(please click on the pictures to zoom in)
Now, before you accuse me of posting pornography, let me categorically state that this is not the case. The rock solid picture on the left is from Ko Samui and the locals call it the grandfather rock! It is a rock formation that nature has made and interestingly so, nature also made a grandmother rock! Comprende?Now that I've got your interest, do read on…
Day 1, Friday, 28th Aug 2009. (KL- Hatyai)
After months of discussion and planning, finally the 28th August arrived. This was the day that we would start for Ko Samui…and it rained! It had been raining since the night before and it would not let up. But Kwa and I decided to follow thru with the plan when we met up at the Petronas Damansara and started to ride northwards on the NSE. After all, we are bikers mah!
Along the way, we stopped at the Tapah R&R for hot coffee and sandwiches before we continued on to meet up with Francis at Sg Perak, the next rendezvous point. When we arrived there, Francis was with Caltex Tan (another V Rider) waiting for us. Caltex was on his way to Grik when he spotted Francis’ V and decided to stop by for a chat and to wait with Francis for us. The 4 of us chatted for a while and after having topped up our bike, Francis, Kwa and I rode towards Juru Auto City to meet with CM.
We arrived there at about 12.30pm and we had a quick lunch at McD while we waited for CM to join us. It was still raining then and I could feel the wet in my boots. After a short while, CM arrived and soon we 4 jolly riders were heading to border.
Along the way, we stopped at Changlun to get our Thai insurance for the bike, changed our ringgits to Thai bahtss and had a little makan before we crossed the border. We also tried to stop at the last petrol station in Changlun for fuel before entering Thailand but most of the stations were out of petrol. So we had to U-turn back for a couple kilometers to top up our bikes. It was still worth it considering that petrol costs RM 3.30/litre in Thailand. A lesson learnt - don’t do things at the very last moment. We could have topped up at the next available station while in Changlun, instead of the last.
Going thru the border was a breeze this time around and it took us less
then 30 mins before we were heading for Hatyai, our 1st stop in this ride. Kwa had helped to book rooms at the Chachuda Place during his recent Hatyai Bike Week trip and it was a real welcomed sight after having rode in the wet for the last few hours. By now, the rain had stopped. I think it was the Malaysian rain that had followed us earlier and it did not have a passport to follow us thru the border!
After having settled in, we took a tuk-tuk into town for dinner and thereafter jalan-jalan around the Lee Gardens area. It had been a long and wet ride for us and we were all tired. So after the Lee Gardens, we headed back to hotel for a good rest. Riding with our new pal Francis has taught us a trick or two. As I had mentioned ealrier, our riding boots were wet and they would definitely not be able to dry out by the next day. This bloke passed on a useful tip - stuff plenty of newspaper into the boots to absorb the water. We did that twice and on the 3rd time, left them in the boots till the next morning. And you know what? It was dry the next day! A damn good idea. Secondly we learnt that he wore rubber instead of riding gloves while riding in the wet since it would keep his hands dry and comfortable. Kwa thought that it was a compromise on safety so he improvised by wearing the rubber gloves inside before putting on the riding gloves and got best of both worlds!!!!! They say necessity is the mother of invention...and I am sure we've just witnesses that.
Day 2, Saturday, 29th Aug 2009 (Hatyai to Donsak / Ko Samui)
We got up early and had our breakfast at the usual shop nearby the hotel which serves noodles and tim sum. After that, it was back to the rooms for a short rest before we started our ride from Hatyai to Donsak via the “coastal route”. Along the way we had to stop for petrol for a particular BIG bike which consumed so much more petrol then the V and to repair his faulty signal light. I had preprogrammed my GPS to take us on the coastal route towards Donsak (I have never been to Ko Samui before and it was a case of the blind leading the blind!) But this wonderful gadget took us all the way without a missing a turn. Hah…now even the “blind” can lead!!!! But on a more serious note, those who are adventurous should never leave home without it!
