Feeling a little cooped up with work a couple of weekends ago, I felt the need for a drive to reward myself after all the slogging. Knowing that Singapore has no ideal road for driving, I chose to head up North like many other car enthusiasts searching for some decent asphalt. After a call and a quick discussion with a mate, we made our way towards Desaru.

Not knowing where to stop for good breakfast after using the Second Link, we stopped at some random coffee shop for some tim sum. Nothing fantastic to be honest.

It was not long before we got on highway E22. Long and straight road equals huge urge to step on it.

Okay, this was shot by my passenger when it was going downhill and I did not notice the excess pressure on the throttle. There was some no speeding involved.

At higher speeds, the Ignis Sport remained surprisingly stable with no hint of floating. However, the close-ratio gearbox meant that the engine could never really settle down. The lowered suspension coupled with the car's short wheelbase also meant that it was not the best cross-country machine to be in. While not apparent on our smooth local roads, Malaysia's bumpy roads sure bounced me around in the Recaros quite a bit.

A good example of badly paved roads. Notice the part where the road joins the bridge? I misjudged and went over it at high speed and oh my, I swear i had some air time! Totally did not expect that and I was definitely more cautious after this. Meanwhile, the F30 BMW 320i driven by my buddy looked like it was soaking up all the undulations very well. I did wish I was driving that instead.

The iconic suspension bridge of highway E22. Pretty amazing to me.

A quick turn into 90 and 92 brought us to The Pulai Desaru Beach Resort where we took a break.

Chose not to nap despite the hammock looking very tempting.

Not the calmest of seas but safe enough to play in.

Soon we were on the move towards Sungai Rengit area to have some seafood lunch. This was where the Ignis Sport shined. Free of traffic, I soon found myself going at a decent pace. On these small roads with some blind corners, I was able to push hard as the steering fed vital information to me. Gearbox ensured the engine was kept on the boil.

Stopped by the last part of road 90 for some photos... Pretty scenic actually..

Alright, I admit I was damn hungry and food photography was totally forgotten. Sorry people. Food was tasty enough for the price but nothing much to shout about. With nothing much else to explore around the area, we headed home. And now slightly familiar with roads on the return journey, let's just say I had even more fun going back!