Day 14 - Phetchaburi to Bangkok (147.45km)

Day 14 - 15th July 2008

Bangkok..... 2 weeks to reach my destination.

Had my final "mechanical" problem with my bike. A puncture in Samut Songkhram. There was absolutely no shade along the stretch where I could fix my bike so I went to a "factory" along the stretch and seeked permission to use the benches and shaded area to fix the puncture.

The employees were curious and asked where I was from. After I had fixed my puncture. They offered me a ice cold water in a mug which I appreciated very much. They even offered to top up my water bottle for the final stretch. Bid them farewell and thanked them for their help.

Just a couple of kilometres before central Bangkok, stopped at a Petronas station. So far I had spotted 3 in Thailand. I needed to get myself orientated in Bangkok. My previous experience riding in Bangkok with my motorbike caused me much "distress". The sois and signs can cause some confusion and the occasional one way traffic at certain times will see you going down the wrong flow of traffic.

Whipped out my map and checked with the people at the station where I was was, how much more I had to cover. At this point, I did not know where I was going to stay. I had some options. I could stay at the over-rated and touristy Khao San near the democracy monument. I could stay at Silom near Lumpinee park which would put me close to the bicycle shop in Soi Sarasin where I need to head to to pack my bike for my flight back to Singapore.

I somehow managed to reach Central Bangkok by checking with police officers, shop owners and even tourists along the road by asking them where was Lumpinee park. I passed Hualumpong station and reached the national statium. Anyway I knew there were a couple of decent hotels near the sois near the national stadium so decided to find soi 1 near the national stadium and got myself a room in an inn at a great deal. 700 baht per night. It's a little known backpacker area near the heart of the shopping district.

Completed my long ride.... Singapore to Bangkok. 2180km. 14 Days.

Day 13 - Prachuab Khiri Khan to Phetchaburi (162.25km)

Day 13 - 14th July 2008

It was singlespeed all the way today. Broke my rear derailleur cable on the way to Phetchaburi. Didn't have any spares but hoped that there would be a bicycle shop in Phetchaburi who could replace it.

Although there was a shop in Phetchaburi selling bicycles. It seemed the mechanic was not present to fix up my derailluer cable.

Decided the problem was not too serious. I was just another day to Bangkok.

Found a hotel for 200 baht close to the exit of town.

Did a quick fix on my derailluer by first dumping my derailluer cable and housing. Adjusted the derailluer so that the chain would be in the middle sprockets.

The bike was still rideable and all I needed to do is resist the temptation to change gears.

Day 12 - Prachuab Khiri Khan, Rest Day

Day 12 - 13th July 2008

Rest Day

I'm flooding the blog with words... anyway here are some pictures taken in Prachuab Khiri Khan

Day 11 - Chumpon to Prachuab Khiri Khan (180.37km)

Day 11 - 12th July 2008

180.37km

This the ride I had been waiting for. I've been to Prachuab Khiri Khan in 2006 when I rode my motorcycle here. So far, it's the least touristy town I've encountered in Thailand. I was looking forward to visiting this town again. I enjoyed the variety of food in this town and it's proximity to the beach and it's beautiful bays. The images still linger around in my mind.

It was uneventful ride all the way to Prachuab. Passing the narrowest point in Thailand. I spot signs pointing me to Myanmar. I'll love to go there one day but not at this moment.

About 35km away from Prachuap as I riding at "breakneck speed" to the town I spotted 2 recumbents by the shoulder with flags of Australia & Thailand on them. At first I rode past, then I spotted that one of the riders called me. I turned back and stopped for a chat. It was good chatting with them as it brought things back into perspective. I was riding distances which were a bit too long and not stopping to really appreciate my surroundings. Thanks to Lee for also writing in Thai several words which would allow me to find suitable accmodation. Although I was nearing the end of my trip, the list will certainly be useful for me in the future when I do return to Thailand. Visit their website to know more about them and their ride http://www.pcw.iinet.net.au/

After my chat with Mal & Lee, I needed to get to Prachuab Khiri Khan while Mal & Lee were looking for accomodation in a guesthouse in the area.

Just before sundown, I managed to get to Prachuab Khiri Khan. In my previous trip, I used to stay at the Hudaloh Hotel. It was the only "real" hotel in Prachuab. I saw a group of Thai motorcyclists at the hotel. At the moment, I was really missing my motorcycle. Anyway, I enquired with the staff if any rooms were available. I was surprized that the price of a room had increased. 2 years back, a room facing the bay Ao Prachuab cost 600 baht and a room in the basement cost 400 baht. I decided to check out other accomodation around the vicinity.

