It has been a while since we organised a drive among our friends. Yes, there have been occasional drives up Genting at night but it has been a while since the group had our last road trip. This time we decided to try something a little different. Instead of the usual winding and twisting roads, we decided to stick to the highways to reach our destinations which is a little bit further but as a twist we decided to visit an old folks home in Muar.
The meet up point was at the new Petronas R&R located right after the Sg Besi toll heading south bound. From there we headed down south towards BHP at the Pagoh R&R where I had to indulge in a little bit of Euro 5 diesel. Pagoh R&R is the nearest stop where Euro 5 is available. The reason why Euro 5 is now suddenly made available is because Singapore has decided to make a new emission ruling for commercial diesel vehicles coming in from Malaysia, hence the need for Euro 5.
For diesel-heads, Euro 5 is a godsend. The effects of Euro 5 diesel isn’t the same as petrol cars especially when once decides to splurge on Ron97 or sometimes Shell V-Power Racing. For diesel, there isn’t an octane rating. So what makes Euro 5 so special and coveted by diesel car owners? Well the standard for Euro 5 is basically the sulphur content, meaning it was set as a standard to ensure that emissions are less polluting.
The byproduct of Euro 5 in our engines is a smoother ride and definitely less diesel engine clatter. It actually makes the engine not feel so rough and makes the drives a little bit more pleasant.
After a quick rest as well as a toilet break, we then continued on our journey towards Batu Pahat for a much awaited of breakfast. Initially we had some trouble finding the place where we wanted to eat. Unfortunately we ended up somewhere within town without a specific place that we wanted to try out. Instead the group ended up trying out a couple of stalls along the road.
I was a little bit more fortunate as where I parked was just opposite this place where it was run by a Chinese couple selling “roti canai” as well as fried carrot cake.
Somehow I was more intrigued by the roti canai made by the couple. It was apparent by the huge amount of people who were waiting for their food.
It really tasted a little different and I think it was due to the absence of “ghee“. It had a bit more taste from the oil used to fry it. Definitely a nice change in pace compared to the usual “roti” that we get at the local mamak stores. I was so amused to see the uncle make the roti that I decided to video record it as well with my phone.
After a hearty breakfast of fried carrot cake and roti canai, we headed up North towards Muar where we would drop off the items we have bought for the old folks home. Mostly household items and a couple of wheel chairs for the home.
As the residents were mostly Chinese speaking, I had a difficult time conversing with them. Still quite a number of our group managed to talk to some of them, keep them a little company whilst they were watching several series on Astro. We encountered an old lady who kept asking us to help her contact her kids but upon discussing with the folks who took care of the old folks home, they told us that she would do the same for all visitors. It was really sad.
After the visit we headed into Muar town where we had some lunch as well as coffee before heading back. On the way back we encountered heavy traffic as well as a zig-zagging Mercedes C250 CGI who drove like a maniac using the emergency lane and being a complete nuisance on the highway.
It was a fun road trip and I can’t wait for my next road trip especially the one upcoming in Scotland sometime in July.
Hi, do u have the address for the roti canai?
Yes, it is along this street – https://goo.gl/maps/Dbdz8nuZRhQ2