DAY 28: Gopeng to Ipoh (Malaysia)

Started at 7:30 AM.

Today's journey continues along Highway 1 from Gopeng.

Traffic increases as I approach a city.

Ipoh is Malaysia's third-largest city. 

So I got to be careful, as freeways enter and exit this major city.

Shortly after departing, a tough-looking man got out of a parked truck. I wondered what he wanted, and he silently offered me a bag of tea. Don't judge a book by its cover! (laughs)

The tea wasn't in a cup, but in a plastic bag with a straw.

There was plenty of ice, which I appreciated.

Around 10 AM, the temperature rose sharply. It's only cool for a few hours right after sunrise.

Even while running, I often heard encouraging horns from cars.

Since passing Kuala Lumpur, I've been receiving more and more offerings. It seems like the atmosphere has become quite lively lately.

This area is mostly mountainous, with exposed rock faces in places.

Yesterday I managed to cover 38 kilometers, which was good, but I still had a dull ache in my right knee this morning. 

I'm diligently stretching and massaging every night, but I can't let my guard down yet.

Sprinting at every green light at intersections is quite tough.

In the early afternoon, I visited Adamms, a Facebook friend, at his home on the outskirts of Ipoh.

His house is spacious and has a garden. His mother and wife welcomed me.

He apparently attended school in Japan when he was younger and can speak Japanese.

He treated me to lunch in Ipoh (a flat noodle stir-fry that's a local specialty).

Ipoh is apparently a sister city of Fukuoka.

*Today's distance: 18.4 km

*Total distance from Changi International Airport: 581.3 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site

DAY 27 Tapa to Gopeng (Malaysia)

Started a little after 7 AM.

Leaving Tapah, there was a long, gradual uphill climb.

The weather turned ominous, and a sudden shower began.

It cooled down while it rained, but then the sun came back and it became humid and muggy very quickly.

Passed through several towns: Temoh, Kampar, and Jeram.

In Kampar, a man on a motorcycle gave me some food when I was taking a rest at a bus stop. When I told him I was from Japan, he said Japan seemed like a wonderful country and he wanted to visit someday.

After running for a while, a car stopped in front of me, and a man named David called out to me. He treated me to lunch at a food stall near a shopping mall just ahead.

There's a reason he loves Japan and Japanese people.

He's retired now, but he worked for Toyota and Mazda in Malaysia for many years.

He apparently also stayed in Japan for about five weeks for training.

He's a 4th dan in Kendo and still practices diligently. We connected on Facebook.

After we said goodbye, I kept running16 kilometers to Gopeng.

During the hottest part of the day, I felt dizzy and had to cool down in the shade many times.

34 degrees Celsius was quite tough. I think the perceived temperature was around 40 degrees.

37 kilometers for the first time in a while. My right knee held up somehow.

I didn't feel much pain in my right knee while moving.

Arrived at the hotel in Gopeng a little after 4 PM.

Tomorrow, finally, I'll be going to Ipoh.

*Today's distance: 37 km

*Total distance from Changi International Airport: 562.9 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site

DAY 26 Sungkai to Tapa (Malaysia)

Started a little late, before 8 AM.

The hotel I stayed at in Sungkai was across from the Chinese cemetery.

The road was a gentle uphill and downhill from the start.

It started getting hot after 9 AM, but the green corridors on both sides provided coolness. The tall trees blocked the sun.

I passed a town called Bidor roughly halfway through.

Ate an iced cafe latte and milk pudding at a FamilyMart.

Several young girls in hijabs came in later and I came across them making and eating instant noodles in the eat-in area.

There were quite a few Japanese songs playing in that FamilyMart.

Along the way, a car stopped in front of me, and a woman in a hijab gave me a 10 ringgit note as a donation. I didn't understand Malay, but I think she said something like, "Please buy something delicious to eat." I gratefully accepted.

I arrived in Tapah a little after 1 PM and had lunch at a Chinese restaurant.

For 6 ringgit, I got unlimited white rice and side dishes. I piled on chicken liver and various vegetables.

The restaurant owner asked me a lot of questions and took several photos of my buggy.

I arrived at the hotel a little after 2 PM and was allowed to check in about 30 minutes earlier than the scheduled 3 PM.

Tapah is a fairly lively and large town. Perhaps it's best described as medium-sized? Seeing that there are more than two of the same banks, convenience stores, and supermarkets, it's clear that it's a town with a decent population.

Tomorrow, I'll travel 38 kilometers to Gopeng, and the day after that, about 20 kilometers to Ipoh. Stage 3 will be completed in Ipoh. The remaining Stage 4 is 150 kilometers to Penang.

*Today's distance traveled: 21.9 km

*Total distance traveled from Changi International Airport: 525.9 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site

DAY 25 Slim River to Sungkai (Malaysia)

I started late in the morning.

Today, I continued north along Highway 1.

For a while, there were no shops or settlements.

There were only Hindu temples and Islamic cemeteries.

Malaysia is a country where people of various ethnicities and religions coexist.

Cemeteries, temples, and churches are all separated by religion.

Today's distance was 22.7 kilometers. The first bus stop for a rest was 15 kilometers away.

Today was the last day of the Hari Raya holiday, so the southbound lanes were congested.

