2012 Indochina Tour - Day 4

Monday 17/12/12 - Pattaya toSihanoukville - 550km

"Dude...that was fucking tough!"as I lay slumped on the table barely 10 seconds after ordering dinner  When we started the day, we didn't know that statement is how we were going to end with. It was all fine and dandy as we made out of Pattaya, stopping for a quick breakfast. Get this,we even had an opportunity to help a guy with 1 of the thousand and one tools that we carry,which is of course, had to be the humble Philips head screwdriver. His chain came off and he needed to take out the chain guard.

Pay up sir!

Not many get excited with our bikes, so we're excited when someone does

Husref with his arsenal of tools when all the guy needs is a screwdriver

So there's like 550km ahead of us and boy did we underestimate the time it's gonna take. You would think hiway 123 would mean a hiway , but nooooo it was just full of traffic lights, one after frigging another, and of course we had to stop at each and every one of them. Without fail!

Before we left, one of the things that we needed to sort out was our International Driving Licence, but call it negligence, carelessness or insufficient time neither of us had one when we were stopped at a police road block, and of course, the 1st thing the copper asked us was "International Driving Licence?". We're screwed! With my spaterring Thai, I said we didn't have one and how we were told we don't need one ( which is a complete and utter lie!, one that will come back to haunt us again later btw). So I think he either took pity or was just too disgusted with my Thai that he let us go. Phew!

Road block 0, lawless fellas 1

So now, with all the stories going on about riders with foreign vehicles being turned away at Cambodia and Thai borders you can understand our anxiety upon reaching the border. The rules seem to be changing daily so we have no idea what's gonna happen until we get there. Will we be turned away? or will we be lucky and they haven't gotten the memo yet? 

So now you know! It's about 20km before the border

There was already a slight glitch when we were asked for the conveyance form at the Thai immigration, when we said Sadao never gave one they went on about how Sadao very bad bla bla bla. I'm already thinking he wants to shake us down for some cough cough *sustenance, but it seems do they do require this form. So he directed us to this other window where this nice *read pretty lady typed one out for us and we just had to pay 20baht for it. This form is then handed to the immigration which is somewhat redundant coz it states the same details as our temporary import papers. Sigh, but I guess rules are rules and we just have to follow, no matter how silly it seems.

Mus was here in 2010...and now in 2012

Cambodia!

Once in, a fixer and a self appointed one at that "helped" us with our documentations while we sit down and enjoy a coke. I say that coz honestly, you can do it yourself. But bearing in mind the possibility that we can be turned back we just don't want to make a fuss and want to make the crossing as smooth as possible. So for that. we were charged 200baht each by the fixer, and that was just for us coz no one said anything about declaring te bikes to customs. So we just rode in. Cambodia, here we come!!!

Hehehe....we're just smiling but inside it's butterflies man.

This drink hut did not exist 2 yrs ago. I guess they have a symbiotic relationship with the fixers.

It was 4pm by the time we crossed into Cambodia and we still had another 200km to go to Sihanouville, a place where neither of us have been to. So we punched it into the GPS and it proceeded to take us on these seriously bad back roads. In fact on the screen also popped out "Bad Roads". It was at this point that I called it names and cursed it's stupidity. I mean, if you know it's bad, why the hell you took us there la! After wasting about an hour we turned back and referred on the map to get on N48, and from there it was relatively smooth. In between, the GPS was still pointing us towards these "Camel Trophy" type of roads but we've learnt to ignore Jill. Yes, Jill is the "American Voice" on my GPS that tells me where to go. I've learnt to shut her out as I do with most women in my life, but that's another story altogether I suppose.

Cambodia drive on the "right" side

Roads...not too bad

Takdeeee pun.

We were still another 150km away from Sihanoukville when it got dark. Now, if you don't know this about Cambodia then let me clue you in on a little fact. They FUCKING LOVE THEIR LIGHTS HERE! Everyone drives with the high beam on, and I mean everyone. It's like if they can fit stadium lights on the trucks, bus and kapchais, they'll do so. So it is a severe understatement when I say our retinas were royally fried. You can hardly see the road coz it's just so dark and your lights are not that great, then you have this "prison search lights" bearing down on you. Plus,this is the best part, if they want to overtake, they'll just do so, because they know you're a motorbike, you WILL give way. Throw in the occasional farm animals and dogs on the side of the road that we only see in the very last minute and super slow converted people carrying tractors with no lights in front of you. Imagine all the above, and you're about halfway to experiencing riding Cambodia at night. 

This is an exercise that will not be repeated!....I'm not gonna say never as I've been forced to swallow my spit on a couple of occasions, so I'll just say if possible, I'll not do this again.

By the time we rolled into Sihanoukville, we were completely fried, kaput, finished, spent, dried, knackered....and we still had no place to sleep. Hahaha....travelling with us is just a barrel of fun ho ho ho.

