N4TI*ON ADVLux Tour 2012. The Full Story.

[nikhuzlan]

The Ride Logo. Red because its a common color on all the flags of the 4 nations we will be passing through.
Yellow because that color is on the Malaysian flag. Star substitutes "O" to denote commonality of the
American ( Bruce Conrad & Wife ), Chilean ( Cristian RTW ) and Malaysian Flags with stars in 'em.

Last year, I broke my Overlanding Virginity when I rode Thailand, Laos and Cambodia with a mate of mine
who had just took up biking less than two years before. Although I have been riding close to 40 years,
short trips appealed to me more than any other type of riding.
And despite owning big DPs since the late 80s, I have only ventured offroad very rarely,
preferring to parade on the street looking the part rather than playing the role.

The story of that trip is here;

http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...-wanderers-thailand-laos-cambodia-2011-a.html

Having done the trip, I knew that the second time round will be much better. And the usual "Splash - Click - Dash"
way commonly done by many riders will not do as mad rush riding means missing out on really enjoying the main
elements of the ride ; the scenery needs to be soaked up, not glanced at, food needs to be savoured, not gobbled,
and there should be liberal days of rest in between riding. Endurance and hardship adventure is not my game,
and I make no apology for being lame.

My ADV heroes are and will always be Charlie and Ewan. Because they do it in style, with all the support they can afford, l
eaving them to enjoy the ride, rather than the hassle. If I was to ride the world, that would be the only way i wanna do it.
In my world, Adventure should be fun that can be enjoyed, not hardship that has to be endured.
With good planning, one does not have to be wealthy to do this.

So with this in mind, I set about looking for a couple of friends who would share this ride which I called ADVLux -
Because there will be nice hotels, great food, plenty of time and a liberal great schedule.
There will be Trains, Planes, Trucks and Minivans involved. We didn't know it then but hot air balloons and Helicopters will also feature.

The plan was to ride into Three Nations, Thailand, Laos and Cambodia, beginning from a 4th one ( Malaysia ) where we originate from.
I figure at least 33 days were required, and it will not be easy for the few mates that are interested to go.
But i made them an offer they cannot refuse. I did not put a horse's head in their beds.
Instead I told them that the total of 33 days were planned to be broken into Three Segments where we will
fly back to KL after every 12 day ride. We return after every eleven days to continue.

That way we will not be away for too long.

The dates were set as such :
Segment 1 Thailand - 23Nov - 1Dec
Segment 2 Laos - 13Dec - 24Dec
Segment 3 Cambodia - 3Jan - 13Jan.

Its the only way to tick our ADVlite boxes.

The first to confirm was Kamarul, followed by Eddy and Mel. With the minimum quorum met,
I set the date and proceed with planning.
There were requests for shifting of dates by a few buddies and while i entertained some minor adjustments,
these guys were more talk than walk, so before long i decided that this ride will be done purely the way i say it will be done.

Too much Democracy cripples good planning.

Within a month to departure date ( set on 23rd November ) there were 11 bikes with another 5 on standby.
Then Cristian, the RTW Chilean also confirmed he will be joining us from Kanchanaburi.

To move forward, Mel ( roped in to assist organisation with his Swiss precision ) and me started to collect deposits,
book Lorries, Train Tickets, Hotel Rooms and plane tickets. All 12 paid easily,
and the rest promptly withdrew.

This policy of " Money Talks, Bullshit Walks " I like very much.

So the plan was for us to leave KL 23rd Nov, ride to Hatyai, load the bikes onto a transporter to our Hotel in Kanchanaburi,
take the night train there. Then we ride to Chiangmai via Mae Sot, Mae Hong Son, Pai, Doi Inthinon and fly home after
parking our bikes at Rider's Corner.

After 10 days in KL, we fly back to Chiangmai, ride Northern Thailand, then into Laos where we will again park our bikes in
Vientiane and fly home. After another 10 days we return to Vientiane, ride into Cambodia and back into Thailand where
we will continue riding all the way home.

Along the way, we will have many friends joining in at the various Segments.

At the point of this post, 12 riders have completed Segment 1, 18 Bikes are firm on Segment 2, 9 for Segment 3.

Although I, like everyone else, like money, this is not the way I'd like to earn it, so both Mel and me are doing this for friends and fun.

The General Area;

 

[nikhuzlan]

Ten days before departure we had 11 bikes, with three pillions amongst us. The 12th bike will RV with us at Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

The are 12 Malaysians, Kamarul, Sam, Eddy, Mel, Dean, Alex, Sean, SP Lee, Simon Saw, me with Gerry ( my wife ) and YY ( Simon's Girl )
following as pillion, one Chilean ( Cristian ) and two Americans ( Bruce & Margaret Conrad ).

3 days before we ride off we met at Denise Wine Shop for a small get-together. For some it will be the first time meeting everyone.

Kamarul and Sam sharing the Segment 1 Document.

Dean, who has a Ducati Dealership in Kuching, Borneo, flew his Monster in just for the trip, meeting Eddie and Mel for the first time.

I met Bruce for the first time that night as well.
Bruce and Margaret Conrad flew in just 3 days before the ride from Torrance, California. At 69, Bruce rode the Baja Races 17 times already,
and he just finished the Baja two weeks ago. Margaret, a mild mannered grandmother frequently follows Bruce overlanding.
Alex met Bruce somewhere in Venezuela. Alex was with Nick Sanders ( RTW speed record on an R1 ) overlanding when he rode past Bruce and
Steve ( retired LAPD Officer ) peeing against a wall which led them to be riding buddies until they crossed Mexico.
When Alex found out I'm organising this trip, he told Bruce and everything following that was a flurry of activities.
We found a F800GS for Bruce to ride.
Alex secured his slot and after arrival in KL following a 21 hour flight found himself with a bunch of rowdy strangers.

Alex wrote a book about his Pan - American Solo Ride. A copy is with Phil of Rider's Corner.

Also present that night were Goh and Daniel, who will be joining us on Segment 2 & 3. Goh has ridden the
Mae Sot - Chiangmai Route on his HD Rocker C ( Crazy ) previously so he's skipping Segment 1.

We leave in three days.

Funny how what is essentially a simple trip can make CEOs, Multinational MDs,
Lamborghini driving Entrepreneurs excited to a point they need to pop a pill to sleep the night before departure.

The route for the first day, 23rd Nov is a simple 530km highway ride with one border crossing to the
loading yard where our lorry will be waiting.

 

[nikhuzlan]

23Nov Day 1 Kuala Lumpur - Hatyai.


All eleven bikes and riders gathered at the Sg Buloh RnR at 0630. We also had 5 other bikes as a send-off party joining in.
Assir and his son on a GSA, Sebastian on a K1600GT, Dato' Sheikh on his RT, Amir on his Explorer and Cee Kay on his 1200GS.
Having had light breakfast we rolled Northwards to cover 180kms to the next rest stop at Simpang Pulai RnR.
Weather was great, with light overcast bringing the morning temperature down a tad.


RnR Sg Buloh

Hitting the road

Sean

SP Lee

Amir on his Explorer

We cleared the Border formalities within 30 minutes and headed straight to the loading yard, just 10kms south of Thailand's biggest
Southern city, Hatyai.

Seb and Assir played a big role loading our bikes onto the trailer.

Bikes loaded with the lorry driver looking out.

Mel with Ampan, our Thai Agent going through the necessary documents.

Loading complete we rode in two prearranged vans to a hotel to wash up before heading to the train station.

Tallying up the cost.

Hatyai Train Station was just 5 minutes from our short time hotel.

