patlog

Chumphon to Danok border town - 14th/15th Mar

2009-03-17T00:53:00.000-07:00

10,200km done.. stepping onto Malaysian soil after 7 weeks away. Headed straight to my home town Penang.. Will take a week rest, off the saddle and spending time with parents and daughter before heading to Kl and S'pore..Left the next day.. No more tipping and overtime payment at the Thai immigration over the counter..

Satit Hotel..

Reaching the border town Danok.. I decided to stay a night. One good meal of Thai food and a goooood massage before heading back the next day..

Left early at 7.30am as I have about 500km to the border town, Danok.

Petchaburi to Chumphon - 13th Mar

2009-03-16T04:27:00.000-07:00

checked in at Suan Inn. A 2 months old town resort at bht600/.. free wi-fi.. not bad.

sun setting with only 300+km done today.. I reached Chum Phon

not a single soul on this long stretch of the beach.. of Khiri Khan..

all by my self.... as though I owned the whole beach and ocean..

Can't resist looking at this inviting blue waters, I stopped here, ordered an ice mocha, change into my shorts, I had a half hour swim at the Gulf of Thailand.

A big aquarium here at Khiri Khan.. but I rather check the beach out..

Left Petchaburi late at about 2pm after my lunch. Knowing I can't cover much today, I took my own sweet time stopping at this beach area at Khiri Khan, the narrow strip of Thailand along the Burma border and the Gulf of Thailand.

Another disappointing day at the train station.. Now I realize taking the train together with the bike is not as easy I thought. The problem is, you can't secure a place for the bike until the train arrive at the station and will usually be full by the time it reaches BKK. Moreover, seats for passenger today is left with 3rd class.. 3rd class sitting for 13hours..?? well, I rather be on the saddle of my iron horse, then sitting on an mrt-like seats for 13 hours to hatyai..

Trat to Petchaburi. 600km - 12th Mar

2009-03-16T01:11:00.000-07:00

'Marked yellow' my return trip, reaching Petchaburi at about 3pm. almost 600km done from Trat this morning but fail to load bike onto train.

A clearer picture of the palace taken from a poster..

Phra Nakhon Khiri Palace.. hmm, this is the only sign in english..

Loads of tour bus flock here makes me curious.. walking around inside the tramp station, I realize this place is frequent by local tourist only.. I can't find any information, leaflets or signboard written in english.. including ticketing office written in Thai.. anyway I was too tired to go up the hill top.

the streets at Petchaburi.

A very small hill smack right in the center of this town Petchaburi where a Palace stands on the top.

Train station..

Reaching here at Petchaburi train station.. my plan failed.. No seats today. Staying a night here, hopping I could load bike up tmr and relax up to Hatyai.. which would be an experience for me too.

Got through BKK at about 11am, I grab a quick lunch and proceed to Petchaburi with the intention to load my bike on the train to Hatyai..

..What a joke having to use ferry to cross such a narrow river (rather a canal..) in BBK while all ferry service in Cambodia has already been replaced by beautiful bridges paid by Thailand...

Plans changed.. From Trat, my initial plan was to tour the coast at the southeast of Thailand up to Pattaya. After deciding to cut short my trip and reaturn earlier, I cut through to Chom Bon.. where I bypass the coastal area, which is shorter towards northwest. Trying not to enter BKK, I tried to move more to the south of BKK, nearer to the Gulf of Thailand.. yet I ended going through the southern part of BKK, ended up on highway where motorcycle is not allowed.. I was asked to exit by a police officer.. there goes again, having problem with GPS where it keeps navigating me to the 'forbidden' highway.. lost for an hour, I ended up with a ferry crossing.. urgh..!!!

Boarder crossing at Koh Kong. 11th Mar

2009-03-12T22:51:00.000-07:00

After crossing the boarder into Thailand, it was still early so I decided to do another 100km to Trat, covering a total of 330km today from Sihanouk Ville to Trat. To me, re-entering Thailand is always a relief.. everything seem to be '5-star' again.. in terms of amenities, roads, food.. etc etc..That's the owners VW Carman Giare. sad.. a non runner..

hopefully our collectible items don't end up a flower bay or stand like this..

had dinner here at this rustic looking restaurant in front of my room.. it's tastefully done.

That;s my RM20/ room.. reminds me of the kampong house in Pg where i lived some 40 yrs ago..

the cheapest room in my entire trip.. BHT 200/

Heavy downpour when I reached Trat..

Narrowest part of Thailand.. before this fishing village..

Mr Jiri from Germany.. who came up to me saying he spotted me in Laos. he's going to ship his GS1100 to S'pore this October to ride Asia.. Probably a better idea to buy one in S'pore.. wht say you Roy?

this is the Thai side. An hour spent here but a proper carnet is done..

Surprise to get clearance out of Cambodia in 15mins.. after my passport clearance at the immigration, the officer pointed across his office at this small booth which says 'customs'.. I went across but no one in the booth, thinking I had to wait till lunch hour is over.. not knowing the officer is actually taking a lunch nap comfortably in a hammock.. i gently knock and he come up (..quite stone looking) took my LTA photostat copy which was stamp in Poipot, he put another stamp and ask me to go.. as though telling me to quickly buzz off not to disturb his sleep..

casino price.. had my lunch at the jackpot room here for 3,500 Ril.. thats less then a dollar.. should have been free if eric was here.. haha

After crossing the last bridge at Koh Kong.. at one glance at the standard of this hotel in a small town like this, anyone would guess it's a casino again

Sihanouk Ville/ Koh Kong, 230km - 11th Mar

2009-03-12T09:57:00.001-07:00

diving spot available across to some of the islands.

the town Koh Kong..

TOLL...? hmmm, so Malaysia.. first toll paid at about 30cts usd.

still contemplating whether to stay here at Koh Kong..

Having arrived here much earlier then expected.. 230km in just 2 half hour, with so many stops taking pictures.. I must say this is the best ride in Cambodia.

This is the longest bridge so far over the river mouth towards Thai Gulf. Except for this bridge in Koh Kong, which is completed in 2002, the rest are all completed only last year 2008. Ferry crossing is now history..

the final section of the hilly area towards Koh Kong.. WOW, 230km is a breeze today.. only 10.30am. Guess I should cross over to Thailand instead of putting up here at Koh Kong.

looks like there is no more ferry crossing.. The 3rd bridge I come across also completed in 2008 with the grant form Thailand. Well, this will certainly boost Thailand's export into this country

Barge and ferry business affected after it is replaced by the bridges.. well, the operator should have moved with times..

approaching another bridge..

not that flat anymore.. the southwest has some nice gradient and corners to negotiate..

half the journey from Sihanouk Ville to Koh Kong.. and I'm about to conclude my best ride in Cambodia so far.. condition of the road is superb, hardy see a pot hole.. more scenic too

stated this slab, it's a Thai sponsored bridge with the date 2008. would have been a ferry crossing if I came last year.. which will take at least half an hour..

view from the bridge.. a long stretch of villages living by the river bank. Ferry crossing was done here before the completion of this bridge less then a year ago.

wow, drinking starts at breakfast time.. smells like 'samsu' a coconut fermented drink like what we have back home.

nice cloudy morning helps to shelter me from the sun.

one of the old bridge, juz outside Sihanouk Ville.

..Sre Amble bridge, a Thai sponsored bridge.

set off early from Sihanouk Ville at about 8am. A 230 km journey to boarder town Koh Kong. Expecting to do some river crossing via ferry, that could be time consuming.

Sihanouk Ville - 10th Mar

2009-03-12T08:23:00.000-07:00

There should be more to offer here in this beach resort, Sihanouk Ville but I did not really explore, reaching at about 6pm and leaving the nxt morning..

Checked out at 9am after breakfast, I set off to boarder town Koh Kong.. There is always some pressure crossing boarder with a vehicle, especially when I'm without a 'carnet'.. and local vehicle insurance.

the port..

waters are quite clear, though the beaches are not that impressive.. maybe there are some nicer beaches which I did not visit..

Op for a Casino hotel.. hopefully the 'rollers' will subsidise my room.. haha. True enough, only usd25/.. a nice big room with breakfast.

My GPS first took me to Independence Hotel.. USD170/..?? oh, no thnks.

I took about 2 hours form Kep.. reaching at 6pm+

Glad to see some hills.. after my 7 days around the center of Cambodia which is rather flat..

Fill up at a small local gas station, I proceed to Sihanouk ville. My engine starts to 'knock' for the second time in Cambodia. This old thumper, with a very low compression ratio of 8.3:1 should be able to tolerate very low octane gas. I have been using 91 and above and that should be a luxurious 'cocktail' to this engine.. I am sure the gas I earlier top-up is adulterated. After pumping back at Esso, the engine breath well again.. So, try to use reputed or major stations like Esso and Total which is available here..

