Sunday @ Balok Beach

We left our place early in the morning in the hope that there will be enough wind on that day at Balok beach for Alfred to kite-surf. He has been yearning to kite-surf for the past few months - and since we were busy travelling, we couldn't make more frequent trips to Balok beach. Balok beach is the perfect place to learn kite-surfing because of its long shore and relatively flat surface. A good time to go kite-surfing is during the monsoon season because of the strong winds. However, for beginners too strong a wind can be dangerous since you are still learning how to control and navigate the kite.

This time round, we were unlucky. By the time we reached Kuantan at about 11.30 a.m., it was raining - that was okay; but there was absolutely no wind at all. So, we went to join Leo (the instructor) at a nearby Kopitiam. It was great meeting Leo, his wife Irene, and 2 other kite-surfers. We had a good chat - and Leo gave them more tips on kite-surfing. So, although they can't kite-surf they learned quite a bit about the sport. We watched the YouTube on Kite Cat - it's the ultimate kite-powered catamaran - the ultimate kite-sailing experience - so cool!

Kite Cat

When we got back to the beach, there were still no signs of the wind. So we waited and waited. At almost 4 p.m., there was a sudden change in the weather - with stormy clouds. It started to pour heavily with a strong gust of wind. So, we packed up and started to leave. Although Alfred didn't get to kite that day, he was happy meeting up with those guys and learning a thing or two about kite-surfing from Leo.

Once we reached near Bentong, we decided to take a different route to avoid the massive traffic jam along the Karak highway. We exited at Bentong and had our dinner at one of the Chinese restaurants in Bentong. We took the trunk road from Bentong heading towards Gombak. It was one heck of a drive - with pitch dark road - with trees towering above us from both sides of the road. I shudder to think what would happen if the car breaks down in the middle of that stretch of road. Nevertheless, it was so exhilarating to go on the road trip - highways are boring! We were so glad we took that road since we bypassed the massive traffic jam along the Karak highway. We exited from the trunk road to Janda Baik and took the highway to the Gombak toll. Reached home around 10 p.m. A perfect and fun Sunday.