Expecting the coastal road to be more scenic, we found that it was so only along the Songkhla stretch. Soon, it was a a ride without much view of the sea or beach but going thru small towns and villages. It was
nice as there were less traffic compared to the central route, which we took on our return journey. Passing thru Nakon Si Thammarat, we decided to have lunch (noodles, fried chicken and fish at a road side stall) and also to top up our bikes. From the preplanned route, it took us thru the town center before joining the main road and the traffic was really bad in Nakon. We needed about 30 mins to clear a short stretch in the town center, but after that, it was a smooth ride all the way to Donsak for the ferry to Ko Samui. Somehow, our timing was just right as we arrived at Donsak at 2.30pm (local time), just in time for the 3pm ferry. It costs THB240 for a bike and it’s rider since our bikes were classified as BIG bikes. The 33km ferry ride to Ko Samui 
lasted for about 2 hrs.
While approaching Ko Samui, the weather looked like it was about to rain and since my GPS is actually a phone and is not waterproof, I requested for Francis to use his waterproof Garmin to guide us from the pier to the hotel. After having disembarked from the ferry, we continued our ride to Lamai Beach where Bonny hotel was located. Francis led the group using his GPS and after about 30 mins of riding on the island we found the location but somehow missed the small hotel entrance by about 5 meters. So we asked for directions from a local who couldn’t help us
but a orang putih showed us where Bonny was at! From this incident, it was very clear that Koh Samui had been invaded by the whites.
My personal observation while riding to Bonny was that the road was narrow and undulating at times. Some parts of the road were made of cement while some were tarred. The cement parts made the ride felt “harsher”, not very friendly to my back.
Bonny Hotel. The place was ok except that the shower was weak and the bathroom floor was slippery. The good point about this place was that it has 2 beds , a single and a double. And you know what, thanks to Francis, Kwa got the double (man, he was damn happy you know, since a double bed sleeps double mah! Wonder if he got double sleep?) We took a short rest before heading out for dinner. We
strolled along Lamai town to familiarize ourselves and noticed that there were many makan shops but mostly catering to the whites. Since it was our first trip to Ko Samui, we did not had much of a choice but to just picked a decent looking shop for our dinner. Mat-Salleh style, every one of us ordered a rice and dish and we shared out the dishes. A good idea too since it was not that expensive, less then THB200 each with beer! And it was election week that weekend and no beer was allowed to be sold in bottles/cans in public areas. So we had ours served in glasses (hey, we got class mah). Cheers!
After months of discussion and planning, finally the 28th August arrived. This was the day that we would start for Ko Samui…and it rained! It had been raining since the night before and it would not let up. But Kwa and I decided to follow thru with the plan when we met up at the Petronas Damansara and started to ride northwards on the NSE. After all, we are bikers mah!
Along the way, we stopped at the Tapah R&R for hot coffee and sandwiches before we continued on to meet up with Francis at Sg Perak, the next rendezvous point. When we arrived there, Francis was with Caltex Tan (another V Rider) waiting for us. Caltex was on his way to Grik when he spotted Francis’ V and decided to stop by for a chat and to wait with Francis for us. The 4 of us chatted for a while and after having topped up our bike, Francis, Kwa and I rode towards Juru Auto City to meet with CM.
We arrived there at about 12.30pm and we had a quick lunch at McD while we waited for CM to join us. It was still raining then and I could feel the wet in my boots. After a short while, CM arrived and soon we 4 jolly riders were heading to border.
Along the way, we stopped at Changlun to get our Thai insurance for the bike, changed our ringgits to Thai bahtss and had a little makan before we crossed the border. We also tried to stop at the last petrol station in Changlun for fuel before entering Thailand but most of the stations were out of petrol. So we had to U-turn back for a couple kilometers to top up our bikes. It was still worth it considering that petrol costs RM 3.30/litre in Thailand. A lesson learnt - don’t do things at the very last moment. We could have topped up at the next available station while in Changlun, instead of the last.
Going thru the border was a breeze this time around and it took us less
then 30 mins before we were heading for Hatyai, our 1st stop in this ride. Kwa had helped to book rooms at the Chachuda Place during his recent Hatyai Bike Week trip and it was a real welcomed sight after having rode in the wet for the last few hours. By now, the rain had stopped. I think it was the Malaysian rain that had followed us earlier and it did not have a passport to follow us thru the border!
