"Being positive in a negative situation is not naive. It's leadership..."
Friday - 20 Dec 2013
Day 01 - KL to Phattalung, Thailand
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| (Protective boots for the long ride) |
This trip was never planned.
Our initial plan to ride early in the morning was bashed. We woke up late and did our last minute packing in the morning. By 0800hrs we were out of our apartment heading north on the PLUS highway. Our first stop was at the petrol station at Bukit Lanjan for refueling and money withdrawal. The weather was good and the sky was clear for a leisurely ride towards Bukit Kayu Hitam.
We stopped at Bukit Gantang rest area for a nasi lemak brunch and bought half kg of longan for snacks. We did not refuel here as the petrol station was closed for renovation. The next stop was at Semanggol R&R for refueling only.
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| (A short coffee break) |
By 1300hrs we were in Changloon. We went to our favorite Chinese Coffee Shop for insurance (Rm12) and money changing business. We requested for 2 sets of arrival/departure white cards (Rm4). It was a Friday, so most of the Malay restaurants were closed. We had a hearty lunch at Yasmeen Nasi Kandar instead.
At Bukit Kayu Hitam Immigration we settled border clearance, stamped our passports and submitted our vehicle grant for Custom declaration. It was already 1430hrs when we rode non-stop on Highway 4 to Phattalung.
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| (The day was sunny and bright) |
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| (Arrived early in Phattalung) |
Phatthalung is one of the southern provinces of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are Nakhon Si Thammarat, Songkhla, Satun and Trang.The province is located on the Malay Peninsula. To the east it borders the large shallow Songkhla lake, while the west is covered by mountains of the Nakhon Si Thammarat chain. The Khao Pu - Khao Ya National Park is located in these mountains at the border to Trang.
The majority of the province's populace are Thai Buddhists, although a percentage of the population adhere to the Islamic faith. Many Muslims in Phatthalung have some ethnic Malay ancestry, who have gradually intermarried with the Thais and adopted Thai cultural influences.
Phra Si Mum Mueang is the Buddha image of the South and an auspicious object of worship of Phatthalung. This bronze Buddha image in the posture of meditation is enshrined in a pavilion with four porches on the foreground between the City Hall and Provincial Court of Phatthalung. Ok Thalu Mountain is another symbolic figure of Phatthalung, having a height of around 250 m. There is a flight of stairs leading the way up to the mountaintop overlooking the city of Phatthalung.
We reached Phattalung early and checked in Chaikana Thani Hotel for B700 per night . From the outside, the hotel looks vacated. Once we were inside, the ambiance was nice and cozy. We rested and took a short nap till 1930. We decided not to go out as it was raining heavily. Dinner was a few slices of bread with chili tuna in the room and a cup of hot steaming Nescafe.
The majority of the province's populace are Thai Buddhists, although a percentage of the population adhere to the Islamic faith. Many Muslims in Phatthalung have some ethnic Malay ancestry, who have gradually intermarried with the Thais and adopted Thai cultural influences.
Phra Si Mum Mueang is the Buddha image of the South and an auspicious object of worship of Phatthalung. This bronze Buddha image in the posture of meditation is enshrined in a pavilion with four porches on the foreground between the City Hall and Provincial Court of Phatthalung. Ok Thalu Mountain is another symbolic figure of Phatthalung, having a height of around 250 m. There is a flight of stairs leading the way up to the mountaintop overlooking the city of Phatthalung.
We reached Phattalung early and checked in Chaikana Thani Hotel for B700 per night . From the outside, the hotel looks vacated. Once we were inside, the ambiance was nice and cozy. We rested and took a short nap till 1930. We decided not to go out as it was raining heavily. Dinner was a few slices of bread with chili tuna in the room and a cup of hot steaming Nescafe.
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| (The dining area of the hotel) |
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| (A quiet corridor to the rooms) |
To relief tired muscles, we had an hour of Thai massage in the room for only B500 for 2 persons. It was still early when we retired to bed and slept like a log.
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