On the 27.11.2012 we returned to Thailand again. As well as leaving Cambodia (we had our hopes high that exiting Cambodia will be as easy as entering - just an exit-stamp in the passport, as there were no formalities for the bike when entering Cambodia) as entering Thailand (including customs formalities) was very easy and took us all together about 20 minutes. After crossing the border we rode on to Ubon Ratchathani.
On the morning of the 28.11.2012 we rode on to Nakhon Phenom, a town on the banks of the Mekhong, the border river to Laos. At the riverbanks are a few very nice temples.
In the evening was the festival called Loi Krathong, the festival of light. Here in Thailand it is a tradition to put small floats with joss sticks, flowers and candles with a prayer onto the river. A very beautiful sight.
Companies and banks craft very sophisticated Krathongs, being rated in a competition.
Big Krathong Detail of an ornament
Krathong with the beauty-queen of the previous year
On the next day we followed the borderline to Laos and the river Mekhong until we arrived in Nong Khai. After one night we went on to Uttaradit, before arriving in Chiang Rai on the 01.12.2012. The route was going along small and very windy roads - it's just cool to be bacck in the north of Thailand. We spend the next 3 days in Chiang Rai and made a few day-trips in the surrounding region.
Break at the Doi Mae Salong with a big variety of tea and coffe
View from the Doi Mae Salong
Wat Rong Khun in Chiang Rai, a temple all in white
An old root stock with carvings
On the 04.12.2012 we rode along very curvy and hilly side roads from Chiang Rai to Chiang Mai. We just can not get enough of neither the mountainous landscape with the luscious green vegetation nor of the divine motorbike stretches in the north of Thailand.
On the 05.12.2012 is the king's birthday, a public holiday in Thailand. It was a good opportunity to have a break and update the homepage.
On the 06.12.2012 we had an easy start of the day, slept in, walked a bit around and went for a good Thai-massage.
On the 07.12.2012 we went to Pai to have lunch. There is a small restaurant next to a petrol-station where they have outstanding roasted pork - however not with dumplings and sauce as back home but with rice and soup. It nevertheless tasted delicious. It was a great tour, as we rode the first time without any luggage and I could really put the bike in the curves.
It is always surprising how comfortably cool, about 23° to 25°C, it can be in the higher mountains and how hot it gets when coming back to Chiang Mai (about 33°C).
On the 08.12.2012 we recovered from our trip of the previous day.
We had actually planned to leave Chiang Mai a bit earlier, however on the 09.12.2012 was the Real Biker Custom Show in CM, an exhibition within the Chiang Mai Bike Week 2012. As the exhibition was nearby the zoo we just combined the two venues.
Elephant at the entrance of the zoo in CM White tiger in the zoo
Our entrance tickets for the bike show only one of the many special bikes
After sleeping in on the following day we went one more time to Mae Hong Son, this time unfortunately for the last time. Despite the fully loaded bike we still enjoyed the ride along the windy road (1864 curves).
On the 11.12.2012 we left Mae Hong Son and rode on to Tak. The more we moved towards the south and to lower regions the higher the temperature got. While having a break at a filling station we met a couple from Malaysia having the same bike as us. We chatted a while and agreed on meeting in Kuala Lumpur when we are in Malaysia. Early evening we finally reached Tak and enjoyed our dinner on the banks of the river Ping.
On the following day we went from Tak to Ayuthaya. The road was all the way straight but was leading through some very nice and green rice-fileds. After a bit of sight-seeing we looked for a restaurant to have our dinner. Then we expolred a bit of the nightmarket of Ayuthaya.
On the 13.12.2012 we were heading for Sin-City (Pattaya). In the evening we first went to one of the many seafood restaurants along Walking street, where we had a delicious seafood dinner. After dinner we strolled along the beach promenade to the Pattaya Hard Rock Cafe. There was an awesome band playing. We had a few cocktails and enjoyed the really good music.
Knowing we only had a short distance to ride, we slept in a bit and made our way to Bangkok. Straight highway and 38°C made the journey not really comfortable, however, we have to get used to that temperatures again.
We spend about 5 days in Bangkok. On Monday I tried to extend the customs-form of my motorbike - however, as the chief of that department was not cognizant - I was sent to the Main Customs Office in Bangkok. Then, on the next morning I first went to the German Embassy to collect our camping-equipment which we had given to a friend of mine working there. After that I made my way to the Main Customs Office. It did not even take 30 min. and all customs formalities were done according to my convinience. I got the extension until the 25.01.2013 without even paying a single cent. Somehow very different to India....
On the 19.12.2012 we left Bangkok heading down south to Hua Hin. The first hour on the bike was extreme: 38,5°C and bright sunshine are a real challange in the city-traffic of Bangkok. After leaving the citylimits it got a bit hazy and therefore a bit cooler. After about 4 h we had reached Hua Hin where we will spend the next two days.
