2015 Q4 4NR - A long tough journey…

“I would rather own little and see the world than own the world and see little of it…” – Alexander Sattler

(Mini Niagara Falls of Laos)

Date: 10 – 27 December 2015
Route: Malaysia – Thailand - Cambodia – Laos
Total Distance: 7,210 km

Hubby and I love to travel the world. By whatever means…

To travel is to take a journey into ourselves and we realised adventures are the best way to learn. And travelling with friends, old and new, had taught us many life lessons along the road.

We have been participating in the previous three Kembara rides and without fail in December 2015 we again participated in the 4th Kembara Ride lead by Tuan Shawal. The journey took 17 days to complete and covered parts of Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia and Laos.

The initial participants for this 4th Kembara were 13 persons with 8 motorbikes in total. Bikers who completed this mission were Tuan Shawal, the team leader, Faiyaz, Mat Put, Mus/Mun, MadWan/Effa, Azhar/Fazilah and Nizam/Faiza. Bikers who left the group in Chiang Mai and rode back on their own were Munawar and Rose. Bikers who joined the group in Pai were Haji Din/Yati. And bikers who joined the group in Kanchanaburi were Fauzilan/Siti.

I don’t deny that it was a long tough journey, torturous at times. The more torturous the journey, the more our resolve strengthened. Those who completed, stayed strong and united till the end. Some paths taken were often difficult and sometimes incredibly grueling but at the end of the day we managed to reach our destinations safely together as a team. I always believed that difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations and more often than not I was correct in making that assumptions.

Congratulations to those who succeeded, we made a great team. I pitied those who failed. Without patience, mental strength and perseverance one would not be able to face challenges and complete the mission. A journey, like life, is an adventure. In the end, we only regret the chances we didn’t take…

I am still compiling my photos and gathering my thoughts. I will be updating this travel blog when I finished tracing back our 4NR journey, insyaAllah...

(Faces of jubilation, photo courtesy of Azhar)

fb Photo Album : 2015 4-Nation Ride 

Next Trip: Thailand 2016: Betong Back to Nature Ride...

 2015 Q4 : 01 KL - Surat Thani, Thailand 👉

2015 Q4 4NR: 01 Surat Thani, Thailand - A Bright and Sunny Day...

“Travel can be one of the most rewarding forms of introspection..." - Lawrence Durrell

(4th 4-Nation Ride official sticker)

Day 1: 10 December 2015 (Thursday) 

Route: Kuala Lumpur – Surat Thani

Distance: 847 km

After a short briefing and reciting of prayers we started riding north bound.

Some riders friends who were at the R&R Sungai Buluh to flag us off were Zali, Taufik, Pok Deng, Fazli, Syed Zain, Ajilong and family. Most of them had participated in at least one of the previous Kembara rides and could not join us because of other commitments.

The day was bright and sunny. It was a good day for riding. We stopped for refuelling at Petronas Simpang Pulai and Changlun, completed our paper works at the usual coffee shop in Changlun and entered the Malaysia/Thailand border at Bukit Kayu Hitam. In addition to the normal Arrival/Departure white card and Custom Declaration Form, we had to submit two copies of the Conveyance and passenger list forms at the Thai Immigration.

We entered Thailand without hassle. The first stop was at a PTT after Hatyai for refuelling. There is a halal stall for refreshments and a surau to perform our prayers. We had a few more pit stops along the AH2 highway before we arrived Surat Thani around 20:00.

Dinner was at a Muslim stall before we checked in Princess Park Hotel for the night. Everyone was in high spirits and looking forward for another long journey towards Thailand/Cambodia border tomorrow.

(A group photo before the start of the journey)

(Riders and pillions, ready for the long haul ride)

(A clear blue sky, a good day to ride)

(First refueling at Simpang Pulai)

(Entering Thailand without any hastle)

(Riding with care at night)

(Having a sumptuous dinner at a Muslim stall)

 2015 Q4: 02 Surat Thani - Sa Kaeo, Thailand👉

👈Q4 4-Nation Ride

2015 Q4 4NR: 03 Siem Reap, Cambodia – A World Heritage Site...

“Better to see something once than to hear about it a thousand times…”

(Angkor Archaeological Park)

Day 3: 12 December 2015 (Saturday)
Route: Sa Kaeo – Siem Reap
Distance: 209 km

Sa Kaeo is only 65 km away from Cambodian border town of Poi Pet but we started riding early to avoid commuters and heavy traffic at the border.

Border crossing was smooth on both sides of the border. At Thailand departure counter, riders had to submit a copy of their passports and Motorcycle Registration Forms, Conveyance form together with the Custom Registration Form and had to pay a fee of B100 for each motorcycle. Pillions had their passports stamped and waited on the other side before we entered Cambodian border in two groups.

