IDE Ride 2011 - Leg 1 & 2

Leg 1 - KL/Changloon/Durian Burung/Prakop/Sadao/Phatthalung - 730km


Highlights of Leg 1:
- Cool to Cold ride along PLUS hiway
- New border checkpoint of Durian Burung/Prakop
- sunset @ Great plains of Phatthalung


its going to be a long ride ahead, 500km of it will be on PLUS hiway. will be rolling as early as 0400hrs from R&R Sg Buloh. We should be in Changloon by 0930hrs after 3 stops (Simpang Pulai, Juru & Gurun).


will get insurance at Changloon and head for Durian Burung checkpoint via UUM route. was told the checkpoint is spanking new and very nice. however, thailand side is operating from container office.


after Prakop, we should expect a smooth nice hilly roads towards Sadao with minimal traffic. will travel 170km to Phatthalung, targeting to stay at Lampam Resort. ETA 1400hrs. Will shower and nap. will visit Phatthalung greatest attraction, thale noi lake and the great plains to watch sunset.. dinner at a nearby restaurant on stilts before retiring to recharge for Leg 2.

Leg 2 - Phatthalung/Surat Thani/Chumphon/Hua Hin - 670km


Highlights of Leg 2:
- unusual passengers in local pick-up trucks
- u-turns at every 5km along thai 'hiway'
- passing the narrowest part of thailand bordering Myanmar
- the holiday town of Hua Hin


another long ride ahead, 670km with an estimate of total time of 8 hours. we will leave Phatthalung after breakfast at 0930 and should arrive Hua Hin at 1730hrs to look for a place to put up for the night.


along this route, look out for lots of interesting passengers on local trucks, and will be passing familiar names like Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani & Chumphon. will be stopping every 1.5hrs to refresh ourselves... :)

trip planning - IDE Ride May 2011

planning a trip is my all time fav... tis time a trip to Pattaya, Thailand.


Aras & I met on Sat, have a meeting on the objectives of the ride, the route, understanding each other better, and general expectations. am very glad we are very much on the same frequency.


here's the plan...
5th : KL~Phatthalung (700km)
6th : Phatthalung~Hua Hin (670km straight Hiway)
7th : Hua Hin~Pattaya (350km meet JWs)
8th : R&R Pattaya
9th : Pattaya~Hua Hin (350km)
10th : R&R Hua Hin
11th : Hua Hin~Ranong (385km)
12th : R&R Ranong/Myanmar
13th : Ranong~Trang (425km)
14th : Trang~KL (163km + 530km Plus Hiway)


we are calling this trip the "IDE Ride May '11", you will be wondering what is this IDE, well... it stand for "Indian-chinese Duo Expedition" :)
I have always like to name my rides for easy reference in the future.


here's how the overall map looks like...

and this is the southern portion of IDE 2011...

and the northern portion and greater Bangkok/Pattaya...

coming up next... detailed highlights of individual leg of the 10 days trip... :)

frustrations & disappointment

ever change your plans to accommodate others but it doesn't turn out as planned?


we changed the date of a major event to accommodate a "VVIP" and later was informed that he cant be present due to "important" meeting. traditionally, an evening event would best be on mid week (tues-thurs) where people look for places to go and relax. harvesting on this mentality, we had planned for our event on a thursday evening. initial date was rejected by our "VVIP" due to meetings. subsequently, a 2nd date was chosen and endorsed by our "VVIP". then, a phone call came and we were asked to postpone to one day later i.e. Friday!!


friday is a nightmare for event organizers as traffic will be bad, people will have own plans, travelling etc


anyway, invitations were printed and all plannings underway for friday. then... 10 days to D-day, a phone call changed the already reluctant planning into a confused situation.. "VVIP" cant make it for the date he asked us to have the event!!! should we proceed or should we change? Decision to proceed... 


its really frustration & disappointment in one... now, i hope, i wish... the traffic is kind, turn out will be good, weather holds and the wanted success is in place tomorrow... damn u "VVIP"...




As if, work related frustration & disappointment is not enough, a much anticipated ride faces the same...


changes were made to accommodate some friends in a ride planning, routes changed, additional days, arguements with loved ones, all in the spirit of brotherhood and riding.


during planning, all is good, swell and agreed. and then... the news of "changes" didnt come direct from those friends... we had to probe and ask to finally get the answer "no, won't be doing it with you". haizz...


and to rub salt into the wound... the changes were made with price to pay especially the major debate with loved ones... now, its for nothing!!! anyway, Decision to proceed as planned with or without meeting our friends.


again, i wish, i hope this trip will make it worthwhile for all the frustrations & disappointments that i have gone through...

decisions...

have you ever gets disoriented by the decision you have to make?


