4NR DMK 2012: 14 Hatyai, Thailand - KL

"When we forgive others we forgive ourselves, which is the first step in the healing process..."

(Colorful processions slowed down traffic...)

Day 14: 31/10/2012 - Wednesday

Route: Hatyai - KL

Distance 521 km

Early morning Zali and Tawfik rode out to Danok first. We checked out around 1200 with Hj Din and Yati. Met Zali, Tawfik and Kitwan at Restaurant Kak Jah in Danok. After border clearance, we rode back in the heavy rain with a few stops for refueling.

(Good-bye for now...)

Reached home sweet home around 2330. Alhamdulillah…

👈👈 2012 - Kembara Dana Madrasah Kemboja

2012 DMK: Hua Hin - Hatyai, Thailand 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 13 Hua Hin - Hatyai, Thailand

"Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time..." - Barack Obama

(Breakfast together before we split routes...)

Day 13: 30/10/2012 - Tuesday

Route: Hua Hin - Hatyai

Distance: 746 km

Hotel: Grand Plaza Hotel, Hatyai

At 0830 checked out and the group rode together till Chumphon. 3 bikes rode direct to Krabi and 4 bikes rode towards Hatyai. The group split before Surat Thani. In Surat Thani our group went to look for Kawasaki Service Centre to change sprochet and tyre. Later we performed our prayers at Masjid Surat Thani.

(A Kawasaki Showroom...)

It was dark when we rode out towards Hatyai. It was a tiring 300+ km ride after spending a full day in the hot sun. Reached Grand Plaza Hotel Hatyai around 0100 and straight away had late dinner at the nearby stalls in front of the hotel.

(A Jame Mosque in Surat Thani...)

👈👈 2012 DMK: Hatyai - KL

2012 DMK: Hua Hin, Thailand 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 12 Pattaya - Hua Hin, Thailand

"If you accept the expectations of others, especially negative ones, then you never will change the outcome..." - Michael Jordan

(Illegal riding on the elevated highway...)

Day 12: 29/10/2012 - Monday

Route: Pattaya - Hua Hin

Distance: 332 km

Hotel: City Beach Hotel, Hua Hin

(Reached our destination safe and sound...)

By 0800 we rode towards Hua Hin by-passing Bangkok. The bikers gang nearly got caught by the traffic police for mistakenly entering the Bhumipol elevated highway where motorcycles are not allowed. We stopped for lunch at one Cha'am muslim restaurant. We reached Hua Hin at 1400 but went around to look for a Big Bike Service Centre.

(A sumptuous seafood dinner...)

(A mural on the wall at Chatsila night market...)

After we checked in the City Beach Hotel, a few riders went to look for spare parts. At 2000 we had seafood dinner and later took a tuk-tuk to Chatsila night market for some souvenirs.

👈👈 2012 DMK: Hua Hin - Hatyai, Thailand

2012 DMK: Pattaya, Thailand 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 11 Pattaya, Thailand

"If you can see the positive sides of everything, you'll be able to live a much richer life than others..." - Celestine Chua

(No time to jet ski...)

Day 11: 28/12/2012 - Sunday

Hotel: Furama Beach Hotel, Pattaya

(Pattaya skyline, view from the beach...)

We had breakfast on our own in the hotel room. Went for a stroll by the beach and had some photo shots. Walked back to the hotel and had leftover nasi briani for lunch. In the afternoon the bikers gang went to service and wash their motorbikes. We managed to send our dirty clothes and riding gears to the laundry. Late afternoon, with Bakar and Kit we went to Pattaya floating market to buy some souvenirs. There was another mishap when I scorched my leg on the hot exhaust and left a bad burn wound on my ankle.

(Mermaid and dolphins...)

(Pattaya floating market...)

We had dinner at Pattaya Muslim seafood accompanied by Taufik's girlfriend, Ussana. While having dinner there was a slight scuffle between Hj Din and Hj Burn over nothing in particular. So very childish!

Later we had a 2-hour body massage at a spa next to the hotel...

👈👈 2012 DMK: Pattaya - Hua Hin, Thailand

2012 DMK: Kampot, Cambodia - Pattaya, Thailand 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 10 Kampot, Cambodia - Pattaya, Thailand

"Go after your dreams, no matter how unattainable others think it is..." - Linda Mastandrea 

(Rough ride on an unpaved road...)

Day 10: 27/10/2012 - Saturday

Route: Kampot – Koh Kong border – Pattaya

Distance: 360 km

Hotel: Furama Beach Hotel, Pattaya

We rode the rough road from Kampot to Koh Kong border passed through the main trunk road and a few national parks. We stopped to rest and eat mangoes and drink sugarcane juice before crossing the bridge to the Koh kong, Cambodia – Hat Lek, Thai Immigration Centre. Again, the border clearance was simple and smooth.

