ToST II - Part 9

Let's celebrate!

We've made plans for dinner and found an awesome makan place nearby.
It's a traditional Thai hotpot restaurant and the customers there are mainly locals.
Our plan was to stay as far away as possible from tourist traps.
We didn't have any issues getting our fill with the Thai hotpot and drowned the night with a lot of beers! 
Everyone was happy with the fact that the ToST II was successful.
Since we bought our train tickets, there was nothing to worry because we are going to wake up a bit late the next day to ride around Hat Yai.
So far, the cyclometer has clocked-in about 300km.

Cheers!

Working jumbos pays a visit

Ohhh.. Yeah!

The locals enjoying their food

Shopping spree

I can see on the faces of the guys that was lit up. It was a sense of achievement. 
We ate and drank all night long before calling it a day.
The next morning, we took the bikes down and headed downtown for breakfast.
Our first stop was a roast pork shop.
There, we sampled some Siew Yuk, possibly one of the best in Hat Yai and went over to a coffee shop near Lee Garden Hotel for some porridge.
Later, I realized that a piece of screw was missing from my luggage rack.
We found a bicycle shop not too far from the scene.
I asked the owner, Khun Somchai if he had replacement screws for sale which he gladly gave me free of charge.
And the gang ended up spending thousands of Thai bahts shopping there.
We decided to go bicycle shop hopping from one end to another around Hat Yai.
This led us to a high-end bike cafe in the fringe of the city.
Since we were too early, we waited for it to open. 
Michelle was beginning to get annoyed with the wait.
Having seen the no-show, we rode back to the city to check out another shop.
By the time we got back to the bike boutique, it was already open for business.
Sin splurged by spending thousands of bahts purchasing bicycle bells and a handlebar bag.
The only thing I bought from this outlet, was a Cateye light. 
Why? "Made in Japan".
While the guys were busy browsing the aisles, two of the bike shop guys were assembling a Surly Troll.
This is a nice looking bike and its also pretty affordable.
They were building it and a complete bike would cost no more than RM3K.
Our Thai hosts were also amazed with Roger's touring stories and if we ever head back to Hat Yai in the future, this shop will be a pit stop.

Getting ready for the city ride

Cycling around Hat Yai

Siew Yuk for the soul..

Khun Somchai's bike shop

Shopping time!

 A selection of folding bikes at Khun Somchai's store

I found that there were some really cool stuff at the bike boutique, but there weren't any stuff that catches my fancy.
Michelle bought a jersey for herself and Sin was the big spender.
After spending a good time there, we rode back to the hotel to pack up and head for lunch at our usual Kuey Teow Lueah shop.

The Surly Troll, nice bike to have for adventure rides

A view of the bike boutique..

Saddle-up, let's roll!

We left the hotel shortly after 12:30pm local time.
From the uptown area, we rode towards Tune Hotel to have our Kuey Teow lunch.
Later, we rode towards the train station to prepare ourselves for the long journey back to Kuala Lumpur.
And as usual, I took the initiative to pack dinner.
We went to Robinson's department store and packed four packets of rice and bought some snacks including drinking water as dinner onboard the KTM coach is only available after the train arrives in Alor Setar, Kedah.
Its also quite a chore to load up the gear onto the train as we had to cross the platforms.
By the time we settled-in nicely, its a matter of waiting.

At Hat Yai Junction train station

Getting comfy

One for the road..

The trouble with seating arrangements..

IF you are purchasing a train ticket from Hat Yai to Kuala Lumpur, take note that rows 15 - 14 and 1 - 3 are not sold there.
These are available across the border with passengers boarding in Padang Besar and beyond.
We had this problem before and had to "sweet talk" other passengers to swap seats.
For bikes, the best rows are 15 A-D where there's ample legroom and space to place your foldies.
In the coach, an old Malay couple boarded with no seat number.
We offered our seats to them and later learned that our seats were sold to a Thai Malay couple in Padang Besar.
The guy who purchased the seat was edgy. But I talked him into swapping with me and Michelle while Sin and Roger had stayed put.
In handling matters as such, one has to be really patient. Knowing the lingo and how to approach irate passengers is a skill one must acquire.
I had to persuade two other passengers along the way to swap their seats. It wasn't pleasant, but someone has to do the job.
So, if you intend to bring your bike, just get rows 13 A-D and place your bikes at the front row. Just be nice if you see people with fart faces and those who give you attitude.
Somehow or rather, I think we can improve the odds in future journey to Thailand, especially with our bikes.

It was a good journey no matter what..

We endured 14 hours of train ride to arrive in KL Sentral and parted ways.
Michelle and I boarded the LRT bound for Paramount Garden where her father was waiting to pick us up.
Roger and Sin went their own way.
I am grateful for Roger's scheduling and planning and Sin's patient in putting up with our idiosyncrasies throughout the journey...
The ToST experience is definitely a learning curve for me and in the months and years to come, I can certainly look forward to more of such adventures on our folding bikes!

ToST II - Part 8

There is a first time for everything.. 

I've never taken a stage bus for long hauls in Thailand. 
This would be a good experience..

Based on past experience, its been done mostly on chartered vans and I was pretty happy with the results.

One of the main issue on getting around is the language barrier.
You need to know precisely about the timing on the transportation schedule.
So, there we were, in Surat Thani, after a good night's rest and raring to go.
I am glad for the fact that all of us had agreed that it was best to get an accommodation near the bus station so that we don't need to cycle the distance.
By 06:30am, the gang was already out and about.
We packed everything into our panniers and was ready to roll..

A snapshot at our motel in Surat Thani

Sin, ready to roll

The long and short of it...

