I AM GETTING ITCHYYYYYY!!! Gosh, my last overland ride was
only about 1 month back, but here I am, planning for a new ride. Where to this
time? I only have 3 days off. Okey, firstly, I want to go to the Thai island
this time. Lets check the map. Hmmm, I’ve been to Phuket, Phi Phi, Samui, and
Koh Lipe, so how about Koh Lanta this time? Perrrrfecttt!!! Some research was
made, and on 25th Oct 2.30pm ,
I made my way up north using the North South Highway .
Traffic was heavy due to people going back to their home town to celebrate Eid
Adha. It was raining all the way, and after the 4th accident that I
passed, I don’t bother to count anymore. I arrived Changlun after 2.30hrs
riding and get my white card done. After that I took the Changlun – Kuala
Perlis highway bcos I want to try a new route this time. The rain had stopped
and it was a breeze to ride on the deserted highway. My destination for tonite
is my friend’s house, at Kampung Bohor Janggus, Kangar. Its not a problem for
me to find the meeting place she mentioned. Lailey - my university friend - my
revision partner - my library companion - and my exam rival, whom I haven’t met
for 10 years came to fetch me. That night was spent chatting, laughing and
recalling our bitter sweet moments back at the uni.
After having ketupat palas eaten with delicious beef curry
(a popular Eid dish for the Perlis ppl), I bided goodbye to Lailey and her kids
and started my ride to the border. Lailey had drew me a short cut map, but I
don’t know which junction I missed, that I didn’t manage to find the short cut,
so I used the normal way instead. The road was clear fr vehicle as to day is
Eid Adha. Only mosques were occupied with ppl. As I stopped to ask some locals
to make sure that I’m on the correct route, they were looking at me curiously.
I am very sure that in their mind, they must be thinking – Why is this lady
going into Thailand on such a holy day….ohhh yes, holy day = holiday to
me….LOL. It took me about 1hr to find my way from Lailey’s hse, then riding on the
narrow and winding Kaki Bukit road (haven’t done this since my last Indo China
Ride, and I can feel the adrenaline rush as I braved the sharp corners), and
finally I arrived at the border. Ohh, before that, I should be fueling up at
Caltex petrol station, the last one before I exited Malaysia ,
but unfortunately it was closed, due to Eid Adha, I supposed. I should hv
thought about that earlier and refuel last night instead. Okey, a lesson to
remember. No choice then, I hv to fuel up in Thailand
instead.
The border crossing here was really very easy.
So unlike Bukit Kayu Hitam – Dannok, there were much less ppl crossing over
here in Wang Kelian – Khuan Don border. Perhaps it was bcos of Eid, I don’t
know…but this is good for me. I took less than 15mins to clear both borders and
yuuhuuu….I’m riding on Thailand
I passed few check points at route 4164 with no guards guarding it. There
was a nice roller coaster road that I passed (unfortunately I forgot to take
pics as I was thrilled to ride on it). Suddenly, I noticed my handle guard is
loosening. Ouch, this disturbed my focus, and once I saw a bike accessory shop,
I stopped to have it fixed. However, the shop owner cant help me as her workers
were not around. A nice local guy who can speak a fluent Malay asked me whats
the problem and he helped me to fix the loosened part. Thank god I hv my tools
with me.
I continued with my ride on route 416 bypassing Satun and
straight on to Tha Phaeng, Kamphaeng, Thung Wa and some other smaller towns. There were some constructions here and there
which meant that I hv to slow down. I chose a kampong road after Trang as in
the map it looks nearer, but the truth was, the road was single lane and
winding. This means that I took much longer time to reach Ban Hua Hin. This was
okey as I am not rushing for anything, and I do want to explore the roads in Thailand .
Even when backpacking, I always hv this kind of attitude that is to use A route
when going, and use B route when returning, so that I can enjoy different views
and make comparison which one is better. I made 3 wrong judgments and took a
wrong junction, but it was only about 500m before instinct told me to turn
back. While passing small towns, I saw many Muslim girls wearing beautiful Eid
costumes with beautiful blink blink head scarves. They looked really pretty.
