49 days, over 11,000kms, 6 countries, 9 border crossings, 48 refuel stops, 2 bike drops, 1 engine breakdown, 3 other minor bike issues, 4 ferry crossings, 2 underwater dives, and infinite number of bugs killed, all made for one amazing experience! What started as an idea to take a short bike trip lead to me dreaming of doing the famous Mae Hong Son loop in Northern Thailand on my motorcycle, and eventually evolved into a SE Asia tour.
This was my first trip travelling solo on a motorcycle. In fact, it’s my first overland tour beyond Peninsular Malaysia. Preparations were minimal. I had no prior experience with travelling with a motorcycle. So I packed what I thought I needed to carry along for the trip and off I went.
To keep my friends and family members back home assured that I was safe, I kept my blog updated almost on a daily basis. Click on the links below to follow my day-to-day adventure!
(All photos and video clips were captured with an Apple iPhone 5s.)
SINGAPORE / MALAYSIA
Day 0 – Planning and preparations for the trip
Day 1 – Singapore to Penang
THAILAND
Day 2 – Crossing into Thailand
Day 3 – 800km sprint to Ratchaburi
Day 4 – Travelling to Mae Sot – the border town of Thailand-Myanmar
Day 5 – Tararak Waterfall, Pacharoen Waterfall, and Maekasa Hotspring in Mae Sot
Day 6 – Mae Sot to Chiang Mai
Day 7 – Exploring Chiang Mai – Doi Suthep, Bhubing Palace
Day 8 – MHS Loop commenced. Doi Inthanon, Maeya Waterfall, Mae Klang Waterfall, Wachirathan Waterfall.
Day 9 to 11 – Mae Hong Son Loop. Mae Chaem, Mae Sariang, Mae Hong Son, Pai.
Day 12 – Breakdown in Pai.
Day 13 – Bad news – engine needs rebuilding.
Day 14 to 15 – Camshaft bearing catastrophic failure. FedEx parts from Singapore.
Day 16 – Thailand visa problems and engine parts arrived in Chiang Mai.
Day 17 – Travelling to Chiang Rai.
MYANMAR / THAILAND
Day 18 – Golden Triangle and travelling into Taichileik, Myanmar
Day 19 – Back to Chiang Mai to collect my ride!
Day 20 – Travelling to Chiang Khong with a new engine.
LAOS PDR
Day 21 – Crossing into Laos. Chiang Khong to Luang Namtha.
Day 22 – Travelling to Luang Prabang.
Day 23 – Around Luang Prabang and Kuang Si Waterfalls.
Day 24 – Out of Luang Prabang into slippery roads. Bike fell and hurt my right knee.
Day 25 – Travelling to Vang Vieng.
Day 26 to 27 – Vang Vieng to capital city of Vientiane.
Day 28 – Kong Lor Cave and Thakhek.
Day 29 – To Pakse and Vat Phou.
Day 30 – Bolevan Plateau loop and meeting a Singaporean.
Day 31 – Si Phan Don (4,000 Islands) and Kone Phapheng Waterfalls.
CAMBODIA
Day 32 – Crossing from Laos to Cambodia at the Vuen Kham – Stung Treng border.
Day 33 to 34 – Into and around Phnom Penh. Visited the Bajaj Phnom Penh dealership.
Day 35 – Kampot and the salt fields.
Day 36 – Bokor Mountain in Kampot, travelling back to Phnom Penh, and appearing on a Cambodian news website.
Day 37 to 38 – Travelling to Siem Reap and the Angkor Archaeological Park.
Day 39 to 40 – Poipet, crossing into Thailand, and Pattaya.
THAILAND
Day 41 – Leaving Pattaya. Bangkok hates motorcycle. Getting myself stuck in the Bangkok motorcycle maze.
Day 42 – Iron-butting my way down to Surat Thani. 600km and almost 8hrs.
Day 43 – Surat Thani – Don Sak – Koh Samui. sgBikerBoy takes his Pulsar 200NS onto a ferry.
Day 44 – Diving in Koh Samui / Koh Tao. Finally, after seven years.
Day 45 – Leaving Samui and heading to Hat Yai.
MALAYSIA
Day 46 – Hat Yai, Thailand to Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia. Meeting friends.
Day 47 – Out of Penang, lunch in Ipoh, and escaping the heat to Cameron Highlands.
Day 48 – Heading to Malacca, UNESCO Heritage City.
MALAYSIA / SINGAPORE
Day 49 – Singapore, home sweet home.