Leaving Phnom Phen - 10th Mar

2009-03-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

after a 2 hours rest, at about 4pm now, I decided to proceed to Sihanouk Ville, a bigger beach resort, that is about 130km from Kep. Claus prefers a nearby hill resort instead, so we part from here..

Wow, he is even equipped with gas burner and kettle to make coffee..

Clause decided to take a dip while I choose to take nap..

own by different operators, they were rather aggressive trying to get us to their particular shade.. we got into one and had our lunch break here at almost 3pm..

here we found this 'atap' shades.. (quite cool..) two long rows almost 50 of them, all with hammock where you can even spent a night here.

After checking with the boat operator, a boat ride across to the island is usd20/ return trip regardless of how many days there. bikes will be parked here and is said to be safe. we decided not to do so and proceed to look for other beach area for a break

reaching Kep at 2.10pm... thats about a 4 hours ride of only 145km.

just before reaching Kep, I was following a Baja until his water bottles started flying off at this off-road section.. I stopped together with him and thats where I got to know Claus from Denmark, who rode almost all over Cambodia on this rented Baja. I help him with my extra space I had to put his drinks and rode together into Kep.

Roads are still not too good towards Kep, a very small resort or picnic area on the southern coast of Cambodia.. some on going road works. Traffic is getting lesser and the air does improve..

a little detour due to road works..

started off down south on highway 3 was bad.. broken roads and potholes as big as moon craters..

I did not ride at all after reaching P.P.. traffic is so heavy and the way they drive and ride is crazy.. coming form all directions, you sometimes don't remember it's left-hand drive, right-hand drive or is it 'any drive'..

My tuk tuk driver Samedy.. good man that speaks fluent English as he works in the embassy for many yrs.

I went back to the hotel to pack up and leave for Kep at around 10am.

9am flight back to S'pore.. on Silk air..

Sending Jayne off at Phnom Phen International airport.

Phnom Phen/ rest day - 9th Mar

2009-03-11T07:17:00.001-07:00

Met up with a local Violin teacher Vurthi Men.

Mr Tan's car in Cambodia..

it was good to meet up with Laren's parents, who bought us coffee at this boutique hotel..

view from my room.. Tonle Sap river that flows from the lake joining the mighty Mekong..

the view opposite my room... not that pleasant though..

We moved from Regent Htl to Castle Hotel..

Phnom Phen/ 8th Mar

2009-03-11T06:32:00.000-07:00

had dinner at this nice Indochina rst..Dinner served.. yummy!

our children's toy are gameboy but his is a duckling..

WOW.. who says Cambodia is poor country..? haha

National Museum..

Russian market... the used motorcycle spare parts section.. trying to look for Baja lights..
Appetite lost la...

Phnom Phen/ Killing fields- 8th Mar

2009-03-11T04:58:00.000-07:00

One crazy man and his ideology can kill almost half the population of a country.. His '10 commandments'

the size of the single cell..

the dunking tub..

the bed where victims are left to die..

the make-do prison left as it is..

Choek Ek center once a school converted to a prison and a genocide center.. it's really disturbing when I visited this place. reason is, the place is left at it's original condition unlike museum that is nicely done up.. hmm, I don't like the feeling and took very quick browse and left..

nice longan tree.. though the place is haunting la..

estimated to be around 17,000 killed at this particular site, out of the 2 million over killed btwn 1975 to 1979.

actually there's nothing much to see here.. the only structure is this tower use to store the skulls from this site.. one of the many sites of 'killing fields' in Cambodia..

Not golf bunkers but mass grave being exhume after the infamous Pol Pot era which ended in 1979..

320km to Phnom Phen - 7th Mar

2009-03-09T08:30:00.000-07:00

320km in 7 hours..

arriving at 12.30pm, we checked in at Regent Park Htl at USD50/-

hmm, din know lotus seed can be eaten raw.. taste a little bitter..

two 'buffalo power'..

'one horse power'

when we see animals used, it's usually for tourist taking a joy ride. Not here though.. even elephants are used to pull logs..

catching a cat nap..

nice bamboo 'serambi' area here with a few hammock provided.. not bad

after riding 3 hours into the morning sun.. (almost 9am), we got sleepy and decided to pull over and rest at this decent looking kampong..

A wedding ceremony.. the practice looks very ritual

Road condition is not too bad, better then the road before Siem Reap..

Estimating about 6 hours on the 320km stretch to Phnom Phen, we sacrifice some sleep, waking up at 4.30am.. a light breakfast bought last night at 7/11.. we set off at 5.30am.. riding into the greeting sunrise was beautiful..

Siem Reap/ Tonle Sap - 6th Mar

2009-03-06T09:39:00.000-08:00

sunset wasn't that fantastic today as it was rather a cloudy evening..

Tonle Sap fresh water shrimps is a better choice..

another aphrodisiac tonic for sale..

not only fishes..

including this pet of hers..

like our 'kelong', back home where they rear fishes on a commercial basis..

arriving at this pontoon.. an upper deck built for visitors to catch the sunset..

the floating village from a distance.. the lake is s0 huge where you can only see the horizon on the other side.. this unique lake, acts as a reservoir to the surrounding catchment areas and the magnificent Mekong where the access water will flow into this lake increasing the size to almost 5 times.. at it's smallest of 2,500 sq km and at it's largest (about 3 to 4 months a yr) to about 12,000 sq km.

that's the floating basket ball court for the community at floating village.

changing address seem easy.. just call a tug boat.

Almost all the villages here are fisherman, living on 200 types of fishes in this fresh water lake with an annual catch, said to be 400,000 tons.

having set off late, we only manage to visit one village which is the nearest frm Siem Reap, call the floating village.

water is extremely muddy..

even at the busy tributaries to the lake, left-hand drive is observed.

A good rest today doing nothing but, eat and sleep. we decided to visit Tonle Sap.. set off in a private taxi (USD10/ round trip) at 4pm to Tonle Sap, the largest lake in southeast Asia. After a 40mins car ride, we arrived at one of the tributaries to the lake and board this 'longboat'..

resting in the hotel the whole day till late noon, I recovered pretty well.. though feeling a little weak, but there's, no more headaches, fever or sore throat..

Down on the 5th week - 5th Mar

2009-03-06T09:01:00.000-08:00

after visiting the 4th temple, Angkor Wat, I have to cut short the tour after lunch instead of the whole day tour.. The heat and dust is killing me. I was having a bad headache, and a sore throat by then. By time I reached the hotel resting in the room, feverish felt and Jayne insist i see a Dr.. and I ended up here.. dehydration and a bad throat inflammation look at this idiotic guy smoking in a hospital bed.. but i guess the bigger idiot is the hospital for not stopping him.. no way i'm gonna spent a night here.. down with the 3 bottles of drip, I buzz off paying USD134/.. well, nothing is cheap here..

uurghh.. needle not inserted properly, the solution runs out of the vain causing a big lump on my hand.. shit... got to redo on the other hand.

still smiling means I'm ok.. though feel like requesting for a volunteer to ride my bike back for me.. haha

Shacks.. kena 3 bottles of drip, 2 sodium and a glucose..

looking at this hospital here remind me of Penang General Hst in the 70's where I frequently visit in my young days.. the last place anyone would wanna end up.. ahhh

ouch..!! two jabs on each side of the buttocks..

Angkor -5th Mar

2009-03-05T18:23:00.000-08:00

Angkor Wat, one of the biggest temple which is surounded by water..

Ta Prohm, where Raiders of the lost Arc was filmed..

most of the huge Fig trees here are a few hundred years old..

some of the Buddhist temples here was initially built a Hindu temple.. while some were changed from Buddhist to Hindu according to the king in throne at that time..

one of the famous Bayon Temple.. the four-faced smiling statue of Buddha..

The Bayon.. most carvings on the walls in the temple..

tour guide giving me history lessons.. Zzzzz....

base foundations built using huge slabs..

reached the first complex, Angkor Thom..

things are really expensive here.. usd7/ to town in a 10 mins ride.. more ex then S'pore standard..

Siem Reap International airport.. Jayne arrived at 7am joining me here in Siem Reap for 2 days. Riding up to Phon Phem for another 4 days before flying back to S'pore

2nd day in Siem Reap - 4th Mar

2009-03-04T00:47:00.000-08:00

went round the town to check out what Siem Reap has to offer after sunset.. looks like it's a town with lots of restaurants and massages more then a clubbing place.. Preparing to do lots of walking, visiting the Angkor complex tomorrow, I went back to retire early as I was shack out meddling with my machine the whole day..

