Trip Report: Solo (mostly) Ride SG-MY-TH-KH-VN 14/05/12 - 31/05/12

[aloha]

Hi all,

 

As promised, here is my trip report of the mostly solo ride I embarked on in May 2012. =)

 

 

Day 1: 14th May 2012, Singapore to Alor Star

Met fellow forummer Terence at the Shell petrol station across the causeway at about 6.30am in the morning. We were planning to head as far north as possible on our bikes, a Shadow Slasher and a Silverwing. Halfway along the ride, we saw this woman who was locked out of her car during one of the petrol stops. We tried to pry the car door open with rulers, jackknifes, and other contraptions, but were unable to coax the door open. Our suggestion to break one of the mini side windows was also not taken up so we left the woman to wait for help. Closer to Alor Star, we stopped for petrol again at Tapah and met a local biker named Zulfiki who recommended us to stay at a cheap motel - Bee Garden Motel. It costs only RM55.50 and had all the amenities we needed including wifi. After checking in at about 6ish in the evening, we went out to explore the small town and had a wonderfully delicious dinner of street food such as char kway teow and satay.

 

Day 2: 15th May 2012, Alor Star to Krabi

As it was both our first times heading that far north, we took some time to figure out where to go and what to do at the Malaysia-Thai border at Bukit Kayu Hitam. For those who are exiting Thailand from another border crossing, please find a way to pick up the Thai forms TM2 (Information of Conveyance), TM3 (Passenger List), and TM4 (Crew List). While not required at the Sadao crossing, these forms are needed when exiting Thailand from another point, as I found out when I was trying to exit Thailand for Cambodia. More on that later on! The GPS that I had with me was a godsend, and we easily found our way to Aonang Buri Resort in Krabi, a fantastic resort for couples looking for that idyllic getaway. One night's stay at the resort cost us about SGD41 or so. It was an awesome place, and I wouldn't have minded staying there for a couple more days.

 

Day 3: 16th May 2012, Krabi to Prachuap Khiri Khan

Left Terence early in the morning and headed up, hoping to stop either at PKK or Huahin. Along the way, the soles of my army boots came off, most probably from lack of use as well as all the vibrations from the bike along the journey. Stopped by one of the R&Rs and bought superglue, but it failed to keep my boots together. Eventually I headed into a tyre repair shop where the lady boss kindly directed her workers to fix it for me using industrial glue, free of charge! Extremely grateful to her as it was the only waterproof pair of shoes I had with me - my rain trousers and rain boots flew off on the first day of the ride when my panniers bumped open on the highway. =( At PKK, I found a nice guesthouse (Lily's Guesthouse) with a view of the coast - a double room cost me only 400THB. It was the off-peak period, hence I had the whole guesthouse to myself. Rode around the town and found a motorcycle shop which fixed my nagging handlebar grip for me for free too. The Thai people are really nice. =) After dinner where I was treated to wine by a friendly European who wanted to hear my story, I found myself in a motorcycle cafe close to where I stayed. The owner is a Thai who owns a Harley Davidson Electra Glide. Absolutely loves the sound his rhinehart pipes produce. =P Had drinks there, and then headed out to find a replacement charger for my GPS after I realised that my charger was spoilt. Luckily, the shops were still open and I got a Thai charger that worked absolutely fine with my GPS.

 

Some photos from the first three days:

(Nighlife in Krabi)

(Interesting hotels at one of the R&Rs in Thailand)

(Tyre Shop which glued my boots for me)

(Statue of a giant bird on Highway 4)

(View of PKK coastline)

[pipipapipu]

Set up tent 1st.

 

I stayed at Lily guesthouse 2x coz she is so friendly ^^

[aloha]

Continuing from the previous post....

 

Day 4: 17th May 2012, Prachuap Khiri Khan to Bangkok.

