Cycling Malaysia’s Northern States to Langkawi - Part 2: Alor Setar to Mata Ayer
This is the second part of our tour report from Butterworth, Penang to Langkawi Island, Kedah. If you missed the start of the journey, head back to Cycling Malaysia’s Northern states to Langkawi - part 1 (Butterworth to Alor Setar).
Stage 2: Alor Setar to Mata Ayer
Start Alor Setar
Finish Mata Ayer
Distance 80km
Climbing 114m
Grade Medium
After a day of rest, wandering around the old town of Alor Setar to stretch our legs and eating the Kedah specialty called nasi lemak royale, we were more than ready to resume our journey north. We checked out of 38pc Boutique Hotel and rode to a breakfast of Chinese chicken noodles nearby, before heading out of town completely. Several residential areas later we reached some riverside bike lanes and more housing areas, before finally hitting kampung territory and more paddy fields, similar to our views heading out of Penang state the day before. Karst limestone hill formations dotted the landscape ahead of us, which told us that we were heading in the right direction. Perlis has more of these geological features, something more common the further north you go especially if you cross the border to south Thailand.
Approaching the state border between Kedah and Perlis around midday, we realised that many of the spots we had earmarked for a lunch break were closed. The villages were very quiet, as if a siesta was being observed, or folks were out of town - a likely explanation due to the year-end school holidays. Thankfully we chanced upon a KFC just off the main route, a welcome break from the blazing sun and the headwinds. What better time to eat that salty, crispy fried chicken skin than while on a bike tour! After a brief cool down we reluctantly left the chill of the restaurant as I said a silent prayer to the person who invented airconditioning, continuing along the trunk road which had a wide shoulder that kept us a safe distance from passing heavy vehicles.
Riding northwest we zigzagged through paddy fields and kampungs and eventually reached the coastline, with the roads fairly quiet the further we rode. Eka made a beeline for a bowl of ice cold cendol after spotting a stall selling snacks and icy desserts along the seaside stretch, and we had a brief stop to enjoy views of the afternoon sun bouncing off the waves. By this time we were well into Perlis, with the Kuala Perlis jetty visible at the end of the coastline on the horizon. This would be where we would take the ferry to Langkawi! But there was still a day of exploring Perlis before heading off for our island break, so onwards we continued.
Some riverside paths took us through yet more paddy fields, as bigger and much more karts limestone hills on the horizon appeared to be creeping closer to us. Soon enough we began to see a busier town area and more traffic, belying the nationwide joke that Perlis is so small it only has one roundabout and traffic light each plus a handful of residents only. Past Kangar town, it was obvious that a fair bit of new development has happened there in recent years, and the town itself isn’t quite the sleepy hamlet people make it out to be.
But our homestay was beyond the edge of town in a quiet village called Mata Ayer, and we were soon back in kampung and paddy field territory yet again. We had a punchy climb up a flyover before taking an abrupt u-turn at a connected underpass, where our friend Imran was waiting for our arrival. Imran and his wife Fiona had already checked into Wood Valley Lodge, where a menagerie of cats also made up a grand welcoming committee for us two tired cyclists. Infinitely glad to have ended our day of riding against the east winds or “angin timur” as the locals call them, we had a fantastic fried rice dinner nearby before settling in for the night, in preparation for a day of riding around Perlis with our friend Nafis.
Cycling Perlis
Distance 84km
Climbing 451m
Grade Easy/Hard (Wang Kelian climb)
The day started not quite bright and early; eka and myself a little tired from our day of battling headwinds and crosswinds in the heat, while Imran and Fiona were repaying some sleep debt from their bumpy overnight bus ride the night before. Soon we set off, with our friend Nafis recommending a little breakfast before we started our ride since the first task on our checklist was the Wang Kelian climb. He was playing bike guide for the day, because despite residing on Penang Island he spent most of his life in his hometown in Perlis. To get to the base of Wang Kelian we would have a 20km warm up distance, so we couldn’t very well start with empty stomachs. I opted for the pulut ayam local specialty, a Thai influence dish only available this far up north.