After two days in Hua Hin we rode on down south to Chumpon and on the 22.12.2012 we went on to Surat Thani. There is nothing special about the stretch, besides that the blue sky was more and more covered with clouds and to crown it all, it had to start raining. It was that heavy that I was forced to take out my Gore-tex jacket from the bag. After one hour the rain stopped, but the sky remained overcast. It was on a splendidly constructed highway which we travelled with about 90 km/h, where we where overtaken by a big truck with very high speed and deafening exhaust sound. I followed the truck for a while to learn that the fellow ran with about 130 km/h and chased everything away coming across.
From Surat Thani it was just a short distance to Donsak - the pier for the ferry to Koh Samui. After waiting for about 10 minutes we could go on the ferry and after a ferry ride of 1,5 h we had reached Koh Samui. On the way to the hotel we were surprised with a very hefty downpour. It was over after 10 min and we were all drenched.
Since we had been the last time in Koh Samui about 2,5 years ago, a lot of things have changed. Some parts of the Island could not be recognized anymore. Many new hotels, restaurands and shopping-places. Even the traffic on the island has gone from bad to worse. The romantic holiday paradise is gone - irretrievable.
All that did not spoil our mood and we made the best of our stay on Samui Island. On the festive days (Christmas, birthdays and New Years Eve) we enjoyed fantastic cuisine and wines in various good restaurants on the island.
On the 31.12.2012 I managed to get on a boat-trip for a diving-tour. Shortly after entering the boat everyone was given a sea-sickness tablet and then we made a 2,5 h way to the dive-spot. The accordingly best dive-spot around Koh Samui dissapointed because of the bad visibility under water and the variety of fishes that were showing up was also nothing to shout about.
Back on the boat the tablet was wearing off and I really felt that sick, that I could not do the second dive anymore. On the way back (2,5 h) I was nearly all time long over the ship's rail and fed the fishes. Arriving at the pier, it again poured cats and dogs. Walking along the pier back to land everyone got soaking wet. The first thing back at the hotel was a hot shower and an hour's rest that made me fit again for the remaining evening.
As you can buy fireworks, that are used in commercial fireworks overseas, off the counter in every supermarket, one can imagine what kind of spectacular fireworks we were about to see. At 23:00 h we went to a restaurant on a cliff from where we could see the whole stretch of the Chaweng Beach. The fireworks that started at midnight lasted for about 1 hour and can not be discribed in words. As nice as the fireworks were the lanterns made from ricepaper and decending in the sky.
The next few days we will spent here in Koh Samui before we continue on the 07.01.2013 - away from Koh Samui and on to Had Yai in the south of Thailand.
On the morning of the 07.01.2013 we had to get up early as we wanted to catch the 9:00 o'clock ferry to get back to the mainland. We were lucky, as the ferry was not that full, and the sea was very calm.
Motorbike on the ferry Toliet sign ;-)
After getting off from the ferry we rode on to Hatyai. The sky was overcasted what caused a comfortable temperature of 31°C and made travelling on the highway a bit more bearable. Around 15:00 h we reached our hotel. After the check-in we went straight for a Thai-massage. We must enjoy our last two days in Thailand to the maximum....
As you can buy fireworks, that are used in commercial fireworks overseas, off the counter in every supermarket, one can imagine what kind of spectacular fireworks we were about to see. At 23:00 h we went to a restaurant on a cliff from where we could see the whole stretch of the Chaweng Beach. The fireworks that started at midnight lasted for about 1 hour and can not be discribed in words. As nice as the fireworks were the lanterns made from ricepaper and decending in the sky.
The next few days we will spent here in Koh Samui before we continue on the 07.01.2013 - away from Koh Samui and on to Had Yai in the south of Thailand.
On the morning of the 07.01.2013 we had to get up early as we wanted to catch the 9:00 o'clock ferry to get back to the mainland. We were lucky, as the ferry was not that full, and the sea was very calm.
Motorbike on the ferry Toliet sign ;-)
After getting off from the ferry we rode on to Hatyai. The sky was overcasted what caused a comfortable temperature of 31°C and made travelling on the highway a bit more bearable. Around 15:00 h we reached our hotel. After the check-in we went straight for a Thai-massage. We must enjoy our last two days in Thailand as much as we can.
Malaysia
On the 09.01.2012 we loaded our bike and rode from Hat Yai down south towards Malaysia. Crossing the border and the customs formalities for the bike were just a matter of minutes and we could go on towards Penang. When we had reached the island of Penang we had to go to the BMW-workshop as there was a leakage of blackoil at the oilgauge. Within two hours everything was done. The time we had to wait passed very quickly - we met a couple from Switzerland, also on a bike trip. The other time we spend in in the show-room of BMW enjoying free coffee and cakes. Having coffee, we met Mr. Lim, the sales-manager of BMW-Motorrad Penang. We learnt that he with a group of 5 bikes are going to the Golden Triangle. It did not take us long to decide to follow them.
