Malaysia

My first destination in Malaysia was Penang, the island is famous for its culture, its food and of course the murals that adorn the walls of the old city. It was already 10pm when I exited the ferry from the mainland, I didn’t have accommodation booked and had no idea where to start. The first thing that became apparent was the night culture of the city, restaurants, cafes and bars were all full and people still filled the streets. Penang is a popular tourist destination and there was no shortage of hotels and hostels to choose from, my mission however was to find one with secure parking, Bingo! I stumbled across an old mansion come hostel with secure gated parking, perfect, this was my home for the next 3 days while I explored the island. I’d seen photos of the murals throughout the city and I was quite keen walk through the streets and see them for myself. Exploring by foot or bicycle is definitely the best way to take in the sights, sounds and atmosphere of the old city. I was armed with my trusty tourist map, which had the best known murals highlighted and I strolled my way through the streets with camera in hand. My route through the city took me through many interesting streets and through the floating markets, at times some of the murals were quite difficult to find and I’d team up with fellow tourists to search for the ones that were slightly hidden, after celebrating the discovery of a new mural we’d swap cameras and make use of the opportunity of a photographer. The streets of Penang are filled with restaurants serving delicious local dishes that the island is famous for and you are never far from a café, many of which have a unique theme, I was very glad that a quality coffee could usually be found around almost every corner.

After a day of sightseeing in the old city I spent the next day exploring the island on bike, the east side of the island was quite developed but as I followed the road west the buildings gave way to beaches, forest and villages. Penang really was a beautiful island to ride through and although I usually preferred the beaches and forests to the cities I was drawn to the atmosphere of old Penang town and was keen to spend another day walking its streets. I had missed a few murals on my last expedition through the city and was keen to head back for some photos, I bumped into a fellow traveller who looked a little lost looking for a mural I had already found and I offered to show the way, next thing I knew I was acting as a tour guide pointing out all the paintings I had found the other day, a new profession perhaps.

While I was in Penang I handed in the documentation for my bike and had a 2 week wait for the extension of my carnet to be finalised, this was perfect as it gave me some time to explore the country. I headed south along the West coast of Malaysia passing through many villages on the way, Malaysia has an excellent freeway system that runs the length of the country and although it is convenient it was nice to be on the backroads worrying less about making good time and concentrating more on enjoying the scenery. I by passed Kuala Lumpur and followed the coastal road to the seaside town of Port Dickson, a popular getaway for locals, I managed to find a small and very quiet beachside restaurant just outside of town and enjoyed a Nasi Lemak overlooking the water.

Malacca is a city that is full of history, its location on the narrowest part of the Malacca straights meant it was a strategically important city for Asian trade. The Sultanate of Malacca was established in the early 15th century, the city grew rapidly by encouraging traders to use it as a key port for Asian trade. Malacca was Subsequently conquered by many different nations, each of which leaving their mark on the city and providing it with a multi-cultural history. The Portuguese arrived in 1511 sparring the local Hindu and Chinese population but massacring the Muslim inhabitants, the Dutch followed in 1641 however although they controlled the city they decided to put more focus on the port of Batavia in Java as their base.  The British gained control in 1879 and the Japanese occupied the city during the 2^nd world war, after which Melacca returned to Malaysia. The old city is a UNESCO world heritage site and much like Penang it is best enjoyed by taking the time to stroll through. The old city of Malacca was another place I had an instant liking for, I spent most of my 3 days there walking through the streets, talking to locals, visiting the shops and of course sampling the local food. Malacca has a large Indian population and my visit was during Diwali, the festival of lights, I glad to be caught up in the local festivities, which included traditional dance and music.

My journey through Malaysia continued to take me south to the city of Jahor Bahru, an industrial city that is perhaps not the nicest to visit, however it is the gateway to Singapore and I was hoping to visit the Island city on motorcycle. I had visited Singapore several times previously however never with my own vehicle. I had some friends to visit and was hoping to explore a little more of the island with the use of the bike. The Idea was great in theory but in reality  the island city isn’t the most motorcycle friendly place and although I did manage to head to the outskirts of the island I spent much of my riding time worrying about entering one of the tollways that surrounded the city. The bike spent more time parked in my friends garage than I hoped but I still had a great time, it seems Singapore grows on you the more you visit it, it can be an oasis of organisation from the sometimes chaotic pace of life of its surrounding South East Asian neighbours.