We were not terribly impressed with the train initially

But it turned out to be a very cosy and comfortable place to spend the next 12 hours when the beds were made up.

Everyone had a good night's sleep. When i awoke the next morning, I had a shock when i thought Gandhi decided to join us,
but was quickly disappointed to realise that it was just Mel

Another part of the train

Come morning as we passed Hua Hin, we 'took over' the buffet coach. Simple but pretty good breakfast.

Coffee tasted good as we rolled through the scenery

Bruce and Margaret Conrad, married 46 years still found time to whisper sweet nothings.

They were like children in a toyshop.

We reached Ban Pong, a small town just outside Bangkok at 0800, right on schedule.

Our two vans were waiting to ferry us to Kanchanaburi, 70kms away.

Our first stop was for brunch at a floating restaurant just outside Kanchanaburi.

Interesting sign - Ladies Toilet.

After checking in the River Kwai Hotel, we rested, then in the evening we went for dinner at a fancy restaurant.

Then we headed to a roadside pub where Dean gave an impromptu performance.

Dean on stage

The ride back to the hotel was a fun one. We had a small race ; Tuk Tuk VS Tuk Tuk.

Riding the train and using the lorry to transport our bikes means avoiding 1,100km of straight roads that passe through more
of the same scenery of populated areas, and also saves us an unnecessary stopover which is better spent in Kanchanaburi.

 

[nikhuzlan]

25Nov Day 3 Kanchanaburi


Right on schedule our bikes arrived at the Hotel Car park and Sean, Sam and the others wasted no time unloading our precious cargo

We met a group of 4 Malaysian riders who arrived last night as they were about to depart for Chiangmai on the same route
we will be riding on tomorrow.
Unlike us, they rode all the way from KL, Malaysia.We took photos with them before they departed.

Later we went to the War Memorial, followed by a visit to the excellent War Museum.
The charming town of Kanchanaburi has a dark history behind it.
Set where the Khwae Noi and Khwae Yai rivers converge into the Mae Klong river, its location at the edge of the
Tannesserim Hills keeps it much cooler than the other provinces of central Thailand.


In 1942 Kanchanaburi was under Japanese control. It was here that Asian forced labourers and Allied POWs,
building the infamous Burma Railway, constructed a bridge; a movie about this was made by Sir David Lean called
"Bridge on the River Kwai". The movie won a few Oscars . About 160,000 soldiers and forced laboureres were involved,
and more than half died due malnourishment, ill treatment and diseases.
After the war a number of Japanese Officer Soldiers were tried for War Crimes, resulting in death and life imprisonment for many.
Little known fact is the although the Allies Soldiers are celebrated the highest death tolls were Malay and Tamil laborers.
About 55,000 died there compared to under 10,000 POWS. Conditions were so bad even the Japanese lost more than 3,000 to
disease and malnourishment.

The excellent War Museum

The Cemetery

After the War Museum we proceeded to the famous Bridge Over River Kwai, 4 kms away.

These two plaques were all there is that marks the involvement of the Malays and Tamils in the Death Railway, 55,000 deaths, and just two broken plaques.

The famous "Orient Express" makes a detour from its route to Bangkok, offering its passengers to ride the train
over the bridge before turning back to Bangkok.

From the bridge the group split, one van going to the Tiger Temple, Hellfire Pass and also the waterfalls. i opted to skip the drive,
preferring to just chill out in Kanchanaburi.


The Tiger Temple

Wild Boar, Tiger food perhaps....

Tigers

Eddy with the Tigers

Tomorrow the real riding starts with about 420kms of highway followed by 85km of meandering hilly roads,
marking the start of the reason why this route was chosen.

 

[KTMphil]

Coffee-table-book quality, superb. :MJ

 

[Just Bob]

Good stuff!

 

[nikhuzlan]

25Nov Day 3 Kanchanaburi - Mae Sot, 505km

We woke up to an untypically warm balmy morning. The sky was dull and overcast when it should be nicely
blue with temperatures cooler as the winter months should be. Ahead lies 400kms of highway before we reach the junction
that turns towards Mae Sot. The road will wind its way over the Tanasserim Hills, a 'low altitude' mountain range that begins in
the Himalayas and ends in Peninsula Malaysia. The plan was to leave the Hotel pretty early.

Kamarul and SP Lee looking at the map, great for orientation even when using GPS.

Sean and Eddy Tan cross checking their GPS.

Pre Ride Briefing

We rode off right on schedule, first stop, the Bridge for some cam-whoring.

The Group Pix

The Americans with the Malaysian Flag with the Bridge Over River Kwai in the background.

Sam and Mel.

Dato' Kamarul

After 15 minutes there we got ready to move

Cristian on his RTW GSA heading towards Chainat.

It got bright but hotter in the late morning.

Dean flew this Ducati from Kuching, Borneo, where he comes from.

After two coffee stops at Cafe Amazon, and having covered 400kms, the Conrads found themselves at the junction that leads to Mae Sot.

Onwards towards Mae Sot.

Alex was the only one on a single, his Tenere left KL with just 1,000km on the clock and his plan is to ride the world in the next 3 years.

Just 35km from Mae Sot we saw this Coffee shop set at a nice viewpoint. We stopped there as we were early.

Mel and Cristian checking out the photos.

Simon, Cristian, SP Lee & Sean.

Alex with the Conrads

Chilling out.

We rode off after an hour onto the gently meandering road.

The sky was dark, threatening rain that never came.

We reached Mae Sot, checked into the Duang Kamon Hotel ( not so good but its only for one quick nightstop ) and promptly went out for dinner.

We found a nice muslim restaurant facing the biggest mosque in Mae Sot.

The route we rode today.

We slept early, eagerly looking forward to next day's riding on the R105 which leads to Mae Sariang and eventually Mae Hong Son.

 

[Captain_Slash]

Was the food to your liking at the Tea Shop opposite the mosque in Mae Sot Nik?

Look in the restaurants section for the towns you are staying in as I love the Muslim food myself and try to seek them out posting the info, Mae Sarieng has good Muslim food too

 

[nikhuzlan]

Was the food to your liking at the Tea Shop opposite the mosque in Mae Sot Nik?

Look in the restaurants section for the towns you are staying in as I love the Muslim food myself and try to seek them out posting the info, Mae Sarieng has good Muslim food too

Captain Slash, We had a simple but great dinner at the teashop. It would have been better but we were there late, ie after the Isya' ( last night prayer ) so most of the menu was finished,
But the little we had was really good.

At Mae Sariang we found a nice muslim cafe just 100 meters along the same street as the Intinan Cafe. The food there was also good.

It would be good to know where to get muslim food at Doi Tung, Chiang Khong and Nan. I know there's this nice chinese muslim food stall at Mae salong. Awesome chicken rice served there.

 

[nikhuzlan]

27Nov Day 5 Mae Sot - Mae Hong Son, 404km

Everyone was pretty excited knowing they will be riding the R105 which from Mae Sariang joins the R108 marking part of the 1864 Curves Loop. I looked at the skies which started out overcast as I remember the R105 had about 35km of hard packed clay which would have a
pretty dramatic effect on my fully loaded half tonne GSA if the surface is wet.

Rain would not be good.

Breakfast

First stop will be the Mae Sot Border. We leave on time.

The border post was just 5km from the Hotel.

Cristian promptly posed his trade mark pose.

Cam-whoring

Me n the wife.

The Mandatory Group Photo.

Back on the R105

And the blue skies returns with a vengeance

Before long we passed by this UNHCR run refugee camp. Up to 80,000 used to stay her. Minorities of Burma,
now Myanmar, they are placed here from many other small camps scattered along the Thai / Myanmar border.
This camp was established in the early 80s, and many who are born here have never stepped foot into the outside world.