(Clean clear river under the Koh Kong bridge...)

We rode to Pattaya along the beautiful beach road and reached the Furama Beach Hotel already dark. After checking-in we walked around to look for Muslim food and ended up eating at one Persian Restaurant and packed some rice for tomorrow breakfast.

(Pattaya at night...)

We had an hour of foot reflexology at Baht200 each before a good refreshing sleep...

👈👈 2012 DMK: Pattaya, Thailand

2012 DMK: Kampot, Cambodia 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 09 Kampot, Cambodia

"Sometimes you have to forget what's gone, appreciate what remains, and look forward to what's coming next..."

(Fishermen with their catch...)

Day 09: 26/10/2012 - Friday

Hotel: Heng Reak Smey hotel, Kampot

(Solat Eidil-Adha with the locals...)

(Volunteers and the locals helping each other...)

(A hearty lunch break...)

The bikers group went for solat subuh at Mesjid kg Kendal. We went to watch fishermen unloading their catch of fish, prawns and crabs. We went back to Mesjid Kg Kendal for solat Hari Raya Eidil Adha. Had breakfast of French bread and soup at Ustaz Sulaiman’s house. Went back to the hotel to change into t-shirts and got ready to perform the qurban at Kg Kendal (30), Kg Kedap (43), Kg keh (22) and Kg Krenong (20). There were a total of 250 bulls to be slaughtered and the rest will be done on 2nd and 3rd day of Eidil-Adha at another remote kampungs.

(A 4x4 vehicle in distress...)

(A mosque in Kg. Kedap...)

(A bogota to cart off the qurban to remote kampung...)

(Tired 'penyembelih' taking a break...)

(The makciks watching the qurban from far..)

Dinner was at Ustaz Mohd's house situated near Mesjid kg Kendal.

👈👈 2012 DMK: Kampot, Cambodia - Pattaya, Thailand

2012 DMK: Phnom Phen, Cambodia 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 08 Phnom Penh - Kampot, Cambodia

"Most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they've got a second..." - William James

(Tired bikers, but still energetic...)

Day 08:  25/10/2012 – Thursday

Route: Phnom Penh - Kampot, Cambodia

Distance: 175 km

Hotel: Heng Reak Smey Guest House, Kampot

We didn't have breakfast and there was no hot water even for a hot Nescafe. Started riding after 0800 and thronged the massive early morning traffic jam. Stopped to refuel and fixed Hj Burn's flat tyre. The mishaps of yesterday’s fall and today”s flat tyre made Hj Burn temperamental and moody even at a simple joke.

It was a leisure ride to Kampot as the road is good. We arrived early and rested at Riverside View Hotel while waiting for the organizer to fetch and bring us to a muslim retaurant for mee soup lunch.

(The Kampot bridge, partly destroyed and rebulit...)

We checked in a Heng Reak Smey Guest House, booked by the DMK organizer. After a short rest we went for a late lunch of prawns and crabs. The group then took a van to Kep Beach to watch the sunset and bought more crabs for dinner later.

(Catching crabs for dinner...)

We took a stroll for dinner at Ustaz Sulaiman's house. After a glass of teh tarik, we walked back to our hotel under the moon shadow of 10 Zulhijjah.

👈👈 Kampot, Cambodia

Siem Reap - Phnom Penh, Cambodia 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 07 Siem Reap - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

"Don't let the silly little dramas of each day get you down. For you are here to do great things..."

(Riding into Angkor Wat Complex...)

Day 07: 24/10/2012 -Wednesday

Route: Siem Reap - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Distance: 350 km

Hotel: World Star Hotel, Phnom Penh

(In front of the main temple...)

(Our last visit here was in 2006...)

We checked out and rode in the drizzle to Restaurant Hj Musa for nasi goreng breakfast. Here, the riders gang forwarded some sumbangan to the Madrasah. We rode to Angkor Wat and requested permission to ride the bikes to the main temple for photo shots. Normally there was a charge of USD20 per entry but we were allowed to pass through without paying for the tickets.

(A typical small town along the way...)

(Bumpy and dusty road leading to the Capital City...)

After some photo shots, we started riding towards Phnom Penh by 1030 through the trunk road. It took us more than 8 hours to reach Phnom Penh because of bad road conditions and some mishaps along the way. Hj Din had to use the toilet at one Primary School. While waiting by the road side Hj Burn's bike fell. Kitwan’s bike fell at one patrol station because of oil spill. Another mishap was when Hj Burn’s bike overshot and fell to avoid an overtaking bus and a big pothole. All was well but Hj Burn suffered a slight bruise on his arm.

