Inspired by the expedition ‘Long Way Round’ by Star Wars actor Ewan McGregor & Charley Boorman, I initiated our own ‘Long Way Round in South East Asia’ which I called it “ 5 Nation GS Enduro Ride 08” We ‘re covering 5countries; Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia & Laos. GS is in short for Gelande Strassse, which means On and Off road in German language. Enduro ride its called bcos its a test our endurance on and off road riding thru 5 countries in just 2 weeks.
After about 6 long months of preparations, 6 riders finally made up our mind to proceed with the ride. Myself, Isham, Zainudin, Sufian, Rasul & Hazrin prepared ourselves & our bikes well enough. Tyres were all replaced new, bike serviced and some even geared up with new riding outfits. As for myself, I prepared the route plans, road maps, design of ride T-shirts and decals.
Finally, the day had arrived.
Day 1: 11th January 2008.
We started off from Gelang Patah Petronas Station being send off by our friends whom were unable to join the ride. We met up riders from StormRiders there as they were doing their Singha Beer sponsored Laos Expedition. We moved off from Gelang Patah @ 2230hrs after a farewell sessions. Our destination- Ayer Keroh R&R.
Arrived Ayer Keroh R&R just before midnight as predicted, had our rest and refuelled
Day 2: 12th Jan 2008
Continued our ride towards Rawang R&R. followed by another 2 rests & refueling stops at Sungai Perak & Gurun R&R. We finally arrived Gurun R&R at about 0530hrs.
After daybreak whist about to move off towards Thailand border, Hazz discovered that his passport was missing from jacket. After a thorough search for about an hour, Hazz finally decided to make a U-Turn back to Singapore while we continued with our journey. 
Arrived Sadao Border at 0930hrs followed by the StormRiders group a few minutes later. It was a long queue there & spent about 1 hr clearing the immigration & customs. From there, we proceed to Phattalung Highway 4 for our aimed destination: Surathani.
We arrived Surathani at about 1600hrs and proceed straight to Surathani Railway Station to checkout for any available place for us to Bangkok. To our disappointment, the trains could not accommodate all of us at one time as they had only space for 1 big ‘buffalo’ bike at any 1 schedule. We therefore decided to rest our night at Surathani town, checking in at a 500Baht hotel, enjoying our trolley full dinner from Tesco supermarket.
Day 3: 13th Jan 2008
We started our ride early @0630hrs as we had predicted a very long day. 
Travelling pass Chumphon, we stopped over at Prachuap Khiri Khan for a photo-taking session at one of a popular landmark: A big golden statue of a bird of the left side of the road.
Continued our ride pass Hua Hin, Phetchaburi and stopped for our lunch break at Ratchaburi, in which its already 1410hrs, consider late for a lunch. I had visited this Muslim Restaurant 4 years ago during my ride with Isham to Golden Triangle and its still the same outlook.
After the lunch, we head towards Bangkok passing by the accident area (Nakhon Pathom) of our late friend , Ahmad, whom passed away the week before on his solo ride to Golden Triangle/Laos. As I pass by the area, I managed to say a few prayers for him.
Traffic around Bangkok was chaotic. 
Motorcycles were not allowed to use the main Road and therefore we had to travel on its Frontage Road. We had to stop a few times asking for directions to Nakhon Nayok from locals. After about 3 hours, we managed to find our way out of Bangkok suburbs & found the way to Nakhon Nayok. By then its already 1800 hrs and the sky is getting dark. Along the way, Din asked me for a 5 mins break due to his ‘Brain Seize’,,,(maybe due to heavy traffic & hot weather). After taking his medication we continued our ride for about 20-30minutes before coming to a stop at a petrol kiosk. It was already dark at that time.
Arrived Nakhon Nayok at about 1845 hrs and we quickly hunt for a hotel. Managed to settle at a decent Rose Hotel for 400baht/room at about 1915hrs. Luckily we had packed some extra food from our lunch break at Rachaburi. I squeezed some time before bed to reset my ABS as I’had been riding my bike without ABS from Singapore.
Day4:14th Jan2008
Supposed to ride off towards Aranyaprathet by 0630hrs, my bike failed to start with a blown Motronic fuse. Replaced the fuse and ride off at 0720hrs. Stops over at a petrol kiosk for refueling and breakfast & another stop along a roadside, securing Rasul’s broken ERP IU unit.
Arrived at Aranyaprathet, Thailand-Cambodia border at about 1015hrs. Proceed straight to its Immigration & Customs for clearance, quite a breeze. After clearance, we moved straight towards a Casino/Nightclub/Hotel packed area on a No Mans Land between Thailand and Cambodia.
