Adventures in South East Asia

From Bullet to BMW​

Hi there,

For anyone interested here’s a little info on our travels.
John from the UK started his travels in India in June 2008 on a Royal Enfield Bullet (Bought in Nepal). Met Kelly from Australia in India, May 09 and travelled together some of the way till October then full time on the bike after that.

Countries visited by motorcycle so far:
Nepal, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Northern Thailand, Northern Laos.

Due to many breakdowns the bike proved to be too unreliable for an around the world journey so we sent it back to the UK from Bangkok, Thailand.
John spotted this BMW R1150 GS Adventure for sale online in England, and arranged to buy it and get it shipped out to us in Bangkok.

Shipping time took 4 weeks, but we delayed it for 7 months and in that time backpacked through the Philippines, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau, China, Mongolia, Russia, Vietnam.

Now we’re back on the road our route will be as follows:

Laos, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, East Timor, Australia, New Zealand.

Then onto the Americas and slowly heading around the world (or something like that)...

This will be our first effort at some type of ride report, go easy on us and please forgive us if it turns more into a blog style write up.

John and Kelly.

Good Luck, Stay Safe...

...and stay in touch.

Laos Here We Come

Finally I’m a fully fledged Tosser after receiving the GSA (1150) at the Bangkok docks on the 2nd Dec. Customs went smoothly and if it were not for the corroded engine serial number I would have been out within the hour - with a little more faffing over the number they relented and gave me the paperwork with a smile. The horror stories of shipping to Bangkok can be laid to rest I hope, 4 weeks’ sailing from UK to Thailand and no problems, thank God,Gulp.



On riding it from the docks the engine started to overheat quite rapidly and a fair bit of oily smoke started to billow up from below the tank towards the dash, s**t, I was thinking, only had it an hour and it’s going to be in flames before Kelly sees it! After several stops to cool the engine I got it back to the hotel, phew.

Just after getting the bike we met up with Simon and Lisa Thomas (2ridetheworld.com) who came over to see the new beast and give me a few pointers about the bike, as it’s in a different breed to my R1 and Enfield Bullet. Turns out there’s a good BMW mechanic a 20 minute walk away: Mr Yut of Dynamic Motors is an officially trained BMW mechanic, and he’s the one to sort out my problem and to get the sub frame reinforced (well recommended and not BMW prices).





After getting the split hose changed (source of the smoke), sub frame welded and a little extra TLC the bike is now on the road and going good.







Riding this machine is very different from any of my previous bikes - the weight of the thing takes a little/lot getting used to and the height of the already lowered seat means I can just get the balls of my feet on the ground to manoeuvre the 250kg plus around.

We’ve just cracked 1400 km after leaving Bangkok a week ago, not a lot I know for the hardcore brigade, but it’s been a joy (but my bits are a little snug against the tank). Riding is such a breeze compared to the old Bullet, twist the throttle and it shifts and with the bulk of the thing the whole world takes notice.

We’ve had 3 stops on the way to Laos, the first was at a nice campsite, but leaving the next morning took an extra half hour to get away, as everyone wanted photographs of the bike, the trouble with the locals is that they are just too polite to refuse.

Next stop was to visit the old Khmer ruins of Phanom Rung, then onto Khon Kaen. Nearby was Ban Khoksagar, the King Cobra Village. We ventured out there for a look but it was very disappointing. The best part was after the 10 minute show when we watched a young lad practising his snake handling skills, although he did get a bit too close having the cobra latch on to his shirt.




We had to leave Thailand on the 22nd Dec as Kelly’s visa was due to expire that day. Only a shortish ride to the border town of Nong Khai and we got there at 3pm with plenty of time to spare.

Trouble came when we got to the Friendship Bridge to cross into Laos. 3 Thai riders (2 Harley 1 BMW) had just been refused and sent down to the next border crossing at Paksan, 135 km to the east. Despite waving the Carnet as much as possible, together with Kelly’s Ozzie passport (the AUS government had paid for the bridge), we tried our hardest to blag our way across, to no avail. The only way was to put it on a truck to get across, easier said than done. With no joy, the only thing we could do was to ride on to Paksan at max speed to try and catch the last ferry across.

