Recently with the fever of cycling, decided to give cycling in Balik Pulau a try. Balik Pulau is situated at the 'other' side of Penang island where much of the landscape here is untouched by the rapid development. I do hope it stays the same, that is a very wishful thinking. There are a few shops renting out bicycles for a nominal fee.
This shall be the ride to 'conquer' the Balik Pulau trails. The 'Explorer' and so it is named.
You can enlist the help of a local guide to show you around, this is highly advisable, but do get the good ones. It is also very helpful to 'remind' the guide if he or she is not sure which trail that you want to explore, especially if you are exploring with younger participants or older ones. The performance envelop, with the quality of bicycles given, might even challenge the Tour De France cyclists.
A short cycle away, we reached the fishing village at Balik Pulau.
A long sandy area to walk by and enjoy the early morning scenery.
Another scenery of the vegetation, quite soothing.
Fishing boat headed to the small jetty to offload the catch of the day.
Heading back towards to gather the bicycles and move on.
One last photo.
Off to the road and to the next stop. This route is physically demanding on the steeper sections. Also there is no traffic here.
Downhill sections are very enjoyable, with the thick vegetation, it is rather nice.
I didn't know there are padi fields at Balik Pulau, you also get to cycle through it. Like the scenery.
Another view of the padi fields, it would be nicer with the water.
After the arduous cycling journey, a cup of local brew coffee is a bliss.
Had the famous 'Laksa' at the coffee shop.
The typical laksa with 'hae ko'(蝦羔)
Or you can have the alternative, lemak laksa.Quite nice and yummy.
Look at the amount of laksa sauce containers. I'd say good business.
You can also try to go to the bile trail with this bicycle, be warned, it is quite challenging.
Overall, there are a few bicycle rental shops. However, I would highly encourage that you bring along your own bike, a decent one of course. You will truly enjoy the trail with a good bike( hard tail is good enough) with good suspension setup. If you really just want to try it out without buying new bicycles, you can rent it through Audi Mtb Club (GPS location :N 05 18.732 E 100 12.416), if I'm not mistaken is RM15 per person.
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