Luckily it was just a short ride to Bangkok. My butt, legs and fingers are losing their feeling from the long riding days, coupled with the heavy rain I go through every day. However, my relief was tempered by the fact that there was a heavy thunderstorm on my approach to Bangkok, which laid me up outside the city for a couple of hours until the storm abated. Headed into Bangkok city to find heavily congested and polluted traffic, together with long waits at traffic lights. Because my bike was way bigger than those kupkias seen in Bangkok, I could not make it to the front of the traffic light queues and hence had to wait quite long at the traffic lights. Each sequence lasted about 3 mins, and normally it would take me three or four sequence before I made it through the lights. So normally I switch off my engine to prevent it from overheating. Stayed at Thara House (THB450), and went out to Sawadee Massage close by for an extremely good head to toe massage. Really loved the professional and cheap Thai massages. I also went for drinks at the bar beside my hotel - met an American graduate student who shared his thesis on feminism with me. Really interesting study of role reversal and evolution in Thai society based on his observations in the pub.

 

Day 5: 18th May 2012, Bangkok.

Wanted to go to the National Museum but was met by an untoward incident. I do not wish to go into details hence the coverage for the next few days would be quite sparse. Went to Ayutthaya to visit the ruins of the ancient city in the afternoon. On the way back to Bangkok, I did not know that motorcycles are not allowed on the expressways in Bangkok. Was riding back into Bangkok when I got stopped at a toll booth, whose operator prevented me from going further. He told me to turn around even though I would be facing oncoming traffic. After a long time arguing with him and me threatening to just throttle my way through, I made a u-turn onto oncoming traffic and gingerly made my way off the expressway. =( Stayed at Thara House again, and for all the remainder nights that I spent in Bangkok.

 

Day 6: 19th May 2012, Bangkok

Met a Finnish guy on Khaosan Road touring the region on a small rented bike. Had a short chat with him before he hurried away. Tonight was Champion's League night. Made my way out to a small shop near my hotel to watch it with several of the locals.

 

Some of the sights from Bangkok:

[aloha]

Set up tent 1st.

 

I stayed at Lily guesthouse 2x coz she is so friendly ^^

 

Haha!! I can't help wondering at her intentions by the way she dresses. =PPP

[aloha]

(Floating market in Ayutthaya)

(Notice the white lines on the wall? That's the watermark left by the river during the Thai floods. You can see such salt lines everywhere.)

[aloha]

[aloha]

Day 7: 20th May 2012, Bangkok

 

Headed to the National Museum in the morning. Was initially charged the Thai rate for admission, but when I asked for the English brochure, the woman manning the counter realised her mistake and charged me the US dollar rate for foreigners, manyfolds more expensive. After that, I headed to the Grand Palace. However, the admission rate for foreigners was quite steep and I didn't want to pay so much to visit an attraction that I only had scant interest in, hence didn't go in. Was pondering whether to sneak in through the queue for locals, which was free. =p Went to another free museum after that - this one highlighted the life of King Chulalongkorn. Spent the evening having a massage at the same shop I went to previously. What a relaxing treat. =)

 

Day 8: 21st May 2012, Bangkok

Had some problems with my tyres. I kept skidding when I slammed the brakes (something that I didn't experience in Singapore), and realised that I had overinflated the tyres. Because the Thai air pressure machine used a different scale from that in Singapore, I inadvertently overpumped the tyres to 276:310kPa when normally I inflate to 200:225kPa. So please, please do check what's the tyre pressure in PSI (the general unit used in Thailand) before leaving on a trip such as this. Was stopped by a traffic police while riding about Bangkok City too. He claimed that I committed an offence by riding on the fastest lane of the thoroughfare, although I doubt it was an offence in the first place since many other motorcyclists were using that lane too. He wanted THB100 to compound the issue, failing which he would issue a ticket for THB400 to be settled at the police station. Knowing that he clearly wanted a bribe, I refused to pay the "fine" and instead asked for the ticket. He refused and kept insisting that I pay the THB100 there and then. However, after repeated refusal on my part to pay and on his part to issue me a receipt if I paid, I called his bluff and said that it was just going to go into his pocket. Hearing that, he immediately let me go, escorted me back to my bike and wished me a good trip. A good trip indeed. o.o

 

Day 9: 22nd May 2012, Bangkok

Finally settled my issue in Bangkok. Took a long long afternoon nap to wash away all my worries and troubles and then headed out to Khaosan road to walk about. It's the 6th day I'm walking about Khaosan Road. Went out to the massage place at night, but found out it wasn't open. Quite regretful, for I've come to enjoy the relaxing massages offered there. The next day would see me ride off to Siem Reap! =)

 

(from the National Museum)