We pulled up just in time at 5pm and the 3 Thai bikers were there already. One helped us out communicating with the customs official and after a few filled in forms we boarded the vehicle ferry, the 4 bikes at the front and a big truck behind us.





Getting into Laos after 5pm meant everyone had gone home and all visitors, including the truckers would have to check in the following morning. You are still able to walk into town but not able to take your bike. The three Thai lads were not having this and after a few calls we had the immigration and customs chaps in to sort out the paperwork. While we waited we were treated to a Beer Lao and chicken from our new biker mates.

Four and a half hours from landing (and a couple of extra quid) we were cleared to get the bikes through the locked gate, 30 yards up the road we pulled in to a hotel/bungalow complex. We’d forgotten about the rock hard mattresses that seem to be popular in this country, but we were that tired that it didn’t matter, and a good night’s kip was had.



The next day after lunch, we nipped back to the customs complex to get some insurance. Considering we’ll be in and out for the next couple of months we went for a 2 month option which came in at a cost of £6.16p, not bad but what I’m covered for who knows?

150 km later and we arrive in the capital, Vientiane, the road was sweet tarmac all the way, something that we never had the comfort of when we travelled up the far North earlier this year. Pulling up in the centre of town to get our bearings and a cool drink, we had gyro failure and the bike went over as we were straightening up. First time we’d lost it fully loaded. After we’d stopped laughing, a passerby helped us to put it back upright. Now we know just how heavy the bike can be.



We had three nights here over Christmas, and it is unlike any other capital city we’ve ever been to. The Buddhist locals seemed to get more into the spirit of Christmas than we do, with everyone wearing santa hats and kids wearing santa outfits. We did a little sightseeing around town, to a Buddhist temple and the Lao equivalent to the Arc de Triomphe, but mainly just enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere. We also met another UKGSer, John from Australia, who we’d met last year at the HU meeting in Chiang Mai, he’s doing a different circuit this year so we may catch up with him later on our travels.





Nothing too exciting but I'm sure it will pick up.

John and Kelly

A Road Too Far

After leaving Vientiane, our plan was to head to the Plain of Jars near Phonsavan. Following our trusty map, we decided to head to Thabok (90km east), then head north from there, all the way to Phonsavan. On the map there was a note in this area mentioning that entry is not always permitted, but Kelly thought this meant just one road in the region so we decided to give it a shot.



After Thabok, the road north resorted to the Laos norm, some tarmac, some rough and then to add a bit of fun a little gravel. Before we knew it dusk had been and gone and we found ourselves near a giant open cast mining operation at Phu Bia. As always riding at night is no fun (GSA lights don’t seem to be that good) and very dangerous so we took a turning to find some accom. This road headed downhill and was a work in progress. The truck in front slowed to crawling speed and we found ourselves in very soft deep soil. Fully laden and with no steerage the bike slewed into the soil embankment at the side knocking my foot off the peg and dragging it behind, slamming a little power on the bike dragged itself out to finally hit the tarmac just behind the crawling truck.


Village musket


Don't know if this was a pet or a future snack.


Always a fan club when you pull into a village

No damage done, just a little cold sweat, luckily within the next 1km we’d found some accom.

Next morning we continued on our route north, the road good to bad but nothing scary like the previous night. Things were going well as we headed into a little town called Xaysomboune . Time for a quick stop and parking by the local market we got an invite over to join a party of women having a beer and eating Sausages and Kale. They insisted we join them, then after 15 minutes a local lad invited us to meet his police boss, no problem we thought. We got a little suspicious when we had to walk for 5 minutes away from our bike (and all our gear, including passports, money, everything), but ended up at the local police station. We never met his boss, but he wanted to record our details and to inform us that foreigners were not welcome here and if his boss sees us again “he won’t be friend”. We explained our intentions and he insisted that we could not continue on this road, and to reach Phonsavan we would have to go all the way back to Vientiane, and take another road. We weren’t impressed, and showed him another possible route through the town of Longcheng, and in the end he relented and said that yes, we could reach Phonsavan via Longcheng.


Party girls with a crate of Beer Lao


A not so welcoming sign.