Siem Reap by night.. still very dusty even it's nicely lighted up in the evening.. sad..

Stef who took me to the mechanic. He's now trying to copy a better Cambodia map into my PC to the GPS. His blog exploring Cambodia on dirt bike.. http://www.amokincambodja.blogspot.com/

streets lighted up with pus and restaurants..

Djbel..

hmm, he's got an interesting collection.. install an M16 at the sidecar and you are ready for the killing fields..

he has this very thick rubber with a cloth base material, ready cut to be use as a chain slider which i notice almost all his dirt bikes are using.. an interesting collection of CRM, XR, baja, djbel TTR... being satisfied with the job done, I told him bout the loose gear lever which I had sleeve in a piece of aluminium sheet i cut frm a can drink after it got loose for the second time. he brought me an XR gear lever where it fits perfectly tight (better fit then my aftermarket IMS lever) but the angle is not right. He suggest using only the head of the XR lever and cut my IMS end and weld against it.. agreeing with him.. jod done in another hour. WOW, things are not cheap here.. USD49//-

my broken slider..

got her to the mechanic first thing in the mornin

Siem Reap - 3rd Mar

2009-03-03T22:49:00.001-08:00

Settled in at this 4 months old hotel, 'The Kool' at USD39/ recmded by Ch Leong. My first Cambodian meal at the hotel with I,me and myself... 'Char kadow' spicy chicken.. 6pm is a little too late for him to start work, we made apmt for tmr..

arriving here... I know I am at the right place..

.. conversation broke out very quickly with bikers.. I told him bout the slider problem and he quickly introduce his motocross rider mechanic.. asking for address and locations, he says don't waste time.. lets go..!!

after half hour searching in vain for the hotel i'm suppose to stay.. ('The Kool').. I took a rest to make some calls.. dam good choice of picking this French rstaurant for a break.. the boss a caucasian and his friend Stef from Belgium both on dirt bikes xr250 arrived..

putting back part of the slider by securing it with cable tie.. knowing it's not going to last me long as the chain is now sitting on the cable tie instead.. well, 10km should not be a problem at all.

... looks shitty..

not wanting to risk another 10km, with the slider and some metal touching the front sprocket and the chain now sits directly on the swing arm, I pull over to dismantle it..

Oh shit.. !! just as I was happy to see good road and the last 10km to Siem Reap.. my chain slider gave way.. not only that, the metal base of the slider runs into the front sprocket area and force the cover to give way..

last 20km was again nice straight roads.. looking at the time, I took 4 hours from Poipet. No lunch break or petrol stop, just photo taking stops..

150km Poipet to Siem Reap - 3rd Mar

2009-03-03T07:03:00.000-08:00

Sometime back, I was reading some forums and ride reports frm some travel website about how rugged this 150km section was.. bikers taking 6 to 9 hours, encountering flood, collapse bridges.. pushing over narrow make-do planks.. Well, all this is history now.. the road will be ready for Hayabusa or even Goldwing soon.. Dirt bikers looking for a rugged road.. Sorry " too late.." look for another route. the last bridge under construction here.. also about to complete. With only 30km of on-going road works, this 150km stretch Poipet to Siem Reap should be fully completed by year end.. (the latest) and I reckon only 2 hours is needed to clear this section.

extremely dusty conditions along this 30km stretch.. i'm prepared.. 'kia su' bought a dozen of this mask..

another bridge under construction..

traffic continue with road works on going..

running on compacted crusher-run.. could still do a reasonable speed.. at least they are not broken roads and potholes left idling or undone.. work in most of the sections are on-going..

Havoc starts after 100km of good roads.. another bridge about 80% completed.. using the old bridge to detour.. most of the old bridges are single carriage way.

see how flat, bare and undeveloped, the western side of Cambodia is.. so no way the roads can't be straight..

while I checked on the skilled worker at work..

he decided to check on my Baja light mesh..

stone carving statue for sale along the way..

travelled about 60km of real beautiful roads.. all the way straight like a ruler.. not exaggerating, it's straighter then Malaysian highway..

looks like it's just been tarred.. (for my arrival..)

another completed bridge on top.. being raised by 2 meters at least..

standing on the new concrete double carriage way bridge, looking across the old single lane metal bridge..

wow.. road is so good here..? oh yes it is for the next 100km only.. lots of new bridges completed..

thats the customs.. bout 500 mtrs frm the immigration.. here I produce my docs for the carnet.. the officer says carnet can only be done in the capital city.. oops..!! when I showed him an uneasy feeling bout it, he put a stamp on my LTA photocopy log card and says that is good enough.. next I ask him where to buy insurance, he says no such thing here.. not comfortable, I tried to look around but really can't find one.. hmmm, even Laos have an insurance booth which I paid only BHT180/ for a 10 days insurance.. so, i'm without a carnet and insurance.. while my Thai insurance bought for a 2 months coverage whn I first entered.. bht380. OK.. here I go without a carnet and insurance.

oh I see.. if not for the few Casinos here, I doubt there will be buildings of this size here in Poipet..

leaving the bike unattended is the worrying part..

was approached by a 'runner' at the checkpoint offering to do my paper work at BHT1,000/.. thank you.. i do it myself..

tho being alone is quite troublesome running around at immigration..

surprise to see nice buildings here at Poipet.
customs office and immigration is all over the place too..

Being the nearest Cambodian boarder from Bangkok, this boarder is quite busy..

Aranyaphathet - 2nd/3rd Mar

2009-03-02T01:19:00.000-08:00

6,810 km covered. Preparing to enter Cambodia via Aranyaprathet/Poipet checkpoint.

view frm my room... that's the first thing most bikers would do when he wakes up.. to have a glimpse, to see if his 'baby' is still there.. ok she's there..

a huge market place here at this boarder.. call Friendship Boarder Market..

nice hotel and clean room.. tho at bht950/ is expensive by Thai standard in small towns..

I don't mind having this 'one manpower' rickshaw.. very original and it is in a mint condition.. hotel display.

checked-in at Aran Mermaid Hotel..

Aranyaprathet- boarder town to Cambodia - 1st Mar

2009-03-01T22:32:00.000-08:00

one of the many shops selling army goods like beach Rd army market.. but more hardcore gadgets here.. owner as rugged..

I remember this bullock-cart is used in Pg wholesale market whn I was very young.. and my dad told me the market area was heavily bombed by the Japs as it looks like a cannon from the sky.. hmm, still in use here..

at the boarder to Cambodia.. wa, that's how goods are brought in and out.. 'man powered'..

and his toys..

Mr Shy..

owner of this hotel, Mr Shy an avid biker..

notice lots of water at the bottom of the pail after draining out completely.. not wanting to re-use the petrol as the pail dont look too clean to me, they were too happy with the free 15 to 18 lts of gas, they did not charge me for service rendered.. ofcoz I tip la..

the two boys happy draining out all the gas in my tank

Oh shit.. setting off less then a kilometer, the bike was jerking like a horse. realising I lost the breathing tube to the tank in BKK.. the water has got into the tank.. ahh, my mistake of not parking the bike head-in the porch under the shade..

WOW.. woke up realizing it rain this morning.. that's the best think to happen after almost a month.. all packed to set off to meet a local biker I met last night, insisting I drop by his place today..

Kabinburi - 28th Feb

2009-03-01T22:09:00.000-08:00

Dine at this rstrant, with a 5 piece band.. not bad for a small town like this..

you can also choose to be on the 3 story building at Bht500/

very clean as it is new.. everything a biker would ask for.. individual carpark right at your entrance.. you can ride into the room if you want too.. haha.. nothing to complaint at BHT300/ sad to say I feel much safer anywhere in Thailand then in Mal..

180km from BKK, I reach the town Kabinburi and decided to stay a night.. at this hotel Pramsuk..

BKK by night - 23rd/28th

2009-03-01T21:17:00.001-08:00

On board Grand Pearl..

the busy river of Chao Praya..

on board the top deck...

In this low lying city with much rivers and canals... a river cruise seem to be a must in BKK.. one of the junk converted to a restaurant and cruise..

Meeting up with sister and family. BKK 23rd / 28th Feb

2009-03-01T07:53:00.000-08:00

Riding in BKK is really a nightmare.. YES even with a GPS.. the problem is, bikes are not allowed on most of the major highway.. and the GPS keep navigating you to the highway. Another big problm is GPS cannot tell you whether you are at which level of the multi tiered elevated hiway.. Yes, I have been pre-amp by Ch Leong and thanks for wishing me luck.. I got lost 3 times.. coming in, sending bike for service and getting out.. the rest of he time abandon bike.. taxi and tuk tuk is available everywhere.. adding to the stress with traffic in BKK, protesters taking to the streets again..