The view all the way was similar to Malaysia ,
but with much less traffic. It was indeed a breeze and a very enjoyable ride. I
was very glad that I had added extra foot rest on DREAM, so that I don’t hv to
flex my knee at all times and at every possible moment, I can simply stretched
out and rest my tired legs on it. This really helps to reduce my knee pain.
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| DREAM can accommodate up to 4 ppl...check the foot rest :) |
It was only after I reached Wang Wiset that I saw a
Ko Lanta sign board. Finally, I reached Ban Hua Hin, the ferry pier to Ko Lanta
and paid B40 for two ferry rides to cross Ko Lanta Noi and Ko Lanta Yai. There were some Muslims selling nice smelling BBQ fishes at
the pier, and I was starving then, but since the ferry already arrived, I don’t
hv the chance to taste it. The first ferry ride took about 20mins or so. Once
arrived at Ko Lanta Yai, I had to ride another 6km to reach the pier for ferry
going to Ko Lanta Noi. The 2nd ferry took only about 10mins and
then, I was already riding to my accommodation at the famous Khlong Dao beach which
I had booked earlier. Overall, it took me about 7hrs fr Kangar to reach here
(inclusive of border crossing and two ferry rides).
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| On the ferry |
After checking in, I rode to find a place to
eat. Ko Lanta is occupied 90% by Muslims, so since today is Eid, most
restaurants are close. I found a stall by the road side to hv my lunch (at 3pm ). My meal was a
kueyteow soup with chicken balls and a watermelon shake (for B60). I hv no idea
if the lady was a good cook or simply bcos I was starving, but the taste was
mmm…yummy.
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| DREAM in front of my room |
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| This one is only RM35 |
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| The GH surroundings |
Then I rode back to my GH to rest, and later enjoyed a superb sunset view – the most beautiful that I hv ever seen in my whole life. I also had a nice conversation with a Spanish lady and her friend (both were from
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| Waiting for sunset |
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| Spectacular sunset seen fr my GH, pic credit to Eba Rubio |
That night, I rode to Sala Dan, the major town
for Ko Lanta and checked on some shops looking for fridge magnets. Since now is
low season, there were more shops than tourist. Then, I look around for a place
to eat, and when a motorcycle-taxi lady driver greeted me, I asked her where
can I find a good Muslim eating place? She pointed to a direction and I headed
there. The shop owner and her husband were very friendly. After ordering my
meal – Seafood Tom Yam Kung with white
rice and pineapple shake, the husband chatted with me. He can speak an understandable
English, and so did his wife. When my meal arrived…walaweiii….this was the best
tom yam I hv ever tasted in my whole life!!! Even the tom yam in Mae Sot and Samut
Prakan cant beat this lady’s tom yam. It was a coconut milk style tom yam,
spicy and sooo very tasty that I finished the soup till the very last drip. I
told the lady that she will be rich if she opens a restaurant in Malaysia
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| The cook, Eyat, and her hb |
Now, full like a fat lazy cow, I rode back to my GH.
Suddenly, the wind was blowing so strong and it rained very heavily. When I
arrived at my GH, I was soaked wet all over (bcos I left my rain coat in my
room). I was so in a hurry to enter my room that I wrongly parked my bike in
front of someone’s else room and wanted to enter the room which wasn’t mine.
The receptionist came running with an umbrella telling me that it was not my
room. LOL…it was hilarious…
After that, I rode DREAM along the coastal road
and dropped by at the different beaches to view its beauty.
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| Long Beach |
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| Phra-Ae Beach |
Then, I rode to Ko Lanta National Park, which was the southern most part of the island. The road gets curvy and narrow. At some parts, the road was 20 degrees steep. However, it was an enjoyable ride with a beautiful day and awesome view of green jungles, hills and the blue ocean. I don’t hv much time to explore the National Park as I must check out this afternoon to a new accommodation, so after drinking in the beauty for a while, I raced back about 23kms to my GH, stopping a while at a stall which I saw selling sticky rice – a must taste when in Thailand.