We stopped here.

What fate await these kids?

We leave the Camp after 30 minutes, everyone riding at their own pace as many want to stop for photographs.
We agreed to RV at Mae Sariang, 160km ahead.

If the helmet was transparent, you'd see a wide grin on SP's face

The road hugs the border of Myanmar, which lies across the River. The Mae Nam Salween eventually turns West
and empties itself into the Andaman sea.

The R105 departs the border and ahead of us lies this heavenly meandering strip of smooth grippy tarmac, devoid of traffic,
potholes and bumps. Just awesome. I remember from my last trip this stretch ends abruptly into a gravel trap. Not this time.
The gravel stretch is now less than 10km. But the potholed washboard road surface is still there for quite a distance.

All gravel just a year ago

I remember this rock formation from my last trip. The road beside it then was gravel.

This turn that Sean had fun skimming his panniers was also gravel previously.
Now worthy of a Panigale knee scraping ride.

Eventually the gravel bits turns up.

I was talking to Bruce, saying its a good thing its dry otherwise things can get slippery. Just then this
water truck turns up spraying water onto the surface.

Gravel surface was a piece of cake.

The gravel track eventually turned into potholed tarmac whih gradually improved as we approach Mae Sariang.

By noon we stopped at this nice Riverside Restaurant/Motel for lunch. Good food that comes slow.

The skies once again threatens rain as we left the lunch stop.

And the rain did come.

We rode gingerly.....grip was a premium...

Thankfully it dried up way before Khun Yuam. This stretch I remember as very beautiful.

We stopped for coffee.

The sun was low as we rode the last 55km to Mae Hong Son.

Our last stop was just 18km from Mae Hong Son, at this viewpoint.

By the time we checked in at Mae Hong Son, everyone had a huge drin on their faces. It was a great 404km from Mae Sod. There was everything we expected and anticipated and more. Tomorrow we will do a short ride to Pai. More twisties ahead. All 762 0f them. The boys can't wait.


Our Route today.

 

[Ally]

Really enjoying your report (as usual) Nik. Thanks for taking us all along with you.

Ally

 

[nikhuzlan]

Really enjoying your report (as usual) Nik. Thanks for taking us all along with you.

Ally

Thanks Ally. Hope to catch up with you in a few days.

Nik

 

[nikhuzlan]

28Nov Day 6 Mae Hong Son - Pai , 110km

Today will be a short ride covering just 110kms but traversing 762 corners. We will take our time.
The plan is to visit the Long Neck Village near Mae Hong Son. I am not really keen because i feel like we are going toa human zoo,
but when I found out the the settlement at Ban Mai Noi Sio is quite some way off the beaten path, I thought it may be worth our time.
The detour will add 30kms to our trip, so that may be interesting.

Before we leave town, a customary visit to the local tourism office to get the 1864 certificate will be in order.

We left town at 0800, riding through a short cut that takes us through some rural village road.

Updating the coordinates for the offroad bit.

Getting to the settlement involved 15kms of light offroading.

A small 'contribution' before entering the settlement.

The settlement. This is definitely not a popular place. It was devoid of tourists which was good for us.

the school.

the locals

we left after an hour.

Tarmac again.

Before long we rejoined the excellent R1095. Very light traffic on this day. Yea.

Had GREAT FUN hustling my almost half tonne GSA chasing Alex on his Tenere on the R1095 till Fish Cave.
N4TION MHS - Pai 27nov2012 - YouTube


We stopped at Fish Cave Park for coffee.

The fun along R1095 continued

Steep hairpins, sometimes down to 1st gear

We stopped at this viewpoint.

Of course the obligatory self gratifying Group picture. we were joined by Edwin and a few of his friends.
They rode from Malaysia and will be entering Laos in a few days. we bumped into them at Mae Sot yesterday.

Alex wanted a picture. Just happened that my wife and I were in the frame "accidentally."

The ride on R1095 picks up again to the next viewpoint.

The last viewpoint before Pai.

Cam Whoring.

Onwards to Pai.

Pai.

First stop was the Riverside for late lunch.

We reluctantly left the Riverside and made our way to the Resort.

We rode through some really pretty countryside.

I called it "Field of Dreams."

The Cam-Whoring resumes earnestly.

Onwards to the hotel

Pai Tree House Resort

Cristian's trademark pose.

Celebrating our arrival.

Time to chill out.

Nice sunset this evening. Cam-Whoring carries on.

Aaaaah wifi.....

We retired after dinner.

Short ride indeed. But a really nice route. Plenty to see. Awesome roads. Chicken strips on the tyres all gone.
Pai is great. So we decided to stay an additional night here.


Our short 140km route today.

 

[nikhuzlan]

29Nov Day 7 Pai.


It was a very quick decision we made to stay another day in Pai rather than Chiangmai.

The people of Pai's main pre-occupation was generally agriculture before turning to Tourism sometime in mid 2005.
Surrounded by hills which separates both Chiangmai and Mae Hong Son, the roads leading to it consists of numerous
curves that winds up and down over the hills offering beautiful views and fun riding.
Pai lies in a picturesque valley almost midway between Mae Hong Son and Chiangmai.

The smallish population of just over 4,000 residents lives in a sprawling township, and mixes
with the everpresent tourists of the mainly backpacker variety well.
Resorts and guesthouses are reasonably priced offering good deals during out of season periods ( March - September ).

The sudden glut of rest houses of late has led to some overcapacity which again is good for tourists.
Pai has grown very rapidly in the past half decade, but the development has taken place in a very tasteful manner,
with no tall buildings and the town remains peaceful and serene even during the peak season.

We woke up to the sounds of elephants walking along the Riverbank.

Eddy decided to give his bike a quick wash.

Breakfast was at the excellent Restaurant.

The Resort

Coffee anyone?

Our Bungalows.

We rode out to town, 8kms away for lunch. Bruce was fascinated by the fuel dispensing machine.

There is a long story about this bucket. It started at Ko Phangan, an island 2,000km south of Pai.

The Ko Phangan Story.
http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-...8-ko-phangan-full-moon-party-sept-2012-a.html


Back at the resort, Sean was doing an interview with Bruce Conrad. Guess the video will be out soon.

Our stay at Pai coincided with the Loy Krathong Festival where floating lanterns were released from the banks of Pai River.
Hot air lanterns were also released into the skies. Loi Krathong takes place on the evening of the full moon of the
12th month in the traditional Thai lunar calendar which falls in November. The festival may originate from an ancient
ritual paying respect to the water spirits. In Pai and many Northern towns in Thailand Loy Krathong is often paired up with
Yi Peng, a festival of hot air lanterns.

Dinner was again at the Pai mainstreet.

Muslim presence was very visible.

Food was not a problem at all.

Before leaving for the Hotel, we passed by a float procession.

And a final reminder to be safe from the authorities.

Pai agrees with all of us. I did not ride around Pai, but a few others did. They rode up to the highest point in Pai,
and also around the surrounding area. Their stories will follow soon.


Tomorrow we will ride to Chiangmai but via a detour to Doi Inthinon, the highest point at over 8,400ft above sea level.

 

[2wheels]

Well done Nick; this is going to be an epic!
I'd say all those restauranteurs light up with glee upon seeing such a large group arrive at their premises.

 

[nikhuzlan]

30Nov Day 8 Pai - Doi Inthinon - Chiangmai. 335kms.

We leave Pai with a vow to return.

Today we start out early as we need to cover quite a distance on roads that were built with cornering in mind.

And the turns begins again.......

Coffee.

