20090328 The journey around SE Asia begins
N4.04260 E103.39617 Dale’s holiday resort
Abi writes:
As we’d got a lot of miles to eat up for our plans to stay on the East Coast, at a fellow biker’s hotel that’s a friend of a friend, as soon as we’re up we’re out to make the most of the coolest part of the day (which is still 33 degrees!) .
Not long after passing the Batu Caves, we start to enjoy the great road (E8) with Dave who’d come along for the ride out on his Kawasaki Voyager and to help ensure we got through the maze that is KL. Bends that wove us between sun and shade as we climbed up and away leave KL behind in the bowl surrounded by hills were ace fun. Paul decides a tweak to the suspension is required following the work yesterday and so we pull over at the next petrol station for him to adjust.
Once we are a short distance from Kuala Gandah Dave splits to head back to KL, leaving us to make the last few miles to the "Up Close & Personal" National Elephant Conservation Centre. After one wrong turn we soon find it and Zoe, a friend of Dave’s, told us to ask for Dinjelebu on arrival. Whilst Paul registers us and makes the call to Dinjelebu I head off to find the toilets but when I think I have there’s no ladies/gents symbol or English translation for the Malay on the doors so I return to Paul to consult the guide book’s translation section. Paul asks we’re told there is a symbol on the door but ladies on the right and as I retrace my steps I realise I’d gone the wrong way from the restrooms sign as it could be interpreted first left or next left. On walking out back into the sunshine I see Paul with Dinjlebu waiting for me and we head off down a short path to the place where three large elephants are tied up one front and one rear ankle shackled in padlocked chains on a concrete plinth, their trunks swinging rhythmically left to right, right to left in a continuous motion. As Paul talks to Dinjelebu, who is trying to get us to ride the elephants, I walk up close to the elephant on the nearside and I am moved to tears, grateful for my sunglasses disguise. In fact I am so moved I hope I can telepathically empathise with her plight and let her know that I am sorry and that I wish she were roaming free in the wild or being looked after like those I’d seen on a BBC documentary in their natural habitat before coming away. Dinjelebu introduces us to the head guy 9Razi?) and when Paul and I challenge him saying they looked stressed he says it’s their job to save the other elephants as though that made it right. When they found out we were from Oxfordshire we are introduced to Adrian from Cambridgeshire who was volunteering with his wife and family to celebrate his daughter’s 21st birthday, wearing orange t-shirt saying father of a 21 year old. We chat to him to understand what his briefing had told him as we stand by two baby elephants that are also tied up, one without a foot that had been dismembered in a trap and one without a tail that had been attacked by a tiger. Razi offers us some food which I’d noticed had been sitting around in the heat when we’d arrived, apparently sponsored by Adrian & his family. I decline as I wasn’t hungry for curry when I was struggling to find room for the banana we’d brought with us, however, Paul was happy to eat so as not to cause offence.
As we’re getting ready to leave I stand under the canopy near reception for the shade whilst Paul pops to the gents. A guy approaches me saying he’d seen me at Sunny’s the other night and invites us for a drink to an onsite café, soon after Dinjelebu and Razi approach me with the same invitation but I am insistent I just cant walk away as Paul wont know where to find me! Paul returns and we decide to taken them up on their kind offer even though we were ready to go. We sit in the shade on plastic patio chairs and drink coca cola, something I haven’t done in a very long time but I remember Brig swearing by it as an upset stomach remedy. We get the map out which causes much interest due to it’s quality and questions follow where it was purchased (Dubai) as they say civilians aren’t allowed to own ordnance survey detailed maps. We’re also informed that speed limits are optional for super bikes.
We have a great conversation with Razi. I tell him I think the most important thing is educating the people that are killing and maiming the elephants to remove the issue at source and he says he is trying to turn the poachers into keepers and get to the informants. In a two week expedition into the jungle they caught 10 poachers. He says he’d love to shoot their knee caps but this will land him in jail and so the next best thing is money that talks. It becomes clear he is truly passionate for the survival of the elephants in Malaysia and I am somewhat appeased. He then writes us a note to his contacts in the wild to let us in and go on safari to watch them catching the poachers but AK47 not being part of our big bike trip kit or having been survival trained for jungle expeditions we’ll probably just show our faces and say hello.