The East coast of Malaysia is much less visited by western tourists than the west, from my experience it was definitely more conservative but the people were friendly and it was home to some spectacular beaches. Having travelled to so many tourist areas throughout Malaysia I had fallen into the trap of expecting to be able to communicate in English everywhere I went but here I was once again struggling to order some lunch, it was actually a nice change and as always I managed to communicate, this time using some very broken Bahasa Malaysia. I followed the East coast up to Terengganu where I turned inland to visit the Taman Negara national park.

Taman Negara was an opportunity to set my tent up and spend some time camping and hiking in the jungle, the park is still home to critically endangered Sumatran Tigers and Rhinos however they are very scarce and it is extremely rare to see one of these majestic creatures in the wild. For all its beauty Taman Negara was also quite a sad place to visit, it show cased the spectacular natural beauty that once covered Malaysia most of which has now been destroyed to make may for palm plantations. As I travelled overland through the country side I couldn’t help but be saddened by the amount of jungle that had to be cleared to make may for the palm oil industry, every now and again I would see a Karst rock formation covered in thick jungle vegetation rising above the palm groves almost as a monument to the natural beauty that had once been. It seems even Taman Negara itself isn’t completely immune, logging  is taking place right up to its borders and I wonder how long it will be before the borders of this jungle sanctuary slowly shrink to make way for industry and the pursuit of the almighty dollar.

It wasn’t all doom and gloom, getting away from civilisation and spending a few days camping in the jungle was the perfect way to
connect with nature, I set up my tent and spent the days trekking along the jangle tracks, always keeping an eye out for tigers, just in case. As much as I enjoyed my time in the jungle I was keen for a hot shower and a comfy bed, Cameron Highlands was the last destination on my list before I headed to KL and back to Australia. As much as I’d enjoyed the back roads of Malaysia I was ecstatic to get on the zigzagging mountain roads that led me up to the tea field of the Highlands. Cameron highlands are most well known for its tea production and its steep slopes are covered in tea plantations making for some spectacular views. The temperature drops noticeably as you make your way higher into the mountains and the towns have a distinct European flavour which is noticeable in the style of buildings. I visited tea plantations and strawberry farms but the highlight were the mountain roads, I was glad to be throwing the bike around some twisty corners once again.

My return to Kuala Lumpur saw my trip through South East Asia come to an end, it was time to say goodbye and get back to work to pay for the ride to Europe which I’m sure will bring as many memorable experiences.

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Bangkok to Malaysia

My year of riding through South East Asia was almost up, which meant I had to start heading back to Malaysia to organise a carnet extension, I also planned to store the bike there while I went home for a few months to work. Before heading back to Malaysia I decided to take a ride from Bangkok to the 3 pagoda pass on the border with Myanmar, this road takes you through some wonderful forests and also passes the infamous Hellfire Pass and bridge on the river Kwai. Hellfire pass was a particularly difficult cutting on the Burmese railway, also known as the death railway which was built by the Japanese in WW2 using forced labour including Australian and British prisoners of war. Conditions were extremely harsh and many died from cholera, dysentery, starvation, exhaustion and even being beaten to death during the 6 weeks it took to finish the cutting, over 12,000 allied POW’s  died in the construction of the death railway making it was a moving memorial to visit.

The road to the border took me past Erawan national park with its magical waterfalls and Sai Yok national park. I had been told about a dam on the way that had flooded a city, you were able to get a bungalow on the water and if you took a kayak on the lake you could still see the buildings, this sounded pretty good but when I arrived there just wasn’t any accommodation that was suitable for the bike. I pushed on and stayed the night in the town of Sangkhlaburri, which wasn’t far from the border, Sangkhlaburri was the home of the longest wood bridge in Thailand, it was originally built for transport but now is only open to people crossing on foot and has turned into somewhat of a romantic destination. The town was filled with romance themed hotels and cafes and there were love hearts everywhere, I felt a little uncomfortable being a single white tourist in what seemed to be a town full romantic Thai couples. The next day I made it to the three pagoda pass, I looked into to Myanmar hoping to return next year for the trip to Europe and then I turned around and headed for Malaysia.

I decided to avoid the main roads on the way back and took the back roads south through the forest of Phetchaburi, The roads twisted and turned through some stunning scenery until I arrived at the quiet sea side town of Prachuap Khiri Khan. Khiri Khan is a tourist friendly town that is surprisingly off the tourist map and as you stroll along the waterfront only a handful of westerners can be seen in the restaurants, guesthouses and hostels that overlook the ocean. I stumbled across a quaint little hostel not far from the water  called Maggies, It was comfy, cheap, had secure parking for the bike and was home to some very cool travellers, one of which was traveling through South East Asia on bicycle, this got me thinking about my next adventure…… some bicycle touring is on the cards perhaps.