Getting to the base of the climb was tough enough, with the headwinds and crosswinds buffeting us as we rode to the limestone hills in the distance. Perlis’ paddy fields have a raw, rugged beauty to them that make them different than the grid pattern paddy fields in other states. Streams and rivers cut through the fields, and the views made the challenging ride conditions somewhat bearable. The sun was showing off that morning too, as if to lament what we had missed out on living all this while in the city. Our route would take us through the paved kampung roads, as well as through the gravel tracks of paddy fields and a flood mitigation stream, as my apprehension about the climb grew each kilometer we rode.
Soon enough we reach the base of the hill, a small town called Kaki Bukit, which translates literally to foot of the hill. Purchasing some ice for our water bottles at a sundry shop, we do a quick refill and brake check before heading to the real base of the climb. The 3km climb is not a long one by any means, but features steep gradients averaging double digits, spiking to 15% at many hairpin turns. With my gears misfiring and fed up with my constant need to stop to catch my breath, I ended up pushing 2/3 of the way, as Nafis kept constant watch. I alternated between laughing hysterically at the gradients and rambling on about the follies of hill climbing. I would have turned around and found a kopitiam to wait for the rest of the group to do the climb, had Nafis not kept constant watch over me like a prison warden.
At the top, we were rewarded with a stunning panoramic vistas of the border between Malaysia and Thailand, with paddy fields, undulating hills, limestone karst formations, rivers and a lake in the distance. The limestone hills are in abundace on the Thai side of the border, beckoning temptingly, but we resist going beyond the viewpoint as it would mean another climb back up of a similar nature. Instead, we enjoy the steep downhill back to the Malaysian side of things and headed towards Padang Besar, the more popular border crossing. Lunch came in the form of fried rice and tom yum, as well as some fantastic smoked beef. The food there was more fragrant and has a different collection of flavours due to the Siamese heritage of the cooks themselves.
There was no crossing the border since none of us were traveling with our passports, so we continued riding back towards our starting point, making a pitstop at a Kenaf plantation. The plantation’s rolling terrain had recently gone viral, and being holiday season had dozens of cars parked as their occupants posed for snapshots to bring home as souvenirs. It was clear that many out of towners were traveling, because the cars bore registration plates from all over the country. Not to be outdone, we also whipped out our cameras for an impromptu shoot, but were soon on the road again.
Recovering from the strenuous Wang Keling climb (or hike, more like) thanks to lunch, I managed to keep up as Nafis picked up the pace. The light was fading into late afternoon and the promise of coffee at the end of the ride kept us going. By the time the sun was beginning to set we reached our final checkpoint at Bukit Chuping, a charming outdoor coffee joint called Balbuk House surrounded by paddy fields and limestone hills. It was twilight by the time we bid farewell to Nafis, resting from the day’s ride with coffee and an early dinner as darkness fell. We rode in the dark home to our accommodation, to have supper and pack for the next day’s journey to our final destination of the tour - Langkawi Island.
Head to part 3 of our tour, Cycling Langkawi and Langkawi Gravel, which covers how to get to Langkawi and our alternative route to the regular round island ride. If you missed our first part of the tour, head back to the beginning at Cycling Malaysia’s Northern states to Langkawi - part 1 (Butterworth to Alor Setar).
If you liked this tour write up, do give these other tours a read too:
Cycling Malaysia’s West Coast from Klang to Pangkor Island
Cycling Malaysia’s East Coast, Kelantan to Terengganu
We also have a number of international tours if you’re looking for ideas to travel abroad:
Cycling Spain’s Andalucia 2017
Cycling Taiwan’s East Rift Valley, Jiufen and Houtong 2019
Cycling Seoul to Busan, South Korea 2019