Back on the Road

We took a detour to avoid Chiangmai and passed through some really rural roads.

At Doi Chang we stopped for coffee again.

The road to Doi Inthinon was better than expected. We made good speed.

Near the peak.

Doi Inthinon marks the last significant point Segment 1 of this N4TION Ride. From Doi Inthinon we rode the highway into Chiangmai
straight to Rider's Corner. The traffic jam riding into Chiangmai was quite bad, but we all eventually made it to Phil's place safely, and just before nightfall.

After a drink Phil led us to our Hotel, the interestingly named Pornping Tower. Good parking for our bikes.

After checking-in and washing up we all made our way back to Rider's Corner for the Halal BBQ Buffet that Phil has organised for all of us.
Phil has been amazing in assisting us in many ways when I was initially organising this ride.
He is instrumental in arranging bike storage ( his place ) and also helping put together a list of contacts,
not just for Thailand but also for Laos and Cambodia.
For the BBQ he sourced Halal meats, new cutlery and cooking utensils, going out of his way to help.

Another great riding day, topped off literally by reaching the summit of Thailand.
Tomorrow we will return to Malaysia, our AK Flight tickets confirmed for the 2 1/2 hour flight home after storing our bikes at Rider's Corner.


Today's Ride Route.

 

[KTMphil]

Amazing cornering shots Nik, you really captured the sensation. See you in a couple of days.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Phil, all on bike shots were by my wife, not me. She deserves credit for being able to shoot while sitting behind me on a bike that's constantly accelerating, braking and banking, sometimes all at the same time.

And yes, look forward to seeing you on Thursday 13dec.

Amazing cornering shots Nik, you really captured the sensation. See you in a couple of days.

 

[nikhuzlan]

1Dec, Day 9. Chiangmai - Kuala Lumpur . 2005kms. By Airbus A320.

For 6 of us; Kamarul, Sam, Mel, Eddy, Alex, Me and Gerry, my wife, Segment 1 ends with our return flight back to KL.

SP Lee, Simon & YY, Sean, Bruce & Margaret Conrad, Cristian & Dean will continue on Segment 1.5.
They will be joined by Terry Teh who flew in and will ride Alex's Tenere. For them their Adventure continues onwards to Northern Thailand.
Equipped with maps and GPS Routes they bought from Rider's Corner, they will ride up to Mae Salong, Doi Tung, Mae Sai, Chiang Khong then
turn South to Nan, Phitsanulok, Ayuttahaya and Hua Hin. Cristian will park his GSA at the Bangkok BMW Dealership and fly home to Chile.
The rest will ride all the way home to reach Kuala Lumpur 8Dec.
Bruce and Margaret Conrad will be flying away from KL to Los Angeles 10dec.
By the time they're done, they have more or less completed their Thailand Adventure.

The Segment 1.5 Group Leaving Pornping Hotel.

SP Lee will be the Ride Leader for this group. Known to get lost even driving home from office, the Segment 1.5 group
will be in for a fun time as SP Lee will be assisted by Sean Nunis, another 'great' explorer whose claim to fame is finding his
way to the nearby supermarket via the long way round.

Terry Teh on the Tenere.

The Segment 1.5 Group leaves for Mae Salong.

Before noon we rode our bike to Rider's Corner where our machines will be spending the next 10 days in storage.
Phil looking on.

We said our goodbyes to Cristian who will spend another night in Chiangmai before heading of to Nan to RV with the Segment 1.5 Riders.
It was kinda sad saying goodbye to Cristian not knowing if we will ever meet again.

We boarded the plane for our 2 1/2 hour flight back home to KL.

On the 8th of december the rest of the Riders doing Segment 1.5 returned to KL and we had a big dinner.
Dean elected to hang around Thailand longer, following Simon and YY to Bangkok so they were not yet in Malaysia.
They eventually returned last night, 9th December.


The Dinner.

On their last full day in Malaysia Sean took the Conrads for a drive up Genting Highlands showing them the Malaysian foremost Motorhead gathering point. The adventurous couple had a go eating local fruits, the Durian, Rambutans ( Margaret calls it 'hairy Strawberry "
and also the Mangosteen.

This was a good ride, in fact, a damn good ride. Everyone had great fun, and everything went on as planned.
Now we look forward to Segment 2. As i write this, there are already 6 bikes on the road, making their way to Chiangmai. In Chiangmai there are 6 bikes waiting at Rider's Corner. On wednesday morning, 12dec, another 8 bikes will make their way to Hatyai. They will load their bikes at Hatyai, then fly to Chiangmai on the 13th.


Come 14th December everyone will be at Rider's Corner for the pre departure dinner before leaving Chiangmai the next morning.


It will be another great ride.


In the meantime, this is the video I put together of Segment ONE of the N4TION ADVLux 2012.
N4TION ADVLux 2012 - YouTube


Updates will be posted here: http://www.rideasia.net/motorcycle-forum/thailand-ride-reports/2852-n4ti*n-advlux-tour-2012-a.html

 

[Captain_Slash]

Captain Slash, We had a simple but great dinner at the teashop. It would have been better but we were there late, ie after the Isya' ( last night prayer ) so most of the menu was finished,
But the little we had was really good.

At Mae Sariang we found a nice muslim cafe just 100 meters along the same street as the Intinan Cafe. The food there was also good.

It would be good to know where to get muslim food at Doi Tung, Chiang Khong and Nan. I know there's this nice chinese muslim food stall at Mae salong. Awesome chicken rice served there.

I am sorry but I cant offer any help on those three places.

I ate once at the place you mentioned in Mae Sariang but found one about 1 km over the river at N18 09.558 E097 55.415 where the food is a lot spicier and much more to my liking

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013.

Day 1, Thursday 13Dec2012. Segment 2.

My wife Gerry and I flew in from KL Malaysia arriving Chiangmai at 0900 13December 2012. We are early as the ride begins on the 15th. But we had time and did not want to rush.

Gerry wanted to learn Thai Cooking and she made arrangements for an airport pick-up and headed to the cooking school while I took a taxi to Riders Corner.

Our bikes roosting in Phil's place.

Yesterday another group of 10 bikes left KL for Hatyai, where they loaded their bikes onto a lorry for transportation to Chiangmai. The whole lot of them will fly to Chiangmai from Hatyai. Another 4 more riders left days ago and will arrive Chiangmai to join this group. They will be arriving tomorrow. The last of the group to arrive Chiangmai is Dato' Kamarul and Sam. Following them will be Ivy, Goh's wife and Crystal, Daniel's partner.


Mel coordinating the rooms for the Hatyai group.

The Hatyai Group arrived at noon.

Back from her cooking class, Gerry wasted no time; straight to this Massage Boutique.

Dinner was at the surprisingly inexpensive River Market Restaurant.

Achin, Shaharin and Asri enjoying open air massage.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2


Day 2, Friday 14Dec2012.

Today is a non-riding day. Sam Dato Kamarul, Ivy & Crystal will land at Chiangmai airport by 0900. The bikes from Hatyai should be arriving by the afternoon. Mujib, Goh, CC Lee & Daniel should be arriving by evening. Ariff, who rode solo from KL on his Triumph Tiger was staying at Rider's Corner.
Everyone should be in Chiangmai by day's end.

We released some birds as we waited for Sam's arrival.

Setting the GPS

Just before noon we went to rider's Corner to do some adjustments on our bikes. The Triumph Dealer next door to Phil's place was of great help. I thought they were super generous and very helpful as they topped up my GSA's engine oil but refused to take any payment.
Many of us have very nice things to say about the Triumph guys.

The day passed quickly, everyone doing activities of their choice.

