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Jobless Wanderers; Thailand, Laos & Cambodia Tour 2011.
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<blockquote data-quote="nikhuzlan" data-source="post: 524220" data-attributes="member: 19744"><p><strong>I am not terribly good at writing. Maybe lazy, but probably more due to lack of talent. So i guess I will let the pictures tell its thousand word story.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>When i first mooted this idea of a long 4 Nation ride ( Malaysia is quite irrelevant as we will be covering just 1100kms and two days riding </strong></p><p><strong>on highways but it is still a nation we have to ride through, hence the inclusion) there were a number of friends who wanted to go along. </strong></p><p><strong>As the plans were drawn, it became apparent that at least a minimum of 26 days were required to make the trip meaningful.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Having no illusions that we are in the class of hardcore ironbutters, our riding were limited to just two long sectors, </strong></p><p><strong>one nearly 800kms, the other just under 600kms. Most of the sectors were planned not to exceed 350kms per day.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Eventually only three were confirmed,Mus on his 650GS, Ivan on his 1200GSA and me on my 1200GSB.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Seeing that all three of us are at the moment unemployed, we chose to call ourselves the " Jobless Wanderers ".</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>We are all newbies of sorts when it comes to riding long distance; me with '0' experience on trips longer than 3 nights, </strong></p><p><strong>Ivan and Moose are both new riders, each with less than two years on the saddle. Moose however have doen part of the route late </strong></p><p><strong>last year so that's something that gives us some security.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Ivan only has little offroad experience on any bike, so his baptism of fire will be on the first dirt section we will encounter after Mae Sot.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Earlier we all rode our bikes into Lata Kijang, a 25km off road loop with a water crossing bit. This kinda helped give some confidence for this trip.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Ivan Water Crossing</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/fb20110220LataKijang0222.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Moose Water Crossing</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/fb20110220LataKijang0275.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>The plan was for us to cover the West border of Thailand all the way to the Northenmost town of Mae Sai, then down to Isan Province to Nan, </strong></p><p><strong>and into Laos. From Laos we will decide if we will be entering Cambodia from Thailand or Southern Laos. After that we will proceed home. </strong></p><p><strong>Total distance planned was almost 11,000kms. As it turned out, we covered much more distance than 11,000km overall, </strong></p><p><strong>but significantly less on the bike. You will know why as the story unfolds.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>I had a small dillema as to which bike I initially want to use, but after it was decided that Laos will be in the picture the choice of </strong></p><p><strong>riding the GS became inarguable. The scooter would have been the best choice if it was all tarmac, The Harley great as it has soul, </strong></p><p><strong>but less comfort and carrying capacity. Both however will fall apart on rough roads.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Choices.....</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW02.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong><strong>Day 1, 6 april 2011.</strong>6th April saw me astride my GS leaving the house for the Wunderlich store where the other two are waiting.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW07.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>I fitted the Wunderlich spotlights on my bike before we left, and Moose had to rush home to get his Ipod. </strong></p><p><strong>David, the owner of the store loaned us a spare battery and a set of Rally Tools which we carried in case its needed.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>As we were leaving, rain came and the raincoats came on. </strong></p><p></p><p><strong>1730hrs, Leaving.....</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW11.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>The idea was to ride to Hatyai and stay the night there. Hatyai, the biggest Southern town in Thailand has about 200,000 people, </strong></p><p><strong>and has no attraction for me. The town looks unplanned, crowded and unappealing.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Our Route for the first day. 550kms.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW02a.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>It rained so heavily after Rawang and visibility became so bad we decided to wait out the rain. </strong></p><p><strong>After 15minutes of keeping a lookout for oncoming traffic from our shelter, we continued.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW15.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>We reached the border at 2230, after buying insurance at Changloon. Crossing the border was a breeze, </strong></p><p><strong>taking all of 15 minutes then its a short 60km ride to Hatyai.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW20.