Sunday, August 16, 2009

Genting Highlands: The Road to Amber Court


Stopping just before the goh tong roundabout. It's the first place where you can stop after 3-4km of climb.

Finally I got my Nokia photography skills correct. Remember to focus by pressing T.

Faisal climbing...

If you can pass this killer at 4km ... no problem to the top

Chee...!

Faisal thinks he'll beat Contador's time.

And the winner is...

Amber court. Smack in the middle of nowhere...and good site for ghost film shooting.

Another abandoned resort...



The climb to here is pretty tough as well..

The coolest scope I got...

You can see how steep the last 0.9km climb up.

Third time. I am beginning to have deja vu moments just thinking of it. Too much of a good thing is going to get stale any how. But this time the ride was great. Accompanied by Chee and Faisal, who had done it before, so it wasn't a problem for them (or so I hoped). Chee has done it so many times, he'd lost count. Faisal did it 2 years back.

We had a smooth and slow ride up to Sempah. Then, we embark on the 4 km nasty climb to Gohtong. Faisal was doing his best. I knew this is going to be mental. Been there, and done that. So I know how tough it is. Tried to keep things up by keeping everyone in sight. At least if you are suffering, you could always try to look up at the rider in front, and that keep things going.

We reached the Gohtong roundabout for a rest. Faisal said he'll stopped at Gohtong then back down. But I knew it's all in the mind. We'll continue up once we are fully rested and refueld at Gohtong mamak eatery.

After everyone had their chow, it's back to pedalling again. I had been able to go pass the guard alone, but would they let 3 guys up? Seems like, they never bothered. So we proceeded. First 2km is pretty manageable. Then it's all hard hard climb up.

Both of them showed they had the resolve and mettle to keep on going. I knew it's tough, physically and mentally. Reminded myself how hard it was the first time. But personally this time for me is pretty ok. It's tough, but once you got the right relaxing rythm, you can slowly inch up the mountain.

We stopped twice before the last 1km up. The ride towards the last 300 meters is hard as usual.

Then it was chilling at the coffee outlet. Chee suggested that we ride a nice route up Amber Court. It starts at the road in to mushroom restaurant. And the road itself was pretty hilly, and still yet some climbs to be done. But the view was breathtaking. Actually I didn't like the noisy fun fair and cars at Genting. I'd rather be at a solitary place overlooking majestic hills.

But amber court itself looks pretty haunting. I thought it was a personal residence until I googled up and it's really a hotel resort of some kind. My advice? Don't book it. Just looking at it gives you the creeps.

Had some fun with a sniperscope, which has 9x magnification.

Then it's all the way back to HOA. And just as I was turning into the car park, I almost fell because of something. That something turns out to be an exploded tyre.

Anyway, this is probably the last long ride before fasting month. And no more night runs up Genting :)

10 comments:

Simon said...

Hey, I'm thinking of riding up on Saturday to compare it to the Alps while it's all still fresh in my mind (and legs). Fancy joining me?

Unknown said...

yip anyway tanks 4 the supot me reach to the top,finaly i overcome my mental tourture.

tanks gak blaja kat old town cafe!

cRAzYtoMatOmaN-D said...

yip, r u on energizer??
u seemed to be addicted to hill climbs la.
i gotta do it...soon!

yipwt said...

simon,

Sorry dude...fasting month coming. Would be great to ride with you.

Faisal, it's really torturing. Just look at down rather than up!

Tomato, it's doable. Make sure you got a 25 casette at the back.

Kevin Siah said...

I think the ghosts in Genting are also familiar with you now, hahhah.

Gosh, Amber Court is so pathetic now. It's so sad, we used to have a unit there, but had to sell it as it was making big losses with no visitors.

yipwt said...

yea..kev. Amber court is really really run down. And we're surprised there's still visitors there. They could have refurbished that place...but the road leading there is a must ride. Nice view..!

YS said...

Hi Yip, been reading your blogs especially on the reports of your 'ultra' runs... am truly amazed!
I am a 37-yr old newbie in running, and been running for 9 months. Currently can do 15km, and am training for half-marathon. Currently, run at least 3 days a week, and at least 30km/week... 'chicken feet' for you and most of your readers here.
So far, I am running without drinking water or consuming any energy bar during the run... which i know it's wrong. Am starting to learn to run-walk/drink-run... any advise for me? For instance, how to you do your run-walk/drink/eat-run... at what interval, for say, a full-marathon distance? Thank you and Selamat Hari Raya!

yipwt said...

hi YS,

Good to know you are into running.

One thing you need to take care is nutrition. Basically make sure you get hydrated well, which means drinking enough fluid to sustain your body. Not enough water can cause shock to your body, and that can be lethal.

As for powerbars, it's not really necessarry, because long distance running will dig into your fat storage (if you run within your aerobic level).

You might want to eat enough protein throughout your training period to rebuild back your muscles.

Ok..hope that helps..

YS said...

Hi Yip, thanks for the advice!

faiz zaini said...

amber court haunted