In the evening we held a Grand BBQ Dinner at Rider's Corner. Phil and his team went out of the way to prepare a Halal BBQ for all of us. The food was awesomely good, service outstanding.

The Hotel was a short tuk tuk ride away.

Its an early night for everyone tonight. Nurul, our sole female rider could not fly into Chiangmai in time. She will be flying in in two days time, and will RV with us at Nan. That plucky gal will ride alone, picking her bike up from Chiangmai and go solo all the way to Nan.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 3,Saturday 15Dec2012. Chiangmai - Doi AngKhang - Mae Salong - Doi Tung

We left the hotel and headed for Rider's Corner, our designated startpoint on this Segment.

We took the 107 Northwards from Chiangmai towards Chingdao. Most two lane dual carriageway, we made good time.
The plan was to turn off the 107 into the 1178 and join 1340 to Doi AngKhang. I have never ridden that route before, and unsure if
coffee joints are present i chose to have a coffee stop about 10km from the 1178 turnoff.

Turns out that it was a good decision as the cafe was a nice one, and the coffee was good. We had to wait ages for the drinks though,
but the propreiter was a pleasant guy so that kinda evens things out a bit. I also met David Bailey and Mai there.
They were just leaving for Doi AngKhang as well. David and Mai will be of great help later although i did not know it then.


The r107

At the Cafe stop.

Goh and Ivy looking every inch like a Hong Kong Movie Star couple

Replenished, we turned into the 1178. Nicely rural, some parts gravel, but almost all were narrow, twisty and inclined.
The riding was interesting. These were the only straight parts.

After about an hour riding we stopped 25km away from Doi AngKhang. This Viewpoint sits above a valley with the Myanmar border below.

Goh and CC Lee.

Gerry, Ivy, Roh

We moved on after 30 minutes. As we left the viewpoint, the peak of Doi AngKhang played hide and seek as we turned the corners of the twisty road towards it.

Doi AngKhang Viewpoint

Shaharin led us to a Muslim Restaurant that serves killer beef soup.
This shop is near the big flower garden / nursery at Mon Pin.

Eva, Mel & Roh.

Leaving Doi AngKhang for Mae Salong

Sun was low as we got to Mae Salong, luckily we were heading Northeast.

When it became apparent that we will not make Doi Tung before dark, we stopped at the Mae Salong flower garden to
regroup and remind each other to be careful as we will be riding 50kms in continous hairpins that goes up or down with
only our headlights lighting the way.

We reached our Hotel near Doi Tung at 1900.

CC Lee and Elaine

Dinner

Tomorrow Sunday 16th December, our 4th day we will ride leisurely to Chiang Khong.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 4,Sunday 16Dec2012. Doi Tung - Mae Sai - Golden Triangle - Chiang Khong

Poonya Mantra Resort, Doi Tung

Leaving for Doi Tung.

The ride from the Hotel to the Queen Mother's Garden in Doi Tung was a short one.

Doi Tung

Group Photo

We parked our bikes ( the guard allowed us to park at the VIP spot ) and had the famous Doi Tung Coffee there.

Its one of those days you don't wanna get off a motorcycle. The weather's absolutely beautiful, temperature's cool, skies clear
with a light breeze blowing. We headed for the 'hidden' Thai Military Lookout point that peers into Myanmar.

This lookout point sits on a ridge that's 1,200 meters high, and overlooks a vast area of Myanmar from its vantage point.
The view was amazing.

The ride from the lookout point was just as spectacular.

We reached the Nothernmost point of Thailand after riding downhill for 30 minutes.
For many of us we have now covered the Southern and Nothernmost points of Thailand.
It was no longer cool as we got to the lowlands.

Golden Triangle was just another 20 minutes away.

As we were passing a rural village situated on top of a hill at Rim Khong ( 20km from Chiang Khong ), a toyota pickup truck shot out of a junction, forcing Hisham to take evasive action. Unfortunately there was contact, the left crashbar and cylinder head hitting the bullbars of the toyota, and Hisham and Eva, his pillion was sent sprawling on the road. The toyota was quite badly damaged, with a smashed grill and broken bullbars.

Incredibly, Hisham only suffered a cut below his left eye, and Eva was unhurt. The crashbars took the brunt of impact, protecting Hisham's left leg from being torn off. The villagers came out in full force, but they were all apologetic and friendly. They arranged to send Hisham to the hospital, and we called on our local contact to pick up the bike and send it to the hotel. David and Mai drove over and David rode Hisham's bike to the hotel. While waiting for David, Eddy, Dato Kamarul and Sam stayed on at the village. They made friends with the villagers and bought ice cream for all the villagers, and had a good time there. Hisham went to the nearby clinic and got his cut dressed. The villagers paid b700 (rm70) bill, but after much thought, it was decided that we should return the money to them as b700 was a substantial amount and irregardless of who was at fault, everything turned out ok.
The villagers invited us to the village for dinner, but Hisham politely declined as we need to ride off early next day.

Its nice to know that even in a foreign land, simple acts of kindness and friendly compromise goes a long way.

The road from Rim Khong to Chiang Khong descends into a wide plain from the hills. The view was again fantastic, and its the first time we will see the Mekong on this ride. This river will feature greatly as we move along.

We reached Chiang Khong by 1845.

Day 4 of our ride ended with literally a Bang, but thankfully all was well as we retired that night.
Tomorrow, on our Day 5 of the journey we will ride Phu Chi Fa and the famed 1148, nightstopping at Nan.


Video shows Beginning of Segment 2 till our stop at Chiang Khong.


N4TIONSegment2pt1Divx720 - YouTube

 

[Ally]

Phew, glad Hisham & Eva were not harmed too badly

Great reports Nik

Thanks for taking the time to share them.

Ally

 

[KTMphil]

Glad to hear everyone was able to carry on & no serious injuries, fantastically documented Nik, thank you.

 

[2wheels]

Its nice to know that even in a foreign land, simple acts of kindness and friendly compromise goes a long way.

Good to read that Nik and also that it all worked out well; that is not always the case.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 5, Monday 17Dec2012. Doi Tung - Mae Sai - Golden Triangle - Chiang Khong

We woke up to a misty, almost foggy morning, temperatures in the mid teens. The mist was so thick we could not sees Huay Xai across the Mekong, just about 1 km away.
Hisham seems a lot better, although one eye was swollen due to a cut just below the eyelid. David Bailey planned to take Hisham to the clinic again for a change of dressing. Hisham plans to ride to Pua and wait for us at the border. David will accompany him till he leaves.

We as a group owe David loads for his kindness and all the assistance rendered. In essence, we are strangers, and David went out of his way helping people he just met for the first time, and probably never will again.
Genuine great guy.

As we were preparing our bikes at the car park, we ran into Sebastian, who accompanied us to Hatyai three weeks ago, when we started on this journey. His story is at the start of this thread. He is leaving Chiang Khong for Boten, then into China, leading a pack of 5 4WDs from Malaysia.

We filled up at the edge of town and left the main road into a village track looking for a shorter way to R1155, then eventually Phu Chi Fa. The road turned from tarmac to concrete slabs, and later gravel. We passed through acres of cornfield, deserted with not a soul in sight. The mist was still thick.

Eventually the road got worse, suitable only for 400cc MX bikes, and it will not be enjoyable as we had 18 bikes in this group
and 5 were with pillion riders as well. We doubled back, wasting a good 1 hour.

We found ourselves on tarmac again and followed the 1155 to the turn off that leads to Ban Sai Thong. Within just 1km of leaving 1155 the road turns heavenly.

