[Trip Report] My Crazy "LITTLE" Adventure Up North - 11 Apr to 18 May 2008

[whisperer]

Day 18 - Ride to Chiang Mai

 

woke up around 4:30am, and left for chiang mai by 5:30am, so that i could avoid the morning Bangkok traffic.

 

petrol stop along the way, saw this big group of young monks. Think they were going away for a retreat at some monastary.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8329-1.jpg

 

gigantic birds along the highway, indicating a bird park up ahead

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8337-1.jpg

 

recycling a war relic

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8340-1.jpg

 

Chiang Mai at last

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8354.jpg

 

i check into a backpackers' hostel just out of the main town. nice cosy place, met lots of nice people. I actually prefer hostels to guesthouses because it sorta forces you to interact and allows you to get to know alot of travelers and hear their stories. Great for chilling when you're traveling alone

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8395-1.jpg

 

comfy living room where dvds of your own choice are screened

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8378-1.jpg

 

the friendly staff. This hostel is unique in a way that there are actually quite a few of travellers who stay for weeks or months, while some actually help to run the place in return for free lodging and food. Jim, the guy on the left, was one of them

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8376-2.jpg

 

the patio out front, great place to chill or read a book on the bamboo platform

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8389.jpg

 

 

this girl could really play the guitar very well, and had a great voice. i later found out she's an actress back in the UK

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8383-1.jpg

 

explore the nearby university. found this lake in the campus, where alot of students here hanging out

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8359.jpg

 

breathe-taking views, despite the gloomy weather

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8373-1.jpg

 

a class being conducted by the lake. nice change from the normal environment

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8375-1.jpg

 

at night, the hostel staff brought us to this place that was popular with the local. The ambience was great, and food was pretty cheap and very good, considering the classy feel of the place.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8399-1.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8405-1.jpg

 

cam-whoring in the back of the hostel-owned truck, which brought everyone from place to place

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8407-1.jpg

 

riding on top of the hostel's truck. how often do you get to do that? ha...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8411.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8434.jpg

[whisperer]

after dinner, the staff brought us for a few rounds of bowling. 100bht for 3 rounds.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8413.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8416.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8424.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8421.jpg

 

our ridiculous scores! i think we had more fun trying to make funny shots than playing a proper game of bowling!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8423.jpg

[zamani]

truly an awe-inspiring ride!

 

:bow:

[Guest Quincy]

this makes all tourers to wanna change to one of urs... lol...

[Stardust83]

wow..thumbs up for u bro ! I dun tink i can ever on touring alone sia...Realli

[whisperer]

Day 21 - Mae Hong Son Loop

 

the next day, i packed up my stuff and bade my new friends farewell

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/IMG_8437.jpg

 

soon, i saw the sign that many tourers have seen. It was almost hard to believe i had made it this far

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/6666c678.jpg

 

did a detour to Doi Ithanon National Park. Saw this magnificent wat just after the turn towards the park

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/904ecbf8.jpg

 

Funny thing was, the whole time i was in thailand, everyone thought i was thai, even locals, and they would always speak thai to me. there were some advantages to it though, i could actually save some money if i played along. One such instance was the entry into the National Park. I saw a huge sign before the ticket booth which said "Adult 450bht, Child xxbht" and then some thai words, which i knew were prices for locals. So i rode up to the counter, the lady looks at me and says "hok sip baaaht", which means 60baht. for i moment, my mental thai numerals failed me, and i had to open my BIG mouth and say "what?". The counter girl gave me this surprised and embarrassed look, and went "oh! foreigner 400bht!!!" smartass...

 

entering the national park

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/ef1243dd.jpg

 

the cool ride to the top

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/5355ee43.jpg

 

and finally i reach the top, which wasn't as impressive as i thought it'd be, save for the famous sign which says it all

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/4557ec60.jpg

 

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/197ee2dc.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/8b183639.jpg

 

with the 400bht photo safely in my memory card, i proceeded to decend the mountain, or whatever it's called.

 

great scenery along the way

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/cd523d0e.jpg

 

i actually did abit of off road and went down under the bridge. if i were riding a normal sized tourer, i might have ended up at the bottom of the waterfall

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/5601c577.jpg

 

another wat. there's like SO many wats in thailand that every small town actually has at least one of them. And my whole trip, i only explored like 2 out of hundreds of them

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/5dbb6091.jpg

 

by the time i saw this sign, the sun was starting to set. things wasn't looking too good...

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/ac130feb.jpg

 

another national park along the way, but time was running out

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/76134380.jpg

 

it turned dark soon enough, i rode a good part of the stretch to mae sariang in total darkness. my headlight didn't really help, as it blew before and i changed to some thai replacement. it was kinda thrilling though, cuz i didn't know what to expect, and the road seemed to go on forever

 

finally! that was the provincial sign, and it meant that i have reached Mae Sariang

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/aca4fd82.jpg

 

checked into a guesthouse for 200bht, air-con with shower. rested early for the night and woke up early to continue my journey to mae hong son

[whisperer]

Day 22

 

a nice neighbour of the guesthouse owners. she actually passed me a map of mae hong son when she learnt i was heading there

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/63beadb9.jpg

 

random photos of mae sariang

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/6f88408c.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/5ba72749.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/e63a289c.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/38444ceb.jpg

[Sky99]

:bow:

 

UPZ FOR YOU!