Along the same stretch, there is another hotel. Suksant Hotel. I checked if there were rooms. I had the option of choosing a fan or air-con room. I decided to go with the fan rooms which was a good choice as the rooms faced the Ao Prachuab. Beautiful Views. The hotel's lift was also long enough for me to simply wheel in my bike into the lift without any effort.

I decided to stay another night in Prachuab and explore this beautiful & quiet Thai town.

Day 10 - Surat Thani to Chumpon (195.89km)

Day 10 - 11th July 2008

195.89km

It's back on the main Highway to and I'm now on my way to Chumpon. This town is the marker for me which will signify the end of the deep southern end of Thailand and the start of the upper gulf of Thailand.

I've not mentioned this before but all the towns are off the main highway. To get to Chumpon, I had to divert off the main highway and get to the roads leading to the town. Comparing this to Malaysia, where the main highway runs right through the towns, cities and states. The design of the roads in Thailand are very different. I guess it's a whole lot more better as the main towns are kept away from traffic which could disrupt the feel of the town.

I briefly got lost at Chumpon and made a big loop around town. After checking with a nurase who was waiting for a motorcycle taxi at a nearby hospital, I got my bearings right and found my way to the a hotel listed in the Lonely Planet guidebook. I checked into the Morakot Hotel. It was listed in the guide that this hotel is located behind a motorcycle dealership. And true enough, the lobby was actually behind the motorcycle shop.

The staff were friendly and it was about 350baht for a room with air con and cable TV. Bicycles can be brought to the room. Rooms were spotless.

Day 9 - Nakhon Si Thammarat to Surat Thani (145.33km)

Day 9 - 10th July 2008
145.33km

The distance to Surat Thani was short compared to what I've done so far but this was a section which had a couple of hills to conquer. They were seriously not too tough and it was a welcome change from the usual flat terrain I encountered along the main highway 4.

This province is the gateway to Ko Samui, Ko Pha Ngan. If you watched the movie "The Beach" starring Leonardo Di Caprio, you'll have a rough idea of what's in store in this beautiful islands. The islands are very touristy nowadays.

Along the way to Surat Thani, I also passed Don Sak. Don Sak also has regularly scheduled ferries to the islands such as Ko Samui. Bicycles and motorbikes are allowed on the ferries.

In Surat Thani, I was paced by a lady on a motorbike who was kinda interested to know where, why and how I came down to her town. What was interesting about this conversation was that the lady spoke English to me. Told her the details and reassured myself by asking her if I was heading to Surat Thani in the right direction.

I was in Surat Thani at around lunch and by luck when I approached a police officer to check for the nearest hotel, I discovered that I was at the back of a hotel. I immediately proceeded in without knowing what was the name of the hotel. Approached the staff and the first thing I checked was if there were rooms and if I was allowed to bring my bicycle into the room.

I discovered I checked into Siam Thara Hotel. It cost 390 baht for an air conditioned room. The furnishings in the room were retro. Especially liked the red dial phone in the room. It was a decent place for the night.

As always food is never an issue in amazing Thailand. Just across the street, there was a shop selling cooked food.

Saw a couple of cyclists riding past, decided to find out if there was a bike shop nearby but didn't get a chance to explore the town fully. Will probably be back there sometime in the future.

Day 8 - Hatyai to Nakhon Si Thammarat (205.24km)

Day 8 - 9th July 2008

205.24km

For this section of the ride, if I had the capability, I would have loved to ride all the way to Surathani and save a day. But that would have probably added an additional 100km to my already "painful" 200km. So I decided to stick to my orginal plan and ride to Nakhon Si Thammarat. I would live to not regret the decision.

From Hatyai, I headed to Phattalung. Couple slopes to get over. Was wishing for some motorized transport. Wished I had a powerful 600cc motorbike with me to get me over these hills. But seriously, it was not too tough and just before Thung Song, I turned right towards the highway 403 which leads to highway 408. Highway 403 will lead me to Nakhon Si Thammarat from the southern end of town.

It was in this section, during my numerous breaks, I met a Thai cyclist. I was at a shop, drinking a bottle a coke and refilling my waterbottle when a cyclist past me. He caught a glance of me and waited for me down the road. I stopped to say hi. I guess he was kinda training. Although instintively, I wanted to follow him at his speed. I refrained from doing so.