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Day 2, 7th April 2011</strong></p><p><strong>The three JWs before leaving the USD25 a night Diamond Plaza Hotel.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW05a.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Leaving Hat Yai Town. The plan was to ride 550kms to Chumpon where we plan to stay the night.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW09.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Highway 41, the main artery that links the South to the rest of Thailand is a straight two lane dual carriageway </strong></p><p><strong>that passes through non-stop busy towns, a chore to pass through but needs to be travelled as there is no other way North. </strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Ivan on Highway 41</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW19.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Approaching Chamai. This is our first fuel stop in Thailand.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW33.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Reality check. Fuel was twice the price compared to Malaysia.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW36.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>We decided to have lunch at the service station RnR. As we were enjoying our service station cuisine, </strong></p><p><strong>the unmistakable sound of Harleys drifted into our ears. As the convoy rolled in, I was delighted to see that they were all </strong></p><p><strong>friends from Malaysia on their way to the Phuket Bike Week. The boys were from Red Garage, </strong></p><p><strong>and they had two custom bikes on trailers for the competition there.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Red Garage Convoy</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW40.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>These guys left KL at midnight, and have been on the road for 12 hours, with another 400kms to go. </strong></p><p><strong>They were on custom Harleys with very little suspension and zero weather protection. </strong></p><p><strong>We look pretty silly next to them in our Adventure gear. RESPECT.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW42a10.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>As we approached Surat Thani, the heavens opened up, and a deluge like nothing I have ever seen before. </strong></p><p><strong>The 'cheap' Givi raincoat proves its worth here, and even in such heavy rain we were dry. </strong></p><p><strong>Visibility dropped to just two bike lengths and at times we were riding at 25km/h. </strong></p><p><strong>Eventually we reached a roadblock and were diverted towards Surat Thani as the highway was flooded.</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Rain.....</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW53.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW75.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW77.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>It was decided that we forget about Chumpon and stay the night at Surat Thani. </strong></p><p><strong>The USD35 ( expensive for Thailand )rate was acceptable given that the Diamond Plaza Hotel there was brand new. </strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Unloading.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW80.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>Dinner was at a nearby restaurant, nice ambiance with good food that was cheap......</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW91.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>We turned in early, and the plan tomorrow is to head for Surat Thani, just 400kms away.</strong></p><p></p><p><strong>The route we covered today, from Hat Yai to Surat Thani.</strong></p><p><img src="http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW20a.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p><strong>The story will continue......</strong></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="nikhuzlan, post: 524220, member: 19744"] [b]I am not terribly good at writing. Maybe lazy, but probably more due to lack of talent. So i guess I will let the pictures tell its thousand word story. When i first mooted this idea of a long 4 Nation ride ( Malaysia is quite irrelevant as we will be covering just 1100kms and two days riding on highways but it is still a nation we have to ride through, hence the inclusion) there were a number of friends who wanted to go along. As the plans were drawn, it became apparent that at least a minimum of 26 days were required to make the trip meaningful. Having no illusions that we are in the class of hardcore ironbutters, our riding were limited to just two long sectors, one nearly 800kms, the other just under 600kms. Most of the sectors were planned not to exceed 350kms per day. Eventually only three were confirmed,Mus on his 650GS, Ivan on his 1200GSA and me on my 1200GSB. Seeing that all three of us are at the moment unemployed, we chose to call ourselves the " Jobless Wanderers ". We are all newbies of sorts when it comes to riding long distance; me with '0' experience on trips longer than 3 nights, Ivan and Moose are both new riders, each with less than two years on the saddle. Moose however have doen part of the route late last year so that's something that gives us some security. Ivan only has little offroad experience on any bike, so his baptism of fire will be on the first dirt section we will encounter after Mae Sot. Earlier we all rode our bikes into Lata Kijang, a 25km off road loop with a water crossing bit. This