Grand Tower Inn.. the hotel we laze for a week.. 6 days for me here has made be very lazy to move again.. oops

Sending Janye off at Savarnabhumi airport.. 24th Feb..

my sis and family.. but missing Tanna..

haha.. you look so nervous on the elephant back..

.. gimmi a five boy..!!

hey, where got buffalo eat banana..?

Terrence my nephew..

elephants 'off roading' and river crossing...

doing what tourist do in BKK, the floating market..

Boarder/Ratchasima to BKK - 22/23rd Feb

2009-03-01T07:19:00.001-08:00

continued journey the very nxt morning, having 320km to BKK.. along the way, I was stopped at all the 4 road blocks.. urgh..!! wanting to open my luggage for inspection, I told them I am "fallang" foreigner, straight away no check.. they only ask about my journey, the bike, the gps.. etc etc and let me off..

By moving down south, the weather starts to get hotter and hotter each day.. it is so hot I could feel my head baking inside the helmet.. found an aircon cafe ended up with a 2 hour break.. well, in Thailand, i'm not too worried about riding into the night as most of the towns have accommodations.. ended up travelling less then 200km and put up a night in a very small town Ban Pai..

Bye to Laos - 22nd Feb

2009-03-01T06:32:00.000-08:00

7 days in Laos covering only the Northwest..PHEW...!!! What a relief to be riding on the 'right' side of the road again.. many times I was comfortably riding on the wrong side, but good thing I have a good jockey that will whip me to get back on my side.. boarder crossing is much easier here in the capital city.. the immigration and customs are side by side.. within 15 mins I got both done, having to pay bht80 (lucky BHT excepted as I do not have Kip anymore..) for the vehicle.. and off I go... riding across Friendship Bridge 1 to Nong Khai in Thailand

the town in Vientiane to the boarder is only about 16km..

setting off late at about 11am..

Patuxai. Vientiane - 21st Feb

2009-03-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

A panoramic view from the top of Patuxai

suppose to be a resemblance of Etoile in Paris

The Patuxai, after having gone through many wars, it is only completed in 1996.. with the help from the US, the last of the many countries that has intervene Laos.. all it's neighbors (except China).. plus France and US.. Oh, what a neighbor you have..!

Vientiane - 20/ 21st Feb

2009-02-27T07:35:00.001-08:00

had a long and interesting conversation over coffee with Prof David frm Florida who just rented a bungalow here in Vientiane for USD350/.. to spent time writin his book..

there are many small boutique hotels in the northwest of Vientiane.. (along Mekong, boundary to northeast of Thailand)

... and it's fully booked.

hotels are not cheap here.. even this 3 story, boutique hotel call Riverine is priced @USD70/..

I stayed at this old hotel called Lang Xang.. in the town by Mekong river.. at USD48/
Near-by Patuxai monument stands The Regal..

Thai owned Lao Plaza..

Don Chan Palace.. USD160/ for a standard room..

just to check out the airport.. about 5km away from the heart of town.. a glance at a few larger hotels as I entered Vientiane, it does tell you this is the capital city and a business center... (that's after comparing the slow and 'lazy' L. Prabang and V. Vieng..)

160km, Van Vieng to Vientian.. 20th Feb

2009-02-27T06:49:00.000-08:00

160km in 4 hours.. reaching Vientiane the capital city..

road to Vientiane, about 160km of good roads.. though lots of 'greasy' spot...

.. this person is reluctant to move la.. complaining juz a night in Van Vieng isn't enough... yeah, it's far too short.. not even 24hrs here in this beautiful place.. arriving ysterday evening and leaving now at 1pm..

oohh.. damn tiring after spending the whole morning in the river.. but have to leave for Vientiane now..

.... all my bags are pack... i'm ready to go..

Van Vieng - 20th Feb

2009-02-27T00:02:00.000-08:00

the hills here in Van Vieng here are mostly limestone hills and there are lots of caves to explore around the area..

if you are a person not wanting to get wet tubing or kayaking.. maybe you like to scale this limestone wall...

spiderman in action..

this part is pretty deep..

its awesome floating in the tube looking up the sky and the mountain view..

kayaking here can be quite interesting.. i guess they take only 1/3 of my time to reach town..

you can choose to do kayaking instead of tubing..

beautiful backdrop...

floating in this calm waters is so relaxing..
not an advertisement ok..

taking home my only souvenir.. a beerlao short glass found in the water..or have it at the 'serambi'.. this are actually pubs catering to passer by along this river..

haa.. how bout a cold beer with your legs in the cold water..

ohh... I juz love this set up.. though not a single soul now in the morning.. was told the crowd comes in btwn 3 to 6pm..

hey.. don't fall asleep.. as you will float all the way to the Mekong to Vientiane and into Thailand without clearing your passport.. haha

these long polls (about 6 to 8 meters) for you to do a trapeze.. you swing and plunge into the waters.. ofcoz the deeper sections of the river only..

nice clear waters.. mostly shallow waters..

ahhh.. it's 9am now and the water is too cold for me..

this is about 3 to 4 hours in the waters..

this include sending you 4km upstream and leave you to drift back to the town..

something one should do here.. there is a 'tubing shop'.. thats what they call here.. you rent a lorry tube for SG3/ each.. make sure rent a water proof bag to stuff your camera in..

breakfast at bout 7.30am...

food outlet starts pretty early..

what a colourful, relaxing, and a casual place here.

Van Vieng - 19/20th Feb

2009-02-26T23:12:00.001-08:00

the not so rowdy crowd..

looks like a place to party..

drinking and walking on the streets singing clad in swim suit only..

likewise, mostly Caucasians..
younger crowd seen here in V.Vieng..

the character of this town defers frm L. Prabang

many Baja's running around.. mostly rented..

hmm, can actually ride across the shallow waters of Nam Xong river..

feel like riding in for a bike wash.. never did since left S'pore..

decided the river side chalet at bht500/

Checked in at Thavisouk Hotel.. two options, fronting the road hotel style or by the river chalet style..

280km, L.Prabang to Van Vieng - 19th Feb

2009-02-25T00:04:00.000-08:00

reached Van Vieng at 7pm..

phew..!! took 9 hours to clear just 280km of good road..

police officer enjoying a cock fighting match inside a police station...

130km south of L. Prabang.. reaching the town Xieng Khouang.. the junction turning east to Phonsavan, to the mysterious Plains of Jar. but decided to take a miss this time.. will be back with a 250 nxt time..

road towards Van Vieng is so much better..

landscape changes.. more water ways and more limestone hills showing up..
nice river view..

leftPrabang at at 10am.. deciding to go east to Plains of Jar or straight down south to Van Vieng..

L. Prabang/ Khuang Xi waterfall -17/18th Feb

2009-02-24T23:39:00.000-08:00

1560 Golden City Monastery.. intricate carvings on the entire wall

doing what a tourist do here.. visiting some ancient temples.

Royal Palace Museum in the heart of L. Prabang..

...plenty of local fruits in Laos, therefore you see fruit shakes everywhere.. best banana shake.. though a little worried of the hygiene at road side stalls..

moon bear...

the multi tierd waterfall of Kuang Xi

though disappointed with its clarity.. said to be crystal clear.

Khuang Xi waterfalls.. about 35km down south of L. Prabang.. after 2 days of long hours on the saddle, we decided to take a tuk tuk here..

Luang Prabang - 17/18th Feb

2009-02-24T20:29:00.001-08:00

Luang Prabang... declared by the UN as a world heritage site only in 1995.. and is awarded as "The best preserved city in southeast asia" dare you...!!

how bout a pac of scorpion or cobra whisky..?

don't get me wrong.. it's traditional ok.. dam cheap, but if you like strong massage, Thailand is still better after trying a few here..

reminds me of my scouting days camp fire..

dinner by the fire place.. most restaurant patronize by french speaking Caucasian.. I would say 90%..

Ended up at Phou Si Hotel..

Luang Prabang Htl.. fully booked..

night market...

night market.. Lao design looks subtle and nice.. not too 'goddy' and decorative..

but can only enjoy a Lao coffee here.. as it is fully booked..

the first hotel my gps took me to...Luang Prabang Hotel.. interesting and rustic kind of deco..

one of this should last me a day..

having western food here is a better choice..

330km - Boten/Luang Prabang - 17th Feb

2009-02-22T01:32:00.000-08:00

11 hours on the road for only 330km and 13 hours on the privious day is far too much for me.. I would not target more then 300km a day in northern Laos. .. say 250km max. reached Luang Prabang, once the capital of Laos.. arrived at about 8pm in the dark again, though the last hour into darkness here is not that bad as this is a major town and there are street lights on the way in..

some beautiful river view along the way..