After having settled in, we took a tuk-tuk into town for dinner and thereafter jalan-jalan around the Lee Gardens area. It had been a long and wet ride for us and we were all tired. So after the Lee Gardens, we headed back to hotel for a good rest. Riding with our new pal Francis has taught us a trick or two. As I had mentioned ealrier, our riding boots were wet and they would definitely not be able to dry out by the next day. This bloke passed on a useful tip - stuff plenty of newspaper into the boots to absorb the water. We did that twice and on the 3rd time, left them in the boots till the next morning. And you know what? It was dry the next day! A damn good idea. Secondly we learnt that he wore rubber instead of riding gloves while riding in the wet since it would keep his hands dry and comfortable. Kwa thought that it was a compromise on safety so he improvised by wearing the rubber gloves inside before putting on the riding gloves and got best of both worlds!!!!! They say necessity is the mother of invention...and I am sure we've just witnesses that.Day 2, Saturday, 29th Aug 2009 (Hatyai to Donsak / Ko Samui)
We got up early and had our breakfast at the usual shop nearby the hotel which serves noodles and tim sum. After that, it was back to the rooms for a short rest before we started our ride from Hatyai to Donsak via the “coastal route”. Along the way we had to stop for petrol for a particular BIG bike which consumed so much more petrol then the V and to repair his faulty signal light. I had preprogrammed my GPS to take us on the coastal route towards Donsak (I have never been to Ko Samui before and it was a case of the blind leading the blind!) But this wonderful gadget took us all the way without a missing a turn. Hah…now even the “blind” can lead!!!! But on a more serious note, those who are adventurous should never leave home without it!
Expecting the coastal road to be more scenic, we found that it was so only along the Songkhla stretch. Soon, it was a a ride without much view of the sea or beach but going thru small towns and villages. It was
nice as there were less traffic compared to the central route, which we took on our return journey. Passing thru Nakon Si Thammarat, we decided to have lunch (noodles, fried chicken and fish at a road side stall) and also to top up our bikes. From the preplanned route, it took us thru the town center before joining the main road and the traffic was really bad in Nakon. We needed about 30 mins to clear a short stretch in the town center, but after that, it was a smooth ride all the way to Donsak for the ferry to Ko Samui. Somehow, our timing was just right as we arrived at Donsak at 2.30pm (local time), just in time for the 3pm ferry. It costs THB240 for a bike and it’s rider since our bikes were classified as BIG bikes. The 33km ferry ride to Ko Samui 
lasted for about 2 hrs.While approaching Ko Samui, the weather looked like it was about to rain and since my GPS is actually a phone and is not waterproof, I requested for Francis to use his waterproof Garmin to guide us from the pier to the hotel. After having disembarked from the ferry, we continued our ride to Lamai Beach where Bonny hotel was located. Francis led the group using his GPS and after about 30 mins of riding on the island we found the location but somehow missed the small hotel entrance by about 5 meters. So we asked for directions from a local who couldn’t help us
but a orang putih showed us where Bonny was at! From this incident, it was very clear that Koh Samui had been invaded by the whites.
My personal observation while riding to Bonny was that the road was narrow and undulating at times. Some parts of the road were made of cement while some were tarred. The cement parts made the ride felt “harsher”, not very friendly to my back.
