solo Singapore-Malaysia-Thailand ride in Oct 2011

[yellowbird]

fellow riders,

I managed to complete an accident-free solo trip up to Thailand (last bike trip ended with a head-on collision with a big dog in Nakhon Si Thammarat ), so just like to share some photo/video highlights and experiences of this journey. Feel free to contact me if you have any questions regarding my trip. Will be most happy to exchange ideas.


Here is my detailed itinerary breakdown :
Day 1 - Singapore to Hatyai (900km)
Day 2 - Hatyai to Phuket (435km)
Day 3 - Phuket to Hua Hin (635km)
Day 4 - Hua Hin to Pattaya (340km)
Day 5 - Pattaya to Bangkok (145km)
Day 6 - Bangkok to Chumphon (470km)
Day 7 - Chumphon to Ko Samui (300km)
Day 8 - Ko Samui to Krabi (275km)
Day 9 - Krabi to Penang (300km)
Day 10 - Penang to Melaka (495km)
Day 11 - Melaka to Singapore (294km)

Total distance covered was 4,789km over 11 days. Fuel consumption was quite good at 19km per litre, with average riding speed of 120km/h on NS highway, and 90km/h on Thailand roads.

This trip was done on a 2004 BMW 1200GS. I installed the 2 side aluminium GSA panniers, and also got a 40L Feel-Free waterproof pack secured to the seat with a few bicycle hooks.


Camera gear includes Canon S95 (which was stolen in Bangkok) and GoPro Hero helmet cam. I used this iPhone GPS app called Sygic which worked very well even on my old iPhone 3G. Battery drained fast so I had the phone plugged into my 12V socket during riding.


Day 1 - Singapore to Hatyai
The plan was to arrive Hatyai before 2pm, so I set off from Singapore early in the morning at 4:30am. The ride up NS highighway was pretty smooth until I hit a police road block just before Tapah R&R. Apparently, the speed camera registered 137km/h, so I was issued a speeding ticket of 150ringgit, and the policeman insisted I needed to pay the fine at any police station within the next 2 weeks. I hinted I was willing to settle the fine on the spot, but he didn't want to entertain me further. I wanted to get this over and done with quickly, so I left NS highway, and managed to find a local police station in Tapah. No queues, so it took me less than 15mins to pay the fine, and i was back on NS highway in no time.

On the way to Ipoh, I hit another police road block. Fortunately I was going much slower at 100-110km/h after the speeding fine, so this time round, I managed to go through the road block smoothly.

Took my friend's advice to use the not-so-crowded and less known Padang Besar checkpoint at the Malaysia-Thailand border, which is 50km from Sadao. Clearing customs was a breeze as there are much fewer vehicles there, and I got the 1-month temporary import form within 15mins of reaching the checkpoint.

Checked into the bike-friendly Hatyai Rama hotel. They have a nice secure carpark with 24-hour security guard. Room costs 690Baht per night. Comes with cable tv, fridge, hot showers and decent bed.

I quickly unpacked, and headed for my favorite fish maw soup and pork leg


Went for a nice 2-hour thai massage before heading back to hotel for a much needed sleep. To be continued ...

 

[yellowbird]

Day 2 - Hatyai to Phuket

Day 2 ride was relatively shorter from Hatyai for Phuket, covering 435km.
The ride towards Phuket is straightforward, nice black tarmac roads with lots of greenery.

Took a quick stop at the Sarasin bridge which links Phuket island to the mainland. quickly snapped some quick pictures and got on the road as vehicles are prohibited to stop along the bridge.


I have a classmate working in Phuket, so I crashed at her place for a couple of days near Phuket town. She brought me to a nice Thai restaurant for some good local food and Beer Singha and we ended up in a nice local club.


At this point of time, take a break to enjoy this short video clip of my trip highlights from Singapore to Phuket so far...

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YWuB9iBnD0w[/VIDEO]
To be continued... Day 3 - Phuket to Hua Hin

 

[yellowbird]

Day 3 - Phuket to Hua Hin

After enjoying the sun and sea in Phuket, I left the nice island to go to Hua Hin, which took about 9 hours and 635km.
I left Phuket just before sunrise, and took the opportunity to make a few stops to take photos of the sunrise as well as enjoy the fresh air along the countryside.


Made a couple of petrol stops along the way to Hua Hin ... my favorite petrol station in Thailand is PTT...they seem to have everything ! Of course, my favorite is the nice brewed real coffee from Cafe Amazon commonly found in PTT stations.


After reaching Hua Hin, I checked myself into Baan Manthana hotel, which is another excellent hotel for bikers. It has a spacious sheltered carpark tucked quietly behind the main road, so i felt really safe leaving my bike at the hotel. I paid 900 Baht for the room which is very comfortable and has a nice balcony where i can have a good view of my bike parked downstairs.