After clearing the Immigrations, we had to move on to Poipet for our bike’s custom clearance.
Upon clearing all checkpoints, we moved on towards Siem Reap. The road 
from Poipet to Siem Reap was a total disaster. Nothing that I could imagine of with lots of potholes, muds, loose sands and gravels for about 140 kilometres in which took us about 4-5 hours.
I did encounter 2 near miss accidents along the way but I managed to control my bike. Isham dropped his bike twice along the way.
We finally arrived Siem Reap at about 4pm & checked in the the nearest available hotel which cost us only USD10. In the evening, we toured Siem Reap town for dinner & souvenirs. After the tour, we when back to our hotel . I managed to wash my bike & my riding suits that night. Everything turns brown during our ride from Poipet to Siem Reap.
Day 5: 15th Jan 2008
We continued our ride to Angkor Wat ,which was only abt 8 km away from our hotel. Upon arriving at Angkor Wat, we forgot to purchase the USD25 ticket at the checkpoint. After some discussion, we decided not to go inside Angkor Wat,, just took some photo from outside. At about 10am, we continued our ride towards Kampong Thum, where we had our BRUNCH at the roadside with our rations. Our next stop was at Santuk for refueling after which we decided to take a short cut to Kampong Chum. At a junction, we traveled thru a small lane, came across a normal tarmac road when suddenly,,,it’s the end of Tarmac & its Off road again!!! Some of us do enjoyed the offroad ride but some are forbia of it.
Both me & Supit sped all the way thru the dirt, leaving dusty clouds at our
rear. After a distance, Supit stopped his bike so as to let the other bikers to catch up with us. During the stop,, Supit lost his footage and feel together with his bike to the right. Look at that big Buffalo lying on its side. No injuries or any damage cause. Isham loose footage for another round this time.
Another 10 minute up the road, we came up with a piece of land with No trees,No Signage or anything. We had no idea on which way to proceed. Rasul stop his bike & Isham suddenly grazed his panniers onto Rasul’s bike. Isham’s right pannier gave way & broke on of the holder. I manage to use one of my bungee strap to temporarily secure the panniers till we got over to the nearest town for repairs. Along the way,,my mind was buy thinking of a solution till we happen to pass by a bicycle shop. It gives me a idea,,we can use used bicycle tubes to secure the panniers. Upon reaching at Kampong Chum, I told Isham & Rasul to look for used bicycle tube at the nearby shop while we rest at a petrol kiosk. A few minutes later, both return with Used lorry inner tube with hooks attached at each end. Hey,,it’s a great idea…I suggested to everyone to get 1 for each bike as this tubes are long enough to be improvise on our panniers s a double protection as we are carrying heavy loads.
As it was still early, we decided to continue our ride. We aimed to stop 
over at Stung Treng for the night. Upon arrival at Stung Treng, I saw a newly build Friendship Bridge crossing the Mekong River. On the left ,I saw a signage showing Stung Treng and its off road again, I decide to follow the tarmac & proceed straight towards the bridge. When we arrived at the bridge at the bridge, It was closed. The bridge was not officially opened yet. A few local can easily slide their bike underneath the barriers to use the bridge but with such a big bike,there's no way that we can slide our bike. The other alternative to cross the Mekong River was to load our bikes on small boats at the river bank to cross over to the other side. As its getting dark, I tried to persuade the gate keepers to let us use the bridge. They asked for 2USD per bike for his to lift up the barrier. Happily, we gave him 10USD for all the 5 bikes to pass. Over at there other side of the river, there was also another barrier. This time round, the gate keepers were happy to see us. They voluntarily open up the barrier for us & we gave them 5USD as tip. One of the gate keeper was so excited that he hugged Din wif all his strength. A few minutes late, we continued our ride. After about half an hour & its getting dark, I was surprised when we suddenly came across another barrier.
This time its already the Cambodia – Laos Border – And its already closed for the day. A check with the Immigration officer advised us to go back to Stung Treng for a hotel rest. We asked the officer if he could permit us to stay at his hut for the night & he allowed us. Rasul & I then approached a Custom officer at his office and ask his permission for us to stay at his office for the night. He too allow us. We
inform him that we just need a shelter for the night & we would be grateful to stay at his garage which we did.
Day 6: 16th Jan2008
We woke up early in the morning. No shower / bath for the past 24hrs, only powder bath.
At about the 8am, the Border opens & we proceed to clear our Immigrations & Customs clearings. We had to pay 10USD for the Custom Clearance (for each bike) & 2USD for each passport.