Bonny Hotel. The place was ok except that the shower was weak and the bathroom floor was slippery. The good point about this place was that it has 2 beds , a single and a double. And you know what, thanks to Francis, Kwa got the double (man, he was damn happy you know, since a double bed sleeps double mah! Wonder if he got double sleep?) We took a short rest before heading out for dinner. We
strolled along Lamai town to familiarize ourselves and noticed that there were many makan shops but mostly catering to the whites. Since it was our first trip to Ko Samui, we did not had much of a choice but to just picked a decent looking shop for our dinner. Mat-Salleh style, every one of us ordered a rice and dish and we shared out the dishes. A good idea too since it was not that expensive, less then THB200 each with beer! And it was election week that weekend and no beer was allowed to be sold in bottles/cans in public areas. So we had ours served in glasses (hey, we got class mah). Cheers!After dinner we strolled around town and went for a foot massage (THB250/hr). Kwa didn’t like the massage and thought that it was lousy…like tickling the toes and feet. After the massage, we found a road side food court and decided to order some local snacks. While we will having our snacks, we noticed a mat salleh drinking beer from a bottle! So our beer drinking CM went over to enquire, and then off he went to 7-11 and returned with 3 cans of beer and a soft drink. So not only Malaysia Boleh but Thailand also Boleh. And with that we called it a night.
Day 3, Sunday, 30th Aug 2009.(Round Ko Samui island ride)
From the recommendations of Mrs. Nong of Bonny hotel, we went to Lamai market for breakfast but after checking out the place, we decided a change of venue as we were not too comfortable with what was being offered at the market… local fares, with lots of deep fried stuff. While looking for an alternative for breakfast, we somehow got separated from Francis but we manage to meet up again after a short while. Not sure where he
went, but we later found a nice and clean shop for our breakfast. Some of us had noodles while others rice with duck. It as a real decent meal with nice 
surrounding. After breakfast, we started our round island ride. First, we visited the Grandfather and Grandmother Rock (Hin Ta and Hin Yai). Then CM insisted on visiting the Mango Village Resort (a most interesting place known only to him). We also visited Wat Khunaram where we saw the Mummified Monk and rode thru Nathon (the main 
town). Later, we came across the Big Buddha, a tourist location. We also rode pass the up-market Chaweng Beach, View Point. Lunch at a very nice cliff top cafe overlooking the sea before we headed back to Lamai Beach and Bonny Hotel. We took a rest before strolling again, this time for some shopping. The later part of the day, we went for a swim at Lamai Beach, minus Francis who preferred to relax on a borrowed beach chair, reading an old copy of the Sun paper. Maybe he can cannot swim????
In the evening, we went for dinner and as usual and after dinner sat at the roadside food court for some snacks, beer and chit chat. Since we will be riding back to Hatyai the next day, we decided to take an early rest ahead of the long ride back.
Day 4, Monday, 31st Aug 2009 ( Ride from Ko Samui / Donsak to Hatyai via
the central inland route)
We decided to head straight to the ferry terminal without having our breakfast as the weather didn’t looked so good. And since there’s makan sold on the ferry, we could save time by having a light breakfast on the ferry. We took the 7 am ferry, which was only half full with cars and arrived at Donsak at about 10am. Once again, assisted by my GPS programmed f
or the central route, we made our way through some village roads before joining the trunk road. After a very short ride, I noticed that my right mirror was loose but I did not have the proper tool to tighten it. As a temporary work around, I tried to tie it down with a piece of rubber string but it did not work too well. Riding along, we managed to find a small bike shop. Initially the attending mechanic could not tighten the mirror BUT then came a man wearing a Suzuki tee shirt. He solved the problem easily and did not want to accept any payment. I think he must be the master mechanic of the place :-)
A short distance away from the mechanic was a petrol station and a noodles shop next to it. We decided to have our long overdue breakfast at shop after filling up our bike. Thereafter it was a smooth ride via the central route heading towards Tong Song. There were instances where the road signs pointed to Krabi, and I was a little concern that we were heading the wrong way. Krabi is at the west coast of Thailand and we do not want to go there! Fortunatelt, it was only road signs pointing the way. There were many parts of the central route that were so straight and nice to ride and some of us tested our bike's speed there (what else???).
The outside lane (right) of the road has “exits” at regular intervals that would link to the other side of the road, which was separated from us by a wide piece of land (> 20 ft). I think this is great as it offers a wide buffer zone between the 2 sides of the road and reduces the threat of hitting an oncoming vehicle in case of an accident. The buffer zone has short grass grown, like a field. I was told by someone that sometimes, the local farmers would keep their livestock there (cows, goats, etc.) Overall , it was a good ride as the weather was kind to us, cloudy with a light drizzle here and there.