Dead tired, but not dead! yes! we survived!

The dog whisperer...actually we're glad to be alive we were even talking to ants

We asked the waiter about accommodation and he said there's a couple of places that he can take us to nearby. He took us to this place called Nice Beach Hotel. It was new but already looked a little run down. Just a reflection of build quality really. The room had no windows, but I'm just too tired to look at another place. It had a shower, 2 beds and ac...no window though, all for the princely sum of USD25, so I had screw it. Take first, we'll look for something else tomorrow. 

They painted a window hehe. Fooled no one though.

Oh ya, btw this is on Occheutal Beach, a busier part of Sihanoukville. We plan to head out to Otres Beach the next day, the quieter part of Sihanoukville.

Also, Nice Beach Hotel....you suck, coz 1) No windows 2) You don't even have a friggin beach!

2012 Indochina Tour - Day 3

Sunday 16/12/12 Bangkok to Pattaya 135km

So the night before we already decided to head to Pattaya for the night instead of legging it all the way to Cambodia. Since it's a short ride we can afford to take it easy. Gives time for Husref to catch up with his cousin and her family as they live on Soi 8 as well.

The nephew

Christine, the cousin.

It's really a short ride of 135kays, well anything less than 900kays right now is short in my books haha. There's a new higway 7 that would have cut short our journey by an hour but as you might have guessed, bikes are not allowed on it. Damn it!

By the time we left it was 12 but it being a Sunday the traffic wasn't that bad.

Surrounded by pink taxi's...but trust me they're no pushovers

You see that hiway on the right? Yes...no bikes..no likes!

I think I mentioned that the last time I was in Pattaya was in 1990 so you can imagine how the place has changed. Now I've heard about how the place is overrun by Russians now but nothing like seeing it firsthand. Yes...they are literally everywhere. Big Time!

I'm a big fan of beach cities or attractions like Hua Hin, Samui, Phi Phi, or good ol Redang and Perhentian (god knows why, since I can't swim to save my nuts),  but 1 night in Pattaya is enough to tell me that I'm fine if I never come back here. There's just something when a single foreign nationality (regardless of what nationality) comes to a foreign country and totally overpowers the locals and makes it their own place that is somewhat offputting to me.

You can order TomYam in Russian...add vodka and it'd be perfect!

Having said that the TomYam was aroi mak mak!

Just a picture of Husref. Honest!

It was funny the way we scored our room for the night. Because we are keeping our travel plans loose, we did not book a single room in advance. Call it poor planning, or adventure, or flexible or whatever, but it seems to suit us fine. The night before I had seen this Manita Boutique Hotel in Agoda but thought since there's plenty of accommodation in  Pattaya I didn't bother to book. So after lunch we just rocked up there. 

You can imagine my surprise to see the walk in rates is 2000baht(200rinngit) when I was pretty sure it was half in Agoda. So I asked the receptionist "What gives? How come you're expensive?", She give me this whole Agoda has bought rooms from them hence the cheaper price. She was very very helpful though, suggesting I sit down at their computer and book through Agoda. So there I was, already at the hotel, sitting in the lobby, using their computer, their internet, email to book a room in the very same hotel that I am already at so that I can save 1000baht. Hahaha the irony and humor of it all. It's also topped by when I enquired her name she gave me this long Thai name that I can't pronounce then proceeds to tell me just call me Pookee for short. I almost bust out laughing la.

Anyways, the hotel apart from being about 10 minutes walk from "Walking Street" is nice and for the price you(within our budget I mean), definitely I cannot complain.

A see through shower

Husref! I told you to pull down the blinds!

Walking...yes...I'm just walking

Walking street

Short time for you sir?

We are going to cross the border into Cambodia the next day, Pattaya's been ok but we can't wait to head to Sihanoukville. So stay tuned for more! 

2012 Indochina Tour - Day 2

Saturday 15/12/12 - Day 2 - Phattalung to Bangkok

This will be like series of 1st for us as this is the first time we are riding into Bangkok and also the first time that I'll be riding 900 odd kms in one go. The longest distance I've ever done before that was 700 kliks. So knowing what faces us we started off early, about 7am.

Looks like another wet ride for us.

What's odd was there were sighting of strange creatures lurking around our bikes

Another one of those creatures.

Many might think that with 900km to go we would blast our way, tearing through the hiways like a cat with its tail on fire, however that is very very far from the truth. You see we keep our speeds around 100-120kmh on the hiways, it's just that we take a longer time. If you're the type to do 150 or 160 avg speed, you would hate riding with us.

There seems to be a Harley gathering going on somewhere coz we would be bumping into huge groups of em on the hiway. Beautiful machines, but you can't pay me to ride that 900km. My ass would literally leave my body and kill me.