[mi5trooper]

suggestion. try writing your story on a blog. it is easier for you to manage. the free and easy to use blog (online software, no need download) is "wordpress.com". reg a user name and u got urself a 1g blog space. after u done up, just put the link here for people to go.

 

just my suggestion base on my experience. last time i finish a trip i will update in my website (there was not much blog life yet during those days). I use my singnet bundle webspace together with link to a few of my friend bundle webspace.

 

On remember to keep a copy of your writing and picture as spare. I learn this in a painful way. 1 day a virus attack my pc and i lost a the picture. then i thought to myself, no problem, there are still in my website. then 1 fine day, the singnet stop my webspace (becos of the owner of the webspace stop using singnet). and that's it. i lost all my memory. hehe.... well, those were the good old days....

 

anyway, i am also a ksr biker. and too bad i have learn ur trip a bit late. else i will follow too. I hate riding alone (every since i did my 1st trip alone).

 

well, nice knowing you. take care.

[racingter]

tha's the touring spirit!!!!!

[racingter]

i just came back from Koh Phangan FMP just now leh.

 

now then u come back?my god i miss the FMP ...i drive pass to phuket from hatyai... a bit tired liao

 

DRiving is def Not same as RIDING!!!!!!!!

[nebulaz]

highest respect to ya bro!!...job well done!!!

[yiki]

huh salute friend,my ksr only ride from kuala lumpur to genting only..you must be superman huh!!!

[PaLmEr]

now then u come back?my god i miss the FMP ...i drive pass to phuket from hatyai... a bit tired liao

 

DRiving is def Not same as RIDING!!!!!!!!

 

yea. touched home yesterday morning.

[ChaoPuzzy1968]

woa man , well done!

[AXC]

Trip Facts:

my ride : kawasaki ksr 110

duration of trip : 5 weeks (11th April 2008 - 18th May 2008)

places covered :

 

Thailand - hatyai, phuket, surat thani, koh phangan, bangkok, chiangmai, mae sariang, mae hong son, ban rak thai, pai, mae ai, golden triangle, chiang saen, nong khai, nakhon ratchasima

 

Laos - houay xai, pak beng, luang pra bang, vang vieng, vieng chang

 

M'sia - fraser's hill

 

Total dist : approx 9000km (7000km on road, 2000km on train, ferry and slow boat along mekong river)

 

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/untitled.jpg

 

Expenditure on fuel : $220(and that's an over estimation =D)

 

Total expenditure : $2200 (including after market parts and accessories)

 

Prologue

 

the thought of touring on my ksr crossed my mind several times, and more often than not, the stupefied looks or "huh? you siao ah?" comments usually greet my shared thoughts over teh peng. one day, i just decided to do it. i think that's what happens when you have too much free time

 

having just returned from a UK trip and only a week to Songkran, i only had 4 days or so to prepare for the big adventure. Didn't make plans and stuff, basically just packed and left. The void of uncertainty excited me. i didn't even know when i would return.

 

initial plan was to ride up to penang, stay overnight den continue to hatyai the next day, but there was still much to be done, so i postponed departure by a day, so i could have enough rest as well, but then again, how the hell can anyone sleep before a trip like this?!

 

D-Day 11th April, 0000 hours

 

i saddled up my little warrior and headed for the 2nd link. 2 close friends from my riding group were at GP esso to send me off. The trip was only disclosed to a few people. with a few photos and well-wishes, i rode off into the night of the NSH

 

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/DSC02158.jpg

 

my little mascot, tiny yet mighty

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/DSC02167.jpg

 

taking shelter from the rain. i was too lazy to put on a raincoat. not that i had one anyway!

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/DSC02170.jpg

 

meeting a convoy of m'sian bikers at a petrol stop

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/DSC02175.jpg

 

riding from night till day

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/DSC02176.jpg

 

14 hours later, i finally reached the thai border. it poured like crazy before the border, but curiously enough, the rest of the bikers seem dry -..-"

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e109/whisperer400/thailand%202008/DSC02179.jpg

 

 

 

Hi Bro.. So u r e guy wif i met at e GP Petrol station on 11 April 08, mi(Gilera Runner) and my friend(Aprilla Alantic) thats goin Penang e same day u leaving for ur Great trip.. onli manage to c u on once along e whole trip on e NSW after leaving that petrol station. my friend and i were tokin abt ur "CRAZY" advanture on e way up to penang.. Anewae i'm veri hapi to c ur post as i was abit worried whether u r ok along e trip..

Cheers man.. Respect ur Amazing advanture!!!