Along the way, we stopped at Tesco-Lotus in Tong Song for our lunch. The air conditioned food court was a treat and the food was nice. After our lunch and a short rest , we continued with our ride towards Hatyai, heading to Chachuda Place again. As we neared our destination, I decided to overrule the GPS as it was pointing us towards the border, and as a result, we went for a short detour before having to do a U-turn to get to the hotel. By the time we reached Chachuda, it was about 4pm. So we freshened up, took a rest and went for a real Thai massage at Oliver after 4 long days of riding. After that we have our dinner at the Rose E-San restaurant, a short walking distance from Oliver. This is a family operated restaurant and the young daughter and her boyfriend waited on us while mummy cooked. This young lady would “curtsy” with her head (like a slight bow) each time we talk to her. A sign of family upbringing???
Finished our dinner and headed back for a good rest. We would be riding back home sweet home the following day.
Day 5, Tuesday, 1st Sept 2009 ( Ride home)
We had our breakfast at the usual shop again but this time we ordered the famous keow teow
fish head for CM and Francis to try. Kwa missed it too, especially so after the Hatyai Bike Week ride. Then it was all the way to the border , duty free shop, top up and straight to Juru. However there was a small incident leaving Hatyai when Francis's bike got tangled up with a kapcai with three young boys (which suddenly turned right in front of him) for a few feet. But both bikes 
remained upright, separated and went on their separate ways safely.
Heading southwards, CM took us to Nibong Tebal for a very nice lunch , curry udang galah , fish, veg, rice and bread. Thanks CM it was a darn nice meal and price very reasonable too. RM80 plus with drinks for the four very hungry bikers…and I got this place logged into my GPS :-)
Day 3, Sunday, 30th Aug 2009.(Round Ko Samui island ride)
From the recommendations of Mrs. Nong of Bonny hotel, we went to Lamai market for breakfast but after checking out the place, we decided a change of venue as we were not too comfortable with what was being offered at the market… local fares, with lots of deep fried stuff. While looking for an alternative for breakfast, we somehow got separated from Francis but we manage to meet up again after a short while. Not sure where he
went, but we later found a nice and clean shop for our breakfast. Some of us had noodles while others rice with duck. It as a real decent meal with nice 
surrounding. After breakfast, we started our round island ride. First, we visited the Grandfather and Grandmother Rock (Hin Ta and Hin Yai). Then CM insisted on visiting the Mango Village Resort (a most interesting place known only to him). We also visited Wat Khunaram where we saw the Mummified Monk and rode thru Nathon (the main 
town). Later, we came across the Big Buddha, a tourist location. We also rode pass the up-market Chaweng Beach, View Point. Lunch at a very nice cliff top cafe overlooking the sea before we headed back to Lamai Beach and Bonny Hotel. We took a rest before strolling again, this time for some shopping. The later part of the day, we went for a swim at Lamai Beach, minus Francis who preferred to relax on a borrowed beach chair, reading an old copy of the Sun paper. Maybe he can cannot swim????In the evening, we went for dinner and as usual and after dinner sat at the roadside food court for some snacks, beer and chit chat. Since we will be riding back to Hatyai the next day, we decided to take an early rest ahead of the long ride back.
Day 4, Monday, 31st Aug 2009 ( Ride from Ko Samui / Donsak to Hatyai via
the central inland route)
We decided to head straight to the ferry terminal without having our breakfast as the weather didn’t looked so good. And since there’s makan sold on the ferry, we could save time by having a light breakfast on the ferry. We took the 7 am ferry, which was only half full with cars and arrived at Donsak at about 10am. Once again, assisted by my GPS programmed f
or the central route, we made our way through some village roads before joining the trunk road. After a very short ride, I noticed that my right mirror was loose but I did not have the proper tool to tighten it. As a temporary work around, I tried to tie it down with a piece of rubber string but it did not work too well. Riding along, we managed to find a small bike shop. Initially the attending mechanic could not tighten the mirror BUT then came a man wearing a Suzuki tee shirt. He solved the problem easily and did not want to accept any payment. I think he must be the master mechanic of the place :-)A short distance away from the mechanic was a petrol station and a noodles shop next to it. We decided to have our long overdue breakfast at shop after filling up our bike. Thereafter it was a smooth ride via the central route heading towards Tong Song. There were instances where the road signs pointed to Krabi, and I was a little concern that we were heading the wrong way. Krabi is at the west coast of Thailand and we do not want to go there! Fortunatelt, it was only road signs pointing the way. There were many parts of the central route that were so straight and nice to ride and some of us tested our bike's speed there (what else???).