This is the first time I'm in Nakhon Si Thammarat. This a a very real Thai town. Did not see many tourists in town. And at the time I arrived, lots of students just finished school and traffic was heavy. Lots of tut tuts, motorcycles and cars. Initially, I overshot the town and ended up at a fish market... I figured out I had overshot when the buildings and signs faded away as I continued to cycle pass. I took out Lonely Planet, Thailand from my panniers and checked the map. To be extra sure, I checked with one of the business owners in the market where the hotel was. I was pointed in the direction back into town.

I made a U-turn and kept my eyes peeled out for any signs pointing to a hotel. Finally I found Thai Lee Hotel. It was about 420 baht a night. I was not allowed to bring the bicycle to my room but the staff took good care of my bike.

Upon entering the hotel, my bike was wheeled into the security room inside the lobby and placed securely in the room. I just tried my luck by checking if I could bring my bike to the room, but it was not allowed. I was satisfied with the assurance given by hotel staff and pretty impressed by the the urgency of staff in making sure I was comfortable.

It cost be 420 baht for an airconditioned room with hot water and cable TV which is excellent value for money.

Anyway Nakhon Si Thammarat has some amazing wats. One of the biggest wats in the country are found in this province. There was a very good food centre behind the hotel. Dinner was settled there and it was back to the hotel to recover.

Day 7 - Hatyai, Rest Day

Day 7 - 8th July 2008
Rest Day

Today I could wake up a bit more later and not need to follow any routine.

I went shopping for some motorbike accessories at the shops. Found a couple of stuff I was looking for. I did not think much about how I was going to carry it all the way to Bangkok, but I knew there was a way.

Visited the bicycle shop again to look around and check around for any cool riding places in Hatyai. Know there's a mountain biking trail near some University in Hatyai. Will have to find out more next time.

Went for a Thai massage at Lee Garden plaza at the health centre. It's not the best massage around but it did help me the next day.

Went down to Carrefour to just buy some drinks and food to munch around. Walked to Carrefour from my hotel, after my shopping took the motorcycle taxi back for 30 baht.

Day 6 - Alor Star to Hatyai (141.06km)

Day 6 - 7th July 2008
141.06km

Leaving the capital of Kedah, Alor Star. I have 2 options. I can head to Perlis and cross the border at Padang Besar or I can stay put in Kedah and head to Bukit Kayu Hitam.

I have crossed into Thailand several times via Bukit Kayu Hitam when I was riding my motorbike. You may be surprized to know that I have never flown into the Thailand before. This time, just to try a different border (I'm a border fanatic). Another border I have crossed to get into Thailand is Sungai Kolok (where there have been many terrorists activities). This border is accessed via the state of Kelantan. Just as I write this, I just read that there has been another Muslim teacher killed in this part on Thailand. The 100th Muslim Teacher to be killed. The Teacher was riding his motorbike.

Fortunately, I was far away from this border this time on my bicycle and I decided to try the Padang Besar instead of the usual border at Bukit Kayu Hitam. Anyway Bukit Kayu Hitam is a popular border, the North-South Highway (E1) ends at this border. I'll visit that border soon. Just not now.

I had to say goodbye to highway 1 and say hello to highway 7. This highway is going to lead me all the way to Thailand.

Heading towards Perlis, I pass the capital, Kangar. Somehow, I did not see anything significant in the capital of Perlis. But the roads were quiet and rice fields all the way down the road. Lots of twists and turns out of Alor Star along Highway 7 but fortunately the roads were marked guiding me.

As I approached the border, the first things I noticed were the pickups and motorbikes bearing Thai registered licence plates. I was getting closer to completing a major milestone of the trip. Reaching Thailand. Closer to the border, roads got a bit bad. Lots of people and businesses cramped up together, reminded me of Johor Bahru back home. But this was not Johore Bahru.

At the border I first cleared Malaysia immigration, the malay officer asked "Macha, Enkai Poringa?" In Tamil, that translates to "Brother, Where you going?" So I told him I'm going to Bangkok. The guy bid me farewell and wished me luck. Next it was Customs. In the local paper, The Star on the day, there was an article of two retired 60 year guys who were cycling to Beijing. So the customs officer stopped me and asked me where if I was going to China and where I was from. Told him I'm not cycling to China and that I'm from Singapore. No hassles and smooth going in Malaysia.

I finally cross over to Thailand. Requested for an embarkation card from the duty immigration officer and filled it up and go my stamp on my passport to enter Thailand. There was little human traffic at this border. Seemed to be mainly vehicles which were involved in trading that were active at this border. The officer came out for a chat. He spoke pretty good English.