We checked-in at World Star Hotel around 1830 after a rough tiring ride on a trunk road full of pot-holes. Later we went for dinner on a tuk-tuk at one Muslim restaurant and after, we had a 2-hour body massage for only USD8 each.

👈👈 2012 DMK: Phnom Penh - Kampot, Cambodia

2012 DMK: Xino, Laos - Siem Reap, Cambodia 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 06 Xino, Laos - Siem Reap, Cambodia

"The only time you mustn't fail is the last time you try..." - Charles F Kettering

(A good wash after a muddy off-roading...)

Day 06: 23/10/2012 -Tuesday

Route: Xino, Laos - Mukdahan border – Poipet border - Siem Reap, Cambodia.

Distance: 650 km

Hotel: Reaksmey Chenrias Hotel, Siem Reap

(Fast and efficient border clearance...)

(Riding to Thailand border...)

We had breakfast of bread and cold Nescafe. Around 0745 we rode towards the Laos - Thailand border abound 45km away. The Mukdahan immigration clearance was simple and fast. Once we crossed into Thailand we refueled and had breakfast at 7eleven. We rode direct to Poipet immigration Thai - Cambodian border, and clearance was with no hassle, simple and fast.

(Entering Cambodian border...)

(One for the album...)

(The boys doing their break dance...)

When we crossed the border we had to cover our headlamps as running lights are only used for VIPs in Cambodia. We stopped for solat at Cambodia tourism and Cultural Centre and later rode in the heavy rain to Siem Reap. After we checked-in Reaksmey Chenrias Hotel, we went to a restaurant next to the mosque on a tuk-tuk. In Cambodia the motorbike gang needs to pay for ground fees to the organizers for lodging and food.

We had an hour of foot reflexology at a spa next to our hotel...

👈👈 2012 DMK: Siem Reap - Phnom Phen, Cambodia

2012 DMK: Vientiane - Xino, Laos 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 05 Vientiane - Xino, Laos

"The smallest deed is better than the greatest intention..." - John Burroughs

(Off-roading for 78km...)

Day 05: 22/10/2012 - Monday

Route: Vientiane - Xino, Laos

Distance: 640 km

Hotel: Lattanaphonephasouk Hotel, Xino

(Dry and dusty...)

(Better part of the route...)

We planned to ride early but the hotel provided breakfast only at 0730. To safe time we took an alternative dusty and rough off-road route of 78km and managed to cross the distance safely. We stopped at a small grocery shop to freshen-up and rest before we proceeded through the normal trunk road. Stopped at Pakxan petrol station for last refueling and rode on towards Pakse. It was already dark and dangerous to ride Laos trunk road at night as you have to be at all time alert of pedestrians, motorists and even cows and dogs crossing the road.

(A 4x4 vehicle following close...)

(Solat time, any where possible...)

(Dangerous riding at night...)

We decided to check-in a hotel in Xino and had simple dinner of white rice with our own food brought from home. Some bikers managed to wash their motorbikes to get rid of mud and dust.

The off-roading made us so tired and tonight we slept like tired dogs...

👈👈 2012 DMK: Xino - Siem Reap, Cambodia

2012 DMK: Udon Thani - Vientiane, Laos 👉👉

4NR DMK 2012: 04 Udon Thani, Thailand - Vientiane, Laos

"You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught in either one..." - John Wooden

(Checking a flat tyre before the start of the journey...)

Day 04:- 21/10/2012 - Sunday

Route: Udon Thani – Nong Khai border - Vientiane

Distance: 80.8 km

Hotel: City Inn, Vientiane

(Riding towards the border...)

(Riding on Friendship Bridge between Thailand and Laos...)

(A welcoming smile...)

(Briani lunch @ Noor Restaurant...)

Checked out at 0600 sharp. From here on a 4x4 vehicle will join us to Cambodia. The bikers were supposed to ride to the border early but were a little delayed to look for Shawal’s misplaced bike key. We managed to reach the border early and beat the morning traffic and busloads of tourists. The border clearing was smooth with little hassle. We went for an early lunch at one Indian Muslim Briyani Restaurant along the Mekong River. We checked in City Inn Vientiane Hotel and had ample time to rest until 1700.

(Riding in Vientiane...)

(A prominent landmark, Pha That Luang)

Late afternoon we went for a walk along Mekong River and watched the beautiful sunset. We bought some souvenirs at the night market and had Nan and Tandoori chicken for dinner.

(Watching the sunset @ Mekong River...)

(The majestic statue of King Anouvong)

Tonight we had another hour of therapeutic body massage...

👈👈2012 DMK: Vientiane - Xino, Laos

2012 DMK: Cha-am - Udon Thani, Thailand 👉👉