The other thing that I screwed up was that I forgot to check my fuel cap after filling and it appeared that I had forgotten to close it. Shit....over 70,000km done on the bike and I still make a rookie mistake. Easily a few litres spilled out of that tank. Humph! so much for conserving petrol.

It's actually on long rides like this that your are free and alone with your mind. Well I can't speak for others, but this is when I feel somewhat at peace. No distractions. Thinking about what I wanna achieve in life, where I want to be, should I get married (my parents will say yes you fool!)  and all that mumbo jumbo la. You know, when you're in the saddle for hours and hours on end there's plenty that you can and will think about.

Attack!...(after 6 hrs on the bike you then to go a bit wonky)

We were warned to stay of the hiway into Bangkok with these words from Husref's friend "Whatever you do, stay the fuck off Hiway 34!"....hehe ok boss! So it was hiway 35 all the way for us until we joined the road to Phra Pradeang and after that it was all the small roads before we joined Rama III heading our way to Sukumvhit Rd. If you're not aware, Sukumvhit Rd is pretty much the central of Bangkok and boy did we feel the traffic.We were stuck on it for an hour just to move 300 meters. Even the small kapchais and scooters got stuck so let alone us.

That's us on Sukumvhit Rd

Silly boy!

Immense relief came to us as we turn into Soi 8 and head up to our hotel. We stayed at Citadines, a very nice place. It's RM250 a night which is definitely wayyyy over our budget but Husref said he's buying so, after 900km and 12 hrs on the bike I am not going to argue.

Yummy PadThai Gung for dinner.

The original plan was to head into Sihanoukville, Cambodia the next day but during dinner we decided to swing by into Pattaya for a night. I guess that's the beauty of a flexible travelling plan. Husref has never been there and the last time I was there was in 1990 la. So why not eh?

2012 Indochina Tour

Friday 14/12/12

I suppose I gotta get this blog going coz it's not gonna write itself isn't it? It's been ages since I last went for a long trip and  it's high time I rectify this. There were so many challenges leading up to the trip that at 1 point I had thought I just might have to call it off. My travelling partner for this trip is Husref and we were supposed to leave on the 12th but as I mentioned, there were stuff to sort out so it became 14th afternoon for us.

We ride again!

  The first stop is Phattalung, 650km away. As we left KL about 3 we thought Hatyai would be a good place to stop and put up the night. Unfortunately, this being a Friday and it's school holidays (though I doubt the school hols has anything to do with it), Hatyai was quite full. So a decision was made to push up another 100km to Phattalung, plus that would give us a good headstart out of there.

Just happy to be on the bike

Last stop in Changlun before we cross the border.

First meal across the border. It's TomYum country!

We're not advocates of night riding but I'm comforted by the fact that if needs to, both of us are able to do so. We crossed the border at 8.30pm and there was still another 150km to go, so you can imagine what time we reached Phattalung.

Anyways, the weirdest part of the last 150km was that from Changlun to Phattalung the roads were wet ALL the way. Not a single dry patch yet we were not riding in the rain. Did we just miss the rain all 150kms?

When it comes to hotels, Agoda is my friend. Through it, I found Chai Kana Thani Hotel at 70bucks, it's well within our budget. Oh yes, did I tell you we had a budget of RM50 a night per person? Well we kinda burst this budget the 2nd night but I'll tell you more about it later.

Why are my socks wet? Taping up torn boots.

Btw, I didn't tell you our trip plans yet did I? Well here's the short version.Get on bikes and head North. Reach Bangkok turn right and head East. Reach Cambodia turn left and head up North. Reach Laos turn left head West. Reach Thailand head South back home.All in 3 weeks or thereabouts.

Ok the slightly longer version is that we want to do Cambodia. I didn't really have a chance to sample what Cambodia has to offer the last time I was here as we kinda just passed through on the way to Vietnam. These places are on our hit list. Sihanoukville, Phnom Penh, Siem Reap and we'll make adjustmensts as we go along. Then there's Laos, where the last time I was there in 2010 I sampled Northern Laos pretty extensively but none of the South and as for Husref, he's never been there.

So stay tuned as I update this blog for what these 2 clueless boys are up to on their adventure around Indochina. 

*There's more pics on my phone but I forgot the cable as I type this so I'll update that later.

Lost key

I've been riding around with only 1 main key after losing mine in Gua Musang R&R in April, yes...you may read about this shit and how it happens to to others or somebody you know. Well, now I'm the somebody you know.

So a quick visit to Auto Bavaria, well not so quick la kan since I left it for a few months before actually getting around to it to order it, sorted this little situation out.

Bring your geran and IC and the Parts unit will place an order for you. Make a payment of RM210 and 7 days later the keys is in your hands. Voila!

Note to self: dont lose this!