(from the museum on King Chulalongkorn)

[aloha]

Day 10: 23rd May 2012, Bangkok to Siem Reap

Had a very frustrating time trying to get out of Bangkok City since I could not use the major expressways. My GPS also could not calculate a route out when I tried my very best not to touch the expressway. After a whole morning of riding and still being stuck in Bangkok, I decided to just wing it and get out of Bangkok. At the Thai customs, I was asked to produce the papers for my bike (TM2, TM3, and TM4 mentioned earlier) but of course I did not have them. After a long moment of haggling, the customs official decided to fill them in on the spot for me and charged me a bribe for them. This time, I had no choice but to oblige. When I crossed over to the Cambodian customs, my bike aroused a great deal of interest from all the guards, who came out to take photos with it and on it, ask me questions about my trip, and also wager on the cost of the bike. Also met a Ukrainian girl who travelled with a helmet in her bag cos she rents motorbikes on her forays across the different countries of Southeast Asia. She was overly friendly with me, helping me hold up my jacket so that I could cool off and also offering a hand with my helmet. I thought she wanted me to give her a lift since we were both heading for Siem Reap and Phnom Phenh. However, cos she had a very huge and heavy backpack, I thought it abit troublesome and did not offer her a ride. After getting my passport stamped, I went to the Customs House and waited for an awfully long time for the customs official to come back from lunch and to figure out what to do to process my bike. I could have just ignored the customs declaration bit, but thought it best not to fall foul of the law should I get stopped in Cambodia. I spent two hours in the office while the chap made countless phone calls and studied my log card, figuring out what he was supposed to do. Apparently he has not processed the importation of motorcycles before. Finally, I was done and heading into Cambodia, this time on the right hand side of the road. At this point, I also observed that my GPS seemed wonky. Apparently Garmin Southeast Asia map doesn't include Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos - something I only found out when I googled about it two days later. I switched the GPS off and navigated based on my memory of Cambodia's geographical layout. There were very few vehicles on the road to Siem Reap - speeding past villages, I noticed many villagers coming out of their houses to observe this monstrous two-wheeled machine rushing past their villages in the direction of the capital. I decided it was best not to "frighten" them and went abit slower everytime I went past a village. Found a place called Australia Hotel in Siem Reap - it charges USD10 for a night's stay. At night, I went out to explore the riverside but found it too dark and dangerous (I was even holding on to my jackknife) and decided to head back home. Shall explore it the next day with my bike instead.

 

Day 11: 24th May 2012, Siem Reap

Did the touristy thing and visited Angkor Wat early in the morning, and then the Angkor Thom complex with my bike. Many, many beggars around. People I met along the way also stopped to ask about the bike. After a whole afternoon of temples, I sent my bike for a snow wash (USD2) before heading out to Pub Street for dinner. Sat there for hours just enjoying my steak and wine and then watching the passersby. Treated the security guard standing beside my bike to a plate of fries cos I thought the old man was quite pitiful, drinking iced water out of a beer jug. As I was exploring the rest of the area, I saw a Caucasian man leading a very young Cambodian girl of about 5 away to his hotel, leaving me utterly disgusted and sickened.

 

Day 12: 25th May 2012, Siem Reap to Phnom Phenh

The road to Phnom Phenh was extremely horrible. There were torrential rain, countless potholes, mud, low visibility, drivers forcing me off the road into the gravel, etc etc. Cursing and swearing most of the way to Phnom Phenh. There was this particular stretch that was so horrible that it took me hours to get through a mere 50km. HRRRMPH. When I finally reached Phnom Phenh, I got lost cos I didn't have a map of the area and the GPS didn't work. Tried asking around but nobody seems to speak English here. Rode around until I found a Caucasian on a Shadow Sabre 1100 and he led me to this guesthouse (Siv Mey Guesthouse USD13). Was actually planning on staying two nights, but the wifi was sooooooooo unreliable and bad that I decided to check out the next morning. The owner actually tried to help reset the router and what not, but it was not working and I wanted to have wifi. So yeah. Could not wait to get out of that place. At night I visited the Independence Monument but it was closed for repairs. What a pity.

 

 

Pictures time!