Tomorrow, it will return to normal.

There was a monkey community, and a large group of monkeys greeted me.

There were dozens of them, and they all looked at me curiously without running away. The baby monkeys were quite cute.

I entered the town of Sungkai just before 1 PM, and finally, there were some shops.

I killed time until hotel check-in, and checked in exactly at 2 PM. 

The stroller is stored in the room on the first floor.

I took a shower, hand-washed the clothes, and hung them to dry indoors.

I wonder when the last time I used the washing machine was?

My right knee is relatively stable. It doesn't hurt when I'm moving, but it starts to hurt if I push myself too hard on downhill slopes.

I seem to be able to manage 20 kilometers or so if I take a rest so often.

The temperature is 34 degrees Celsius again today. It gets hottest around 2 PM.

* Distance traveled today: 22.7 km

* Total distance traveled from Changi International Airport: 504 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site

DAY 24 Tanjung Malim to Slim River (Malaysia)

After taking a day-off, my right knee feels a little better, but I'm still far from being back to normal.

A mix of brisk walking and running. I still have trouble putting weight on my right leg.

Short distances today and tomorrow.

Started just after 7 AM.

Traffic increased as lunchtime approached.

Yesterday was Hari Raya, the end of Ramadan, so it's holiday season.

There are more passenger cars than large vehicles like trucks.

Highway 1 has some sections without paved shoulders, making it difficult to run.

Many cars show respect to the buggy, slowing down and passing at a safe distance.

By just after 10 AM, the sun was intense. It wasn't just hot; the heat felt like it was piercing my skin, almost painful. Bus stops were perfect resting places. It was quite cool in the shade with a breeze.

After a break at FamilyMart, an elderly woman wearing a hijab gave me a 5 ringgit donation in front of the store. I was very grateful.

Today's run was a short distance, about the length of a half marathon. I finished running a little after 1 PM and was waiting to check into the hotel.

I needed to take precautions against heatstroke and rest my knees, and while I had some leeway in my schedule, it was still a bit disappointing that it ended so quickly.

The hotel reception is on the second floor. Once again, I had to fold up the stroller and carry it upstairs.

The air conditioner in my room was so old that it was only blowing fan air. No matter how low I turned the temperature, the air was still lukewarm.

*Today's distance: 21.3 km

*Total distance from Changi International Airport: 481.3 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site

DAY 23 Tanjung Malim (Malaysia)

To allow my right knee to recover, I only walked around town a little for shopping and a meal.

It's also important to have time to do nothing and just relax.

On days when I don't use my body, I use my mind and body to the fullest. Feeling and thinking.

However, thinking too much tends to lead to negative thoughts.

I hope to create a good state of mind and body by eating delicious food and relaxing.

During the day, I got chicken curry buns to go from a popular shop in town.

In the evening, I ate mee goreng and chicken curry at an Indian restaurant.

It rains heavily with thunder almost every day around 5 PM.

Strangely, it stops after about 20-30 minutes. The cool air and refreshing feeling after the rain is nice.

I wonder if Osaka in August during the Showa era was like this too…

*Today's distance traveled: 0 km

*Total distance traveled from Changi International Airport: 460 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site

DAY 22 Kuala Kubebar to Tanjung Malim (Malaysia)

 

My hotel room was on the fourth floor, so just getting my luggage down to the first floor was quite a task.

I was impressed by the smiling farewell from the elderly Indian woman at the reception.

Downtown Kuala Kubu Bharu has the atmosphere of a small town in the Midwest in the United States.

There's one main street, and most of the necessary shops and facilities are lined up on both sides.

Everyone walking around the town seems to know each other and calls each other by their first names...that's the kind of town it is.

I returned to Highway 1 and headed north towards Ipoh.

There were several small towns along the way, and there were usually enough shops, so I didn't have any problems.

At small supermarkets, if there's a queue, you'll normally have to wait about 10 minutes.

The shoulder of the road narrows and widens in places, and there are still quite a few cars today, probably a remnant of the holiday rush.

Despite a decrease in large vehicles like trucks, there seems to be an increase in passenger cars.

Many Malaysians are surprisingly shy; I wasn't often approached for conversation, but many people honked their horns in their cars to encourage me.

I witnessed a troop of wild monkeys rummaging through a trash can. I wonder if the stray dogs, cats, and crows here are also comfortable eating the leftovers of spicy food?

I arrived in Tanjung Malim, my final destination, in the early afternoon.

I had lunch at Pizza Hut across from the hotel before check-in time.

It seems there's a public teacher training university in this town.

My right knee hurts when I bend and straighten it. It doesn't hurt too much when I'm running or walking, but I have to be careful of the impact when going downhill. I didn't have any major problems in Vietnam or Taiwan, so why is this happening now? I don't want to think it's due to aging.

I checked in after 2 pm. I folded up the stroller and left it in front of the reception on the second floor.

There are many shops and restaurants nearby, making it a very convenient location. I'll take tomorrow off to rest and recover.

It seems the holiday season after Ramadan begins tomorrow.

* Today's distance traveled: 22.9 km

* Total distance traveled from Changi International Airport: 460 km

*Today's Photo Albums

*YouTube Playlist

*PEACE RUN Official Site