today's world is so complicated and full of options that making a decision is no longer easy as A or B. to make 1 decision, you have to weight the pros & cons of it, people's reaction to it, people's acceptance to it, consequences that follows your decision, good or bad, etc.

whatever the problem is... i do tend to make rational decision rather than an emotional one (although have to admit that occasionally emotional ones are made too). however, i would like to use logic as a guide. 


logically... if conditions are not favorable to decision A for many reasons, then maybe its time to "stop/look/go" and decide on other options, rather than to stay in the decision and suffer the consequences for an even longer time...


maybe its my thinking and people may not agree... nevertheless, i guess i have to accept whatever that comes after i decided... if the decision is wrong, i will stop/look/go again... and learn from the experience that i have gone thru.

grown up??

i was surprised to be removed from my "kiddo"'s friend list in facebook...

is he grown up and it's uncool to have your dad in your fb friend list? or is it that there are things he doesn't want his old man to see? many questions, only he knows the real answer...

asked him about it... he said accidentally deleted!! ya, right... how can removing someone from list be accidental? you have to go to the person's profile, scroll down to bottom, click on a small word "unfriend" that's on the bottom left of the page. so how to accidentally???

well, i guess there comes a time, when someone gains the age or experience, you are no longer cool to them... and unwanted too... sad, why cant people be humble and modest... a friend once say and i would like to quote "always modest. Some times, some things are best kept under the carpet. Then we will value your friendship more..."

well, life goes on....

Riding Buddies

on a long ride, riding buddies are your companion, entertainer, helper... thru good and bad times, we will always laugh about it afterwards... it's always best to travel with buddies that understand each other, doesn't pre-judge and have the same objectives in the ride..


for me, i am not political and always prefers to be neutral in situations that require me to choose sides... :)


the bond with your ride buddy is important to ensure a safe ride... a simple and clear example is... are you comfortable to ride side by side another rider on a clear road? if the answer is no, then there's no bond between you and him/her...


another discipline in a convoy, if another rider is following behind you, do you worry that he might hit you if you swerve to avoid a pothole? if you do, again.. no bond..


you should be able to ride without such worries in mind... focus on the front rider and don't give him the same worry you have about the rider behind.. :)


here are some of my ride buddies that i have faith in... (many other but just haven't had the opportunity to do long rides with) kekeke....

 Ivan Slowee

Jeffrey Teh

 Capt Nik

 Chang

Daryl

 Kai

 Lionel

Andy

planning a 2,800km ride...

planning the ride has always been my favourite part of a trip...


route, packing list, place to stay, places to eat, nice food in area, service bike, tires, riding buddies, trip briefing, anticipation, etc are amongst the things to think about...


route planning is my utmost enjoyment.. have a destination, and plan everything in between... ride distance, petrol stop, lunch, hotel, places of interest etc..


this time... a trip to meet my fellow Motorraders in Hua Hin after their month long trip to the golden triangle and more.


Destination: Hua Hin
3 days to arrive (at leisure time)
places of interest: KawThoung of Myanmar, the corners of Ranong-Chumphon, the nice roads and corners of PhangNga-TakuaPa.


So planned the following:
Day 1: KL-Trang (700km)
Day 2: Trang-Ranong (450km)
Day 3: Ranong/KhawThoung
Day 4: Ranong-HuaHin (380km) - meeting point with JWs
Day 5: HuaHin
Day 6: HuaHin-Surat Thani (470km)
Day 7: Surat Thani-Hat yai (340km)
Day 8: Hat yai-KL (540km)


here's how it looks like on google map... :)

now... a route plan and schedule in place... apply leave and on with packing list etc... :)

my BMW R1200GS...

after picking up my newly acquired used BMW R1200GS 2008 in Nov 2009. i immediately took it to attend a Staff Dinner @ Sepang Gold Coast. halfway there, GS was jerking as if fuel starvation but still able to cruise along... a few KMs later, she decided to give up and i rolled to a halt... at Bangi-Sepang highway.


i waited for 15mins before attempting to restart her which failed too & its already dark... a few calls to colleagues & the SC at AB, arrangements were made to send GS back to AB Glenmarie. 2 hours later, a truck came to "rescue" GS while my colleagues came (after dinner) to rescue me!!


after diagnostic, i was told that the relay for the fuel pump has failed. further explanation on the probable cause is "storage".. it was replaced and bike was out of workshop 1 week later and no charge (including truck pick up) as it was under warranty.


a quick visit to Wunderlich proved to be expensive!! Akrapovic exhaust, vario panniers, lower protection bar, fork savers, brake-line protector, cruise control, bigfoot stand & BMW riding gears!!! Zumo 550 was installed.


blue wasnt my favorite color for GS but since i bought it used, i had plans for her to be coated in my fav Alpine White (which BMW later announced for 2010 prod, argh!!)