Off we trundled back past the soft soil from last night, which now had been compacted, then back past the quarry onto the road to Longcheng that soon disappeared into an off road track. We persevered only to reach a gate with an armed sentry on duty. The guard refused to let us through, and at that point a 4WD pulled up from the opposite direction. A good English speaker hopped out and came to assist, but there was no way through. We tried to offer a few quid if someone could escort us (we were told we were less than 50km from the Plain of Jars!) but with no luck and sunset coming, we had to find a place to stay for the night. We weren’t allowed to stay here, so we turned around and headed back to the last village to see if there was a guesthouse.


Beautiful views

Initial response at the village was good but when we tried to explain our needs, a bed for the night or somewhere to pitch our tent the only English speaker explained that the policeman in civvies had said we couldn’t stop here over night. The mood of the place then changed and we immediately felt extremely unwelcome. With a little difficulty we managed to persuade a shopkeeper to serve us (we had no food or water with us) and with darkness drawing on we were forced to ride on. After about 5km, we managed to spot a small patch of turf not too far off the road – the perfect spot to try out our new tent. By chance the farmer was there, and he was happy for us to camp. It was a great spot up in the mountains, quiet except for the odd scooter riding past.

In the morning, after hearing the locals arrive at 0800 we decided to make a move. On opening up the tent we were greeted by 3 young soldiers holding AK-47s (all looking about 16) and a young policeman in civvies. He had a little English to tell us he wanted our passports and to follow him to his HQ. We were a bit miffed by now with the events of yesterday, and now this, so decided he could wait while we packed in slow time so our tent and ground sheet could dry a bit before we packed it all away. In the meantime the guards were a little inquisitive about our gear and discovered what they thought was a pot of chocolate spread. I was delighted when Kelly in her great wisdom offered the guy a taste. You either love it or hate it and for some strange reason he didn’t like the taste of Marmite, the next 20 minutes he spent spitting and his other friends declined having a taste. Served him right for being nosy!


First night camping in a strange land.


A beautiful view to wake up to, shame about the police/army.

Ninety minutes later (after dragging out the process for as long as possible) we followed the policeman with our armed escort to his head quarters (shed at the side of the road) where his boss aged about 25 filled out a line in his book with our passport details and bid us farewell.

According to our map, there was one more road that we could take, not directly to Phonsavan, but at least not backtracking through Vientiane. If we couldn’t go this way, we would have run out of time and have to give up on the Plain of Jars, as we needed to be in Chiang Mai for the HU meeting in a week. About 1km into this final turn off, the tarmac ended and the boulder road started. It was hell, the road didn’t let up much, but being stubborn and not letting the road win we made it 10km on when a river crossing stopped us dead in our tracks. We couldn’t believe it! It was too deep to ride through, and the bike too big and heavy to put on one of the little boats working the river. Even if we could get across there was the potential of another 50km of this horrendous road beyond the river. The only thing we could do was to head back the way we came (yet again). Kelly wasn’t happy but we had no choice, so we turned around, and 500 metres up the road the bike bounced off some rocks, hit the side dirt and slid.



A slow crash, phew, it still hurt a little, but there was no time for resting so we took the kit off the bike, got it upright then loaded it back up again. 8km later we had done it, not too much damage to the bike but enough for me to think about getting some 3rd party engine bars.

(We think that as long as you are in the dry season, a dirt bike with no gear could probably get through, and be light enough to put on one of the boats if required – not an option for us)

Finally accepting defeat, we headed south to find a major village with a guesthouse for the night. In the morning we set off heading for Vang Vieng, 320km away (quite a distance on Lao roads). We were back on the same road we had taken in, so knew the road wasn’t too bad and we should make good time. We gave up on the map and followed the OSM map on the GPS today, and somehow missed a turnoff. The new road we took quickly became gravel, 10km of it, and the first time I’d navigated on it with the new bike.
With yesterday’s mishap coming off was not an option, keeping the power on would have been my choice but if we creamed in Kelly would not have been impressed so I slowly crunched through till we hit the hard road, and we made it through unscathed.


The gravel road started out not too bad


Roads are constantly being worked on.

Got ourselves to Vang Vieng (A quaint town ruined by foreigners, tubing on a river and getting pi***d) and found ourselves a little bungalow on Paradise Island away from the lager lout area although the town looked a bit on the quiet side.


Vang Vieng

Going out for our evening meal we decided to gatecrash on a table with a couple of mature English ladies on it, after a few minutes of chatting we discover that they are also touring on motorbikes and are Pat and Sheonagh aka HU’s dustyoldbags, hearing wonderful tales of their travels the pair of us were in awe of them.