After crossing the border, It was the beginning of a new highway. Highway 4 in Thailand. Thailand's roads are usually in excellent. Unfortunately, this particular section of road leading me to Hatyai was not what I had expected. This is probably because of the frequent movement of heavy vehicles from the agricultural areas to the main roads.

As I rode, I had to find someplace to eat to fuel myself. I stopped at a roadside stall and spoke to the lady in broken malay. She understood. In Southern Thailand, people can speak both Thai & Malay fluently. I got my rice, a bit of chicken and some vegetables. I also got myself a bottled coke.

In Thailand, the culture is very much different from Singapore or Malaysia. The people are very reserved but when approached are very friendly.

As I arrived in Hatyai, my first stop was the bicycle shop. I needed to get my hands on a bottle. I did not mention this before but on my 2nd day in Klang, I had dropped my bottle in the toilet bowl. I was disgusted and it was a really bad day and threw the bottle in the dump. I survived all this way by purchasing bottled water in 500ml bottles. Not a very environmentally friendly way.

At the bike shop, bought my bottle for 100 baht. Pumped up my tires and got my bearings right. I've been to Hatyai numerous times but the roads can always confuse you. The owner drew me a map and got me on my way. I thanked him for his help and cycled to President Hotel.

This is the 3rd time I'm staying in the Hotel. My first time was back in 2007 when I went to Thailand for Songkran. Prior to 2007, I usually stayed at Lee Garden but the rooms are getting worn and everytime I went to Lee Garden, the plumbing is usually choked. President seems to be a better mainained hotel.

I checked it, they allowed me to bring my bike to the room. Now, if you're a solo traveller, the bellboy will ask you. "Do you want girl?" This is so common in practically all the hotels I've stayed in Hatyai. Beyond Hatyai, this is not common. For a first time visitor, Hatyai might give a "wrong" perception of Thailand.

Anyway after refusing the offer, proceeded to unpack and to review my ride and plan for the next leg in Thailand.

Will be resting in Hatyai for another day.

Day 5 - Taiping to Alor Star (189.77km)

Day 5 - 6th July 2008
189.77km

Leaving Taiping, I now head towards Alor Star. This is a critical point of the ride as it's my last major stop in Malaysia before Thailand.

Alor star is the capital of Kedah.

To get to Alor Star, I had to pass the state of Penang (mainland). For part of the way, I was riding on a very well paved expressway (E12). This section of the road runs parallel to the coast. As highway 1 was non existent. I had to use this section of road. This road was smooth and fast. From the expressway, I had a great view of of the island of Penang. I could see the tallest building in Penang (Komtar) from the mainland. I took the opportunity to take some photographs something which I had found challenging while riding alone.

After passing Penang, it was back onto the ordinary highway which will now bring me to Kedah. This section was slightly hilly. But I was motivated to reach my destination and was keeping a steady pace. There are markings on the right side of the road showing the destination and mileage left to the destination. every kilometre which I passed gave me a sense of relief that as long as I kept on going, I will reach my goal (just like life).

Upon reaching Alor Star, I whipped out my lonely planet guide to check out the local hotels. The guide mentioned that hotels in Alor Star are not too good value. I stayed at the Grand Crystal in a obsure corner of Alor Star. It cost RM$125 a night. Rooms were big but compared to the other hotels I stayed in Malaysia, it was indeed slightly overpriced. But they did allow me to bring my bicycle to the room which is one of the most imporatant things when you're going bicycle touring. It is behind Sentosa Shopping Centre which is somewhat similar to Sim Lim Square in Singapore. But Sentosa seems to sell mainly mobile phones.

I'll finally be in Thailand tomorrow.

Day 4 - Teluk Intan to Taiping (158.11km)

Day 4 - 5th July 2008

158.11km

During this ride, I had to several lesser known highways such as 109, 71, 73 & 60. I was passing through lots of small villagers which probably seldom see cyclists passing through. It was a Sat and there were lots of children out in the "Kampungs" just playing. Something I have not seen much in Singapore for some time.

Except for some hills along this route, the road was strightforward with clearly marked signs pointing me to Taiping.

In Taiping, I stayed at the Panorama Hotel. It was RM$98 a night and I was allowed to bring my bicycle up into my room.

Before the North-South Highway, many travellers used to pass this town. Nowadays the town is aging gracefully. The last time I was here 10 years ago, I loved the tree lined roads and night markets. There is a beautiful park in the northern end of town.

