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Hi and welcome back. This is the continuation of Part 1, cycling in Kota Bharu. Actually, Kota Bharu is only one part of our planned cycling route. Our first destination after arriving in Wakaf Baru is Bachok, a district in Kelantan not too far from Kota Bharu itself. The homestay we booked is somewhere by the beach within the district, just a short ride roughly around 45 km from the town center.

Based on the weather forecast, it was supposed to be sunny throughout the day with a bit of cloudiness in the afternoon. But Malaysian weather is unpredictable — even on bright sunny days, heavy downpours can just appear. Still, if you’re cycling long distances, the best thing is to be prepared for anything. Most importantly, enjoy the journey and immerse yourself in the scenery you don’t get to see every day.

By the time we reached Wakaf Baru, the sun was already high up with scorching heat and the air was very humid. Typical for a tropical country, but honestly the best condition for cycling if you don’t mind sweating a lot. As we walked towards the station entrance, the train slowly pulled away towards its last stop in Tumpat, a district near the Thai border. Some people there are of Siamese descent with noticeable Thai influences. You’ll find Siamese shrines and temples around the border town, with the most prominent being the sleeping Buddha statue. Malaysia really is a blessed country with so many cultural influences. When it comes to food, you’ll be spoiled with choices — one reason Malaysians are so open when it comes to food. We adapt easily to new environments, though I guess being Southeast Asian, there’s still a bit of tendency for side-marginalisation.

Wakaf Baru is a small neighbourhood within Kota Bharu. There isn’t much to see, but it’s the closest train station to the city. Near the entrance, there’s a small open path leading to the logistics office where we were supposed to collect our bicycles. An officer greeted us and we asked him where the bikes were kept. One thing I’ve always liked about Kelantan is the people — they’re genuinely polite and helpful. The officer showed us the bicycles, which were carefully wrapped in soft foam and plastic, placed neatly against the wall. Even though his Malay dialect was hard for us to understand, he tried his best to switch to a KL accent, which we truly appreciated. We collected the bikes and moved to an empty space nearby to assemble everything.

Once the bicycles were ready, we took turns changing clothes and attaching our bags. Soon after, we pedalled slowly to the main station entrance and headed toward the main road to exit Wakaf Baru before continuing onto the trunk roads toward Bachok. Cycling around this area can be a bit challenging with the traffic, but nowhere near as stressful as cycling in the Klang Valley. Drivers here are much more tolerant — barely any honking. Only a small section of road towards Kota Bharu was closed due to roadworks. As long as you watch the road surface and know your route, there shouldn’t be any issues. We continued cycling and eventually reached a major intersection. Straight ahead was Kota Bharu city center, while the right turn led further outward.

We took the right turn and pedalled across Sungai Kelantan, one of the main rivers that flows into the South China Sea. The water was slightly murky, probably because it was near the river mouth. Once we crossed, we stopped for a short break. It took us roughly 30 minutes to reach that point from the station. After resting, we continued out of the city. The surroundings were mostly commercial buildings — nothing much to admire, just focusing on the road. Soon, we reached a juncture leading away from the main road and onto a two-lane trunk road, marking the inter-state route. From there, the traffic eased significantly with very few cars passing by.

While waiting for the traffic light to turn green, a random guy on a motorcycle greeted us. We chatted briefly before the light changed. He introduced himself as Ardy, and funnily enough, he’s also an avid bike-packing cyclist. We talked a bit about cycling and places of interest in Bachok. He even offered to show us around once we reached Bachok. This is the kind of random friendliness you encounter in Kelantan — people are genuinely helpful and polite. Their hospitality is on another level, something even we Malaysians don’t always expect. What started as a simple chat turned into a friendship, and we’re still in touch today. The conversation ended as soon as the light turned green, and we continued cycling.

But shortly after, we had to stop again because one of our friends had both legs cramped up. We took shelter at an abandoned house just a few meters from the junction. Seeing his condition, it looked like we needed a longer break. Ardy, being incredibly kind, stayed with us and offered to return with his car so our friend could ride back to the homestay. He had just finished his hospital shift and was on the way home, but he still took the time to help us. We were really grateful for his kindness. After agreeing on the plan, me and another friend continued cycling since time was running out before sunset. Maybe the heat played a role, and honestly, our lack of stretching didn’t help either. Things happen — but we were lucky to meet good people along the way.

As we cycled further, the view changed from buildings to lush greenery, with paddy fields lining the roads. The air was warm, with an occasional sea breeze that made the ride easier. The scenery was breathtaking — fewer cars, fewer fumes, and the flat road with slight gradients made the cycling more pleasant. Eventually, the road brought us closer to the sea. The landscape shifted from paddy fields to tall coconut trees and sandy terrain. Clouds began to gather, turning grey, hinting that it might rain later in the evening. Seeing the sky darken, we picked up our pace to reach the homestay before sunset.

Gradually, the sun started setting, with rays of light streaming through the coconut trees. There were hardly any cars, no noise pollution — just birds chirping and the laughter of kids playing around their homes. These kids truly live a life that city children rarely get to experience. Spending afternoons outside with friends, carefree, no gadgets stealing their attention… just soaking in the warm air while playing and running around. It’s something we hardly see in the city anymore. Life nowadays feels dull at times — busy, distracted, and disconnected. We chase temporary digital “fun” but forget that real memories come from simple moments like these. It’s a bit sad, honestly.

The closer we got to the homestay, the fresher the air felt, with the warmth of the sea breeze hitting our faces. We slowed down to enjoy the view. We took a short detour from the main road onto a narrow single-lane path that led back to the same road toward the homestay. The path was lined with tall coconut trees and old wooden village houses — such a beautiful sight to cycle through. I love seeing old houses with traditional architecture; they give such a nostalgic, authentic feeling. Slow pedaling with a warm breeze and scenery like this — that’s the best part of bike-packing.

We finally arrived at the homestay. Coincidentally, just before our detour, we saw our friend with Ardy in his little Suzuki Jimny, slowly driving and recording us cycling. We reunited at the homestay and were lucky the nearby restaurant was still open, so we hung out there while the sun set behind the South China Sea. The gentle breeze and the last rays of sunlight made the view absolutely breathtaking — something you rarely get in the city.

Before parting ways, we agreed to meet Ardy again for dinner on Friday. He planned to drive us around Kota Bharu and bring us to places locals enjoy on weekends. By the way, we arrived in Kelantan on a Wednesday, and this whole bike-packing trip happened from 24–27 August 2022 — early post-pandemic, when movement had only started to be less restricted.

We spent the evening washing our cycling clothes and unpacking what we needed for the next few days. Since we’d be cycling most of the time, we’d mostly be in full cycling attire. The homestay was located at Pantai Kandis in Bachok. It was a nicely built tiny house on high stilts because the area is prone to flooding during monsoon season, usually from November to March.

After cleaning up, we lay on the bed, resting while browsing social media and uploading stories — typical city-people behaviour, updating our feed just to “exist,” haha. But jokes aside, that’s also how we share our trips and hopefully inspire others to pick up cycling too. Cycling is therapy for the mind, with so many benefits. The serotonin definitely helps, and the scenery along the journey makes it even better. Exploring a place by bicycle is truly the best way to soak in the culture and daily life.

There were no shops or stalls open in the area at night, but luckily we already had dinner with Ardy earlier. So we spent the night resting and chatting about random things and planning for the days ahead. It rained quite heavily later that night, and by midnight we were already fast asleep from exhaustion. The next morning, the weather was clear and dry — perfect for another day of cycling.

I’ll stop here for now and continue in the next part. Thanks for stopping by and reading!