We stopped for a Group Photo

I didn't know it then but the peak of Phu Chi Fa can be accessed from two sides. The main access point brings vehicles up to a parking lot where there's another 800meters to be covered on foot before the peak. The other one is the less popular one, with narrow steep concrete laid 'road' that leads a more rudimentary parking lot of gravel and grass. The peak was only a 400meter walk from here. These points were on the opposing sides of the peak.


We chose the unpopular route.

It was another 80km to Chiang Kham and we were looking forward to riding a stretch of straight roads.
That did not happen until we were about 25kms from Chiang Khong.

We found this waterfall and had lunch at the foodstalls nearby.

Chiang Kham marks the start of the 1148, a road popularised mostly by word of mouth, and highly featured at Rideasia.net.
It looks like just another ordinary road as we ride the 1148 out of town, but after about 30kms the road starts to meander up the shallow hilltops. The road quality was good, surface grippy and smooth, unlike most of the Thai roads we encountered where smooth means slippery. The later half of the 1148 runs on a ridge, offering great visibility to the left and right. The corners are lined up so nicely at some points it possible to see 2kms ahead. The vegetation is mostly grassland and shrubs. On this day the temperature was in the low 20s. The skies were clear and with the sun getting lower in the horizon, it was tough riding at a fast clip while wanting to enjoy the sights. We had so much fun riding the road.

We reached Nan at 1700, and as we were parking our bikes we met two British riders on two YamahaS10. They were
thinking we were crazy to ride our GSAs offroad with pillions. We asked them why the S10 and not the Explorer,
and they jokingly told me they wanted japanese reliability. They also told me that the Explorer was unavailable then.

We turned in early, everyone excited at the prospect of entering Laos tomorrow.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 6, Tuesday 18Dec2012. Nan - Huai Kon - Pua

We got ready early.

Road has improved a lot since I rode here 18 months ago. There are still bits being graded but most of the potholes are gone.

We stopped at this sole Stupa

Crystal offering her prayers

We got to the border soon enough. But when we went to the Thai side the officer warned us that the Lao side will reject us, so he was reluctant to let us through. Eventually he told us to go in two groups and released us after clearing our papers.
I rode over to the Lao side, with Goh close behind as he can speak some Thai. 8 bikes were then parked just outside the Lao Security gate and we walked over to Immigration.
The building housed both Immigration and Customs so it was supposed to be 'easier'
The first inkling that gave indication we would be facing problems was when we found out the group of 5 Thai bikes that came ahead of us were refused entry. We can see plenty of discussions taking place but eventually the Thais turned back in disappointment.

When it came to our turn to hand over our papers the Counter officer did not even bother to look or check. He just said no way. After much begging and persuasion we gave up and returned back to Thailand. We recleared our documents and headed for Pua.

Heading for Pua

We found this nice place that Hisham stayed in when he rode to meet us yesterday

Its not a happy day for the group being turned away for no reason. I was already thinking of many alternative plans, with even rerouting to spend our time in Thailand. I am also keeping Sam's contact at the Malaysian Embassy handy.
That night, over dinner there were many separate plans being made and it was decided that we will head towards the general direction of Nong Khai.

The main group will head to Phitsanulok.


N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 7, wednesday 19Dec2012. Pua - Phitsanulok


Goh, Ah Keat, Daniel, Julian & CC Lee left Pua first towards Khon Kaen. They planned to visit the Hanging Temple at Wi Liang, near Nong Khai.

Mel had to arrange transport for Roh who was supposed to fly out of Luang Prabang but now she will be returning from Chiangmai. Its a 5 hour drive by road. At the same time Sam had to arrange transport for Shija, his wife, who will arrive Chiangmai and join us at Phitsanulok

We left at mid morning, riding an unremarkable road 400kms to Phitsanulok.


N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 8, thursday 10Dec2012. Phitsanulok - Loei

While having breakfast at Phitsanulok I decided to give the Embassy a call.
The Ambassador himself picked up and after some discussion I emailed to his office our details and he promised to call me later.

We left Phitsanulok for Loei, standingby in case the Ambassador gave us the all clear.

Route 12 was beautiful, and the subsequent roads were just better than average.
We encountered a patch of wet gravel that runs just 3km 40kms from Loei.

We stopped at this amazing looking Amazon Coffee Joint, set amidst a backdrop of rolling farmland.
Coincidently the Ambassador called me as I was refuelling and gave the all clear.

After coffee, it was another 30kms of nice roads before we arrived Loei.

We stayed at a Grand looking hotel. Incredibly, Loei seems susceptible to flooding, and the one in 2002 inundated the town.

Tomorrow we will head for Nong Khai, and pray our Laos Clearance comes through.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Video: Segment 2 Part 2.
N4TIONSegment2pt2Divx - YouTube

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 9, friday 21Dec2012. Loei - Vang Vieng

Today we depart Loei for our 230km journey to Nong Khai hoping to finally enter Laos.
We will RV with the rest of the riders after going separate ways for the last two days at Nong Khai.

We met up at the hotel Mel and Dato' Kamarul stayed when they rode here a day earlier.
The Ambassador called me again to set the time of entry, and we all rechecked our documents
to make sure everything was in place. Then we rode the last 2km that leads to the Thai Immigration checkpoint.

True to his word the Ambasador and his Team were waiting for us at the Border Complex.

We left Thailand and rode over the Friendship Bridge into Laos. Quite a feeling after the disappointment at Nan.

We cleared the Lao side in about an hour. When we entered Laos we followed the Ambassador's to the Residence.

A short discussion at the Embassy and also a photo opportunity with His Excellency

We left the Residence for Patuxay Park. The Victory Gate was built to celebrate Lao Independence from France.
Ironically the close resemblance to the Arc de Triomphe in Paris is very apparent.

At the Patuxay Park our initial plan to stay at Vientiane was scuttled by the majority as everyone bar three wanted to ride on to Vang Vieng, 155km away. I told them it will involve riding at night in a foreign land where they drive on the right, overtake as they like, on narrow potholed roads with sections of gravel surface.

They still wanted to go, so we proceeded Northwards.

Just outside Vientiane we stopped at the first, biggest and best Gas station in Laos, a modern complex that includes the Amazon Cafe, our crowd favourite. Just opened a week ago, the Operator was proud of his place and insisted we take a picture there

On the road towards Vang Vieng, with the sun low in the west.

We stopped at Ban Saka for dinner, at a Restaurant that rose in the middle of a padi field.

The sky, although dark, was filled with glittering stars that goes down to the horizon. The road to Vang Vieng was as we
expected, dusty, bumpy and twisty. Although a little stressed, the lights from the 16 following bikes makes an amazing scene as we ride through the twisty roads. Traffic was light, but the few trucks that passed by flew like huge locomotives on a narrow track with more spotlights than a Stadium lit for a big game.

We reached Vang Vieng after 3 hours riding, and headed straight for Nazim, a chain of restaurants run by Indian Muslims.

We stayed at the Silver Naga Hotel, set on the banks of the Nam Kai River.

Laos at Last.

 

[KTMphil]

This doesn't get boring, your wife's shooting from the back of that GS is excellent.

 

[VietHorse]

Wonderful trip with amazing photos. Thanks Nik and buddies for great ride report.
I really like the green tone in all of your photos. (I meant your wife's photos :G )

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 10, friday 22Dec2012. Vang Vieng

I woke up to a brilliant morning.

Its chill-out day here in Vang Vieng. Some hired bicycles, some went boating, and a few went ballooning.

A must try in Vang Vieng; Happy Pizza. With their special recipe, you'd have a ball and swimm in happiness after two slices.

The gang couldn't resist looking from an aerial perspective so a balloon ride is in order.