(My bike at the Thai-Cambodian border. Can you believe I squeezed all my stuff into the panniers? All my spare parts and tool kit went into the right pannier, and my clothes and necessities into the left. That was all I brought on my trip - two panniers worth of equipment and clothes.)

(Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom Complex)

(Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom Complex)

(Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom Complex)

(Pub Street! And cheap beer!)

(A Pedro store in Phnom Phenh. Was quite shocked to see it cos the country is very very poor. And yet you see shops like Mango and Pedro around catering to the rich. A very classic case of extreme income inequality and disparity.)

[aloha]

Stay tuned for more updates! =) Will update again when I have time on my hands. Soon, I promise.

[Homer]

Thanks for sharing! Awaiting for more ,,!

[fw78j]

sut sut ley yr trip got beer , girl and beautyful pic .

[adesmond2]

nice! updates updates!

 

My trip needs to be something like this.. especially lily house is a must to visit..

[aloha]

Day 13: Phnom Phenh to Ha Tien to Kampot, 26th May 2012

 

Visited the National Museum and the Tuol Seng Prison Museum in the morning. Outside the National Museum, I was met by this tuk-tuk driver who was desperate for business - even though he was western educated, the only job he could obtain was that of a tuk tuk driver, competing with all the other tuk tuk drivers in the city. He gave me his name, mobile number, email, and even facebook address, just so that I could recommend customers to him if I ever went back to Phnom Phenh.

 

Had lunch at David Restaurant and Bar, and sat down to hear the owner's life story. Apparently, he used to be from one of the villages and he moved to Phnom Phenh to work as a boy. From a hotel bellboy, he worked his way up to Front Desk Manager before changing hotels and starting again as a chef. After awhile, he decided to open a restaurant so that he can help his fellow villagers back home. With the profits, he started a school for the children. This school prides itself on free education, so all the funds come through him, his restaurant, or donations. His restaurant is plastered with rows upon rows of photographs, each depicting the school or the children who received an education in the village school. He believes very firmly in the power of education to enable social progression, which is why he is so devoted to his "school". One point he made to me was particularly poignant - he said that while he used to drink alot, he stopped after realising one day that the money he saved drinking in a week would help "save" 20 more kids. And with that, he has not touched a single drop since so that he can channel more funds to the school. Touched, I left a donation for the school and he insisted on taking a picture of me so that he can show the children in the school that there was this stranger from Singapore who helped to pay for x number of tables.

 

Long muddy and rainy road to Ha Tien. My bike was skidding continuously. And the loose gravel track closer to the border crossing didn't help. When I reached the Cambodian-Vietnam border, the guard chopped my passport but refused entry to my bike. They took photographs of the bike and one of them even rode it off on the pretext of "trying" it. After all these, and after offering a bribe, they were still adamant about not letting my bike in, so I turned back. Tried to bunker down in one of the casinos along the border, but they were charging an exorbitant amount even though the price on my magazine was alot cheaper. Refused to argue and just left and headed for Kampot.

 

Tried to get the mud washed off my bike, but the fella wanted 4USD. Refused to pay and decided to wash myself at this very wonderful place I stayed in. Initially, I was just at Bokor Mountain Lodge for dinner. The staff then asked I wanted to stay as well, but I said no cos the rate was too much. They then asked me how much I was willing to pay and they offered me a room at USD20. Very very fantastic lodge with absolutely wonderful service from the staff. After dinner, because there was a torrential rain, I went out in the rain to wash all the mud off my bike. The staff on seeing it started to bring an umbrella out to shelter me, which I declined. They then fixed an ultra long garden hose and dragged the hose all the way to my bike, so I won't have to keep going back into the lodge to clean my cloth.

 

At night, I met the boss, a New Zealander who has migrated there. He used to ride as well, and we had a good chat about bikes and good biking routes around the area. I found out that the Vietnamese have started banning big bikes from entering through Ha Tien. So the only way in now would be to apply for a visa for the bike before entering through any of the other highways (faster to get to Ho Chi Minh City than through Ha Tien). They even helped me to park my bike right in front of the bar when they closed for the night, and one of the staff jus slept on a sofa in front of my bike to act as security. Very very impeccable service.

Bokor Mountain Lodge, USD20.

 

Day 14: Kampot, 27th May 2012.

