Yesterday evening at around 5pm I went on a solo ride in Sungai Ara’s backyard.

The sky was getting darker by the minute but the weather forecast said it wouldn’t rain until later around 7pm. 5pm I took off from my brother’s condo with my trusty Camelbak filled with 1 liter of water. I planned to complete Blue House in the shortest time – without stopping – if possible but first I need to check if the gate was open. I had many encounters with the gate being closed and had to do Carpet instead.

The secret path is on the LEFT of the guard house.

STRAIGHT to the water tank, LEFT to Blue House.

The gate to Blue House.

I was lucky enough the gate was open. I cranked up to the lowest gear and started pedaling. The first slope up was a short one followed by quite a few bumpy ones next. This trail really makes you shift your weight all over to compensate for the roots and rocks. Blue House Reverse after all is more of a downhill track.

It’s a bumpy ride up.

Can you spot the abandoned motorcycle skeleton?

A close-up on the skeleton.

I passed the oh-so-famous abandoned motorcycle skeleton which is one of the common landmarks for new comers. If you climb too far without passing it then you are on the wrong trail. This also signifies the start of the true climb.

A nice shady place to rest before the real climb. Take a LEFT here.

Recommended to take the RIGHT lane on this long techy section.

The aftermath of the 5-hour downpour.

Some nice scenery on the way up.

Another shot at civilization.

A trail off the main. I wonder where this leads…

Go fast if you take the cobblestone path.

The next section was covered with cobblestones on one side and bumpy roots and crevices on the other. Going on the cobblestones meant losing speed but requires less steering. I chose a mix of both worlds by going up the rooty side first and switching over occasionally. My Dart1 was setup to the highest preload so the ride up was significantly bumpy. There was a part of the climb where I should have switched over to the roots because this is where I lost my balance on the cobblestones. Should my preload be set less, this might not have happened. Or was this a question of the lack of skill?

The helmet indicates someones front door. Take a LEFT here.

Pitstop.

What the flower?

The not-so-creepy Bamboo Forest.

Passing the cobblestone section, the rest of the climb was significantly easier. Much of the terrain is easily tackled and less inclined. Next is the Bamboo Forest. Not much to climb in this section though but heads up on the low hanging bamboo. Occasionally there would be spider webs hanging from the leaves so keep your head down low with your helmet facing the front. You don’t want to have spiderwebs and insect carcasses for snacks. This places is kinda creepy when the sun is hiding but also good and shady for rests. The Blue House is not far off from Bamboo Forest, just another 5-10 minutes of climb.

Almost there…

Encik Saad was here.

So was Encik Farid.

GLORY!!

Rumah yang kebiruan.

Once you reach the Blue House you will be greeted with….a BLUE HOUSE haha. The house is baby blue in color. The farmers call it No. 40 if I am not mistaken. This is the peak of Blue House Reverse and usually those keen on going down will take the same trail back. The trip down is quite fast and bumpy which many full-sussers will definitely enjoy. I’ve been down that trail before and its just 5.35pm. It was too early to turn back so I decided to head down and complete Blue House Reverse. I’ve never been down this way and I had plenty of time till sundown so this would be a good opportunity to try it out.

To the jungle and beyond!

A lush jungle trail…

…with a shack amidst the growth?

Watch out for the tree stubs.

Going down from Blue House Reverse you will be greeted with a light jungle trail. Be careful of the many fallen branches and the tree stubs. It won’t be pretty if you get a puncture or if you are injured by a flying branch at the start of the descent. Most of the trail is a rolling track so set to your middle chain-rings in the front and back.

Nicely carved trail.

Marin-chan taking a break.

Sungai Ara’s green lung.

Feels so good to be away from all that concrete.

Jungle trail turns into paved cement.

A ‘chicken trail’ to the right…

…goes down all the way…

…through this section…

..and ends up here.

Exiting this area will bring you to the local farmers trail. You can afford to not brake in this section because of the bountiful berms on the left hand side but don’t overdo it as looming on the right side of the trail is a steep fall. I passed a small hut which the farmers use as a rest stop. This is another marker that you are on the right track. Going down further, the trail transitioned into a cement path. This section was narrow with many steep n short descents.I shot pass a ‘chicken trail’ and was caught by a few sharp corners. I could have easily bypassed these corners by using the ‘chicken trail’. Maybe next time ;).

I came to a T-junction which was quite flat. Both options didn’t show any signs of downhill. Luckily one of the locals was passing by on a motorcycle and I asked him for directions. Coincidently he was going down to Sungai Ara as well so I just tagged along behind him. If someone was recording us going downhill, others might think I was chasing the motorbike downhill!! I was practically tailing him all the way until we reached the MPPP rest stop!! Kekeke. The trail down was nicely paved but still quite steep. It’s quite challenging if you go considerably fast. One thing to bear in mind is don’t use your brakes too often because my BB5′s experienced some brake fading. I’m too chicken shit to go full speed :P

I went on further to climb Carpet and went down on Banana Trail. I would like to save those two trails for another posts. Meanwhile tomorrow’s going to be a holiday in Penang so for those not voting..let’s ride!!

P/S: I revisited Blue House and added some pics!!!