Night walk in Vang Vieng

The clear skies, free from light pollution, was lit by stars from horizon to horizon.
December at night is always full of interesting constellations, with Orion holding court, Taurus and Gemini around it,
and Cassiopeia in the North. The Seven Sisters, also known as Pliades sits squarely at zenith near midnight.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 11, saturday 23Dec2012. Vang Vieng - Vientiane

Segment 2 will begin to wind down today. The first group to leave is led by Shaharin Wan,
and they plan to ride from Vang Vieng and enter Thailand at Nong Khai,
planning to stay the night at Korat, about 600kms away.


Shaharin Wan

Achin

Asri

Azmi

The first group to leave, including Mujib and Nurul, leaving Vang Vieng.

We wanted to ride Northwards to the foothills of Kasi Mountains before turning South to Vientiane.

Mesmerizing

Just outside Vientiane we stopped at the Gas station for coffee. Eddy Tan managed to find time to clean his GSA.

Our Hotel in Vientiane

This being the last night at Vientiane, we had a Grand Dinner at the Mekong River Seafood Restaurant.

N4TION ADVLux 2012/2013. Segment 2

Day 12, sunday 24Dec2012. Vientiane - KL


Goh, Julian, Ah Keat, CC Lee and Daniel leaving Vientiane for their 5 day ride back to KL.

The remaining 6 of us will leave our bikes in Vientiane and return in 10 days to continue Segment 3,
onwards to Cambodia,our 4th country of this trip.
The Ambassador was at the airport to send us off.

Back at LCCT Kuala Lumpur International Airport.

Segment 2 has been incredible for many reasons. 19 bikes riding as a group is a recipe for absolute chaos. But that did not happen. No one got lost or separated. The initial failure to get into Laos was a low point, but the recovery and subsequent entry more than made up for it. The group was compliant and disciplined, everyone playing their roles perfectly. This is another factor for the smooth running of the ride. Even when Hisham had his mishap, recovery was swift and the rest were not inconvenienced. Everyone helped as much as they could.


It was another Ride to remember.

 

[nikhuzlan]

Video, Segment 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cp6orDDXhi8

Video, Segment 2 Part 1
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axCr0-kcZi0

Video, Segment 2 Part 2
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nTEkTKj53wk

Video, Segment 2 Part 3.
N4TIONSegment2pt3MOV720 - YouTube

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux

Day 1. 3jan2013 KUL - Vientiane - Vang Vieng

We left KL at the crack of dawn. This time there's only a small group of us; Dato' Kamarul, Capt Amin, Hisham, Eddy, Sam,
Gerry my wife and I. The flight to Vientiane is just over 2 hours.

On descend I was a little disappointed to find an inversion layer at perhaps 8,000 ft. Not the best for visibility but
also means that there will be no rain. The line of light haze can be clearly seen covering the lower altitudes.

The airport is just 15 minutes from the hotel, and we found our bike in the same state as we left them 10 days ago,
although more dusty. We took a room for a few hours to bath and change into riding gear.

His Excellency Dato' Thien, the Malaysian Ambassador bought us lunch.
This man we love for personifying everything a Malaysian should be.

After lunch we rode for 2 hours and reached Vang Vieng, our first stop being Nasim. Again.

This is the reason for why Nasem Vang Vieng is a must. Sam discovered this dish and it kinda spread to all of us.
Nasi Goreng Mutton.

Vang Vieng Riverside Lodge was the choice for our nightstop after i looked at a few other places.

Sam jumped in straightaway.

N4TION ADVLux

Day 2. 4jan2013 Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang

This time round Vang Vieng is only treated as a transit point as we were heading for Luang Prabang,
planning to spend a few days there.

After a quick breakfast we headed towards Phou Khoun, midpoint on the Vang Vieng - Luang Prabang road.

With just 230kms to cover on reasonable 'good' Lao road we had time for camwhoring in the Lao countryside

The road was better than when i rode it last 18 months ago, and we made good time. There were still bits under construction though, but not much.

Ban Pho Chou. Just 50kms from Vang Vieng, set on the ledge of a hill with the Kasi mountains overlooking,
its a place of amazing beauty that can be easily missed if eyes are kept purely on the road. I found this vegetable garden
on my last visit, and planned to stop here again. This time the owner was watering plants with her little daughter.

We continued on, planning to stop at the Phou Khoun viewpoint.

Phou Khoun viewpoint. The ladies toilet has the best view in the world....

We rode on for the next two hours and arrived Luang Prabang mid evening.
We went straight to the banks of the Mekong for some latte. I went looking for suitable hotels with Gerry.

Our home for the next few days. The Sayo Guesthouse. This was the only nicely priced place to stay that offers enough rooms
for the group as well as bike parking.

Secure parking for our bikes.

A City of 140,000 including the surrounding area, Luang Prabang is about 440kms from Vientiane. This ancient capital of Laos was founded more than 1,500 years ago. When Laos achieved independence, the king of Luang Prabang, Sisavang Vong, became the head of state for the Kingdom of Laos. Luang Prabang has, throughout history , seen various forces passing through, from Regional Warlords to Vichy French in recent times. Even the Khmers got a slice of the action in the 16th century.

Amongst the first cities to be given a UN Heritage status, Luang Prabang is untypically Laos, with clean well maintained streets. The buildings and rest houses have an air of rustic calmness that does not seem contrived. The kind of tourist in Luang Prabang is also a little different, the 'softer' non-backpacker types with money can be seen toting DSLRs taking street pictures. This is probably due to the better infrastructure which includes a proper airport that can even accomodate regional jets and turboprops.

Food is equal in price as upmarket Kuala Lumpur, which is expensive compared to what Laos has to offer. A street sandwich goes for USD3.50 from a street vendor. Restaurant food is as pricey as Bangkok downtown rates. I find Chiangmai cheaper than Luang Prabang. They prefer US Dollars here, pushing prices even higher.

The restaurants are really something else. The setting, the look, the food, there is an almost inexplicable reason why Luang Prabang is what it is.

Dinner was Lao fare at Tamnak Lao

Luang Prabang takes a different look at night.

The skies of Luang Prabang were clear as Vang Vieng, and the stars came out to play.
Jupiter shines brightly in Taurus, with Orion looking on

A picture of the sky shot at a different angle. I'd like to think that shot a UFO which can be seen as a series of lights
( six colorful lights ) at the bottom left hand side of the photo. I cannot explain those lights. I was away from any terrestrial light to cause reflection, and if its lens effect, I 've never seen it happen before.

Its gonna be a few days with not much to do.

 

[KTMphil]

For your group and the style you were doing this in, Luang Prabang must have been a perfect stop. I will try this Guest House next time i'm there.

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux

Day 4. 6jan2013 Luang Prabang

On the Western banks of the Mekong, 31km North of Luang Prabang the Pak Ou Caves stands proudly, housing Wat Tam Tin. "Discovered" by Francois Garnier when he was on the Mekong Exploration Voyage 1865-1867, there was a period when this Wat recieved continued patronage from the Royals when Luang Prabang was the capital of Laos. It lost its lustre when the capital moved southwards to Vientiane. A plaque at the entry of the upper cave states that restoration work had been done in 1932. In 1992, the Lao and Australian Government commenced on a 5 year restoration project. Sculptures were catalogued, debris removed, and masonry work rebuilt. Now, every April as part of an annual religous ceremony, cleaning and repainting work are carried out. Worshippers also bring their household statues of Lord Buddha to be washed in Holy Wat.

We started the day with breakfast

We booked a boat from a local Tour Company to get to the caves.

The Mekong can be a raging torrent, or a tranquil river, sometimes within just 500 meters.