Had wonderful breakfast at the lodge and met a German named Mark. He owns a minimalist farm in Cambodia - his house does not have water, electricity, or even a toilet. He even built it himself using forest materials! So he doesn't really own anything except a small motorcycle which he uses for his farming and for him to come out into the city. In his farm, water comes from the river 20m behind his house, and he does his business in one of the bushes. His clothes are scraggy and second hand, and he keeps his worldly belongings all wrapped up in a small ziplock bag in his pocket. Twice a month, he would come out to the city to have a cuppa coffee, stock up on supplies, and to "look at people". I found it very interesting at in this day and age, it is still possible to lead such a minimalist life, reducing one's carbon impact on the environment. I probed him on whether such a lifestyle was good for his soul, and he said it was - "you don't yearn for anything after a while, because it really doesn't matter." What a difference from how many Singaporeans would feel - we change our cars/bikes every two-three years, as with our mobiles and sometimes even with friends.

 

That afternoon, I took a long long afternoon nap cos it was raining the whole night and morning, and there wasn't anywhere to go to in that coastal town. About 4, I rode up Bokor Mountain, a wonderful 30km worth of twisties. Met some European travellers on rented bikes and accompanied them back to town where we had dinner together. They were fresh out of high school, and have bene travelling for the last few years through southeast asia on a shoestring budget. Cool. I would so love to do that.

 

At night, I went downstairs to the pub where the owner Eric was holding his once a week live music session. With a few other European kakis, they sang and made music, bringing much cheer and joy to an extremely wet day.

 

Bokor Mountain Lodge, USD20.

 

 

Pictures Time!

Cambodian National Museum

 

David with the photographs

 

David Restaurant and Bar

 

Tuol Seng Memorial Mususem

 

Ha Tien International Border

 

Beautiful and idyllic coastal Kampot

[aloha]

The peak of Bokor Mountain. Can you believe I rode up with only a singlet, shorts and slippers? It was awfully cold on the way up, what with all this mist as well. Extremely low visibility. Stopped halfway up to don my rain jacket cos I couldn't stand the cold.

 

Another picture of the bike at the peak. Can't really see anything on the peak, so I left after awhile. There was supposed to be a church and a casino under construction. But the visibility was really bad.

 

Better weather on the way down.

 

My bike inside Bokor Mountain Lodge, safely parked. =)

[aloha]

The trip is almost at its conclusion already. Four more days of riding. Will post again soon! Sorry for the long wait for those who have been following!

[kifakw]

oh my, you have my respect for this solo trip! :thumb:

 

did you rely on your GPS for directions all the way to bangkok?? which model was it? did you purchase the garmin maps?

 

how many weeks did it take for you to plan this trip?

Edited July 18, 2012 by kifakw

[kifakw]

double post.

[adesmond2]

respect! & I'm doing a similar trip soon also.. =P

 

But this will mark my end of touring also..

 

Need to "commit" after that already..

[aloha]

oh my, you have my respect for this solo trip! :thumb:

 

did you rely on your GPS for directions all the way to bangkok?? which model was it? did you purchase the garmin maps?

 

how many weeks did it take for you to plan this trip?

 

 

Hi there! Yup, I used the GPS to get through Malaysia and Thailand. It's especially useful for the Bangkok leg since motorbikes are not allowed on the expressways, and it's very hard to navigate into and out of the inner city without touching the expressways. The avoid motorway function was thus very useful. I used a Garmin Nuvi 500 that I bought from Amazon.com (it's cheaper than buying from a local retailer). Mine comes with the USA maps, but you'll be able to get maps around online if you search hard enough!

 

With regard to planning, while I'm a fan of covering all angles, it was almost impossible for this trip. There was no way of knowing the road conditions, the weather, and alot of other factors that we cannot possibly plan for. So it was basically just pack and go for me - packed two days before I was ready and just set off. Many a times, I didn't know where to stop for food, petrol or accom. It was just hope and pray all the way, especially on the times when petrol stations seem infinity far apart. But yup! I learnt that sometimes in life there's no need to plan so hard - the way the Singapore system conditions us to do - we just take life as it comes and work our way from there. Hope this helps!

 

aloha

[gixxer 73]

Riding small bike can gain entry into Vietnam via Hatien...just pay US$1...

[ganman]

Riding small bike can gain entry into Vietnam via Hatien...just pay US$1...