She has since evolved into what she is today with additional of... Alpine White color, Sargent seat, foglights, LED day running lights, Adventure panniers, front mudflap extender, rear splashguard, topbox (rear seat replacement), Zumo 660, slim tank bag, 3M headlamp protector, front beak extension and lots of stickers on panniers.


Now... i just need a pair of new foglights and black wheels, that will "complete" my GS. :)

not how she looks now but close..

why BMW R1200GS...

it started with a ride to Awana Kijal on my VFR800. the ride was long and was raining heavily. our planned arrival was supposed to be before sunset, however with the rain we arrived way passed 8pm...


after a quick shower, we went downstairs to have dinner... and my hands were so tired that i couldn't hold chopsticks with my fingers and ended up using a fork to eat noodles!!! it was then, i realized that alot of my weight is on my wrist riding the VFR.


immediately after the ride, i was already looking for solutions to long rides. and the options are - to install helibars on VFR OR change to a more comfortable bike for Long Rides.

 sample of helibar on VFR800

Helibars - will raise the handlebar to a higher position where riding position will be a lot more comfortable. example will be like the VFRs used by our Police Bike force. it was a quick solution for my long rides but i dread the look of the VFR with the modification... its just not meant to be like that!!!

More comfortable bikes - options were filtered to a few bikes namely, Kawa GTR 1400, BMW R1200RT & BMW R1200GS. All of them priced at RM115k plus minus. 

Kawasaki GTR 1400

BMW R1200GS Adventure

Weighing all 3 options... after a visit to Sunvay Cycle & AB Bukit Bintang

1. Kawa - awesome power, good looks but somehow i couldn't get used to the riding position and cockpit. Rejected...

2. RT - handsome, comfort and shortlisted

3. GS - rugged, nice riding position and shortlisted too

Brand new BMWs were not available due to shortage of stocks. 2 options were presented to me by the SC in AB, a used RT for 98k and a used GS for the same price of 98k. both are less than 1 year old.

in my mind, i have decided on the GS and wanted an R1200 GS Adventure!! the SC then told me that for my size, the GSA will become a burden to me after a few hundred KMs due to its size and weight. i bought his explanation... hence started looking at the used GS.

it was blue in color, 525km on the trip, 11 months old... after a quick look at the bike at the owner's hse in saujana, i decided!!! a week later the bike was in my posession!!! :)

my VFR800...

she was borned in 2003, but i didn't have her till August 2007. i remembered her as love at 1st sight after i have decided to get back to biking in July '07. She was in Red and only had 9k clicks on her. Sat there most of the 4 years. her previous owner didn't have much time for her...

after getting her, i have placed a new number on her WQJ8711... since then, i have showered her with much love via "more then usual" servicing, best oils available, a set of Ohlins suspension, a set of Honda Original panniers, Laser Exhaust, Power Commander, Paintshield Protection, 3M Headlamp protection, Gear shift indicator, heavier bar-end weights etc...

now, she enjoys her life more as we regularly goes for holidays, both locally and overland... that went on for 2 years till i felt that she was getting abit too sporty for my riding style... hence i looked at other options, ie BMW R1200GS.

But that didn't stop me from giving her the love she deserved, gave her a new coat of paint to refresh her now aging paintwork... the white theme was selected to cover her fine body...

with the new BMW, she was not neglected either, Jeffrey occasionally takes her out for a spin or two... and we had since went on tour a couple of times too. the two bikes met and i would say... a bond is in the air. one sporty while the other enduro... no clash in interest, only split in time spent..

1st April 2011, Jeffrey told me that he'll be meeting the buyer of my VFR in AmBank, i thought he was pulling an April Fool's joke on me.. but NO!! he was serious and the buyer made full settlement for her and was to meet at 1600hrs for a handover of cash & bike!! i was speechless... i had been planning to take her for a ride before something like this would happen, but i guess i had missed my chance for a final fling with her around the curves of Titi-Kong...

Loads of fond memories remain in my mind for our relationship... a 3.5 years of good times... i wish the new owner will treat you much better than i ever did. 

take care and you will be dearly missed, my VFR800... xoxo

am yearning for a longggg ride...

3 of my friends are set to go on a journey of a lifetime (for now, till new ambitions and funds) of 30 days on a biking adventure.. to indochina.

this has got me wondering when i am able to do the same... leave the job & family behind for such a long time and just go touring, just me, my GS & a few good riding buddies..

i AM yearning to ride... long and far... maybe, its my way of relaxation, peace and away from reality for some alone time. for now, i'll have to settle for my weekend rides and hopefully, i'll be able to join my friends when they are on their homeward bound route in a month's time...

Bon Voyage... my friends (Capt Nik, mustakim & ivan slowee)

have a great trip, may it be joyous, fun, smooth & safe...