The weather was pretty good and dry on the way to Hua Hin, so I managed to take more video clips with my gopro helmet cam... check out the roads here ...
[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_We4kWWYw_8[/VIDEO]


Hua Hin is favorite getaway for local Thais because it is not as touristy and the seafood is so cheap and good. The best place to have a sumptuous seafood dinner is at the Chatchai night market, which happens to be just next to the hotel I was staying in !

The steamed sea bass dish only costs 220 Baht (less than 10 SGD!), which i happily finished all by myself, followed by my favorite glass noodle with prawns.


to be continued .... Day 4 - Hua Hin to Pattaya

 

[yellowbird]

Day 4 - Hua Hin to Pattaya

I left Hua Hin to go to Pattaya, which is 340km away. Though the distance is relatively short, there is the challenge of getting across Bangkok and having to avoid those tollways on which bikes are prohibited. The Sygic GPS is not sophisticated enough to skip these tollways, so I had to manually map out a route using many waypoints to override the computer.

The great floods have affected many parts of greater Bangkok, so I had to overcome water patches very often on the way to Pattaya. Fortunately the bike managed to stay upright throughout.

I love the A&W restaurants in Thailand...American fast food with an Asian Twist


Here's some video highlights of my journey from Hua Hin to Pattaya, including petrol stops, air for tyres and A&W lunch!

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FvSYUclvW3Q[/VIDEO]
to be continued .... Day 5 - Pattaya to Bangkok

 

[KTMphil]

Great report Yellow bird! You really covered some distance in a short amount of time.


Those huge prawns look delicious by the way, really miss that in Chiang Mai.



Look forward to the next installment, thanks for taking the time, it's great reading.

 

[yellowbird]

Day 5 - Pattaya to Bangkok

I left Pattaya to go into central Bangkok. This journey of 145km usually take less than 1.5-2 hours, but with many parts of Bangkok flooded, the trip took much longer. On some parts of the journey, my bike was almost like a jetski ! Fortunately the GS has very high ground clearance and the exhaust has no problems crossing waters of 0.5m.

It was the rainy season, so even in central Bangkok, there is always some rain showers here and there. My RS Taichi drymaster rain jacket kept me dry though.

Here are some video highlights of my journey into Bangkok :

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2AvTICfgSQ&feature=related[/VIDEO]
There is lots of nice food around downtown bangkok.
Do check out Issan sausages and fried chicken wings from Som Tai Nuea in Siam Square. Always a long queue at any time of the day !

I went to the new branch of Health Land massage at Asoke for a 3 hour massage for my hurting back and arms. The massage and service is still very good at the usual incredible price. totally no hanky panky.


met up with a few friends to go drinking at a local thai club. got pissed, and when we left the pub, we spotted this interesting vending machine for testing our alcohol levels. just need to blow :LOL


On the way home on a taxi, saw this interesting sign(middle) on the screen. No sex or no thai massage ?


to be continued .... Day 6 - Bangkok to Chumphon

 

[KTMphil]

That Canon S95 takes some nice pichers --great stuff



Looks like no sex i think?

 

[yellowbird]

Day 6 - Bangkok to Chumphon

After a few days of bumming around in Bangkok, I decided to head to Koh Samui for some beach action.
Since I wasn't in a rush, I decided to make a overnight pit stop at Chumphon.

Chumphon is 470km south of Bangkok, and is a common stopover for tourists on buses heading to Ko Samui. It took me slightly over 6 hours to get there.

I checked into Chumphon Gardens hotel for only 490 Baht per night. The room was spacious and there is plenty of parking space for cars and bikes. Chumphon is a small quiet town ideal for one night stopover. Had plenty of nice local food at the nearby night market before heading to bed.

Day 7 - Chumphon to Ko Samui

From Chumphon to Ko Samui, I needed to get past Surat Thani to the Don Sak ferry terminal to catch the hourly car ferry. The journey covered 300km and around 6 hours. The road was pretty scenic and some nice winding roads, so I made a few stops to take some photos along the way.



Upon reaching Don Sak ferry terminal, I went to the ticket office to get the ferry ticket to Ko Samui and paid 190Baht for the bike and myself. No queues for bikes, so I got into the ferry with no hassles.


The ferry took 1.5 hours to reach Ko Samui. The ferry is very well equipped... has a nice cafe with sandwiches, thai fried rice/noodles and coffee/tea soft drinks etc.

Here are some highlights of the journey to Ko Samui :
[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rg-xe-kTvz8&feature=related[/VIDEO]

Hotels in Ko Samui are really fanciful and most of them have nice bars and restaurants overlooking the beach.