From Khiri Khan I headed to Ranong district, more amazing forests and more windy roads, my destination was Khao Sok national park. A friend had told me about some floating bungalows in the national park, you can walk out your door and jump straight in the lake, it sounded like a great place to relax for a few days. When I arrived at the park I encountered a common problem on my motorcycle journey, I had to take a boat ride to the floating bungalows, which meant I had to leave my bike, there didn’t really seem to be anywhere secure to park the bike so I decided to look for other accommodation options within the park. I was hoping to stay somewhere slightly unique while I was in Khao Sok and luckily the park is also well known for its tree house accommodation. I spent a few nights chilling out in a room in the trees, each tree house was separated from the others so the I hardly saw any other guests other than the monkeys that also called the trees home.

My route to the Malaysian border took me through Krabi, a city surrounded by impressive Karst rock formations that dramatically rise out of the thick jungle, the spectacular cliffs here draw rock climbers from around the world. The beaches just outside of Krabi were picture perfect and I had planned to stay here for 5 days, however when I looked on the map I noticed the small island of Koh Lanta nearby, what better way to spend my last few days in Thailand then by chilling out on an island? As soon as I rode off the ferry to Koh Lanta it seemed that the pace of life slowed down immediately, the island had a strong beach and diving focussed tourist industry but it wasn’t as busy as many of Thailand’s more popular island hotspots, it was also the full moon so many revellers had headed to Koh Pha Ngan for the full moon party, leaving Koh Lanta for those wanting a more relaxed get away. I found a well priced bungalow on the beach and settled in to a few days of island life. Koh Lanta was a nice island to explore on the motorbike, the north was home to the main tourist district which had some nice floating restaurants and bars that were a great place to meet travellers and the South was home to a national park, the road between the two offered some great cliff top bars and restaurants with stunning views over the water. I could have easily stayed in Koh Lanta for longer and was slightly jealous of the dive instructors that made the island their home but as always I had to keep on moving, I wanted to explore Malaysia before I headed back to Aus. From Koh Lanta it was only a half day ride to the Malaysia border and I met a pair of Malaysian BMW riders that accompanied me for the trip, they were spending the night in Hat Yai so we parted ways just before the border. Well, this was it, another border crossing and goodbye to Thailand for now, I’d spent 3 months in the country and I still had so much to see and do, that’s ok, I will put it all on the list for next time.

 

 

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Mae Hong Son loop, Chang Mai to Bangkok

Here it was, the famous Mae Hong Son loop, people have told me there are better rides through the forest surrounding Chang Mai but there certainly weren’t any that were better known, I was keen to sink my teeth into the 1864 turns that the ride promised. My first day saw me do the section from Chang Mai to Pai, this is arguably the best section of riding on the loop, boasting 762 corners, and although there were roadworks along the stretch of road it was still an absolute dream to ride. I arrived at Pai all too quickly, I was enjoying myself that much I could have kept riding for the rest of the day but nonetheless I found a comfortable little bungalow overlooking the river and settled in to explore the area for a few days. Pai is a quaint little hippie town that definitely has a live free feel to it, the streets are full of cafes, bars and guesthouses all surrounded by lush forrest. If you’re looking for a genuine mountain village experience you won’t find it in Pai, it is definitely a town geared toward alternative lifestyle tourism, the town is overflowing with character and also interesting characters and it is easy so see why people fall in love with the place. It was handy to have the bike in Pai because many of the attractions are quite spread out, especially the many waterfalls that surround the town, I also paid a visit to the local hot springs which was a delightful way to spend half a day. Most days were spent either exploring the little town or exploring the local waterfalls and most nights were spent enjoying a drink and listening to live music at the local bars with the other travellers I had met, sometimes we would be lucky enough to have some of the students from the local circus school turn up and do impromptu performances.

