Solo Ride To Chill

(Krabi) 2019

Solo Ride To Chill

(Krabi) 2019

This ride took place during September 2019 school holidays. It was a one week term break for me as usual the short term break would make me itch for a long distance ride. To the Land Of Smiles it would be ... this time, Krabi would be the ideal place to just sit back and chill with a good enough ride to cure the adventure touring syndrome. I had just returned from a family driving holiday to Kuala Lumpur in the afternoon (2p.m.) and less than 10 hours later, i Would be embarking on my motorcycle journey...without any sleep in between. It was early morning (12 in the morning) that I set off for Singapore Tuas Immigration checkpoint ... ready to begin my September adventures on my trusty steed.

All items ready to tour

Travelling light this time...mostly the photography equipments

Bike is all set

Touring stuff and other equipments fitted into the panniers.

Phase 1 of the ride

For the first phase of the ride we are looking at riding through 800km of the North South Malaysia Highway through the states of Johor - Melaka - Negeri Sembilan- Selangor - Perak - Kedah to make it to the Border Checkpoint of Malaysia (Bkt Kayu Hitam) and Thailand (Sadao)

Day 1 of Solo Ride To Chill (Krabi)

Singapore - Krabi

1400km
We shall be riding on the Malaysian Highway through the night in the hope to be able to arrive early at the borders to avoid the massive holiday queues. There are usually throngs of people crowding up the immigration counters during such long vacation periods. There will be ocassional stops for petrol refuelling, toilet breaks and some drinks and snacks to keep us fresh. Riding at night...one has to be able to keep ourselves awake and not fall for the ZZZzzzz monster. This usually comes in the early hours of the morning between 3am to 5am when the brain is getting ingto its usual rhythm of sleep.

Rest stop to Refuel

The bike and the tummy needed am much deserved stop halfway along the way in Kuala Lumpure, Selangor, Malaysia. Normally a petrol station would be an ideal place to rest as it is well lit with toilet and food amenities ... most important of all there are people ensuring safety.

Total distance covered of 800km along the North South Highway leads us to the last town before the Thailand borders. This is the town of Changloon, in Bukit Kayu Hitam. Throughout the years, I have made friends with one of the shops owners dealing with compulsory Thai insurance as well as they can managed the paperwork that will be needed to cross the borders into Thailand.

We made good time taking a slow relaxed ride, in all it took us about 7 hours to get here with all the stops. Was invited by the owner to join him for breakfast at the roadside stall next door belonging to his brother. As this was supposed to be a relaxing trip, I sat down and enjoyed breakfast...after all there was no need to rush as I was quite early and the roads were generally empty. All my documents has been pre-prepared together with a pair of SIM card. All this had been arranged a week before I left Singapore at the convenience of sending messages through Watsapp on my smart phone. With the details and photos of document given, they had it ready for me to collect at my arrival....so hey we have time for teh tarik and roti canai.

The customary shot

Most overlanders always take a customary shot when they crossed borders so here goes... doesn't matter how many times I have crossed...I will always take a photo here.

At the new border complex

Sadao has just completed the new border complex (Arrival) to welcome tourist entering from Malaysia. You would think that this would solve the long snaking queues that people spend hours waiting in line for...this would not solve them either.

I was very lucky that the border checkpoints were still quite empty today although it was almost 8 in the morning Malaysia Time. There are barely tourists who are coming in for the weekend. Perhaps this would be the only time that I had passed through the Thai immigration without a queue or having to wait for a while before it was my turn to be admitted into Thailand. All my paperworks were in order so I had no problem going through the process and within minutes I was in Thailand....ready for my adventures.

Welcome To Thailand

Even Tigger is happy to be back in Thailand,

# At the point of writing (March 2022), we have not been able to travel, to cross any borders due to the Covid Pandemic. Countries are closed for travellers for almost two years and going with slight relaxation of the regulations of visitors coming ion 2022. How badly hit has the world been due to the Covid virus. This has affected the livelihood of many people dependent on tourist arrivals. For us we are "trapped" in our own countries especially Singapore that is small and lack great riding places for adventures....we do try to make do though.

Now That we are in Thailand, we are all ready to start our adventures, finding new places to visit, new sites to see or even revisits those sites that we have been. Well here goes.......vrrooommmmm.

Phase 2 of The Ride

The second phase will be from daybreak onwards which was planned to have cleared the Thailand Border by 9am and from there we shall make our way to Krabi with some places to visit along the way.

Bingna Cafe (Phattalung)

One of the latest cafe to popped up around Phattalung region is Bingna Cafe. This cafe is situated just outside of the city centre and very near to the main highway of Route 41.