We then proceed out of Cambodia towards Laos and……………..its OFFROAD again….
Arrival at Laos Border, we were surprised that there was nobody mending the checkpoint.
I looked around & suddenly one officer came out. Do not be surprised,,,this VeunKham Immigration checkpoint is much bigger than my chicken pen. If not because of its signage, we could had just miss the immigration. Again, we had to pay 2USD each for passport before he handed over back our passport. After the immigration, we traveled for about another 500mtr before we reached the Customs Checkpoint. Again,,there nobody at the office. A man in towels then showed up to ask for our papers. We showed him our Log Cards previously stamped by other countries stamped & he too stamped on the Log Card. No charges.
Road in Laos was quite nice & clean except for some animals jaywalking. We stopped for gas & met up with a German guy & A Russian lady. They are on a 3 months vacation in Laos, Cambodia & Vietnam.. After chatting with then, I handed over to them my Cambodia map for his reference.
We stopped over for breakfast at Savannakhet. After about an hour rest, we proceed to Pakxe & Xeno. We arrived Xeno at about 3pm. According to plan, Xeno should be a resting place for the day but since its so early, we carried on with our ride to Thakek.
After about 15min from our rest, Din suddenly sped up behind me to inform me that Isham & Yani had met with an accident. I quickly make a U-turn with my heart beating very fast.
Upon arrival at the scene, I was very shock. It was a mess. Both Isham & Yani was lying on the side of the road with the bike in front of them. The bike was ……..
Yani was moaning in pain & Isham was in a dazed. A passerby had stopped to give his assistance to convey the injured to the nearest clinic. Din quickly take out his first aid kit & render first aid to Yani whom he accessed to be quite badly injured. Din discovered that Yani had broke her right arm and left ankle. Din was so experienced in handling the situation & for me,,I was quite traumatised, just waiting for Din’s instruction.
After the first aid, We carefully carried Yani & Isham to the passerby truck to be conveyed to the clinic which was about 5-7 km away from the scene. Imah & Faezah when together with the truck to the clinic while the rest of us help to settle the bike.
A policeman came to the accident site & he informed us that they’ll bring back the bike to their station which was about 5 km away fro the accident site. After that, we headed straight to the clinic to checkout on the injured’s condition. When we arrived at the clinic, Din found out that the clinic does not have the facility to threat Yani as her condition was quite bad. She had to be conveyed to a District Hospital about 40+km away fro the clinic and an ambulance had already been dispatch. At the same time ,we called up the Insurance that we had bought for the trip to inform them about the situation & their procedure. Din & Wifey became the contact person for the incident. They both spend most of their international call to the insurance. Imah and Supit was busy trying to calm down Yani & Isham in the clinic.
Once the ambulance arrived, both the injured together with Imah & wifey when to the district hospital while the rest of us proceed back to the accident site. Din had informed me that during the accident, a huge black object had hit his bike & it cause his front brake to foul. He had no front brake & no horns now. Before riding to the accident site, I repaired Din’s horn & advice him to use his rear brakes only. We then headed to the accident site but to our shock,,,the bike was no where to be found. He then headed south trying to find a police station along the way but to no avail. Its getting dark rite then and we decided to proceed to the hospital. It was soooo dark and cool. Even with both HID light on,,I still could not get a good visual. I had to utilize all my lights available,; both my HID lights, my yellow Fog lights, my blue police strobe light and my white ultra bright strobe lights to get a better visual along the way, With the HIDs & Fog Light, I can only travel about 50-60 km/h. The blue police strobe light & the white ultra bright strobe light helps to disperse the traffic ahead so as to provide us with a smooth ride but this still does not helps when it come to cows and wild boars jaywalking.
When we reached Thakek, we could not find the hospital, I stopped at a provision stall for direction and a young man came out carrying a handicapped child in his arm. I told him that I need to go to the hospital. Luckily he could speak a bit of English & he voluntarily showed us to the hospital. When we arrived at the hospital, we quickly go to the Emergency Dept. Yani was still in the floor and Isham on the bed. Informed by Wifey that Yani had already go for a X-ray. Din again accessed the situation. At this moment, the guy that shows us the direction, Keok, was also at the emergency ward helping out.
Several calls thru Din & Wifey phone's from the Insurance,it was confirm that an ambulance from will bring both Yani & Isham to Nakhon Phanom (Thailand) and evacuated to Bangkok Hospital by plane from there as Nakhon Phanom is the nearest airport. Upon getting the confirmation, we finally managed to get some rest. Rasul & Faezah help to buy some drinks & foods from a nearby stall. All of us rest at the hospital corridor. Imah & Wifey did not have much rest on that night as the hospital attendant keep on coming out requesting us to purchase some necessary items for Yani. Then both of them had to prepare & clean up Yani for toilet. I really appreciate what these ladies had done & sacrifice.