3 days was enough to get a taste of Pai but I could quite easily have slipped into the chilled out way of life and got lost here for a few weeks or months, it was a good time to jump on the bike and keep moving. The next leg took me toward the town of Mae Hong Son, before I reached the town I turned north and headed to the hills to visit the village of Ban Raum Thail, there was a large lake just outside the village that was a perfect place to camp. As I arrived I stopped at a very small roadside restaurant to have dinner and buy some supplies for my short camping experience, the restaurant owner’s daughter chatted to me in English as I ate and then asked if I would like to join her later to help teach some local school children English. I’d never taught before and I was definitely out of my comfort zone but new experiences was what this trip was about so I said yes. I organised to meet later at the school and headed to the lake to set up my tent, it was a stunning location but I certainly wasn’t able to relax and enjoy the view because I was thinking about my upcoming teaching assignment. I arrived at the school and was introduced to the head teacher, whose name was Ben, he was originally from Myanmar and explained that he ran the school after hours so the kids could have the chance to improve their English skills on top of their normal studies. They told me that the kids could speak quite good English but they needed new people to talk to improve their confidence, all I had to do was chat with them, this was a relief and seemed much easier than I imagined. We walked into the class room, Ben introduced me, walked to the back of the class while I stood at the front, he looked at me, smiled and said “Ok Ray, teach”. I was a little lost at that point but once I told the kids about my motorcycle trip they opened up and it ended up being a great experience spending the evening talking to them, one which I hope to do again. I spent 2 days camping at the lake, on the second day I headed a few km further north and visited the village of Ban Rak Thai, The picture perfect village surrounds a small lake and the buildings all have a Chinese influence, best known for its selection of fine tea it was the perfect spot to stay for lunch.

The next morning I rode back along the small track to re-join the main road and continue to the town of Mae Hong Son. I took the opportunity to visit the immigration office while I was there to organise a visa extension and then took a ride through the town. Mae Hong Son is a nice town but I’m glad I chose to spend the last few days camping by the lake instead of staying in the city, I stopped for lunch and then continued the loop toward Doi Inthanon, Thailands highest mountain. As the altitude climbed the temperature dropped and I was soon riding through a thin veil of fog as I made my way to the summit. My original plan was to hike to the summit and camp on the mountain but it turned out that the road went to within a few hundred meters from the highest point so I simply left my bike in the car park and walked to the top in my riding gear for the photo. I had a few hours of day light up my sleeve so I headed down the hill and found a guest house for the night. The following morning I made my way back to Chang Mai and met 2 Dutch guys who had completed the loop on scooters, we rode the last section together, we had left the wonderful twists and turns behind and instead of negotiating fast paced bends we were negotiating traffic. All in all the Mae Hong Son loop lived up to the hype, it was an amazing road to ride and it took me through some really stunning scenery and towns, it definitely is a must for any rider passing through Thailand.

I returned to Jaidii guesthouse for a few days, packed the bike and then headed to Bangkok, I took the scenic route, which headed west toward the Myanmar border then I followed the border south for 2 days until I reached the town of Mai Sot. Much of the time riding along the border I would be looking across into Myanmar, dotted along the way were camps where Myanmar minorities lived hoping to get work in Thailand on one of the trucks that would arrive daily looking for workers to use as cheap labour, the beauty of the last few days riding was marred when I saw the grim reality faced by these poor people on a daily basis. From Mae Sot I headed East and was soon on the highway once again dealing with Thai traffic, the city of Ayuthaya was a welcome break. Once the Siamese capital, Ayuthaya Is home to many temples complexes and it was an interesting day walking through the ruins of the historic old city. This was my last stop before Bangkok and I soaked up the serenity of the ancient ruins as much as possible before I headed back to the nations bustling capital. Bangkok traffic is never fun and it is worse after you’ve spent the last few weeks enjoying winding stretches of forest roads, I sucked it up and made my way to my favourite hostel in Bangkok, Oasis backpackers hostel, where I knew I would have a warm welcome and a cold beer waiting for me when I arrived.

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Laos and Northern Thailand

 

 