Next morning we had a delightful ride up through the mountains towards Luang Prabang where we were going to relax for a few days now that we’d given up on Phonsavan, before we head back to Thailand for the Horizons Unlimited meeting.

Unfortunately we took it too easy stopping for the views and enjoying a cuppa, and again we found ourselves back on the road after sunset. Having passed through several small villages we decided to pull over and ask if there was anywhere to camp.



The first fellow that we asked generously offered for us to stay at his house. It’s a traditional wooden house on the side of the road. He owns the shop next door where he got some vitals to cook us some scran. A large omelette with sticky rice swilled down with some Beer Lao did the trick.


Home Sweet Home

During the day all the many villages along the main roads are awash with kids, with many of them having very young mums. (Somehow I don’t think contraception has ever been in their education, although there were a couple of condoms together with a female version on the bed in the quarry guesthouse.) So all the trucks go for the easier and safer option of travelling at night, all night I think by the sounds of it.

The bed was floor bound, firm but comfortable but being near the bottom of the hill the trucks rev hard to make it up and with our bed being 25ft away from the road it actually sounded like each was about to run us over. Not much sleep was had that night.

Thank God, morning came and after a hearty breakfast of spicy fried cabbage and sticky rice (enough to feed a small army) we gave the man some dosh, bid farewell and made our way to Luang Prabang.

It was New Years Eve and most of the guest houses were full, but we finally we found one with safe secure parking. We were feeling knackered from the adventures of the past few days, and after walking around town and a few beers that evening we just couldn’t hack it, so come 11pm tucked up in bed we watched the New Year in on the box.

We’ve enjoyed our time relaxing here in Luang Prabang, and now will be making our way to the Thai border. We are heading into the area that we covered 10 months ago on the Bullet, so it will be interesting to compare the journey on the 2 very different bikes.

Loving this:cool More please


Great bike BTW

i like.. been to few of those places.... great times..
More please

Excellent .... and just the job for us armchair travellers.

Looking good would love to ride a GS out there ,must pull your arms out of their sockets after the Enfield!!! I'll be in Cambodia in 4 weeks with Global,can't wait!! Keep it comin'

Hi John, fancy that, we met in Broadlands Hotel Chennai two years ago... When you had the shiney Bullet...

Happy travels

I was with my wife and two boys waiting to fly out to the Andamans and you'd just got back from Sri Lanka...

Thanks for the encouragement from the replies, Instalment 3/4 will be coming soonish, just got to recover from the Mae Hong Son Loop, thankfully we didn't fall off this time. 100km from home experienced a spongy clutch symptom hopefully it won't be anything major, will check out the threads on here for advice.

Robbo, we may be in Cambodia in a month's time too so we might cross paths somewhere, and I can definitely tell the GS has a few more horses over the poor old Bullet, shame it doesn't have the comfort

Ritchie, the shiny Bullet is now a major project bike should I ever return to the UK and spend that amount of time there. Yep remember the advice on the website, I'll be putting up a new one soon. India will always be in my heart as you cannot beat the beautiful Himalayas.( I know theres plenty more vistas to view).

Enjoy the read and pics when they come,

John and Kelly

Thailand Bound

Week 3/2011

In Luang Prabang we managed to get into doing nothing with only the one day going out and about to the Kuang Si waterfall. They were 30km out of town, and it was great to be riding the bike with no luggage for a change. The falls were more of a cluster of pretty little ones, with the opportunity to go for a dip in a couple if you had your cozzie with you. The grounds also contained a bear rescue facility, with a few big black bears lounging around in hammocks and the like. It was a good day out, but we were glad we didn’t bother with the other site that the travel agents pushed, a small cave filled with Buddha statues. We later heard off other travellers that it wasn’t worth the time or effort.


After eating too many fresh baguettes in the morning and BBQs in the evening it was time to hit the road to Oudomxai. Unusually the road was good and before we knew it we’d pulled in to Pak Mong where last year the sprag clutch and kick start had broken. After 3 hours of roadside repairs, and then bodging it with a bump start, the clutch cable had broken with 40km to go. Thanks to the earlier repairs, the cable had broken after so we’d plodded on in 3rd, through the mountains in the dark all the way to town. This time we expected a quicker run being on a shiny BMW.