Bingna Cafe boast very open pastures with a mountain standing in the backdrop. There are many displays/artwork littered around the padi fields with the clsuter of Bingna Cafe suitable for those insta-worthy shots. The drinks and cakes served at the cafe itself was savoury and great of a hot afternoon. Sit back and enjoy the cakes while looking at the beautiful backdrop

From Bingna Cafe after a quick walk around plus some desserts and a cold slushy juice, we ride over to the

Phattalung Grand Canyon

Phattalung Grand canyon is a quarry that has been left and over the years the build up of water from the rain creates the water table for this site. Slowly it has been developed into a places for local people to visit. It is not popular to tourists as Phattalung is not a popular tourist destination. However do take note that Phattalung Boast some beautiful sights .

Aerial Drone shot of the Phattalung Canyon.

From here we continue to ride from Phattalung to Trang. We shall be stopping by a very interesting garden where the decorations are made from carved trees and woods are used in various manner. For this we have to ride another 200km away into the outskirts of Trang. and heading towards our destination of Krabi.

Dragon Tree Park

Situated in Trang District, far away from the town, we navigate route 4 along the Trang highway to catch a glimpse of the rumoured Dragon Tree Park. Try to see the Dragon head, body and tail in each of the sculpture.

This is just around 150km out of Krabi Province. Sun was high up above our head signalling it was almost midday and the hottest time to be out especially in Thailand where the Sun just bites your exposed skin during the dry months. From here it would a short ride to Aonang, Krabi which is their popular touristy seaside town however it is definitely much quieter and laidf back compared to Phuket or Samui. Riding the curves of Trang for anothe 1.5 hours before we arrive at the crossjunction between Krabi Town and Aonang. A right turn and we are headed towards our destination. Next up is to find a suitable hotel to stay at. During a previous visit, I had met with friends who had stayed in Bluesotel Krabi hotel and they gave good reviews about the hotel so this time I would give it a try.

The Sailfin Marlin

The sailfin marlin siotuated in the middle of Aonang Beach is the symbol of the region. Known for its blue sea and white beaches, tourist flock here to enjoy the Sun, The Sand and The Sea.

Finally We Are Here!

Finally arriving at our destination in Krabi after 31 hours of no sleep and back from a family trip and then straight ride out to Thailand... all my holidays are like this believe it or not. Hopefully will be energetic enough to keep on doing this for years to come. The only way to balance family time and biking trip for now.

Ao Nang Muslim Street

First up upon arrival in Aonang, I had to visit my favourite Thai Tom Yam stall and by far it has not disappointed me. I first found this stall back in 2014 when I was on my roadtrip with my family. We drove our car to Krabi and we found this gem of a food stall. Ever since then I would always return each time I am in town. If you are ever in town, it is just across the mosque and it has upgraded its look compared to when it was years ago.

"Flashback to our Family Roadtrip in 2014 " (will write a blog on this soon)

After our late lunch we took a ride down to Krabi Town to catch a boat to one of the places that I have been wanting to visit but never had the time. This time although we are short on time I told myself I would try to get to visit it even if it was just for a short while since the sun was up...we have about 3 hours or so before sunset. We rode the bike to the Crab statue along the riverbank and took a boat to Khao Khanab Island.

Khao Khanab Nam

Khao Khanab Nam Mountains are widely regarded as the symbol of Krabi. Inside the caves there are beautiful cluster formations of stalagmites and stalactites created over thousands of years alongside prehistoric paintings.

A large number of human skeletons were also discovered inside these caves which legend considers to have been people who were either trapped when cut off by the water and died in the flood or who were once living in the caves.

To get to it, you can take a boat across along the piers situated near Krabi forest. As I was short of daylight I only requested for a boat to take me to the island and back. There are other packages that you can sign up for.

From there we rushed back to Aonang about 14km away in distance hoping the catch the sunset along the beach. One thing that I love to do during my trip is to catch sunset in the region that I am visiting. This is definitely worthwhile as different region has a different landscape that helps to make the daily phenomenon more beautiful.

Sunset over Aonang

Many tourist were also flocking to the beach to catch a glimpse of the sunset over the Aonang Beach.

From there we just walked around the vicinity and had dinner and chill under the giant karst outcrop of Aopnang.

Day 2 of Solo Ride To Chill (Krabi)

Morning in Aonang

Aonang Beach

Second day of the trip as we wake up fresh from a good night sleep and out and about in the early morning. I tend to get hungry whenever I am in Thailand as the food are always all so yummylicious. Took a walk to the beach early in the morning to sniff up the fresh air. Walking along the sandy beach with the white sand in between your toes was really soothing.

What is a good distance ?