Well, I am just happy with the fact that the group was "tight" in many ways. No issues with making decisions, sharing beers and the good makan. No Rockstars and Primadonnas. Everyone has their role to play.
And this also puts to rest the myth that only large bikes are capable of touring rides. 
We did it and we are happy to do it again.
My Dahon Speed P8 has clocked-in more than 8,000km and is still going.
Spare some squeaks and minor annoyance with the mechanical problems, this bike took me to places I can only imagine.
I'm also happy that there were no major issues like injuries and illnesses.
Everybody was fit as a fiddle for the long ride.

My Dahon Speed P8

The only casualty was Roger's broken chain guard

Out of Surat Thani..

We have eight hours to kill on the bus.
And fortunately, there's enough space on the cargo hold to stash all four bikes. 
If there were more, I think we might have to resort to chartering a mini van to Hat Yai.
The fare to our destination costs b240 one-way.
We had to share our seats with other passengers and since it was a stage bus, the coach will make plenty of stops along the way.
Hat Yai is roughly about 340km away via Highway 4, so, this was an interesting experience for all of us..

The map clearly shows where we are

Riding to the bus station

Packing up

Our bus

All aboard!

Surviving the long haul...

After two hours of rock and rolling in the bus, we arrived at a bus station outside Patthalung.
The passengers got out and had their lunch and the first thing I did, was to check the cargo hold.
Our bikes are still in the holding area. So, there's really nothing much to worry about.
I went to a hawker and asked for a pack of raw mango. It costs b25 a pop and I munched away while waiting for the bus to resume its journey to Hat Yai.
With about 100km to go, we were relieved that everything had went on smoothly.
The past few days that we were cycling, the weather has been fair.
Up North, there were floodings and really nasty rainfall.
Here in the far South, we were only experiencing the milder part of the storm.
Finally, after eight hours of sitting in the coach, the bus arrived at Hat Yai's bus station.
It was pouring as we scrambled to unload and set up our bikes.

Our cosy lunch place

Morale booster: Fried rice and Tom Yam Thale

A wet day in Hat Yai..

The bus station is located on the East side of the city.
We have to ride about 6km across to the Hat Yai junction train station to secure our tickets home the following day.
We rode in the rain and made our way towards the station and once we got there, the only tickets available was the aisle seats.
I took care of that and suggested to Roger to have a late lunch at the usual makan place nearby. 
Our destination was a small eatery opposite Hat Yai's General Post Office.
Having a hot meal uplifted our dampened spirit and the next thing in mind, was to look for a place to stay.
We avoided all the touristy areas in downtown Hat Yai.
I recalled seeing a budget motel in the outskirts, some 3km from the city. But we failed to locate the place as no information was available.
But we did connect with the owner of Sri Suwandee bicycle shop in Klongrian Road.
We met "Thai Teoh" the bike shop owner and shared a conversation with him before moving on to locate a place to stay.
While making the push back to the city, I saw a hotel in a small lane.
It reads: "G2 Hotel" and charges about b850 a night.
I thought out aloud that since this was our last day in Thailand, might as well splurge for some comfort... And so we did!

ToST II - Part 7

Savouring Surat Thani

We've spent nearly the entire day on the road, covering more than 110km in total distance.
My cyclocomputer showed 295km from where we began in Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Compared to the ToST I, this is by far, the longest ride ever.
At the motel, I took a walk to a grocery shop.
Bought three bottles of Chang Beer to celebrate at our room.
The Isan resort is a new place and while channel surfing the cable TV, Michelle found a porn channel. Amazing!
On the cheap, motels are the best places to stay if you want to stretch your dollar.
I told the guys to meet up around 5:30pm so that we could ride out towards the town area in search of food..

Isan motel

We rode out towards the city area and found a makan place by the roadside.
It serves decent food and we had a good fill with the dishes.
Sin ordered some Thai favourites while I sank my teeth at a bowl of braised chicken feet.
The rest of the night, we chat and recapped about the experience..

The makan place..

Deep-fried mullet

After dinner, we cycled towards a night market complex nearby.
There, we checked out the hawker food offered and ended up buying a packet of stewed pig's head.
This is delicacy and what's missing was the beers!
We rode towards a PTT station near the where we turned off at the bus station and found a place to get some mini sausages which became the flavour of the day.

The power of mobile internet...

Through a few touring experience, I found that the way to convey messages through images have changed.
Free WiFi is a game-changer.
You can get such services at public places and the upload speeds are fast.
And if you have a smartphone with a good camera, its almost like giving a "live feed" to your friends who are following your journey.
I use a Canon powershot G1X as my primary image capture tool. Along with the gear, I carry my HTC One X+ smartphone. The camera on this phone is pretty decent and after polishing the lens cover with liquid abrasive, I found some new use for the camera.
On the average, I can upload some 30 images into Facebook with ease. And without a roaming data plan, I get free WiFi and in the case of Thailand, the services are pretty decent.
At the PTT station, I wasted no time uploading the photos. But this place sells no beer, so, we had to cycle to another grocery shop near the motel to get our fill.

Uploading photos taken with the smartphone at a cafe in Surat Thani..

Cold beers and a good company...

Back in the room, we had our beers and some snacks.
We also worked out the expenses and so far, so good.
With the limited time that we had, we didn't really check out Surat Thani. 
Our energy was reserved for the long ride back to Hat Yai from Surat Thani.
This is roughly about 400km along the Kra Isthmus.
Whatever that needs to be done, has been done.
The laundry's dry, bikes are in good condition and our budget remained intact.
We drank our beers, called it a night and looked forward to the journey home.