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<\/a>Haze on the way to Bentong<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>7am and already sweaty (and salty…)<\/p><\/div>\n
<\/a>Watching the clouds form – ever thought of cycling in a turkish hammam?<\/p><\/div>\n
For dealing with the heat and humidity, C\u00e9dric and I made stops for water or iced coffee almost every 10 km \u2013 this gave us a break from the sun and a way to cool down. We also prolonged our lunches for up to two hours. Being on the equator, the sun shines right over our heads at noon, i.e. even trees on the side of the road do not make any shade any longer. Taking these longer breaks also allowed us to connect with and talk to the locals since everyone seemed to congregate in the shade of a gas station awning, restaurant, or place of worship. As written in a previous post, cycling during the Ramadan period made us a lot more inclined to take a break with the Malay-Chinese community, first because they were usually the only shops open, and then because we felt that we would offend\/annoy the Muslim Malays while eating and drinking during the daytime hours (and no way we could cycle 4\/5h daily without drinking!). In the evening, the comfort of an air-conditioned room and cold shower was too enticing to even consider camping.<\/p>\n Our favorite spot for lunch<\/p><\/div>\n 9am and already looking for electrolytes. Those juices (it’s a lot of sugar and chemicals, not many fruits!) are sold everywhere in the evening shortly before the Iftar (break of fasting) – that place was mysteriously open in the morning. The lady took pity on us and gave us some local crepes!<\/p><\/div>\n<\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/a>