kinda helped give some confidence for this trip. Ivan Water Crossing[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/fb20110220LataKijang0222.jpg[/img] [b]Moose Water Crossing[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/fb20110220LataKijang0275.jpg[/img] [b]The plan was for us to cover the West border of Thailand all the way to the Northenmost town of Mae Sai, then down to Isan Province to Nan, and into Laos. From Laos we will decide if we will be entering Cambodia from Thailand or Southern Laos. After that we will proceed home. Total distance planned was almost 11,000kms. As it turned out, we covered much more distance than 11,000km overall, but significantly less on the bike. You will know why as the story unfolds. I had a small dillema as to which bike I initially want to use, but after it was decided that Laos will be in the picture the choice of riding the GS became inarguable. The scooter would have been the best choice if it was all tarmac, The Harley great as it has soul, but less comfort and carrying capacity. Both however will fall apart on rough roads. Choices.....[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW02.jpg[/img] [b][b]Day 1, 6 april 2011.[/b]6th April saw me astride my GS leaving the house for the Wunderlich store where the other two are waiting.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW07.jpg[/img] [b]I fitted the Wunderlich spotlights on my bike before we left, and Moose had to rush home to get his Ipod. David, the owner of the store loaned us a spare battery and a set of Rally Tools which we carried in case its needed. As we were leaving, rain came and the raincoats came on. [/b] [b]1730hrs, Leaving.....[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW11.jpg[/img] [b]The idea was to ride to Hatyai and stay the night there. Hatyai, the biggest Southern town in Thailand has about 200,000 people, and has no attraction for me. The town looks unplanned, crowded and unappealing. Our Route for the first day. 550kms.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW02a.jpg[/img] [b]It rained so heavily after Rawang and visibility became so bad we decided to wait out the rain. After 15minutes of keeping a lookout for oncoming traffic from our shelter, we continued.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW15.jpg[/img] [b]We reached the border at 2230, after buying insurance at Changloon. Crossing the border was a breeze, taking all of 15 minutes then its a short 60km ride to Hatyai.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW20.jpg[/img] [b]Day 2, 7th April 2011 The three JWs before leaving the USD25 a night Diamond Plaza Hotel.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW05a.jpg[/img] [b]Leaving Hat Yai Town. The plan was to ride 550kms to Chumpon where we plan to stay the night.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW09.jpg[/img] [b]Highway 41, the main artery that links the South to the rest of Thailand is a straight two lane dual carriageway that passes through non-stop busy towns, a chore to pass through but needs to be travelled as there is no other way North. Ivan on Highway 41[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW19.jpg[/img] [b]Approaching Chamai. This is our first fuel stop in Thailand.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW33.jpg[/img] [b]Reality check. Fuel was twice the price compared to Malaysia.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW36.jpg[/img] [b]We decided to have lunch at the service station RnR. As we were enjoying our service station cuisine, the unmistakable sound of Harleys drifted into our ears. As the convoy rolled in, I was delighted to see that they were all friends from Malaysia on their way to the Phuket Bike Week. The boys were from Red Garage, and they had two custom bikes on trailers for the competition there. Red Garage Convoy[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW40.jpg[/img] [b]These guys left KL at midnight, and have been on the road for 12 hours, with another 400kms to go. They were on custom Harleys with very little suspension and zero weather protection. We look pretty silly next to them in our Adventure gear. RESPECT.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW42a10.jpg[/img] [b]As we approached Surat Thani, the heavens opened up, and a deluge like nothing I have ever seen before. The 'cheap' Givi raincoat proves its worth here, and even in such heavy rain we were dry. Visibility dropped to just two bike lengths and at times we were riding at 25km/h. Eventually we reached a roadblock and were diverted towards Surat Thani as the highway was flooded. Rain.....[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW53.jpg[/img] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW75.jpg[/img] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW77.jpg[/img] [b]It was decided that we forget about Chumpon and stay the night at Surat Thani. The USD35 ( expensive for Thailand )rate was acceptable given that the Diamond Plaza Hotel there was brand new. Unloading.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW80.jpg[/img] [b]Dinner was at a nearby restaurant, nice ambiance with good food that was cheap......[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110407JW91.jpg[/img] [b]We turned in early, and the plan tomorrow is to head for Surat Thani, just 400kms away.[/b] [b]The route we covered today, from Hat Yai to Surat Thani.[/b] [IMG]http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k229/nikhuzlan/JW%20pt1/afb20110406JW20a.jpg[/img] [b]The story will continue......[/b] [/QUOTE]
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