9 hours... still on the road.. ahhh

taking a break..

in case you wanna do booking... this is her number..

yeah, she runs this guesthouse..

with 30 ethnic groups within the northwest of Laos.. here is one pretty Loatians..

betweeen Oudom Xai to Luang Prabang, I reach this little town (smaller the Oudom) call Pak Mong. a few chinese food outlets.. wow, there's a guesthouse here out of no where..

... slight detour as road disappear again..

ahhh... stress...

.. padi fields noted after Oudom Xai..

looking at the milestone as I set off from Oudon Xai... ahhh, still 194km to go.. the 120km that I just did took me more then 4 hours..

.. happy family, bathing, playing and washing their lorry...

.. to my Muslim buddies, looking for halal food is a problem here.. suggest having a one meter long baguette to bite for 10 hours..

food here..? hmm don't ask, just eat to live..

first major town after 100+km.. quite a sizable town call Oudom Xai.. guesthouse and rst available.. notice a few chinese rsts..

where's my side of the road..?

at times you see yourself on the gps being stationary. looking across, you realize you were on the other side some 30/40 mins ago and have actually travelled quite a distance

oh dear.. a truck just went down the ravine.. it's way down over a hundred feet.. looking at my phone, there isn't any signal.. nothing I could do, I moved on.. with my knees a little 'jelly feeling'..

Whats the commotion..? looking at the villages gathered looking down the ravine, you know it's something not good..

the road in many sections is so bad that my average speed is hardy 30km/hr..

phew... road was worst then the previous day.. land slides all over. the most scary thing is seeing it as you come out of a corner.

have to back track about 20km, where I realize how bad the rd was when I went through last night in the dark..

temp should be below 15* whn we set off..

Boten from a distance..

having 330km to clear.. we set off at 8.15am, hopefully not to ride into darkness again...

Eventful day/ Huey Xai to Boten - 16th Feb

2009-02-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

Immigration to Kunming, China. documents for vehicle to cross will cost you about RM1,500/.. that is having to go through some agents..

breakfast and off we head to Luang Prabang..

off i go...

don't hope to come here again unless i'm crossing over to China..

when and where on earth could I get a parking space like this again man.

most of the signboard here is in mandarin.

.. woke up to realize that the room I was sleeping is like a jail.. first time I come across a hotel room with solid iron grill...

...What a joke.... got a mix feeling after getting this done.. not over yet, payment has to be made before checking in.. ok I have with me, KIP, BHT, RM, SG USD.. She said 'No' to all... WHAT..??? not even credit card..? could you let us check in and I will settle tmr..?? NO NO.. hotel rules.. she said. Well, not wanting to bring my bike out again, I took an ere 15 mins walk to the casino to change some RMB... very strange place.. we are in Laos and the casino don't except KIP, only except BHT or USD.. ok, i do have that.. phew..!

ok.. this is crazy but i'm going to do as told.. it makes me feel so unsafe here and feel like turning back.. (ofcoz not..) ok, quickly I unload before I get any more surprises.. up the ramp I rode straight in...

Why NOT? if it's not safe here..?? she says, 'hotel doors will be locked by 11pm.. not safe to park outside.. you better ride in..'' WHAT...?? ride into the hotel...????

ahhh.. lucky to find the only hotel here, other then the casino hotel.. it's a 60 room hotel not too far away.. well, first I have to ask where to park.. Well, the receptionist says it is not safe to park here.. urgh.. So, I ask if I could park right in front of the hotel entrance.. she says NO...

went around to look for a hotel, I realize this place is full of Chinese tourist.. little did I know that was a casino hotel.. can I say, when there is Chinese, there is gambling or should I say, where there is gambling, there will be chinese..

glad to see such a big hotel.. Oops, fully booked..!!

first thing in mind is ofcoz accommodation.. saw a group of about 10 Chinese guards in uniform doing their rounds.. oops, mandarin speaking.. Jayne to the rescue..

9.30pm - PHEW.....!! glad I reached the town Boten..

first 240km in Laos - 16th Feb

2009-02-21T02:59:00.000-08:00

..my 40km journey to Boten, Kunming boarder was a nightmare and a mistake to proceed rather then staying a night at Luang Namtha as it was already getting dark by 7pm.. the road towards Boten was even worst.. winding, broken, pitch dark and cold.. had my 'lunch' here at about 6.30pm.. a quick half hour meal at a chinese rst and proceed. my nxt destination of about 40km to Boten..

the first major town seen after about 200km.. Luang namtha, once a major base camp of the communist party Pathet Lao.. It has a few guesthouse and Chinese Rst..

dirt road better then loose gravels..

most sections of the roads are breaking up..

a group of the villages sitting by the road.. with a toddler walking across as I approach.. the mother ( I guess..) just glance at me and look at him as though judging our speed knowing I would slow down and he could reach the other side in time.. hmm amazing

jus got to be extremely careful whn approaching the village.. anything and everything crosses the road anytime.. buffalo, bores, chicken dogs including children.. well, if toddlers can climb steps like this, whats the problem with crossing roads..

stopped at any village, and you won't be alone..

one of the bigger kampong

this kampong has a nice name..

.....after hours of travelling, you only see mountains and villages.. the area in northwest Laos, the zone of the infamous Golden triangle, where the traditional crop was once poppy plant.. awesome mountain view to offer..

one of the many villages along the way... wonder how these bamboo houses sheild the cold..

year if the ox.. so he must be king of the road... he won't barge an inch even you honk at him..

this is consider a better village.. but you still can't get food or drinks..

compliment with some good views..

more bad roads.. wow! a cyclist..

terrible roads condition slows me down..

bores can be domesticated..? seen mingling around in most villages..

speaking too early.. after 50km of my journey, the road starts to get rugged.. pot holes and loose gravel in many sections.. towns shown in the map are rural villages..

met Luke at a village after a 30km ride, he cross the same boarder on a Thai registered Phantom.. a Canadian who spans 3 mths every year travelling Indo China. been doing it for the pass 8 yrs and is still not sick of it..

journey starts at 2pm after a total of 6 hours getting all the paper work done.. having to clock 240km to Boten, I decided to skip lunch.. the road condition was not bad..

Entering northwest LAOS, Heuy Xai - 16th Feb

2009-02-20T06:55:00.000-08:00

finally.. a last signature on the 'stamp'.. glad to find the office after going round a few times.. GREAT.. close for lunch..&^*%#!* with one of the building about 2.5km away.. no road signs to this little office..

having to do passport clearance at immigration, customs for the vehicle and insurance, you have to run 5 departments.. and that is scattered all over the place, not only from one officer to another but from buildings to buildings

where is the immigration..? hmm, nobody will stop you even if you walk right in... now, it's your duty to go hunting how to go about with the clearance.. 10.30am. Set foot on Laos.. a country with 5 neighbors but without a coast.. most bombed country in the past century, especially by the US during the Vietnam war.. a war they were not even directly involved.. how sad..

Boarder crossing to Laos - 16th Feb

2009-02-18T02:59:00.000-08:00

what a relief.. though knowing it's not for long.. another immigration awaits you...

....my boat man..

the way up the ferry is as rugged as the ordeal at immigration..

.. i'm lucky of have 3 truckers joining the queue after a 30mins wait.. therefore I paid the usual bht500/

here comes the ferry after sending the first batch of vehicles over.. the long boat below is for passengers..

... well, you can also set sail if there is no vehicle.. juz pay.. money get things moving.. and that is bht3,500/.. if not it's bht500 for a big bike..

after the 'ding dong' (thats 2 hours..) the ferry left.. no worries, there is no specific timing for the ferry.. it comes and go, as long as there is 3 trucks, it is viable for them to proceed..

over at the other dept which is on another building the officer again ask for the documents which I told him I have already handed them to his colleague.. now he says I have to take it back and go to the customs office (1.5km away in town..) for verification.. after getting it done (half hour lost).. I came back but it's a different officer now.. now he said I have to bring it to his boss, the immigration office 2km away in the town.. how inconsistent things can be here..

anticipating boarder crossing will not be that smooth.. I reached the immigration at 8am.. got to the office and declare the exit of vehicle.. there the officer took my carnet, took down the particulars on a log book and ask me to proceed to the other dept on the next building to stamp my passport..

