the chamang falls in Pahang is a place worth visiting especially with a folding bike..

I rang up my trusty kaki Ah Pan who lives in mukim Sertik in Karak, Pahang.

The intention was to tell him about my visit to the farm he is currently residing in.

A night before, I've packed my bike and fishing gear.

This was a "two-in-one" trip incorporating some light cycling and fishing..

My plan was to link up with Ah Pan at kedai Basikal Bentong and ride out from there.

So, I drove up to the Karak Highway and got off at the Bentong exit.

It was a short drive to the bicycle shop and when I go there, Ah Pan was already waiting with his Dahon Dash P18.

I quickly set up my bike and rode out with the man.

It took me about 45 minutes to ride up to the Chamang falls, our intended destination.

Been a while since I rode in the area and the road was clear of all traffic.

There were only some motorcycles along the way and Ah Pan was already waiting near the falls.

As far as I've known Ah Pan, he's been a big fan of the Dahon Dash P18.

The model he had was the 2011 edition which is one of the best there is.

We hung out at the falls and a group of tourists started to flock the observation area near the pool.

They spoke in Malay but what intrigued me was the fact that most of them had Chinese features.

Then I asked one of them: "Dari mana Auntie?"

"Kami orang Melaka...," said a lady in the group.

I realized that they were Peranakan Chinese from Malacca who came all the way to have a glimpse of the Chamang Falls.

Their next destination was Raub where a durian party was held.

We decided that it was best roll out and the first thing that greeted me was this steep 1km climb out of Chamang.

It was no sweat on my Tern Eclipse S18.

On the low-gear, I crunched all the way, rolling down towards Bentong where we made our way to a part of town to have some pig trotters noodles.

TOP: The writer with Ah Pan at Chamang falls. NEXT PAGE: TOP LEFT - Charging the hills along the Kg Chamang road. TOP RIGHT - Chamang Falls. BOTTOM LEFT: With a moth found on the road side. BOTTOM RIGHT: Signboard to inform travelers the turning towards the waterfalls.