With the Mekong flowing against the direction we were heading, the 25km/h boat loses at least 10km/h in real speed, making the trip upriver an extended one. Capt Amin amused us with his recollections of riding the longboat up the Rajang in Sarawak during his time in the Force.

A pit stop at a local home brew whisky cum knitting factory on the banks of the Mekong.
Kids selling touristy wares makes good pictures.

After another hour on the boat, we reached the Wat.

There were two Caves serving as Temples. We chose to go to the one furthest first. A long way uphill.

Eddy waited patiently until the area was clear to offer some prayers.

Lunch was at the excellent Sri Naga Restaurant.

We all agreed that this has got to be the best fried rice of the entire trip.

This is also another memorable dish

 

[nikhuzlan]

N4TION ADVLux

Day 5. 7jan2013 Luang Prabang - Vang Vieng

Time flies when one is having fun. We left Luang Prabang with a better idea of what we're going to do the next time we come here.
Its a great place to do nothing.
That morning i met with the husband of the Russian Ambasador to Malaysia. He comes to Luang Prabang frequently for holidays as his wife previously headed the Embassy in Laos before being transferred to Malaysia.
We took a picture together.

The road back to Vang Vieng seems 'easier' than the time I rode it last. Familiarity can be comforting.

But its still treacherous and slippery.

Offroad sections still there

But the scenery is unmatched. Tatched roofs, backdrop of the karst Mountains, cool temperatures.....

We stopped at this cluster of huts overlooking a valley. I was drawn by the original old style look of this single room hut.
Sturdily built despite being all wood and essentially dried grass.

Kids wanted a photo with us.

A short ride away was the Phou Khoun viewpoint.

Another quick stop at Ban Pho Chou

The short easy ride from Luang Prabang took us just under 4 hours of riding time. We reached Vang Vieng before 1530, and checked in again at the Riverside Lodge.

As we were enjoying a swim in the pool, we heard the unmistakable sound of the Boxer Twin, and also the sound of someone horning. Dato Kamarul went to check, and to our delight, we saw two water-cooled GS with a film crew. They saw our bikes and wanted to know what we were doing here in 'exotic' ( to them ) Laos.

We got talking and found that they were running the "One World One GS " Adventure for BMW Germany.
When the GS was unvieled at EICMA, BMW ran a contest to select 5 lucky winners. They will be given a chance to ride the GS at locations around the world. We happened to have met them in the Laos Segment.

The GS

With Alessio, one of the 5 winners

That night Eric, the Main Coordinator invited us to join them for dinner.
Of course we were more interested in the bike.

N4TION ADVLux

Day 6. 8jan2013 Vang Vieng

Today we intend to do nothing, just laze around. But as we were having breakfast, we heard the GS at the car park and when we went out to check, we saw Eric withthe BMW instructor looking to borrow some soares from us. It turns out that the rented Thai GSA had a siezed rear brake. The pads were worn right through. They wanted to borrow brake pads but when I saw the rear disc, i told them that they gonna need a new disc as well as the one on the bike is all burnt and badly warped.
Eventually they secured the bike and a spare Kawasaki KLR was sent from Vientiane, arriving in the afternoon.
Eric then hung out with us until midday.
Plans have been made for Eric to possibly join us on our Borneo trip this year end.

The TKC80 seems to be the tyre of choice for offloading

Eddy Tan is probably the first Asian to ride this LC. Its 8 Jan, and the press launch is only planned for 20th Jan in South Africa.

I had a go too.

A Sidetrack Story

I am no bike tester, and there are definitely better and more experienced riders elsewhere. But i was at the right place at the right time.

First of all - switches. K16 type thumbwheel. This means horn and signals are far away for the thumb - not good because not easy to use. ASC, ESA and ABS shares one switch - potential for confusion.
There's cruise control similar to RT and GT - good.
All this is left side handgrip.
Right side handgrip - start/kill switch. Mode selector button. Heated grip switch.
I personally prefer the current bike setup. the switches are very robust and works with no problem ever since it came out in 2004.

But maybe the new one is better although I think its a cost saving initiative for BMW as the switches seems common on the GT, RT, Scooter etc etc.

I asked the test rider if some key adjustments are hidden in layers of menu that needs access via the thumbwheel but he said no. its easier. i did not have time to try it myself. I kinda like the current system on the GS, ie, for damping adjustment you can do it on the fly using just one button but on the K16Gt you need to access the menu and scroll, wasting precious time that should be spent on the road.

I am very happy to note that both speedometer and rev counter are still analogue needle type and not digital like on most modern bikes.

The R1200GS is fitted with a slipper clutch, aka Sprague Clutch, aka Limited Slip Clutch. This is not a new thing as many sports bikes comes with it.
In fact, the Honda VFR1000 ( the one with the Gear driven Cam ) of the mid 80s was the first bike to come with it as standard.
The GS / Boxers since the beginning has always used the SDP clutch, similar to cars.

But the Water Boxer now comes with a wet multi plate clutch, making the sprague mechanism easily applicable. Hence the slipper clutch becomes standard.
And with the increased power and torque, this slipper clutch will be much welcomed and will definitely reduce the possibility of momentary rear wheel lockups on downshifts.

When the R80GS came out in the early 80s, it was regarded as nothing more than a 'store' project by some designers with a little free time. The R80 grew to beome the R100. The Paralever came in early in the game, and as i remembered it, was BMW's lasting and significant contribution to the shaft driven fraternity. This design is now unabashedly copied by even the British on the Explorer.

The first real change came in late 93, when BMW introduced the R259 engine as well as the now common Telelever. Designed to separate suspension / steering / braking forces, it was, while heavy, a clever design, which i am sure is one of the reason for its planted front end feel, making the bike more user friendly.

Strangely, the first R259 Telelevered BMW was not the GS, but it came out as the RS. The GS came a year later.

The R259 GS can be considered as the Second Generation. The superseded R100GS was a lighter and less complex machine, a favorite of many RTW Riders even today.

Towards the end of its Model life, BMW released the R1150 just after we entered the new millennium.

When the current model was released, BMW made plenty of changes which resulted in a lighter bike but with more power and traction control. The ABS was upgraded, and electronic suspension became an option.


The 2013 LC which will supersede the current model seems to be more roadbiased than the current one, with bigger rear tyres being a clue to this slant. BMW has definitely done its research, and knows that 90% of the GS riders just want to look the part, and the only offroad these riders will ever encounter is when they reverse their GS on to the grass to make a uturn in their garage. These explains the big rear tyre, the increased HP and more power modes than needed.
Its also probably in response to the Triumph / Multistrada / Versys 1000, and the like.

This 4th Generation model seems more refined, and with the "Idrive" thumbwheel ( I hate this crap on my GT ) there will be many ooooohs and aaaaaaahs from the faithful BMW fans.

Regardless of how good it is ( I believe very good ) this GS will be another hot seller even on name alone.

Eric runs a company contracted by BMW Motorrad AG to shoot promotional material, both stills and videos for bike launches. He is the person who operationalises the One World One R1200GS Program.

The GS was not the only BMW we tested. Dato' Kamarul also 'test drove' the latest BMW Rallye jacket, and declared it better than the current Rallye 3 as it seems lighter and more airy, i.e., cooler.

Eventually all their bike woes were solved and they left on the 'bike of wet-dream' - for the many BMW fans that is.....

Meanwhile, back on earth, mere mortals like us can only mount bikes that we pay for and play games that we can afford.

The BMW Motorrad "One World One GS " Ride in Laos. We are at 7:50 of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=7pd1N9dyLp4#!

Pic by Kamarul R Muhamad