A night in Chiang Khong - 15th Feb

2009-02-17T17:41:00.000-08:00

breakfast outside the room... a bht500 room with such a remarkable view..

in Thailand.. you can't go very wrong with food.. most meals are yummy, except for once that I decided having pasta..

not so happening in the evening.. jus a few nice cottage style restaurant..

felt no lost in this little quaint town.. it's just a stretch of about 3km along Mekong..

accommodation found.. a decent guesthouse call Rimuan, facing Mekong looking over at Laos..

Chiang Khong - Farewell to Arie/Sunny

2009-02-17T08:27:00.000-08:00

here I say farewell to Arie and Sunny, who will be heading back via the eastern side of Thailand.. nice company for a week.. and a wonderful riding buddies.. bye and see you soon in KL... thnks for everything.. cheerio..!!

well, it could cost me up to a thousand RM.. for the ferry ride plus the 'over time' here and there.. and not sure if the carnet (temporary import permit of vehicle) could be done on Sunday.. well, guess i better sacrifice a day staying here in Chiang Khong and do the crossing on Monday... lesson learned, never cross boarders (at small towns) on a weekend..

arrived at the town Chiang Khong.. north east of Thailand dividing Laos by Mekong river.. we went straight to the customs office wanting to do the papers for my bike.. oops, custom closes on Sunday.. so we went to the pier whr the immigration is.. and was told I could cross by booking the whole ferry (Bht4,000) and pay 'over time'...

over looking Mekong..

some narrow twisties too.. juz don't fall off the cliff.. it's a few hundred feet down..

the way to Chiang Khong has reasonably good condition roads..

Mae Saen - GOlden Triangle -15th Feb

2009-02-15T16:57:00.000-08:00

Hall of Opium...

standing in Thailand overlooking Laos on the right and Myanmar on the left...

Mekong river... boundary of the 3 countries, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand....

Golden triangle viewing area..

Mae Sai / Chiangrai - 14th Feb

2009-02-15T16:47:00.000-08:00

night market....

undertail pipe...KSR...?

stayed a night at Pimann in Chiangrai..

Chiangmai to Mae Sai - 14th Feb

2009-02-15T15:44:00.001-08:00

... Myanmar on the left..

...

the busy boarder town..

..looking at my meter, 4,250 clocked so far..

150km from Chiangmai, we arrived at Mae Sai, the northern most town of Thailand..

on going development here in Mae Kacham.. a huge hotspring spa coming up soon..

55km off Chiangmai, we stopped at Mae Kacham, the highest hotspring in Thailand..

Chiangmai - 13th Feb

2009-02-15T07:54:00.000-08:00

...oh, visiting this palace is about visiting the flower garden..

..HEY...!! no touching..!!

.. a very well maintained garden..

this two man has sexy legs I guess.. shorts not allowed in the palace.. not to worry, pants rental available at bht15..

Visited Bhubing Palace..

Jayne arrived at Chiangmai airport to join me in Laos for a week before flying off from BKK..

... first morning in Chiangmai Tadkham Village Hotel.. not bad a place at bht1,200..

243km downsouth to Chiangmai - 12th Feb

2009-02-13T10:41:00.000-08:00

..phew..! glad to arrive Tadkham Village Htl in the day light..

.. a 'touristy' town Pai which we pass by but did not stop as we were chasing the day light to reach Chiangmai..

... break before Pai.

lots of nice bends and hairpin corners at this stretch at this eastern loop of M.H.Son to Chiangmai...

the 243km to Chiangmai has more sharp corners and better road surface as compared to the western loop from HOT to M.H.Son...

set off rather late after visiting Karen's village..

Visiting the Karens - 12th Feb

2009-02-13T09:55:00.000-08:00

we op for an elephant ride before leaving the village...

juz a small population of 120 Karen's in this village.. a mother of 2 at the age of 20..

one of the few musicians.. selling her CD..

pretty little girl.... a future long neck..

a long neck in the making... she is nine, apparently started at 5 yrs old..

guess mine is not that short either..

... arrived at one of the Karen's village.. juz 15 mins away from the town M.H.Son.

negotiating with the seller..

he is a vigot tablet expert..

morning was about 16*.... that's the owner of Ah Lek Guesthouse, Mr & Mrs Ah Lek

...though it's still cooling in the evening of about 20*..

Temperature in M.H.Son has been hotter since CNY..

Arriving at Mae Hong Son - 11th Feb

2009-02-12T18:45:00.000-08:00

the guesthouse we stayed.. Ah Lek Guesthouse at bht500/

....entrance to the town Mae Hong Son..

...scaling the mountanouss terrain is real fun... was dicing with the TDM and KLE for a moment but decided to let the savvy Mae Hong Son riders off... too fast for me boy...

almost reaching our destination... about 250km from where we set off took more then 5 hours.. including lunch break and stopping to ease the butt..

To Mae Hong Son - 11th Feb

2009-02-11T09:20:00.000-08:00

Hitting the road again...

yummy.......

...the clear waters of River Ping that flows down south..

Lunch place...

... Washington plate..??

WOWOW....!!! an R100PD...

..impressive entrance greeting us but it's juz a little town with only 2 straight rds..

..entered the town Mae Sariang... about 100km frm HOT, we stop for lunch break..

.....entered the province of Mae Hong Son... but still a hundred + km away before the town

........... layers after layers of mountains..

..riding besides streams down the cliff..

... corners after corners..

.... Salem high country...

Arie rolling down.. as though filming for some Bollywood movie..

.. shortly about 30 clicks after setting off, we stop to take some pictures... beautiful pine trees on both side of the road...

..off we go from HOT Resort, leaving at about 10am in the cold morning with a temp of about 20*...

Bike prep at HOT

2009-02-11T08:13:00.001-08:00

... a final glimps of the river before leaving HOT......

ready to set off for Mae Hon Song.. Arie, 4th timer. Sunny probably 2nd or 3 time..

back to the resort with all smiles.. the guys having breakfast outside the room.... waiting for me

... a familiar sight in my country too.. one working, one holds the tool, with 2 supervisor on the look out..

after telling the mechenic the aluminium foil is needed for a better grip onto the shaft, he says he will file off one side of the lever so it could clamp the gear shaft.. job well done..! Extremely happy bout it, I asked how much..? he asked for BHT20/... ok thats 85cts SG..

.. not much of a problem relating to him the the problm.. lucking to have the end of the nut protruded out on the other side giving him room to use a lock spanner to get a grip to it.. he gently remove the broken end..

.. glad to see one... on the verge of opening shop..

...#*&$^&*... a very stress evening, having a 'nut in my head' the whole night... woke up extremely early.. waiting to go up to town to search for a bike shop..

.. after tightening it.. I found that the grip is not so good as it has some free play even after much thightening done. so I decided to remove the lever to insert or wrap a piece of foil before tightening it back.. upon putting it back I over thighten it and broke the nut.. OH SHIT>> that is not good.. and it's 10pm...

Bike check before setting off for Mae Hon Song tmr... pressure lost, 2psi on both my rear and frnt.. after checking through all the bolts and nuts, the only nut found to be loose is the one holding the gear lever..

330km north to HOT - 10th Feb

2009-02-11T04:00:00.001-08:00

...have a break before unpacking into room...

.. get to park bikes beside the room is the best thing we could ask for... as we wanna check our machines tonit.. preparing for the 1864 corners.. (like real.. haha)

... entrance to the resort..

Arrived at the town HOT.. in search for accommodation with the help of GPS, the screen shows only 2 names within a 4km radius.. HOT Resort sounds better and here we are... bout 50 meters down the road in the valley towards the bank of the river stands HOT Resort...

Heading to HOT now.... 50km to go is a breeze, as it is only bout 3+pm.. i'm glad Arie also avoid ridding after sunset..

... done with lunch... bye to this beautiful lake.. DOI

.... well, Arie always delivers... yumyum...

.. hmm not a single soul here, besides this few hungry ghost.. well, it's becoz it is way pass lunch time..

.. the rstaurent on the raft..

... after about 50mts of un-tared open space, we arrived at the lake Doi..

.. continued journey towards Hot.. about 50 clicks to go, Arie decided to detour about 5 km off to Doa Tao... where he promise us good food..

yeah.. he is just too happy I took a snap with him..

.. OR are you just checking on him...???

My guru Arie asking for direction.. having two GPS with us, are you sure you need to ask for direction..?

Rd side coffee place at Thoen beside the gas station.. WOW..! air-con and free wi-fi.. hmm.. Thailand is actually very connected..

100km of boring straight trunk roads.. ( and hot like shit..) we arrived at the town Thoen.. this is the turn off (east) to the winding roads to HOT, which is part of the Mae Hong Son loop of 1864 corners..