 

Thanks for the info

[aloha]

yeah that's what I heard as well. My friend Eric from Bokor Mountain was saying that only small bikes are allowed to enter through Hatien now.

[ganman]

yeah that's what I heard as well. My friend Eric from Bokor Mountain was saying that only small bikes are allowed to enter through Hatien now.

 

Any issues leaving Vietnam?

[aloha]

think as long as u leave from the same point sld be fine..

[aloha]

Sorry for the long wait! Here's a short update that I can squeeze in.

 

Day 15: Kampot to Chanthaburi, 28th May 2012.

 

Went out to the Post Office at Kampot early in the morning to post some documents back to Singapore. It was a really dishonest system. When I first went there and tried to post my documents, the woman behind the counter just took the envelop and weighed it on a scale, hidden behind the counter. Without even showing me the weight of the envelop, she just came up with an arbitrary 9USD charge. I was like wth!!! So expensive just to send from Cambodia to Singapore? And then with reluctance she said "registered". With that, and because the document was urgent, I paid her the money and filled in the form. She then started pasting the registered article sticker onto my envelop, and told me I could go. However, seeing that I still lingered, she reluctantly made a show of pasting the stamps onto my envelop, very very slowly. Satisfied, I left. Surprise upon surprise, after I returned to Singapore, I found out that the letter was never delivered. I checked online using the registered article checking system and was told: "article not found". What the hell. Did a google search on the cambodian postal service and found out that the mail reliability rate is very low there, even if you "paid" for registered mail. And yes, there was a stack of letters waiting behind the counter, almost never collected. So apparently, what they do is that they just quote you a random rate, and then pocket the money before trashing the mail into the bin. O.O

 

I was actually supposed to meet a friend at Sihanouville (met this chap when I was in Bangkok and he told me to pop over when I was in the area), so I started heading for Sihanouville and also towards Koh Kong, the border with Thailand. My initial plan was to head through Thailand to get to Laos. It rained utterly heavily on the way towards Koh Kong, so much so that I decided not to stop at Sihanouville cos I was really soooo wet that it was disgraceful. Haha. Soaked all the way through.

 

Towards the border, I found some Mandarin speaking Cambodians. Quite intrigued. It was a strange place to find Mandarin speaking people, especially since it was just confined to a small locality. That aside, at the border, I dripped water all over the immigration and custom counters too. Especially when I had to produce documents and get the correct visas and permits. At the cambodian side, I tried to return the cambodian custom forms but nobody seemed to want it. I finally deposited it with the Cambodian customs office, hoping that that would safe me any trouble the next time I head up.

 

Back in Thailand, I reached Chanthaburi and immediately tried to find a place to stay. Using the accommodation function on the GPS, I tried several places but failed to secure a place to stay either cos it was too expensive or they did not speak english. In the end, I ended up staying at a place called Dice Inn. It charged me 400THB a night and I thought it was alright - it even came with a private garage. The staff did not speak any english at all, so it took a long 15mins for the staff and I to communicate using hand signals and drawing on paper. But secure a room I did, and it came with 2 free toothbrushes (shaped like a sex toy), and a condom. Only when I entered the room did I realise that it was a sex motel. There were mirrors all over the ceiling and the four walls, and a DVD player to play porn. Haha. In the toilet, there was also a huge mirror for those who are more "adventurous". The room had a weird smell of youknowwhat and so had to be thoroughly covered up by some air freshener that the fella carried with him. They were quite surprised though, that I was checking in alone. Hahhaa. Some of my "neighbours" stayed only for a couple hours before leaving. Mm.

 

Anyway, I went out to one of the most famous Thai discos in the area to have my dinner and a drink. When I asked to use the wifi, there was a communication breakdown again. I tried to ask for the password and was told it was 9-5. So I thought it was 9thb for 5mins, and took out my wallet to pay. The woman keep shaking her head and said nonono! And she kept going 9 5s. 9 5s! After awhile, I realised that the password was "555555555" instead. O.O *shakes head at all the comms breakdown*.

 

When I was there, I got a text from my dad saying that my employer needed me to fill in some documents, and hand them in personally by 1st June. There was no contact details, just an address. No choice, decided to rush back home.

 

Dice Inn, 400THB