Dinner was in a "Hawker Centre" at the back of my hotel.

Discovered a slow leak in my rear tire. Fortunately, I was in the comfort of the hotel room and removed the offending object from my tires. I also rotated my tires so I could try and get a little bit more life of the tires.

Will visit Taiping ("everlasting peace") again...

Day 3 - Klang to Teluk Intan (155.52km)

Day 3 - 4th July 2008

155.52km

This ride would take me out of the state of Selangor and into Perak.

It was a relatively easy ride compared to what I faced during the previous 2 days.

To reach the town of Teluk Intan, I would need to divert my route from Highway 5 into Highway 58 which would lead me directly to Teluk Intan. Teluk Intan is another town I visited 10 years ago. A very small town with a very unique attraction. The Leaning Tower of Teluk Intan. It's nothing much really but it stands in the middle of town.

There was some construction along Highway 58 leading to Teluk Intan. The road seemed like going up but somehow, I felt good and managed to keep a consistent speed of abut 25km/h towards town.

The only major hotel in town is the Allson Hotel. I had stayed at this place 10 years back when I rode in Riding For Life. The same ride I had mentioned in my previous post. Not much had changed although this time, they had a bakery in the hotel premises. The lobby had somewhat changed. The rooms had not changed much. I still remember the balcony attached to the room. it was RM$88 a night which was alright.

For lunch, I had KFC in Teluk Intan. For dinner, I wanted to eat at the streetstalls next to the hotel but they closed the shops at around 6pm so I had to take a stroll to the leaning tower where there was a food centre next to it.

Tomorrow, the ride will bring me to Taiping which will still be in the state of Perak.

Day 2 - Mallaca to Klang (235.77km)

Day 2 - 3rd July 2008

235.77km

An epic day... started the ride with a slight drizzle in the early morning. Riding alone, you have to keep yourself mentally strong and keep your focus. A little bit of rain should not deter you from reaching your goals.

Melaka Raya lies along Highway 5. This Highway will lead me all the way to the next destination which is Klang. One reason why I chose to ride Highway 5 was because I wanted to visit the beaches on Port Dickson.

As the ride towards Klang progressed, the clouds opened up and it started to pour. It was one of the worst rain storms I had ever ridden. It was not only cold by being battered by the winds but the cross winds were making it very difficult for me to handle my bicycle. As my rear is loaded and front is light, there were several times when a cross wind would throw my front wheel out of track forcing me to compensate my steering. The rain lasted from the late morning to afternoon.

The weather was not the only problem in this leg. There was a certain section of road in Highway 5 which was under construction. The road was not clearly marked and I simply followed the lead of the motor vehicles in front of me. Along this stretch, I hit a bad stretch of road which was yet to be tarred. For about 5 minutes, I was riding on an uncompleted road and there was tar or some other material being sprayed on my bike, shoes and legs. I did not attempt to wash off the accumulated dirt from my bike immediately and it would cost me later in the evening.

As I arrived at Port Dickson, I felt a sense of relief. Although it was not the view I was looking for. The rain masking the view in front of me and roads streaming with rainwater, the route brought back memories of a charity bicycle ride for AFA (Action For Aids) I did 10 years ago in the opposite direction. I passed the hotel I stayed in 10 years ago. Guoman Port Dickson.

In Port Dickson, I had to get my bearings right. Fortunately, in Malaysia, road signs are in roman characters and they can easily guide you to your destination. In this instance, there are no signs pointing to Klang. Instead there are signs pointing to Seremban or Sepang. I checked my map and decided to go to Sepang which would bring me closer to my destination.

Riding towards Klang was not easy, lots of vehicular traffic and lots of dogs. Had a minor encounter with a dog but fortunately, I was still able to ride fast enough to get away.

I finally reached Klang at approximately 7pm. Prior to this trip, I had researched about Klang via the internet and the local library. One issue I was facing was the availability of hotels or a place to stay. I was very afraid of getting stranded without shelter or sleep.

As the main town seemed to be "under construction" with lots of road works going around, I decided to try my luck further up highway 5 to see if there was any accomodation. "Luck was on my side" when I spotted Comfort Hotel up the road. I headed towards the hotel and I was pleased to know that there would be a room available for me. But I was not allowed to keep my bicycle in the room. I checked if I could put the bicycle in the area behind the counter but was also turned away. I was extremely dissapointed. I had ridden over 200km and was just looking for a decent place to sleep and recover and I was not getting any assurance for the safety of myself or my belongings. I left the premises and had no choice but to backtrack back to Klang and look for accomodation there.