Day7: 17th Jan2008
At about 8am, an ambulance arrived & Isham is already sober & walking around chatting with us.This was the time when we decide to inform the family members & friends in Singapore on what had actually happened. After freshen up, Isham was escorted by the Insurance representative to the Immigration office to clear the checkpoints . At about 9am, they were ready for transfer and we all help out to transfer Yani to the ambulance.
It was a very touched moment, I myself could not control my tears bidding Isham & Yani goodbye. It’s a mishap that none can predict & its very sad to part with someone you’re supposed to ride with, alone in a foreign country. At least, they were already in good hands and we have to travel back to our home.
We decided to have a real good rest at any nearby hotel / resort found and we managed to get hold of Travel lodge which cost us USD10. During registration, the front office girl ask about the injured’s condition. We were surprised that even the locals knew abt the accident. It’s a very nice lodge with a lots of foreign visitors. We do make friends & chit chat wif some of them. This was the time when we had to make full use of our utensils & food rations. We did some cooking at our lodge, clean our clothings & even I manage to checkout on Din & Supit’s bike.It was really a great place .
Day 8: 18th Jan2008
At 0830hrs, we proceed to the Tourist Office to lodge a Police report of the accident. Again, we met Keok. He was working with the Tourist department and he assists us with the report. We gave him 10USD as a token & gift as it 
was his child’s 1st Birthday yesterday. After making the report, we proceed to Thakek town to cross over Mekong River to Thailand. This is our 1st river crossing for the trip and it cost us 100baht per bike.
Upon reaching the Thailand side, it took quite some time to clear the border & at about noon, we cleared all clearance and proceed to Khon Kuen. Stop over at 2 petrol Kiosks for rest, enjoying some nice corners at Kalasin before we rest for the day at Khon Kuen.
Day 9: 19th Jan2008:
We planned to continue our ride home to Kanchanaburi. As we about to move off, Supit bike suddenly died off. There was no electrical supply to the bike. After accessing the bike, I make a decision to stay 1 more night at KK so that I can slowly rectify the problem. I suspected it’s the ignition problem as faced by Rasul’s friend before & after confirmation with Brian @ PML, I did a check with a loaned multimeter from the hotel. ITS CONFIRMED. There's no connection. I told Supit that I can hardwired the electrical system as I had did it on my previous Beemer before. Rasul suddenly when missing and came back a few minutes later with a household switch. Better than nothing,it’s a great gadget. I hardwired the bike & now its able to start without using the ignition key,,,,Hahahahaha,,,,so u guys be careful,,,without Ignition keys I can still ride your bike away….
As the same time, Din took the opportunity to clean his bike. We all washed our bikes too. After washing,,we went back to our rooms for some breakfast and walk around Knon Kuen town.
Day 10: 20th Jan2008
As planned, we started off riding early at 6.30am to Kanchanaburi, passing by scenic Nakhon Ratchasima.
We managed to arrived Kanchanaburi at about 1445hrs,as expected. Had our lunch at a Muslim restaurant (in which I ever visit during my previous ride). This is the first proper meal that we had since Siem Reap. After lunch, we ordered some more extra food for our dinner. We then proceed to River Kwai to look for any cheap but good travelers lodge or motel when we came across a resort by the bank of River Kwai. Price is quite reasonable, 1000baht for a 2 bedroom,2 toilet & an air condition room by the bank. We had a nice chat at its Verandah till late night.
Day 11: 21st Jan2008
We checked out of the hotel at about 0930hrs proceeding to our next destination, Chumphon. Along the way, I decided to divert my plan and visit Hua Hin, which was popular for its beach resort. On the way to Hua Hin, Din broke his record when he suddenly ‘forgot’ to turn at a corner (actually,his front brake was not effective and so he just went straight to the gravels). He lost footage while trying to negotiate out of the gravel and dropped his bike. Upon arrival at Hua Hin town, I did a quick check on Din’s bike for ride worthiness and it deems fine for a Hardcore rider.
We then continued our journey to Chumphon. Passing by Prachuap Khiri Khan, it was already 1500hrs and all our stomach were groulling hungry. I stooped over at a roadside Muslim stall which served super power Duck and Ox Stew.
Arrived Chumphon at about 1630hrs, checked in at Paradorn Hotel for a 360Baht/ room.