The outside lane (right) of the road has “exits” at regular intervals that would link to the other side of the road, which was separated from us by a wide piece of land (> 20 ft). I think this is great as it offers a wide buffer zone between the 2 sides of the road and reduces the threat of hitting an oncoming vehicle in case of an accident. The buffer zone has short grass grown, like a field. I was told by someone that sometimes, the local farmers would keep their livestock there (cows, goats, etc.) Overall , it was a good ride as the weather was kind to us, cloudy with a light drizzle here and there.
Along the way, we stopped at Tesco-Lotus in Tong Song for our lunch. The air conditioned food court was a treat and the food was nice. After our lunch and a short rest , we continued with our ride towards Hatyai, heading to Chachuda Place again. As we neared our destination, I decided to overrule the GPS as it was pointing us towards the border, and as a result, we went for a short detour before having to do a U-turn to get to the hotel. By the time we reached Chachuda, it was about 4pm. So we freshened up, took a rest and went for a real Thai massage at Oliver after 4 long days of riding. After that we have our dinner at the Rose E-San restaurant, a short walking distance from Oliver. This is a family operated restaurant and the young daughter and her boyfriend waited on us while mummy cooked. This young lady would “curtsy” with her head (like a slight bow) each time we talk to her. A sign of family upbringing???
Finished our dinner and headed back for a good rest. We would be riding back home sweet home the following day.
Day 5, Tuesday, 1st Sept 2009 ( Ride home)
We had our breakfast at the usual shop again but this time we ordered the famous keow teow
fish head for CM and Francis to try. Kwa missed it too, especially so after the Hatyai Bike Week ride. Then it was all the way to the border , duty free shop, top up and straight to Juru. However there was a small incident leaving Hatyai when Francis's bike got tangled up with a kapcai with three young boys (which suddenly turned right in front of him) for a few feet. But both bikes 
remained upright, separated and went on their separate ways safely.Heading southwards, CM took us to Nibong Tebal for a very nice lunch , curry udang galah , fish, veg, rice and bread. Thanks CM it was a darn nice meal and price very reasonable too. RM80 plus with drinks for the four very hungry bikers…and I got this place logged into my GPS :-)
And it was from here after the makan that we said bye bye to CM and it was down from 4 riders to 3, heading to Sg Perak where we said our goodbyes to Francis. He had decided to stay in Ipoh for a day, and thereafter we were down to 2 riders.
Continuing the journey, Kwa wanted to buy a very special brand of coffee which he usually buys in Bidor. So when he veered off from the highway into Bidor, I could not join him as there was a trailer between him and me and I over shot the junction (riding too fast I guess). Tried to get Kwa on the phone at the next R&R, but he didn’t pick up the phone. SO I guessed that he was already on the bike by then. From that time onwards, it was a lonely ride all the way back home. The good thing is that all of us reached home safely and this is the MOST important consideration of any ride.
Overall, we had a real good time and a damn good fellowship all the way. Kudos guys and Bravo to you!
Thanks guys for your company. We will ride again….soon. Did I hear someone say Mae Hong Son??? ;-)
Thanks to Kwa and Francis for contributing to this article.
Overall, we had a real good time and a damn good fellowship all the way. Kudos guys and Bravo to you!
Thanks guys for your company. We will ride again….soon. Did I hear someone say Mae Hong Son??? ;-)
Thanks to Kwa and Francis for contributing to this article.
IHVR signing off.