I checked the locals if there was any hotels in the area. Finally at a petrol station, the pump attendent pointed me to the rear of the station where I could find accomodation. The "hotel" was more of a "motel" for short term guests (an hour). I had no choice but to seek shelter there. The owner was kind enough to allow me to bring the bike to the room. It was RM$40 for a night and the place had shared bathrooms and toilets.

I did not have a comfortable sleep at night. But I had the opportunity to get my bike cleaned of most of the tar which had gathered and stuck to my frame and components like glue.

The next day, I promptly checked out at around 5am to get to Teluk Intan.

Day 1 - Singapore to Mallaca (263.24km)

Day 1 - 2nd July 2008
263.24km

This is the 3rd time I'm doing the Mallaca route in a single day. The first time was back in 2002 sometime in April with Bikeaid and the next one was slightly later in 2002 as well with a friend. In both the 1st & 2nd trip, we had to ride at night which was not too safe in Malaysia as the street lamps are often not lid or were not installed. In both cases, the lights installed on our bicycles were not bright enough to light the road ahead forcing us to ride slowly & cautiously.

In anticipation of this, I decided to start my ride early in Singapore. I set off from home at about 5am and arrived at the causeway (Johor Bharu) at 6am to clear immigration. After passing the causeway, I kept left hugging the coast part of the way until reaching Skudai where I made a left turn towards Pontian Kechil. Once I reached Pontain Kechil, I used Highway 5 all the way until Mallaca while passing major Malaysian towns such as Batu Pahat & Muar.

In the previous trips that I had mentioned, I had used Highway 1, all the way to Ayer Hitam before making the left turn towards Batu Pahat, Muar and then finally Mallaca. Stayed a small hotel in Melaka Raya for about RM$66. The owner allowed me to bring the bicycle into the room.

For dinner, took a walk in town by heading to past the Studthuys to grab some indian food on a fresh banana leaf.

In this trip, I had skipped Ayer Hitam and went straight towards Batu Pahat. A major advantage of this route is that it's as flat as a pancake.

Sources of Information

Some sources of information which you can use to help plan routes, search for lodging or handling immigration procedures. These are the sources of information for me.

World Wide Web (WWW)
Please take note that the websites may change in the future and it may not link to the correct website. There are a lot more websites available on the web but I've selected these few as they have stayed relevent to the bicycle touring community for many years.

1. Biking Southeast Asia with Mr Pumpy!
2. Golden Triangle Rider
3. Silkwheels.com
4. Bikeaid (Singapore)
5. Singaporebikes.com Forum
6. Wendy Chan's yuffy.com
7. Jan Boonstra's Cycling Pages

Books
Books make you better prepared to handle life on the road as a touring cyclist. Most books contain the basics of touring while others may prepare the reader for further challenges beyond the basics. These are just some of the books I've read. Visit your local library or bookstore to find more.

1. The Essential Touring Cyclist: A Complete Guide for the Bicycle Traveler, Second Edition by Richard A. Lovett
2. Adventure Cycle-Touring Handbook: A Worldwide Cycling Route & Planning Guide by Stephen Lord
3. The Complete Book of Long-Distance Cycling: Build the Strength, Skills, and Confidence to Ride as Far as You Want by Edmund R. Burke, Ed Pavelka, and Bicycling Magazine

Maps
Maps are essential on the road especially when you're on foreign soil with no idea what lies beyond the road ahead. Some good maps point out border crossings, local highway rest stops and other important landmarks to make your life on the road easier. Here are some links to some maps which may be of help in your journey.

1. Gecko Maps
2. Nelles Maps

Other Sources

Friends, Cyclists, Motorcyclists and other travellers can provide you with alternative sources of information.

Cycling from Singapore to Bangkok

I'm planning a ride on my bicycle from Singapore to Bangkok. Here are the details:

Day 1 - Singapore to Mallaca
Day 2 - Mallaca to Klang
Day 3 - Klang to Telok Intan
Day 4 - Telok Intan to Taiping
Day 5 - Taiping to Alor Setar
Day 6 - Alor Setar to Hatyai
Day 7 - REST
Day 8 - Hatyai to Nakhon Si Thammarat
Day 9 - Nakhon Si Thammarat to Surat Thani
Day 10 - Surat Thani to Chumpon
Day 11 - Chumpon to Prachuap Khiri Khan
Day 12 - Prachuap Khiri Khan to Phetchaburi
Day 13 - Phetchaburi to Bangkok