Unfortunately Kelly’s memory of a dodgy road was correct (she always is, if you ask her), the road turned back into the norm so our timings on last year were only 30mins quicker. Thankfully the village where last year we had to take evasive action and lay the bike down to avoid hitting a two year old child, whose four year old sister was looking after him, was nice and quiet as we passed through.

Arriving in Oudomxai we headed for our usual guesthouse, and on pulling in the boss recognized us, came running out and insisted that we have their ‘VIP’ suite at their regular price (£7) for the night.

The morning after we took it easy and set off at 12, the pace was slow but with only 120 km to do, we only had 4 hours of riding ahead of us. In most villages we passed through, we saw lots of young girls wearing traditional dress and throwing balls to each other. Later we found out it was the Lao New Year. We stopped to take some photos at one small village, and were amazed to see two Thai biker couples on BMWs (1150/1200 GSA, both blinged to the max with Touratech kit) passing in the opposite direction. They were equally surprised to see us in the middle of Laos, and stopped for a chat.


The last 40 km was a dream, smooth tarmac all the way into Luang Namtha. Our usual guesthouse was fully booked but we managed to find one nearby with safe parking. Time for a Beer Lao, and after discussing our next mission we had Daz from Bristol (a knowledgeable biker) and Gary a businessman from Sydney join us. A fair few more beers later and both of them were keen to be to be on their own motorcycle adventure.


Next morning on our way back from breakfast, we bumped into Gary who was sat on a scooter. He told us last night’s biking conversation had inspired him to get on two wheels and go for a little adventure of his own.

The road from Luang Namtha to the border was just as we found last year – the first 100 km was a great road, taking us through mountains, jungle, villages and farming areas. Then as expected it deteriorated into a dusty mess, but thankfully not as dusty as last year. Roadwork machinery was still in place, but we wondered what had been done (if anything?) in the last 12 months. We saw where some of the money for it might have gone – the Poverty Reduction Fund, the biggest building in the area was gleaming with a fresh coat of paint.

Again, we managed to safely negotiate some potential road hazards and one not so healthy looking double decker coach that now only resembled a single decker. The driver’s position didn’t seem too bad off and as it had been parked there a few days we hoped that the coach was empty when it rolled.


Pulling into Houei Xay, the border town with Thailand, we were intent on finding a hotel with off road parking. Last year some thieving scumbag nicked one of the horns off the Bullet overnight. We’d had to park just off the road on the hotel’s front porch. That wasn’t too unusual for us, but it was the first time in 18 months of riding the Bullet through India and beyond, that something was stolen. This time, we found a place where we could park off the road, out of sight, but even better the hotel owner insisted that we park inside her restaurant in the evening, and her sons would move it back outside in the morning. This was a great relief as we were worried that some idiot might try to just whip the HID light off and think he could just clag it onto his own bike without all the gubbins.


We had an early start in the morning to get through the process of crossing back to Thailand. Having been here before, customs/immigration was straightforward. First, we got our passports stamped at immigration. The bizarre thing here is that although you have been officially ‘stamped out’ of the country, you are free to return to town and there is no rush to leave. We went back, had breakfast, packed and loaded the bike, then rode down to customs and the vehicle ferry, which is nearly a kilometre up the road. Here, the Carnet was stamped, we paid the ferry man 500 baht (£10) (it was free at the last border we crossed into Paksan), and were free to depart. We had the ferry to ourselves, and on landing were a bit worried about riding off as the ferry ramp grounded itself in a deep muddy area, but it turned out to be no problem. It then took about 40 minutes to get everything done on the Thai side – entry stamps in passports and Carnet filled in (the Carnet is not a requirement in this region, but it does make things easier, with less chance of encountering bribery). The annoying thing is that you only get 15 days entry into Thailand at a land crossing (even though the bike gets 30!), so we may have to do a visa run to Burma later if we want to stay longer.


Back onto Thai roads, hurray. A quick 300km, and we reached Chiang Mai, our favourite town so far. It was great to be back, even staying in the same room we lived in for almost 6 weeks all up last year. Roll on tomorrow, for the HU meeting, where we’re sure a few beers will be had.

Excellent write up, have fun and let us know how it goes.