A question on what would be a good distance for a first timer to ride. Of course there are many who have rode more than what i recommend so this is just a rough gauge ...something that is suitable for someone to try and see their stamina to ride long distance.

From the morning walk along the beach, we went back to the hotel after breakfast and sat down by the balcony overlooking the swimming pool. The hotel is truly nice to stay in, cozy yet it gives off a relaxed vibe. I was contemplating staying another night in Krabi (take note that I only have 2 nights in total for my trip) however I decided that I would like to ride more and explore more places that I have not been to. So one night it shall be in Krabi. We sat by the pool and relaxed till it was near check out time at noon. My next destination would be the town of Hatyai where I will spend the night. From here I would revisit the province of Trang and explore a few other places in Trang which I have never been to.

Day 2 of Solo Ride To Chill (Krabi)

Krabi - Trang - Hatyai

300km

So upon check out we rode out of Krabi and headed back to Trang...somehow I was not satisfied that there were some places That I have not been to in Trang and I do want to explore these places.

Phase 2 of The Chill Ride

So we headed back southward towards the town of Kantang in Trang Province where we will be doing some exploration of new places and landmarks. From there we will end of the day in Hatyai.

While the southern province of Trang usually conjures up images of serene beaches, the province has many other places of interest to entice visitors. Trang’s district of Kantang is a hidden gem that we would like to introduce to you. Located about 24 km. from downtown Trang, Kantang is the former administrative capital of Trang province. It’s an old district with an illustrious history as a major port by the Andaman Sea. Although it’s now a far cry from a bustling town it once was, you can’t help but feel nostalgic when seeing its old buildings. In addition to pristine beaches, Kantang boasts both eco and cultural attractions.

Kantang Train Station

It is the last terminal of the Southern-Andaman train railroad. This Kantang train station was officially opened on 1st April 1913. In the past, it was used as the trading products depot with the neighboring countries such as Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia.

The station was registered as an ancient place by Fine Arts Department in 1996. The Panya style in mustard-yellow crossed with brown wooden house was also built. It has the classical architecture which was famous in King Rama VI reign. The mustard-yellow and brown colors have become the signature color of the train station building. There is stretching railroad for another 500 meters to Kantang harbor which was the ancient harbor.

This classic century-old station is the terminus of the Southern-Andaman train railroad. It was officially opened on 1 April, 1913. The Station used to handle cargo from Thailand’s trade with Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia in the days when it boasted a 500-metre-long track that extended to Kantang Port.

End of The Andaman Railway

This historical landmark marks the end of the Andaman Railway.

From Kantang Train station we headed down further to search for Kantang Hotspring. It was a distance away and further inland within villages.

Leaving Kantang hotspring we, headed towards Hatyai bypassing Had Chao Mai National Park and also Pak Meng Beach. From here we made a turn towards Songkhla and then into Hatyai. Arrived in Hatyai in the late afternoon and settled into our usual hotel of Choice. From here on will be rest and scurrying the night market for roadside stalls.

First thing once we reach Hatyai town was to drop by my favourite Thai chicken rice shop. Never have I been to Hatyai withoput visiting Kai Tod Decha. A simple meal of chicken rice and Thai tom yam to make the day.

Later at night went out food hunting along the night market of Hatyai Walking Street. Bumped into riding friends who were making their way from Hua Hin. Stopped by for a while and chatted. Said our goodbyes and congtinued with our food hunt.

Day 3 of Solo Ride To Chill (Krabi)

Hatyai - Singapore

880 km

Next morning will be the journey home to Singapore, it was a rainy morning to depart Hatyai but we still did wanting to arrive in Singapore before night so that I could see my family before they sleep. It was a Sunday and the next day would be a schooling day all over again. So it is important to reach Singapore early so that we can have enough rest before starting work tomorrow. Had breakfast at the nearby Hamid Restaurant in the morning. Finally we departed Hatyai around 11 am (12 noon Malaysia Time).

Phase 3 The Journey Home

It takes about 80 km from Hatyai to the border in Sadao and approximately 800km on the North South Malaysian Highway back to Tuas in Singapore. We shall plan to cover all this in less than 7 hours including all the border crossing. Lets hope we are able to make it.

As I was pumping Petrol at the nearest PTT, a convoy of bikes rolled in. They are Thai bikers heading to Kuala Lumpur for a Bike Week. They are fully dressed in their costume even when they are riding...how cool is that?

Cool Batman Rider

Apparently he is very well known in Thailand as a rider who dress up as Batman and goes around the Bike Week event

Said hellos and chatted for a while before parting ways to say goodbyes (saw him again along the Malaysian Highway). The highway heading down was jam packed with traffic this time. It was heavy traffic from Penang all thge way down to Johor. Petrol stops were packed with cars as well as rest stops.