Arrival of the distinguish guest from KL - 9th Feb

2009-02-11T03:42:00.000-08:00

.. Oh not so, it's public holiday here today in the state of Kamphaeng Phet's.. they celebrates, Respect the King's day.. a unique way of celebrating, that is celebration with sounds and lights...hmmm, later that i realized why the vehicles blast their horns when they pass temples..

..with fire works display to welcome Arie and Sunny..

.. at the rst beside this river.. dinner served..

Just realize today is Chap Goh Meh, after looking at the full moon across river Ping where our hotel and the town is, on the other side.Arrival of my friends from KL.. Arie, on TDM with wife and Sunny on a KLE..

motohead corner - 9th Feb

2009-02-09T01:18:00.001-08:00

.... the better looking one..

the ones in Ayutthaya is quite interesting too.. Was told it is a Daihatsu 750cc twin cylinder..

.......the better looking one..

looks like anything goes..

Oh, tuk tuk in different province defers.. these are converted from motosai.. ranging kips, yami, phantom....

would have been restored and running proudly in our country, rather then sitting here to rot.. sad..

WOW.. a legendary 2002 with much road cred of the 70's..

.. big foot Jimny..

..nothing better to do this morning, I went round the town.. riding bout 30 to 40mins, you have already covered the whole town.. spotted quite a number of Charlie running around..

Into the town of Kamphaeng Phet - 8th Feb

2009-02-08T20:33:00.000-08:00

.. entering the town Kampheang Phet..

at bht 500, guess I cant complaint much.. with a decent coffee house along the corridor of the hotel with internet service available.

Arriving at Kampheang Phet.. setting my GPS in search for a hotel, and here i am from a 4 star to a no star.. Nawarat as shown on the GPS (have to trust him this time..) as the sign board in Thai only....

300km north to Kamphaeng Phet - 8th Feb

2009-02-08T08:26:00.000-08:00

... with only about 100km+ left to Kamphaeng Phet, I took a slow cruising speed below 100km/hr watching these flowering trees by the road..

Riding or driving here, one should be extremely defensive.. the pick-up drivers are really fast and reckless, changing 3 lanes in 3 meters, cutting out from junctions.. coming in between you at tremendous speed without warning.. so, watch your ass not every other min but seconds..

.... after being scared by the cow, I decided to take a break before Nakhon Sawan.. having too much spicy Thai, I decided to go western, fast food. hmm, even Chester's Grill don't spare you with chilli.. Fried chicken set also comes with chilli padi..?? goodness

This is a boring trunk road up north.. to spike some excitement to it, 2 cows suddenly jump out of their pack onto the road into my way.. SHIT.. the one behind was too near for me to brake and I accelerate pass him going in between the 2 cows... holy cow..!! phew, cold sweat...

worried of leaving things behind.. DONE..!! and oops phone charger not in yet.. uurghh..

Unpack and packing to hit the road again is a stressful process for me.. especially when it's daily, reaching late noon.. unpack and pack again the nxt morning.. well, probably stress due to too many things (electronic gadgets) I have with me.. but I must also admit this is my worst department... hmmm

View from my room.. taking a good look one more time before packing to leave.. thats Pa Sak River running behind this Krungsri Hotel..

Ayutthaya - 7th Feb

2009-02-08T04:44:00.000-08:00

76 KM north of Bangkok, once the capital of Thailand, this little ancient city is an island within the mainland. Surrounded by the merging river of Pa Sak (on the east) and the famous Chao Phraya River running in from north west to the south

One may choose to visit the sites on elephant back..

Wat Chaiwatthanaram.. WHAT..? There are 80 WATS within this 2.5 sq km island of Ayutthaya..?? well, guess I stop here..

Side by side with Maha That, stands and huge site call Wat Ratchaburana...

One of the many sites in this city..

How did one ended up embeded in these roots..?

Sadly most of the head and limbs were lost to unscrupulous looters over the years.. ofcoz also having gone through many wars..

blocks of stones prepared for the carvings.. this temple, Maha That has the most Buddha statue

A morning stroll in the city of Ayutthaya - 7th Feb

2009-02-07T04:27:00.000-08:00

the commercial town out side don't look that impressive though..

the wall surrounding the palace..

.. and his bed.. don't look that confi to me..

.. manage to snap a couple of pix.. this is where he sits in the living room to greet ppl.. 2 huge spittoon at the side

King Mongkut has chosen this particular 15th century palace to be his official residence when he was in trone, hence there are his personal belongings in this main pavilion.. too bad taking of pictures not allowed

.... likewise, seeing stars after a long climb up here..

This tower, said to be used as a viewing tower by King Mongkut to gaze stars..

Looks like the relics left on this site unattended.. wow, would be a treasure to many..
Reading through some guide books, this place is full of temples and palaces.. Not really keen to see temples but thought I should check a few out since i'm hear.. decided to check the first one out.. 17th century Chantharakasem Palace, reason being.. it says, King Mongkut chose this palace as his official residence when in throne.. (as though I know him.. ) yeah, from the movie "The King and I"..

Kanchanaburi to Ayutthaya - 6th Feb

2009-02-07T02:41:00.000-08:00

The bridge over Pa Sak river connecting the island of Ayutthaya..

Checked in at Krungsri River Htl.. BHT1,800... sitting behind the hotel along Pa Sak River

.. found out later, King Naresuan's love for fighting cock.. hmmmAs I was entering the province of Ayutthaya, I notice this huge cocks line up around the monument.. and decided to check it out ... ohh, glad my iron horse gets a second full tank of benzine blended 91 instead of having to drink "sugar cane water" again.. anyway, old Dommie drinks anything, I hope..

First heavy downpour since I set foot in Thailand.. Well, no rush today as the nxt stop is only a 100 clicks away frm here where i'm killing time..Set off after lunch at 2pm.. First gas station ran out of gasoline.. moved on to the nxt one also.. 'gasoline mot liau.."" Oh oh, guess my Domie has to drink gasohol which I try to avoid. Gasoline here is 91 octane which I was using here all the while. Gasohol is 95 octane but it's a Ethanol blend, where old machines should avoid due to corrosion to the fuel line, while 91 is too low for high compression engines.. anyway, looks like I have no choice now.. cheaper anyway. (Gasoline 91 = BHT 25.5/lt. Gasohol 20.31/lt.. ) still very expensive compared to Malaysia.

Back track 200km.

2009-02-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

Any which way, one has no choice but to back track this route as there is no exit or a continuation to the north or other parts of Thailand.. (maybe off road into the mountain terrain is possible...) oh, not knowing I parked in front of his furniture shop..

As I was walking to my bike to leave, an XR250L with baja lights and tank pull over and parked beside mine..

he continued to say.. "passport mai mi.. "" motosai OK... that is, Passport not needed, can go in with the bike.. looking at boarder fence at this condition.. I believe getting in is easy (even my daughter can hop over..) ofcoz I politely turn him down..As I was leaving, a guy approach me offering to take me across.. he said, "go over..?" out of curiosity, I asked HOW..? with some hand sign.. pointing over at the neighbor's land..and towards the kampong on the other side, he said OK NO POBEM... hmmm, that sounds like a common lingo here I guess.. everything NO POBEM..

Arriving at Sangkhla Buri-3 Pagoda pass

2009-02-05T17:19:00.000-08:00

the bright side.. a beautiful tree with flowers only to ease my tired eyes..

even more disappointing..

lunch break with some disappoinment..

... guess this is the furthers I could go..

Knocking on the window of this 'container' office which says, immigration... a dark looking guy pops up with puffy eyes.. (as though still in his sleep..) shows up at the window.. I asked, with my passport in my hand.. 'cross here'..?? NO NO.. CLOSE.. Being ignorant I asked, "what time open..?".. He siad.."NO, NO open" ... Oops.. I asked, WHEN, WHY..?? He answered adamantly, POLITIK NO OPEN.. Ok, I guess thats all I'm asking, not wanting to push this sleepy guy..

boarder crossing....

this Myanmar girl trying to sell me orchid, showing me (from her book) how it looks like when it blooms..

... gift shop... notice lots of gems, Burmese ruby, jade.. etc etc

... rows of these little make-do shades selling wild orchid..

This place is much mentioned as the 415km track once run into Myanmar right here. Being the most important route for supply chain to the Japs for materials, commodities, human, etc etc frm S'pore, Malaysia and Thailand.. the British dismantle the section of the rail here when the track was surrendered to then in 1945.

WHAT..? Just this 3 little pagodas..? well ok.. I'm set for it anyway.. the journey being more important then the destination.. Looking around this quiet, sleepy Myanmar boarder, I first look for a comfortable place to park.. One look, 180 degrees turn of your head, you have seen all.. i think so..