Sold some Touratech bling of my GSA last year on German ebay and all of it was bought by Thai ebay users. I found that unusual as well.

Hi bmwrover,

Yep, it's no surprise you sold your gear to Thai bikers, the expense of any gear imported here is loaded up with import tax so if they can get anything from abroad without paying the duty on it they would be onto a winner. Hopefully part 3/4 will be up soon.

Mae Hong Son Loop Revisited

Weeks 2/3 2011

This time we made it to the Horizon’s Unlimited Meeting in Chiang Mai, last year we were waylaid by my mate Mitch (USA Bullet biker) and enjoyed his bottle of Tequila too much to make it for the presentations.

We met at 3pm for a photo shoot with all the bikes (about a dozen RTW bikers all up). The plan had been to return at 7pm for presentations, but we all got chatting after the photos and didn’t leave the pub until much later in the evening. The presentations were interesting, with Dr. Greg Frazier (USA) speaking about the first ever RTW motorcycle trip undertaken in the 1920s, and Tom (Australia) regaling us with his travels through Sumatra on an F650 Dakar. Tom gave us lots of info on what to expect when we hit the place in a few months’ time.


The night carried on with lots of banter with tales from around the world, and after many beers we headed home.

Over the next few days we chilled out in Chiang Mai and spent our evenings having a few more beers with bikers Jane and John (UK), Anita and Matt (UK) and Dave (USA), all of whom are at varying stages of their RTW trips. One night we managed to see a little culture with a ringside at Muay Thai boxing, most of the bouts were by youngsters with a couple of senior bouts at the end, a very different type of fight compared to my old boxing days.


Yet again, we were taking things too easy in Chiang Mai, so we headed out onto the Mae Hong Son loop. This renowned circuit apparently has 1864 bends in it, some lovely sweepers and then some switchbacks, which makes for a very interesting ride. Leaving most of the gear at the hotel we travelled light, making the most of the handling of the GSA, which turned out to be spot on, unlike the old Bullet which we came off on the loop last year.


Our first stop was in Pai, and the following day we arrived in Mae Hong Son, and pulled into the same guesthouse where we stayed last year. The family were pleased to see us and were chuffed to see the monster BMW parked in their car park.


This was a two-night stop, so the next day Kelly hired a 125cc scooter and as the roads are quiet, although quite steep and bendy, we headed out to Mae Aw, a Chinese tea village up on the Myanmar Border. The route to the border involved a little off roading for Kelly so I was pretty impressed when she followed me up there. After this 100km debut she now cannot wait to get home to do her bike test.


That evening the excitement may have got to her or maybe it was some dodgy food somewhere, poor old Kelly was held up for a fair while she was in the closet, tomorrows trip out of town was on hold.

With Kelly feeling a little better and very empty in the morning, she decided to soldier on, and we headed off to Mae Sarieng for the next leg of the loop.

Consulting the map, we thought we might ride from there down south to Mae Sot, and do a visa run (as our Thai visas were due to expire in a few days).
Fortunately we mentioned our plans to a local at dinner, who informed us that the border was closed due to politics and that the road close to the border sometimes came under shelling from off target Burmese Freedom Fighters. This information saved us a 460km round trip and a wasted few days.

Back on track we stopped off at some Hot Springs, the sign outside quoted 200 baht per person but when asked it was only 50bht plus 20bht (£4, £1, 40p) for towels. With the slight smell of sulphur (smelly eggs) we soothed our aching bodies for an hour. Now with a little weary on it was just a quick 35km up the road to the best value for money guesthouse in Thailand, a nice bungalow including tv and fridge all for 300bht (£6).

Homeward bound we cut through the Doi Inthanon National Park to experience the view from Thailand’s highest peak: Doi Inthanon (2565metres). We’d come this way last year, and yet again by the time we got there the view was obscured in cloud. This didn’t spoil the enjoyment of getting up there, and the crisp 8 degrees C was a bit of a shock to the system after being used to the warm weather. On the ride back down, some of the roads being worked on could mean a nasty surprise/freefall if you weren’t paying attention. We stopped briefly at the Mae Klang waterfall, again as we had done last year, but this time mainly to log it into the GPS. We didn’t bother going in though, as there are now farang (foreigner) and local prices - we were a bit miffed considering all the flash, brand new 4x4s we see everywhere. We were expected to pay 200 baht entry, locals just 40 baht - at 5 times the difference, we couldn’t justify it. The falls are quite beautiful, but Kelly got a nice shot of them last year so we weren’t too worried about missing them.