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| ADA AKU KESAH? LOL!!! |
Then, I rode to another accommodation which I have also
booked in advance, which was situated at the very end of Khlong Dao beach. Upon
arrival, I was greeted by a very fluent English speaking receptionist and a
nice orange juice as a welcome drink. The receptionist showed me my room, but I
was not quite happy with its location, so I asked for another room with better
view. Hey, I’m on holiday, okey…Since the new room I requested was not ready
yet, I explored the resort’s beautiful surrounding and the pool. This place was
heaven and I am so pleased that my internet skill enables me to get a good
place without having to pay much. Once I get my room, I had my lunch at the
balcony while enjoying the beautiful view of the pool and the ocean. Niceee….
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| RM50 jer beb, beach front, and inclusive of welcome drink, breakfast, free wifi & nice fasilities |
At 4pm , I rode
DREAM to the east side of the island, stopping at the Mangrove Research and
Study Centre and some view points along the way. I also visited Lanta
Old Town Old
Town
After breakfast, I made my way to the ferry pier and later
had to wait quite long for the 2nd ferry to cross to the mainland. I
hv checked the map, so today, I want to try the highway. It was about 28kms fr
Ban Hua Hin to reach the intersection of highway 4 and route 4046 (the one I
used when coming in). I chose highway 4 instead. There were some constructions
going on but since it was a 2 lane highway, it was not so bad. Then, the road
was clear all the way until Trang. I was glad as this had saved me some time.
Nearing Trang, I rode for about 20km on route 419, bypassing Trang, before I
entered route 416, then 406 until the supposedly intersection to Khuan Don. I
didn’t see any signboard, so I rode on even though my sharp instinct told me
that this was not the correct way. The sun also proved that I am going north
instead of south, but when I asked a local, he said that Khong Dan is further
up. I rode on with a heavy heart, bcos I am pretty sure that I hv missed the
intersection. I pulled over again to ask some other locals. Communication was
really bad, but thru them, I understand that I had missed the junction by 20km.
I knew it!!! I always hv the instinct if I hv chosen the wrong way. So, I had
to turn back. By right, I should hv reached the border in less than 5hrs (by
using the highway), compared to 6hrs (by using the kampong road), but the
mistake ate another 30minutes of my time.
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| Wang Kelian border |
After fueling up at Caltex, I rode on. Traffic was heavier
today starting from Kangar, and upon reaching Changlun, it was so bad all the
way. This is the ‘disaster’ when I chose to ride home when everyone else also
return back to their homes after a festive season. I hv thought of having my
late lunch at Gurun R n R but the traffic was really bad that I cancelled my
intention. My biggest concern was from Sungai Dua – Georgetown
– Juru as this were the places which always hv heavy traffic, even on normal
days. In the end, I made a stop at Gunong Semanggol R n R, after riding
continuously for 10hrs without taking a rest at all. It was like an endurance
ride. I was so damn tired, hungry and shaking that it took all the energy that
I hv left in me to double stand my bike. I knew this is a bad idea and a bad
way of riding long distance. I should hv rest and not pushing myself to the
limit.
The R n R was so happened under renovation that all the
other ppl, including me was left with the one and only option for meal – KFC,
and I had to cue for another half n hour before I can finally sit down and eat.
After that, I performed my prayer at Petronas. Total resting time was 1:30hrs
before I continued with my ride, riding slowly as the 2 lanes highway had
became 3 lanes due to the cars conquering the motorbike lane. At times, I rode
in the middle, and at other times, I used the motorbike lane. I finally reached
home after 13hrs on the road. Thank god that it wasn’t raining, else I hv no
idea what time I shall be home. Total distance covered for this 2nd
solo overland trip was approximately 1600km. Thank you Allah for letting me
arrived home safely.
Do you know that due to my hectic schedule, I only managed
to type this story while in the bus heading to LCCT, and in the flight heading
to my next point of ride? I don’t know what has got into me….but in my mind now
is just ride…ride…and more ride….Bye for now…It wont be long for my latest ride
updates J