At the Cambodian border we submitted our passports and Arrival/Departure Form for stamping. No fee was paid here. Poi Pet border is a busy crossing point between Thailand and Cambodia and also extremely popular as a gambling destination and used to be notorious for its squalor, scams and sleaze.

Once everyone had completed border clearance we convoyed towards Siem Reap, 150 km from the border. The road is good, better condition from the last time we were here. Except for the heat, the 2-hour ride was relaxing and comfortable. 

When we entered the streets of Siem Reap, the traffic could be a little daunting. as it was still early n the afternoon, we headed direct to the Angkor Wat Archaeology Complex and had some photo shots at the main entrance to the ruins. Angkor Wat, a UNESCO Heritage Site is a temple complex and the largest religious monument in the world. It is one of the ancient wonders of the world. This is the 3rd time hubby and I visited this site. Once in 2006 and another in 2012.

Later we rode to a restaurant by the river and had seafood dishes for lunch. We checked in Reaksmey Chanreas Hotel situated in the middle of town. We used to stay in this hotel during our Kembara Qurban Ride in 2012. We had ample time to send our dirty clothes for fast laundry and rested in the room the whole afternoon.

At night we rented two tuk-tuk and went to a Muslim Family Kitchen Restaurant for dinner and later had an hour of relaxing foot reflexology.

(A boutique hotel with simple amenities)

(A group photo before our onward journey)

(Riding towards the border, against the sun)

(Thailand/Cambodia border crossing, fast and efficient)

(Iconic three spires, replica of the Angkor Wat)

(Temporary parking at Cambodia Immigration)

(Entering Cambodia, riding on the right side of the road)

(Beware of slow heavy vehicles on the road)

(Arriving in the town of Siem Reap)

(An attempt for a selfie on the bike)

(Riding the road leading to the Archaeological site)

(Looking for the main entrance to Angkor Wat)

(Deja Vu... we've been here before)

(A group photo, the ancient temple in the background)

(One for the album)

(Time for lunch and rest)

(A Muslim restaurant around the Mosque area)

(A bridal suite, our lodging for the night)

 2015 Q4: 04 Siem Reap - Stung Treng, Cambodia👉

👈2015 Q4: 02 Surat Thani - Sa Kaeo, Thailand 

2015 Q4 4NR: 02 Sa Kaeo, Thailand – Heavy Traffic and Bumpy Ride...

"I haven’t been everywhere, but it’s on my list…” – Susan Sontag

(Riding on the King Bhumipol Bridge in Bangkok)

Day 2: 11 December 2015 (Friday) 

Route: Surat Thani – Sa Kaeo

Distance: 836 km

We started riding early from Surat Thani towards the Cambodian border, stopping for refueling and light refreshments along the way.

We avoided passing through Bangkok city but somehow entered the toll highway of Bangkok where motorcycles were not allowed to enter. Half way we were forced to make an illegal u-turn on the bridge to avoid being caught and fined. Luckily Thai motorists were very helpful to allow us to turn back and exited the highway.

We managed to weave in and out of traffic and riding slowly and carefully to avoid knocking into other vehicles or dividers. If you know anything about traffic in Bangkok, walking is actually faster than being on a moving vehicle.

We stopped at a petrol station downtown Bangkok for a breather and continued riding towards Sa Kaeo taking a rather undulating bumpy road riding passed Bangkok International Airport until we came to a junction where we entered the motorway again.

It was already dark and the weather was hot and humid. Most of us already took off our jackets to cool down hot sweaty bodies. Some already showed an initial bout of migraine because of the heat.

We reached Sa Kaeo safely, tired and drenched in sweat. We had dinner at one Japanese Restaurant in town and checked in Hop Inn Hotel for the night. Before sleep we checked on our routing for tomorrow and got ready our documents. Tomorrow we would be riding across Thailand/Cambodia border via border towns of Aranyaprathet, Thailand and Poi Pet, Cambodia.

(Tuan Shawal, the Team Leader)

(Bro Faiyaz, the Wing Man)

(Mat Putt, the Sweeper)

(Mus/Mun)

(Azhar/Fazilah)

(MadWan/Effa)

(Nizam/Faiza)

(Group photo @ Princess Park Hotel)

(The ladies all geared up to ride)

(Riding out of Surat Thani in early morning)

(The morning was cool and misty)

(A cool shaded ride)

(Watching out for road signages)

(Refueling after every 200 km or 2 hours ride)

(Riding at a safe distance from each other)

(Approaching Bangkok, looking for a by-pass route)

(Sign of danger, ride with care)

(The start of a heavy traffic towards Bangkok)

(The sun was in our eyes)

(Bangkok sky line on the horizon)

(A panoramic view of the city of Bangkok) 

(Illegal entry on a tolled Motorway)

(Desperately looking for exit point)

(A much needed break outside the city)

 2015 Q4: 03 Sa Kaeo, Thailand - Siem Reap, Cambodia👉

👈2015 Q4 : 01 KL - Surat Thani, Thailand