"If you don't step forward you will always remain in the same place..."
KEMBARA QURBAN 2
DAY 01: 11 OCT 2013 - FRIDAY
KL - SURAT THANI
DISTANCE : 831 KM
We woke up at 0530hrs. After prayers we quickly had our breakfast of toast and half boiled eggs. Luckily we packed our things last night and loaded them in the boxes of our Vulcan and had refueled. We were running late but reached Sg Buluh R&R just in time for the supposedly 0700hrs flag-off but needed to wait for some others who still had not arrived.
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(The participants and friends)
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(The line of 12 motorbikes)
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There were 7 Versys (Shawal, Chon, Taufik, Zali, Shanaz, Zaini and Kathi), 2 BMW (Hj Din/Yati and Fadzil), a Tenere (Syed Zain), a Vulcan 900 (Mus/Mun) and a Honda CBR600 (Juma). Altogether there were 12 motorbikes in this trip. This morning, there was a reporter from a Tamil newspaper, Malaysia Namban, interviewing some of us and taking pictures.
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(A Short briefing and reciting of prayers)
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We were running late and to make matters worst, Juma was stranded on the highway with no petrol but luckily she was rescued by a passing Plus Ronda. She was asked to ride ahead and wait for us at the R&R Rawang.
After a short briefing by Tuan Shawal, the group leader, and reciting of prayers, we started our journey of Kembara Qurban 2 sharp at 0800hrs.
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(Border clearance at Bukit Kayu Hitam)
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(Having a light snack while waiting)
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It was a leisure, free and easy ride on the PLUS highway towards Bukit Kayu Hitam. We were accompanied by a few bikers who rode with us to the border. We completed insurance and money changing process at our favorite Chinese coffee shop at Changlun. The border clearance was smooth for most of us but it took longer for the few first timers.
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(A bright cloudy day)
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(Heavy intermittent showers on the way)
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We rode on Highway 4 towards Hatyai then on Highway 43 towards Phatthalung keeping to the average speed of 120 km/hr and keeping a safe distance from each other. We stopped for refueling and refreshment at the Cafe Amazon which will become our regular stop points along the Thailand highways. After a light lunch, we continued until late afternoon only to stop for prayers at one of the petrol stations.
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(Favorite stop for refreshments)
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(Having pizzas or burgers for lunch)
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It was raining intermittently from Phatthalung to Surat Thani on Highway 41. Heavy and windy weather awaited us in Surat Thani but the rain stopped once we reached city center. Surat Thani is a city in southern Thailand situated near the mouth of the Tapi River on the Gulf of Thailand. The city offers no major tourist attractions in itself, and is thus mainly known to tourists as a transfer destination to the nearby popular Ko Samui island.
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(Riding on Highway 41)
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(Riding at dusk into Surat Thani)
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We managed to get to a Muslim restaurant by the Tapi River with the help of a tuk-tuk. We used to come and eat here during our trip in November 2011 and the ambiance is still the same. We had a heavy dinner of white rice and lauk pauk.
Tonight we stayed at Princess Park Hotel owned by one Muslim entrepreneur.
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