15th - 23rd Dec 2006
This is my first trip on the GS. The plan is to go up to Penang in Malaysia for 2 days. I then headed into Thailand to Krabi before returning to Hatyai, then to Kuala Lumpur and back to Singapore. Total distance covered is about 2400km.
The trip to Penang saw me setting out at about 5am. It was tough staying awake at that hour especially as i did not get much sleep the night before. I was planning to head out slowly just to get used to the bike. Was not very comfortable as i could feel the bike wobbling at speed of 110km/hr and above, It just did not feel as stable as my African Twin previously. The bike already felt light and soft on the front end so this wobbling was not something unexpected. More on that later...The other concern i had was the leakinig of engine oil through the airbox. I was told this is a minor issue and the bike should get through the distance with no problem. But i had my concerns as the distance involved is much longer. Also, my shoes are getting all oily and dirty because of the leak.
So check out the pics below...
Day 1
Some pictures at the famous Penang Bridge
Day 3 - 7
Crossing the Malaysia Thailand border....
Some pics showing the nice scenery along the way....
See below for my accomodation in Krabi Town. This is a nice little guest house. Accomodation is good, clean and comfortable. Lek, the chef at the guest house is an excellent cook. In fact, i think his food is the best throughout my stay in Thailand. Nice and very friendly staff. I would stay here again if i were to be in Krabi Town again.
To reach one of the beaches, you need to take a long tailed boat from either Krabi Town or Ao Nang. I recommend Ao Nang as the crowd is better there and the frequency of the boats is also higher.
Railay Beach is the common place to hang out in Krabi. One of the most beautiful beaches in Thailand, it also offers countless climbing routes suitable for the amateur right up to the pro climbers.
Spent half a day kayaking around the beaches of Railay, Prang Nang..The weather was good, and the sights beautiful...
Went out to explore the area around Ao Nang and stumbled on this little nature walk. It is part of a reserve and has a trail that supposedly lead uyp to a summit and has a water fall along the way. As you can see, i do not have pictures for them as i did not venture far as it was getting late and i did not want to ride back in the dark.
This is the outside view of my bungalow room...
The bungalow is ok...it is fan cooled. I probably can get a better place if i had gone around a little bit more. The room has this nice little classical look, toilet is a little dirty; like i said, this is ok...but i wouldn't come back here again.
Day 8
Some pics of Hatyai town from the hotel room. The hotel is called Hatyai Hotel and has quite decent room; it's clean and comfortable. Avoid the hotel restaurant though..its expensive, food is not really that great, and service is poor. There are lots of road side foodstall across the road to where the hotel is and many resturants that serve local and international food. Shopping is ok, definitely cannot be compared to places like Bangkok and Chiangmai which has a big variety of bargains to choose from.
Day 9
Look at the amount of dust that has 'mounted' the bike...
