sunday @ FRIM

I was in another indecisive mood early this morning. Waking up at 7:00 a.m., my insides were unsettled, my thoughts were clouded. For about an hour I allowed myself to drown in the lost-ness of things. I knew if I stayed in bed, I would’ve sunk further into the abyss and chances are, my mood would spiral down even more. It was so tempting to just let it take over me… but…

Enough.

I’m going biking.

I text Kerk to say I was going to join her and Roselle for a biking at FRIM (Forest Research Institute Malaysia). Quickly, I gathered what I required for the ride, got changed and out the door before I changed my mind.

Located in Kepong, FRIM provides much enjoyment to the general public longing for a green lung to escape to (especially popular on weekends). Many families, friends, school kids, hikers, bikers and more frequent the place for various activities – picnics, walks, rides, even outdoor wedding photography. This morning was no exception – the place was quite alive and buzzing as we got our bikes ready for the ride.

Roselle & Kerk

We finally got onto the trail about 9:30 a.m. Being dubbed a “baby route” by many seasoned bikers, we were just happy to take our time on the slight incline till we reached the wide, open area where 4 trails meet, one of which led to “Steroid Hill” – a steep uphill which is a real challenge to even the most seasoned rider. We weren’t crazy for torture, so we opted to take the trail down to Sungai Buloh where the nurseries are.

It’s a pretty long and exciting downhill for those who’ve not gone on that trail before. Having ridden on it a few times, I was cautious going downhill especially on the bends where many have flipped, sailed and crashed not too gracefully. Once we reached the bottom of the downhill, Kerk and Roselle decided to hang around that spot while I took a quick ride to the nurseries.

Along the way, a delightful sight met my eyes – 6 ducks taking a stroll along the road! I couldn’t resist but ride up close and snapped a photo of them. They amusingly waddled and quacked their way a little further till they turned off onto another smaller road. Well… I guess I won’t be eating duck rice for a little while out of respect of our feathered friends, heheh!

I continued on the road – left and right of me were lots of grass was being planted in square little boxes. Very much like the grass in golf courses (you could guess why I never made it as a horticulturist, I don’t even know the name of the type of grass!). Once I reached closer to where the Sungai Buloh hospital was behind the nurseries, I made a u-turn and rode back to where the girls were waiting.

We didn’t hang around for long – took a quick breather and made our way back up the downhill. This was where I’d usually get down and push my bike all the way, but I felt like a challenge and managed to ride three-quarters of the way up… woo-hoo! And what made it worth the ride was a glimpse of 4 to 5 little wild piglets running up the hill on the side. Too bad I wasn’t quick enough with the camera, but then again, I didn’t want to risk them charging at me if I did stop for a shot.

It was 11:30 a.m. by the time we made it out from the trail. Time to feed our hungry tummies and quench our thirst. We adjourned for a quick lunch before heading our separate ways for the rest of the day.

A good ride overall – I didn’t fall, and I didn’t get any new scratches which seemed to be the trend in past rides. My mind was more settled from this morning’s hazy thoughts, and it was good having done something productive instead of idling away on my bed.

Hmm… maybe I should start planning for next week’s ride…