[Kazky]

DOUBLE Salute to u bro..my! what an aspiring tour on a KSR!! that really brought me to shame to have more bigger bike than you..tmr go and sell liao

[yiki]

if iam in spore i will volunteer to overhaul your ksr to see got any damage after 9000km ride one shot..from the guy who bought your takegawa rims...young..ksr mechanic..

[Pplater]

Didn't make plans and stuff, basically just packed and left. The void of uncertainty excited me. i didn't even know when i would return.

 

hmm... i like this part

 

:popcorn:

 

camped here

[whisperer]

truly an awe-inspiring ride!

 

 

thanks, still hard to believe i made it back alive!

 

this makes all tourers to wanna change to one of urs... lol...

 

well, i would say each to it's own, touring on a 110cc bike isn't for the faint-hearted! but i can safely say the experience is nothing like what you can get from touring on a big bike

 

wow..thumbs up for u bro ! I dun tink i can ever on touring alone sia...Realli

 

hey mate, the most important thing is believe in yourself. the last thing on my mind was touring when i got the ksr, it was just some crazy thought i had, which i'm glad i managed to follow through with it. life is short, don't think what you can't do, think what you can do!

 

:bow:

 

UPZ FOR YOU!

 

thanks! appreciate it!

 

suggestion. try writing your story on a blog. it is easier for you to manage. the free and easy to use blog (online software, no need download) is "wordpress.com". reg a user name and u got urself a 1g blog space. after u done up, just put the link here for people to go.

 

just my suggestion base on my experience. last time i finish a trip i will update in my website (there was not much blog life yet during those days). I use my singnet bundle webspace together with link to a few of my friend bundle webspace.

 

On remember to keep a copy of your writing and picture as spare. I learn this in a painful way. 1 day a virus attack my pc and i lost a the picture. then i thought to myself, no problem, there are still in my website. then 1 fine day, the singnet stop my webspace (becos of the owner of the webspace stop using singnet). and that's it. i lost all my memory. hehe.... well, those were the good old days....

 

anyway, i am also a ksr biker. and too bad i have learn ur trip a bit late. else i will follow too. I hate riding alone (every since i did my 1st trip alone).

 

well, nice knowing you. take care.

 

i did start a blog, but i guess i will only concentrate on that later. my pc actually crashed when i return from my trip, so all my old photos gone. oh well, **** happens. thanks for the tip though

 

tha's the touring spirit!!!!!

 

yeaahhhh... tell me about it!

 

highest respect to ya bro!!...job well done!!!

 

thanks mate! love your siggy by the way:D

 

huh salute friend,my ksr only ride from kuala lumpur to genting only..you must be superman huh!!!

 

if iam in spore i will volunteer to overhaul your ksr to see got any damage after 9000km ride one shot..from the guy who bought your takegawa rims...young..ksr mechanic..

 

thanks! well it's already a start! do you mean you're the guy i met at pekky's shop in Bangkok? Hee... it was great bumping into you there, what a small world!

[whisperer]

Hi Bro.. So u r e guy wif i met at e GP Petrol station on 11 April 08, mi(Gilera Runner) and my friend(Aprilla Alantic) thats goin Penang e same day u leaving for ur Great trip.. onli manage to c u on once along e whole trip on e NSW after leaving that petrol station. my friend and i were tokin abt ur "CRAZY" advanture on e way up to penang.. Anewae i'm veri hapi to c ur post as i was abit worried whether u r ok along e trip..

Cheers man.. Respect ur Amazing advanture!!!

 

oh hi! yeah thanks for your concern man! the other day i bump into another guy who said he met me at GP esso on the 11th as well, riding a haya. got a little confused, cuz i only rem the 2 scooters heading to penang! haha... nice meeting you, glad you guys made it safely back as well!

 

DOUBLE Salute to u bro..my! what an aspiring tour on a KSR!! that really brought me to shame to have more bigger bike than you..tmr go and sell liao

huh? dun lah, your bike is excellent for touring man! but thanks though

 

hmm... i like this part

 

:popcorn:

 

camped here

 

oh hi! i think i pm-ed you sometime back right? hee... i was actually in the middle of my trip. yeah i liked that part too. in fact my trip was really sort of an impromptu thingy, like if my accident claim hadn't come through just in time, i wouldn't have gone for the trip! good thing the cheque came in like 2 days before my departure! haha...

[DonDidie]

A bloody Damn Interesting story to read....... can any bro help to get this on a blog with all e pic attached..... U r my HERO....... superb Veri Inspiring...

[lokb72]

MuCH REsPecTED!!!

[Pauche]

great writeup, great adventure!

 

your trip has certainly proved to many others who thinks that bike size does matter.

[Asap]

up. He has proven that it's not the bike but the rider himself who makes the difference between "POSSIBLE" & "IMPOSSIBLE". It's all abt "BELIEVE".

 

Whisperer > I'm sure u have hell of a story to share wif ur grandchildren next time. Kudos to u....