Along and across the lake

2009-02-05T11:31:00.000-08:00

last 10 clicks to 3 Pagoda Pass, Sangkhla Buri is a long straight bridge over a section of the lake with a police check point on the far end here..

north of the lake about 15 km before 3 Pagodas

Every angle of the lake looks great to me,,

The beginning of the lakecontinued journey after checking out Green World.. the turn off point, last 76km to Sangkhla Buri.. is more interesting compared to the first 150km..

to my golfing buddies..

2009-02-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

right OB..... left 'dok nam..'

Notice the T-box on the left.. canter-lever over the waters.. green on the right.. that is a 130mt across the calm river..

... quite a sizable clubhouse..

.. hey,, wrong outfit la brother... ok i'll come back nxt time..

wow, a 130mt par 3... to tee off over the Kwai looks cool..! juz make sure no 1940's POW picks up the ball for you..

out of the kampongs,, I was surprise to see a golf resort.. lets check it out.. (140km on my clock frm where I started off this morning at Kanchana..)

My Birthday ride to Sangkhla Buri- 5th Feb

2009-02-05T08:28:00.000-08:00

....would you..? upon turning back I almost flip the bike over. as I was on a slope, it rolled down slightly when I heave the bike off the stand .. did some balancing act.. and phew.. thnk goodness did not drop it..

GOSH... I'm not going onto this bridge..

hmmm.. dont look good to me..

let me check it out before following him blindly..

How the hell Mr GPS guided me to this dilapidated wooden bridge..?? I slowed down approaching this downhill, sandy section of the entrance while a 'kapchai' over took me and hit the plank and onto the bridge he went on.. zig zag..

.. through the kampong.. (off road..)

with much disappointment, this is actually the starting point of the cave for tracking.. where you cant see any part of the cave unless you are willing to do some tracking up.. oops, not geared for hiking, so turning back is the only option. instead of switching to detour on my GPS, I continued to mark a new point where to GSP took me round a shorter way out from here..

anyway the turn off is along the way to Sangkhlaburi and it's only about 20km in..

Along the way I decided to turn into Lawa Cave.. much advertise in many tour counters.. so I decided to check it out..

Set off again at 6.40am today.. probably my most memorable birthday ride alone to Sangkhla Buri/Burmese boarder.. 400+ clicks round trip. It's a about 200km northwest but you have to back track as it punch straight into Burma where you can't carry on to northern Thailand..

Exploring the other side of the river!

2009-02-04T06:44:00.000-08:00

will continue trip to Burmese boarder tmr... sitting by the river bank with my baby..

the other side of river.. lots of corn field..

the train is still running on this track till today.. besides tourist taking it, it still serve the locals across to the 'kampongs'.. especially school children..

Nothing much to do after getting bike done and it's getting late.. i decided to explore the other side of the river before sunset...

Ready to rock again..!!

2009-02-04T00:48:00.000-08:00

Got it fitted in another half an hour.. got my chain tighten slightly, checked all the bolts and nuts.. Finally, how much..? he said 100 BHT... that's bout S$4.50/ for a couple of hours job.. less then what the cobbler charge me.. i guess you don't need much money to survive here..

Done..!! but welding looks rough..

motohead corner 3

2009-02-04T00:12:00.000-08:00

cool....

decent looking condition..

WOW.. celica of my era still running in town..

workmanship not too impressive tho

really safari looking..

I took a quick lunch and a stroll.. found this shop that specialize in Jeep and other 4 wheelers, body mod..

having his lunch break and sending the broken piece for welding, guess i have to proceed with mine too (though with little appetite..) With my Thai mix Singlish I hope he understood me.. not wanting him to assemble the bike before I come back, i told him.. I NO COME BACK YOU NO START OK..? NO DO, NO TOUCH... well, he said ok..

first repair work (hopefully last.)- 4th Feb

2009-02-03T23:39:00.000-08:00

then he says... 'kin khau'... oops, lunch time.. guess he has the say...

ofcoz I knew he meant welding is not a problem..

.. finally, he went "oohhh.. NO POBEM... "

I continued while he brought out better tools, thats having a ratchet.. he extended help which speed up removing what he don't know why i'm removing for..

after bout 15 mins hands on, our teenage looking mechanic arrived.. with due respect, I first apologize for using his space.. guess he understood my 'sorry' which i understood his.. 'ok ok mai pian lai'....

Trip to Burmese boarder, Sangklaburi cancelled- 4th Feb

2009-02-03T21:59:00.000-08:00

Urgh.. first hiccup on my machine today. Set off in the morning greeted by the cooling breeze with an idiotic smile inside my helmet..(not for long).. After gassing up, I continued a few km and notice a tramping sound on the rear at bumps.. Pulling over to check, I pulled the luggage in different directions and notice the Hepco base plate where the luggage sits could be lifted to the front slightly..

To proceed with a 500km trip or turn back..? well, with ample gadgets like tie-downs, cable ties.. it should be ok even if the bracket were to give way completely.. on 2nd thought, i'm only a mere 10km away.. ok, turning back.. Back to the guesthouse car park, which is actually a temple and a backyard bike shop, I rode straight in.. an old lady came out to say mechanic not in.. ofcoz through hand signs.. Asking permission to use his shade, I guess she consented.. Unload and lay down my tools.. I slowly inspect what is to be removed.. Oh gosh, the bracket I wanted to reach is between sub frame and mudguard.. mudguard attached to base plate, hepco side pannier holder screw to the side of mudguard.. seat sitting on it with screw cover by sideboard.. finally hepco bracket sits on top.. Looking at the tools needed.. No, 8, 10, 12, 13, alankey set, philips..

Farewell to my ridin buddies- 3rd Feb

2009-02-03T00:02:00.000-08:00

'khau Kha mu'.. Rice with 'tu kha'.. bht30/ a popular dish everywhere..

Hi, can repair boots..? Yes, today many many shoe. put here, tomorrow finish. NO, must ready today.. I waiting.. She agreed without a 2nd thought.. Well, always confirm price first.. "How much??" BHT120/.. 2 side..?? Yes 2 shoe.. WOW, 2 hour job of stitching for about S$5/.. can't be cheaper.. Now it looks like it's stronger then original..

Being alone, I decided to be lazy today.. yeah extremely lazy, do nothing just massage.. no riding too. oh, but have to repair my riding boots first.. walk 2km to town.. this is my cobbler

Bye.. to Philip and Francis.. my riding partner frm SG that join me starting frm the land of a thousand smiles.. Sad you are leaving me alone frm today.. Nice being with you guys for the past 6 days.. on road and in rooms.. the nonsense and the snoring.. Have a safe journey of about 2,000km bck home.. Covering that in 2 days..? hmm, thats a lot.. Bon voyage..!!!

packing up..

For me, an extra space for a bottle of manuka honey and Vit C is important..

Oops.. for a moment I thought he had a tattoo on his butt.. Not sure everlasting underwear or for his iron butt to take long rides..

Everyone has his priority of what to pack in an extremely limited space when travelling on bikes.. even an extra T shirt hav to be considered.. and can you believe what he has..??? A hair dryer..!!!! wowow

Hey.. wake up.. hitting the road soon..!

Tiger Temple

2009-02-02T07:57:00.001-08:00

Beautiful beast..

Frankly, I'm a little scared.. more comfortable taking pix with Ah Meng..

I like that yawn...

hmmm.. paying Bh500 to tickle you is more worth it compared to 450 entrance to see waterfall or to dip my foot in the hotspring.. atleast here, they need to feed you boy..

Came across an article sometime back, saying the animals were being sedated.. let me check this one out..

Tiger Temple. About 35km frm Kanchana. Read about this where there were complaints by some western groups saying this is cruelty and is abusing the animal.. well well

Hellfire Pass - 2nd Feb

2009-02-02T07:33:00.000-08:00

zzzzzzzz.... so comfi in the basket waiting for the owner..
we continued another 10km to Soi Yat waterfall and hotspring.. wanted to charge as BHT450 instead of BHT100 as written on the board.. Asked him WHY so much..?? He says extra for motosai.. "BHT450.. we NO GO..",
So we turn back and head towards Tiger Temple..

Some images and shots taken frm the video played in the museum of Hell Fire Pass. It's a section on the railway build where many died.

On the way to Hell Fire Pass. About 90km from the town Kanchanaburi. This stretch of road is actually going along the River Kwai and the railway where it will punch into Burma.

Nice roads with some hilly sections.

2nd day in Kanchanaburi - 2nd Feb

2009-02-01T17:47:00.000-08:00

6.45am - First morning in Kanchana at our belcony.. welcome us with a cooling 22*