We then ventured around Chumphon town for halal food but still ended up in our favorite shop, 7-Eleven, for our Instant Noodles again. Instant noodles, canned foods had been our ‘favorite’ food during our trip.
Day 12: 22nd Jan2008
Checked out of Paradorn Hotel at 0800hr , chased by the hotel attendant to pay for a stained towel. After some discussions, we quickly don our riding gears and ride away.
Our next destination: Hatyai.
We arrived Hatyai at about 1400hrs, find our way thru the town searching for a hotel which we had missed on our previous ride to Hatyai We finally found Winstar Hotel, a nice 500Baht/room with brand new interior. It is actually a new hotel in Hatyai.
After refreshing up ourselves and doing some laundry, we proceed to our favourite restaurant; HAMID RESTAURANT. Imah had been aiming at this restaurant for quite some time after hearing rumours of its good halal foods from friend and relatives. We had 2 meals at Hamids. After that, its free & easy shopping session at Hatyai.
Day13: 23rd Jan 2008
After breakfast at about 1000hrs, I decided that we stayed one more night at Hatyai before we proceed back home. Most of us stayed at the hotel room while Rasul & myself hunts for motorbike shop to repair his exhaust while Faezah and Wifey went for their Hair Spa at Lee Garden. In the evening, we just went shopping at Diana’s and KFC as our meal.
Day14: 24th Jan2008
We woke up early to prepare for our ride home. Checkout from Winstar Hotel at 0700hrs, proceed to Sadao for clear our Immigration/Customs.
After clearance the Thai part, we proceed to the Malaysian side. To our surprise, we no longer need to fill up the white card,,,its only 2 weeks and there's changes???
We then slowly ride down south stopping at Sungai Perak R&R for our Lunch, Rawang R&R for a A&W Root Beer Float break before heading for Pagoh R&R. After KLIA highway, Supit, Din & myself lost control of our throttle and our bikes keep on speeding till our petrol runs low, just nice to arrive Pagoh at about 1700hrs. I started to sms Zul BigBird that we’ll be arriving Gelang Patah at about 1800hrs. After refueling, we continued our ride but Supit and Din rode super slow,abt 80km/h, maybe wanna warm down their engine after a high speed ride.
We arrived Gelang Patah at about 1830hrs, welcome back by Zul, Roy & Nani, Hazrin, Faizal and lastly Farid.
Conclusion:
This had been a ride that I had been longing for. Even tough we did not managed to complete the whole destinations: Vientiene, Boten (China Border), Mae Sai (Myannar Border), Golden Triangle, Mae Hong Son, It is still an accomplishment to me even without satisfaction.
I would like to thank all the participants for the commitments, endurance & cooperation's throughout the ride:
Din: for your medical expertise throughout the accident, assisting me with the leads.
Imah : For the foods, for nursing Yani throughout her stay at Thakek Hospital,,
Supit: For your patience, coolness and jokes ,,,,,
Rasul: For the initiative to buy spares, patience enduring the ride
Faezah: For your generous support,,
Hazz: For the arrangements of spreparts & T-shirt printing
Isham & Yani : Even with the mishap, you both did manage to reach Laos,,Life is short, Ride Hard….more ride could be arranged,,,,wish you both for a speedy recovery.
And Lastly: My Beloved Wifey, Sue
: For supporting me, giving me the endurance to lead the group, and tolerating with my undesirable behavior (if any)…..
I would also like to thank Zul BigBird,Azhar,Hazrin (for 'sending us off' all the way to Gurun R&R), Farid, Ally & Om for taking a last minute decision to accompany Isham & Yani at Bangkok Hospital during their stay there. Not forgetting Farid’s thai Friend whom I did not had the opportunity to get to know, OM , for your generous assistance in helping out our group during crisis.
Not Forgotten, the send off and welcoming back party, Zai & Family, My Mom, Zul & Family, Faizal & Family, Roy & Family, Norman & Family, Ally and Farid & Friends AND all our fellow bikers. With your support & prayer, we made it………
Due to some technical problems, I'm not able to uploads the trip pictures.
Heres the link to Din BEAST pixs:
http://gsbeast.multiply.com/photos
More latest pixs;;;
http://hayabusababe.multiply.com/photos/album/156/Enduro_Ride_08_11th_Jan_08_-_16th_Jan_08?replies_read=22
Latest blog / Pics of Hayabusa_B@be Recuperating....
http://hayabusababe.multiply.com/photos/album/157?mark_read=hayabusababe:photos:157&goto=0#reply0
bro, is that yan with the yellow bandenner?? 