As we leave Mohan gives Paul his business card saying to call if we need his help, the Malaysians are certainly most hospitable, they don’t even say goodbye just until we meet again (Jumpa Lagi).
We ride out with destination the rest stop near 198km marker of E8 to connect with Dale, the guy who runs the East Coast hotel we are going to stay over at. Dale pulls up on 900cc Kawaski V twin. He is a friendly Canadian who has settled out here having married a Thai lady, Sal, and now has 4 kids. Paul takes a soup, which is prepared by pouring bolling hot water over a prepared bowl of bits whileI see nothing of fancy and takes a bag of nuts and some tasty looking mango bits in a bag. The mango looked tasty but on delving in we find it is pickled - yuk.
Returning to the bikes we see Vafa’s side stand has sunken into the tarmac as it had given way in the heat - a bit like I and Paul felt. Following Dave we head further east pulling off to take a small fun road. We follow Dale around the toil plazas via the dedicated motorcycle tracks. These are tricky for the big bikes we are riding designed more for the locals little 150cc bikes but to avoid any toils it is worth it. The small road takes us, through more endless palm plantations, over to a village to what was the largest tin mine in the world. More of a dusty run down shack of town now but perfect to get a drink from a local café. As we sit the clouds open and a major down fall hammers down. Thirty minutes later and it has stopped and we continue onto Dale’s resort. A delightful small hotel located right on the beach with a pool and thanks to Dale’s generosity we take a 50% discount.
With the daily grind of rising and arranging a place to dry our smalls we journey across town with Dale to meet his family for an evening meal at a local fish restaurant. Prior to sitting down Sal selects the fish for our meal from the selection displayed at the door. Soon we are tucking into an enjoyable meal while Dale’s older daughters devour a plate full of small mussels as if they were kids back in the UK eating Smarties.
After a drink at Dale’s house he drops us back at the resort and we spend our first night under a mozzie net together as all the creatures seem keen to attack me rather than Paul.
20090329 Beaches and beaches
N5.19264 E103.22138 Angulla Beach Resort
Paul writes:
While Abi sleeps I jump in the Gulf Of Thailand and enjoy a morning swim before returning to wake her for breakfast.
The new rear shock on Vafa is adjustable for height, pre-load and rebound damping. I’d left the ride height on its minimum setting, about 5mm shorter than the old Hagon shock, and the pre-load at its factory setting while tweaking the rebound damping as we rode yesterday but there was a feeling of vagueness from the front end I was not happy with. So Abi repacked the panniers and top boxes to distribute the weight forward and lower while I up the pre-load trying to transfer some weight to the front end. Over the next few days I did this again but a slow weave remained particularly evident around 30-50mph - maybe Sunny Senior was right rebuilding only half the front suspension was not a good idea.
Eventually we are back on the road and stop only to take a quick snap outside Dave Tucker’s plot on East Coast. It looks idyllic but both wonder what there is to do as only things we see as we ride are endless white beaches and small road-side stalls.
Round one corner we come across a 4 by 4 over-taking a car which is over taking another car. I really do not know which way to go as the 4 by 4 is already on the hard shoulder. I try moving to left but the 4 by 4 goes that way then the right and the same happens so I just brake hard as a voice from the intercom gets louder while the hands around my waist dig in. The 4 by 4 takes to the dirt scrabbling for grip as the other cars pass me. A little shook up I still find time to give the 4 by 4 the two fingered salute and once our heart rates have returned to normal, Abi comes back on the intercom to tell me she is happy she is wearing full biker gear even though it is making her sweat in the high temperature and humidity.
For the night we stay at the Angulla Beach resort in a small cabin 5 metres from the sand and the sea. Our cabin is one of many but most are empty as it is not the weekend or the school holidays and therefore the on site restaurant is closed and we are directed to the local night market. We wander up and down the market trying a few things, and though we stand out being fair skin and wearing biker gear the locals are friendly and readily smile without any pushy sales tactics.