Then we went on to our hotel and spent a nice evening in Penang.
The following morning we rode across the bridge to the mainland and headed on to Bukit Mertajam to Sheilas parents. Here we spent 3 days before leaving to the agreed meeting-point at the Thai border checkpoint on the 14.01.2013 at 06:00h. Again, the crossing of the border was hasslefree and easy. After a breakfast in a cafe we got going - 540 km up north to Chumphon.
The next day we continued the ride another 470 km to Kanchanaburi. In the evening we met up in a very nice restaurant at the banks of the river Kwai.
Next Morning we made a short foto-stop at the bridge over the river Kwai, before heading on to Mae Sot.
Bridge over the river Kwai
Here me made a short de-tour towards the border of Myanmar to see the Thai-Burmese-Frienship-Bridge
Then we rode on to Mae Hong Son. Shortly after lunch in Mae Sariang we followed the navigating system leading us on a small sideroad. The first 5 km were good, but then it turned into a dirt road and was unpassable after 16 km. So we turned back to Mae Sariang to continue our ride on the 108. We finally reached MHS at 19:00 h. We will spend 2 days here to get some rest. While having our breakfast the next morning, we met another 2 bikers from Stuttgart (Germany), Heike und Phillipe also being on a trip around the world.
It had cooling 20°C on the 19.01.2013 when we rode from MHS to the Wat Phra That Doi Kong Mu temple. From up there we had a breathtaking view on MHS covered with mornig mist.
At about 10:00 h we rode on towards Pai, where we arrived at about 13:00 h. On the way to Pai we met another 2 bikers doing a world-journey - Audrey and Ekke from Canada. After we arrived in Pai we headed straight to the restaurant with the delicious roasted pork.
As there was a festival in Pai, it was not possible to find an accomadation in Pai. So we rode on th Chiang Mai where we reached our hotel at about 18:00 h. We will stay here for 2 days.
On the 21.03.2013 we rode from Chiang Mai to Chiang Sean to the Golden Triangle. There we spent one night and in the next morning we visited the Golden Triangle, the point, where Burma, Laos and Thailand border on each other.
Viewpoint at the Golden Triangle Christmas flower at the roadside
Goldplated statue at the Golden Triangle Viewpoint "Golden Triangle"
From here we went along many small sideroads back to Chiang Mai.
On the 23.01.2013 I had to make a stop at the BMW workshop (as after approx. 5.000 km the complete brake-lining was gone off of both of the brake-pads) to mount new breakpads. At least there was no charge for fixing the new pads.
As the group had to go back to Malaysia in time and we still wanted to stay on in the North of Thailand, we said bye to the group. We had spent another 2 leisurely days in CM before we left CM on the curvy 1095 to Mae Hong Son.
After spending a night there we went on towards the south at a cooling 17°C heading to Tak. Again the stretch was hilly and had countless curves - what else men want?
From Tak we left for Kanchanaburi on the 27.01.2013, where we spent 3 nights. On the 28.01.2013, I made a short trip to Bangkok (150km away) to get a new rear tire. Actually no big deal, however when the BMW-workshop has been torn down and no sign of a new location of the shop is around, it gets a bit tricky. First of all I had to look for a shelter as it was just beginning to rain and I also needed internet access. I had chosen the LeMeridien Hotel, which was near by, as they had a free underground carpark for the bike and free internet in the hotel lobby. After about 30 min. of research and a phonecall, I got a SMS with the GPS-coordinates from the tire-dealer.
Old against new
Right after that I went to the tire-shop where I got the tire mounted, balanced and fixed. After a ride through rain and the rush-hour in Bangkok I reached Kanchanaburi at about 21:00 h - very tired indeed.
On the 29.01.2013 we made a short excursion to the border of Myanmar, to the Three Pagoda Pass.
The three pagodas at the border to Myanmar, which the pass is named after
As the weather was bad in the south and we realized that the Thai authorities gave us another 2 month visa in our passport we had no hurry to leave Thailand. So we decided to go up north again.
Miniture pineapple at the hotel in Kanchanaburi
So on the 30.01.2013 we rode up north to Tak and the following day up to Chiang Mai arriving there on the 31.01.2013.
On the 02.02.2013 I made a tour to Mae Hong Son and returned to CM on the 03.02.2013.
We had to extend our stay in CM due to health reasons, as it is not that good to ride on the bike with cough and fever. I only can hope, that the antibiotics will take effect soon and I will recover fast. At least I got some free time to update the homepage.
On the road again...., today on the 09.02.2013 we are back on the road. In the morning we left Chiang Mai at a comfortable 27°C and rode approx. 500 km until Nakhon Sawan. The stretch took us over a well constructed, however curvy road - at the beginning still hilly, but later on over flat land. During the journey the temperature rose gradually and when we arrived in Nakhon Sawan the thermometer showed 37°C.