For a change of pace, I rented a honda wave to zip around the island. only 200 baht per day for the bike rental.
It was the start of the rainy season, so I get caught out a few times riding around the island...


to be continued .... Day 8 - Ko Samui to Krabi

 

[KTMphil]

Great photo Yellowbird!

 

[yellowbird]

Day 8 - Ko Samui to Krabi

I left Ko Samui to go to Krabi, a quiet laid-back beach town near Phuket.
Krabi is only 275km from Samui, so it was a pretty relaxing ride.

I was charged 240 Baht for the return ferry ticket at the ferry terminal.
I later found out that 190Baht is only for small bikes. Big bikes like mine have to pay 50 Baht more per way.


The road to Krabi was really nice, with some winding bends and lots of greenery.


I checked into Green View Village resort in Krabi.
For only 500 Baht a night, I get a single-unit bungalow with fan, but the bed is comfortable and the bathroom and shower facilities were great.

Most importantly, it has a nice sheltered parking lot for my yellow bird.


After a quick shower, I headed to Ao Nang beach for my favorite boat noodle, but not before cooling down with some Thai beers !




here are the video highlights of the journey from Ko Samui to Krabi :

[VIDEO]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhdfYTlfv-o[/VIDEO]
to be continued .... Day 9 - Krabi to Penang

 

[KTMphil]

Looks like a great deal for 500 bht!

 

[yellowbird]

hey Phil, yes 500 Baht is a very good deal if you don't mind the fan.
very big king size bed and spacious bathroom, so it works for me

 

[yellowbird]

thanks Phil. Guess what ? this shot was taken from my 5Mp Gopro helmet cam.
I put it on time lapse mode so it takes a still shot every 10 sec. The shot came out nice because of the nice morning sunlight

Great photo Yellowbird!

 

[yellowbird]

Day 9 - Krabi to Penang
It's time to say goodbye to Thailand and start making my way back home.
I decided to make my next stop at Penang as I have not been back for more than 10 years.
Penang is 500km from Krabi, and took me 7 hours including the brief stop at the border checkpoint for immigration formalities.

I checked into a budget hotel called Lodge 18 in Butterworth. The room costs 100ringgit per night, and I was able to securely park my bike inside the hotel which was great for peace of mind. After checking into hotel, I headed to the markets for my favorite Penang food.



Day 10 - Penang to Melaka
From Penang, I headed to Melaka which is just 495km on NS highway, and took me just 5 hours on NS highway.

I found a hotel just next to the shopping mall called Fenix Inn for only 90Ringgit per night.
This hotel comes with plenty of parking lots for both cars and bikes and are monitored 24 hours by valets and guards. I was happy with the security of the hotel and the convenient location. Room is small but comfortable and adequate.


Satisfied my craving for chicken rice balls and beef noodles after i checked into the hotel.



Here are some video highlights of the journey to Melaka :
[VIDEO]http://youtu.be/ccByKegjxiE[/VIDEO]
Day 11 - Melaka to Singapore

Finally, it's time to say goodbye to Melaka to go home. The journey from Melaka to Singapore is only 294km, pretty straightforward except for some thunderstorms along the way.

I arrived home in early afternoon, and before I even stepped into my bedroom, I was already thinking about the next long motorcycle trip in end December

Laos and Cambodia, here I come !


This is the end of my trip report. Hope you guys find some useful info there.
Feel free to contact me if you need more details of the places I have been.

 

[yellowbird]

Yeah S95 was really good stuff, but it was pickpocketed along the streets of Sukhumvit on a late evening after too much booze

I will be getting the S100 which is just released this month. Same price with better features.

That Canon S95 takes some nice pichers --great stuff



Looks like no sex i think?

 

[Grathiam]

Yellowbird,
What a wonderful trip report! I'm surprised you covered as many km's as you did in some sections,
as stopping to remount the video camera take a lot away from road time.
I was impressed with the clarity of the videos as well as your mounting the camera low on the bike,
for front and rear travel views, which added to the impact. Nice work.

I look forward to a Cambo/Lao trip report and hope you enjoy those countries as much as I do.

Safe journeys...
grathiam

 

[yellowbird]

hey Grathiam,

thanks glad you enjoyed the vids. yes indeed pain in the :kat to keep mounting and dismounting from the bike to adjust the shooting angles.... waiting for the new wifi remote control from gopro which will be launched next feb. this will save me more time in future.

so which city do you live in right now?

cheers,
daniel

Yellowbird,
What a wonderful trip report! I'm surprised you covered as many km's as you did in some sections,
as stopping to remount the video camera take a lot away from road time.
I was impressed with the clarity of the videos as well as your mounting the camera low on the bike,
for front and rear travel views, which added to the impact. Nice work.

I look forward to a Cambo/Lao trip report and hope you enjoy those countries as much as I do.

Safe journeys...
grathiam