Back at the resort I grab another swim in the sea but it is quite dark by now so it is only for a few minutes as I am a bit concerned about getting lost in the waves. In the cabin I trap and dispose of a big cockroach before sleeping soundly with the whir of the over head fan for again it is so hot at night.
20090330 Splurge in the woods
N5.54352 E101.34136 Belum Rainforest resort
Abi writes:
Wake at 3.30 yet feel time I could get up, drop back to sleep to wake again to find Paul sneaking out of room to watch the sun rise - "wait for me!"
Cloud prevents the sunrise from being anything special but we have our breakfast of granola & water (in lieu of milk) on the beach anyway before getting internet connection sorted in reception to learn who had won the Australian Grand Prix.
Realise the humidity must be doing something good for my skin as usual dryness not been a problem.
After a short while of being back on the road we stop at a café as I have headache/feel sick from the heat, as Paul was hungry he orders us roti canai, it was so good we ate the same again!
At lunch time Paul tries to force feed me chicken rice but having had brunch stop with calorific Indian bread x 2 I’ve no appetite and even if I had I’ve already tired of their fast food equivalent of fish & chips. At the fuel stop I make up for it with an ice-cream.
We rode 200 miles+, see loggers and first elephant warning sign after many bends in the road. For the first time at the top of the mountains I can feel the cooler air circulating through my jacket. I also found it better to loop my bum bag through belt holder and rest it on saddle between Paul and I than to wear it around the waist to prevent jacket restriction.
After such a long ride and in the middle of a remote sector we decide to treat ourselves to the Belum Rainforest Resort in Pulau Banding ( 3x the price of the previous night which was only 30RM). First job on check-in is to do big hand wash as the previous night I’d been too tired to do any. Start to wonder if I will be able to sit on plane with biker gear now it it’s so well grubby and sweated in.
Dinner chose pasta in hotel restaurant to give us breather from rice Paul noticed mega insect on bamboo light shade in restaurant with a prehistoric face or rather dinosaur like lizard in miniature.
Bite count = 6 (corner of right eye worst)
First time I’ve willed it to rain to have respite from heat.
After dinner try to catch-up with diary until 10:30pm bed, really feeling the pressure and think how if I were Paul it would be pictures only with the occasional paragraph of note.
20090331 Thailand!
N7.00333 E100.49128 Ekampon Hotel, Hat Yai
Paul writes:
Making the most of our luxury room and wifi to catch up on diary work, it is gone mid-day before we are packed. The hotel guides assure me there is little to see between the hotel and the West side of Malaysia. We find this to be the case as although the palm plantations are a delight they stop us seeing any distance. So we continue and continue only stopping for fuel and water (ether in or out of us) and am amazed to be crossing into Thailand by late evening.
With written instructions from Kelvin on which office to visit for which form, stamp or signature the crossing is easy, especially as nether side where interested in viewing the bike or its chassis number. The Thai customs used the carnet to extract the information they needed for a temporary import form. I did ask them to stamp the carnet for extra security which they did with little resistance. Already I am forming the impression the Thai’s are friendly helpful people. Buying some water from the duty free shop, motorcycle insurance and changing some money were by far the longest parts of the crossing.
A further 40km and we roll into a carpark not knowing what the word for Hotel is in Thai a local security guard points at the building next door. Ten minutes later and we have a room on the fifth floor for it is cheaper than the 2nd floor room which had air-cond and hot water. Luckily the Thai’s start counting their floors from 1 rather than zero so we do not have to carry the heavy luggage so far.
After a shower, cool rather than nice, we join three local lads and a girl sitting at a table outside the shop next door as they invited us for a beer when we arrived. They speak as much English as we speak Thai so conservation is kept to simple things but is much fun and they made us feel welcome and inform us the local time is one hour that in Malaysia a surprise to me given the border crossing is north-south rather than east-west.