I crossed the border from Laos to Thailand with very little hassle, the customs guys were very friendly and once the paperwork was done they asked to take some photos with me and the bike, my rule with anything involving government officials is not to stick around for too long in case they happen to ask for more paperwork, which can only cause me more holdups, I snapped my pics and was quickly back on the road. The difference between Laos and Thailand was immediately evident, the roads were busier the towns were bigger and there was more pollution and noise. My first destination in Northern Thailand was Chang Rai which I was told was the country’s arts capital. Chang Rai is home to Wat Rong Khun, which is better known as the White temple and is the creation of artist Chalermchai Kostitpipat, it is not actually a religious site but more of a tourist attraction and has a modern artistic flavour to it with sculptures throughout the grounds. As you enter the temple you pass a bridge surrounded by a sea of grasping hands and the inside of the temple is decorated with a modern space scene mural depicting images of transformers and George bush riding a rocket with Osama Bin Laden riding pillion. The Temple complex also includes a gallery of the artist’s work, this showcased some very impressive art however it also included a high proportion of portraits of the artist, I couldn’t help but feel as though much of what was on show at the white temple was for the gratification of the artist’s ego. I must say that I enjoyed visiting the white temple, it is one of the most beautiful and interesting I have visited but as far as the art goes I had the feeling that the artist was trying a little too hard to be provocative. It seemed to me that the artist is attempting to be avant-garde in the meaning behind his work but the ideas are reminiscent of something you’d see in a high school final art project, unoriginal art with borrowed political undertones, I can’t help but be a little unimpressed when you compare it to the likes of Hironimus Bosch and his artworks that  pushed the envelope over 400 years ago. Another must visit on the artistic trail in Chang Rai is the Black House, the grounds of which comprise of a number of stunning traditional buildings showcasing the art of Thawan Duchanee. The art is of an animist nature with many stuffed animals and skulls on display as you stroll your way through the grounds. The main building houses some very interesting furniture and artwork which are created from natural materials such as wood, bones and furs. The main building also has many paintings on display and although the artwork is very good, once again the main theme is portraits of the artist, which again left me with the feeling that these galleries are more for stroking the artist’s ego than for the artwork itself. Many of the people I talked to weren’t impressed with the black house, describing it as merely a collection of stuffed animals, I on the other hand quite enjoyed it, as much for the buildings as for the art itself.

I also visited a few smaller galleries around Chang Rai to get my art fix and these  actually delivered some more impressive work than the more well known artists, the art was great but I was starting to get keen to get out of the galleries and explore the surrounding area on bike. The North East of Thailand shares its border with Laos and Myanmar in the area which is known as the golden triangle and which is traditionally notorious for its poppy fields and opium production. I took a ride to the river junction that separated the borders and from the viewpoint you could gaze out over the 3 countries, very impressive indeed. A visit to the golden triangle isn’t complete without a tour through the opium museum, the little museum was full of interesting information about the history of the poppy and opium use throughout the years. The roads surrounding the area were great to ride and I enjoyed the twists and turns as I headed back to Chang Rai stopping in at a local Karen tribe village on the way, the Karen tribe are best known for the collection of brass Rings that the women wear around their neck. The girls in the village were busy doing traditional weaving and although they were a little shy they were more than happy to sit down and have a chat, it was great hear about their traditions and everyday life first hand.

From Chang Rai I headed to Chang Mai, the capital of the north, Many travellers I had met had told me what a peaceful and open minded place CM was so I had high expectations, I arrived to find a another large city, compare to the towns of Laos, Chang Mai didn’t rate on the peacefulness scale. The old city of Chang Mai is lovely however and after settling in to my bungalow at Jaidii Guesthouse I spent quite a few days walking the streets and laneways. Chang Mai is a hub for travellers wanting to explore the north of Thailand so there was no shortage of interesting people to talk to, it also has plenty of delicious food and great bars, one of the best being the Northgate blues bar, which would have punters overflowing onto the sidewalk to see some of the quality bands that performed there. The old city of Chang Mai was a great chance to drop the pace of my travels down a notch, do a little less sightseeing and a little more hanging out, I spent most of my time just chilling out at cafes, street food stalls local markets. I did allow myself to do a few touristy activities, one of which was enrolling in Thai cooking class, it would be a travesty to visit northern Thailand and not learn how to make a quality red curry, it was a great day, an added bonus being that most of the other aspiring Thai cooks were women. Something that drew me to Chang Mai was the roads, the area is a bit of a Mecca for riders throughout South East Asia and from around the world, it is home to some of the best riding roads in this part of the world, the most famous being the Mae Hong Son loop, which famously has 1864 corners. I was keen to get the bike onto the twist and turns of the loop but the bike needed a service after the punishment of Laos and Cambodia, Luckily Chang Mai has a BMW dealer so I was able to book the bike in while I relaxed in old town. They staff at Jaidii guesthouse were super helpful and let me store some of my baggage so I could enjoy the next few days riding with a little less weight on the bike, I picked the Beemer up from the dealer, got her packed and embarked on a ride that I had been looking forward to since I began my trip through South East Asia.

 



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