Pepper Lim, a teacher, writer, and part-time adventurer, cycled 1100 kilometres throughout Peninsular Malaysia in 11 days and raised RM30,000 for various charities!
He began his journey on February 27 and completed it on March 10, 2022. The route brought him all the way along the north and south of Malaysia from KL -> Ipoh -> Penang -> Sungai Petani -> Grik -> Jeli -> Johor!
He recalls the ordeals he had to go through in one of his many Facebook posts:
“I’ve been out cycling for a week now. It rained every day. My body hurts every day. Except for the hills, it has been fun.
“Twice, my dinner has been biscuits and bananas because I couldn’t go out. I broke my sandals. I forgot my lunch almost every day because I was so tired from cycling.”
“Every day, I get sunburnt and rained upon. Yesterday, I got to the hotel in soaking wet shoes again. It’s a challenge to get them dry for the next day. Furthermore, my fingers have been burnt to two different skin tones. Any part of the skin left exposed to the sun for an hour or two will get burnt.”
Pepper finished his journey on a ‘e-bike,’ which is propelled by pedals and powered by electricity. Despite our thoughts that “Gee, that would have been a breeze!” they are limited by the amount of battery available.
“The biggest challenge was the hills – there were so many hills. Even though I was riding an e-bike (powered by a battery), once the battery depletes, you have to cycle up using your legs!”
If Malaysia’s natural climate wasn’t enough to test Pepper, there are also the massive truckers that ply our Malaysian highways, posing a serious menace to riders! Pepper describes the risk he faced:
“Another ten hours of cycling today. The road was very narrow and twice I had to go on the grass on the road shoulder because of the lorries. Every time I hear a lorry behind me, I have to look in the mirror to see that he’s given me space. If not, I have to ride on the grass.”
Pepper shared with WORLD OF BUZZ on the breathtaking sights of Malaysia during his trip:
“Our country is beautiful. I chose to cycle, because you have no choice but to look out the ‘window’ and look around you and be amazed by the beauty of Malaysia. From the limestone caves of Gua Musang (Perak), the paddy fields in Kedah, to the Banjaran Titiwangsa mountain ranges along central Malaysia, and finally the charming kampungs and towns!
“I love how the small kampungs beautify their village with grand arches, entrances and painted used tires and houses to show how much they are proud of their kampungs!”
The ‘Cycle For Life’ initiative raised money for four different charities. The money was distributed among the four beneficiaries at a handover ceremony held last week on May 26, 2022. The Lions Club was a supporter, where all funds were transferred to their accounts as they handled all finances for the sake of transparency.
The first was for Canossa Kindergarten in Jinjang, KL, which caters to B40 families and looks after the children of single working mothers. He recalls witnessing the children brushing their teeth near the longkang and the extremely modest costs that were charged.
The ‘OKU Resource Centre’ (located in Section 19) was the second beneficiary for their training programme, where they aimed to improve their life through vocational training.
The third recipient was ‘Feed The Hungry,’ a year-round organisation that feeds individuals in need in various areas, and finally, there were the hardcore poor, who were helped with food, education, and healthcare once their finances ran out during the MCO.
He shared his mixed thoughts after finishing the trip on his final day.
“Today is the end of my cycling for charity ride. I have been on the bicycle for 12 days. Ada kurus sikit ke? I have got mixed feelings.
“I’m happy because I managed to complete this enormous challenge. Sad because it has come to an end – despite all the pain (mostly in my butt), sunburn, skipped meals, and missing my children Paprika and Saffron, I enjoyed seeing our beautiful country firsthand”.
Also read: “You’re showing off your body” – M’sians Think Tight Outfits For Female Cyclists Are Inappropriate