Descending from the peak, the clutch on the bike felt abnormal, spongy, with gear changing getting more clunky. Back on the highway into Chiang Mai the clutch was now coming all the way to the bar, so without too many gear changes we made it home. After a little research on the web (UKGSer, ADV Rider) we decided that the most likely fault was the Clutch Slave Cylinder. Knowing that the parts would have to come from BMW I took the gamble of the cost and took it to BMW Barcelona (Chiang Mai).


The mechanic sussed the problem straight away then got to work on it, the only snag was the part was in Bangkok and would take 48hrs to get here. We were in no rush, so ordered it in, and after watching the bike being stripped I took the offer of a lift home (I thought I’d be paying for it in the long run).

After a few days without the bike, BMW called and we were dreading the final bill. We knew how much the new slave cylinder was, but we had no idea about labour costs, as BMW garages back home are not well known for their cheapness.

Parts: Slave Cylinder 5550b, Gasket 182b, Fluid 810b = 6542b = £139
Labour: 1960b = £41 plus tax 595b = £12 Total £193ish

Not bad for the labour, but with the import tax and duty, and normal tax it looks like the parts are nearly double the UK price.

The bike now feels easier on the gear change and Kelly is a lot happier, now she knows the gear change is not literally meant to be like a Massey Ferguson gearbox (tractor).

Chiang Mai is one of those places you instantly come to like; it’s a big city with a village attitude. Biker friends are still around getting their motorcycles worked on, so we’ll be partaking in a few more beers over the coming days methinks.

Tigers and Snakes

While the bike was being repaired, we booked a spot on the ‘visa run bus’ to Mae Sai, a 4 hour drive from Chiang Mai. The frustrating thing about Thai visas is that if you arrive at a land border, you are only given a 15 day entry stamp (unless you have organised a tourist visa at a foreign Thai embassy – not always practical). On a carnet (or the temporary import paper all foreign bikes receive on arrival), the bike is stamped into the country for 30 days. Thus, you can leave the bike in the country while you do a ‘visa run’ to get a further 15 day stamp. In northern Thailand, the most convenient place to do this is at the northern-most town of Mae Sai, adjacent to the Myanmar town of Tachileik. We’d utilised this border crossing several times already so were well acquainted with the process.

After being stamped out of Thailand, you cross a bridge into Myanmar. Here, you pay 500 Baht (£11) for a temporary visitor permit that allows you to remain in Tachileik for the day. There is an option of hiring a guide for $30 a day to visit other towns, which we did last year, but most people are just here for the visa run. After a quick look in the market, you collect your passport from Myanmar immigration, walk back to Thailand, get a new stamp, and are good to remain in the country for another 15 days. The only other option is to visit an immigration office in a large town (such as Chiang Mai), pay 1900 Baht (£41) and get just 7 days extension!

After being so long in Chiang Mai (again) we eventually got to visit Tiger Kingdom. A lot of these types of organisations have the stigma of using sedation, ill treatment and/or trafficking the creatures, so we were a little dubious about it all.

Tiger Kingdom is pretty upfront with their policies. While we’re not exactly sure where they source the cubs from, they keep them until they are about two years old and are then transferred to zoos/parks for captive breeding programs. Kelly being a vet saw no obvious signs of sedation, and thought they appeared to be in good health, although they have to put up with us cheesy tourists getting to play, cuddle or just stroke these beautiful cats.


Options varied from cubs, to boisterous 8 month olds, up to the largest 15 month olds. Kelly would have happily seen them all, but we could only afford to see a couple of age groups - we opted for the cute young cubs and the large sleepy ones. As there was a posse of us, James and Emily and Dave there was no requirement for a photographer of which they can provide for an added price.


Yep, putting it bluntly the cubs were gorgeous and the big ones very scary up close, but seemed harmless as they just wanted to doze in the afternoon sun. Getting close up to these magnificent beasts, you could see what damage they could do with their monstrous paws.


Next on the agenda was the snake show just a few kilometres up the road. Unfortunately this was not as well run as Tiger Kingdom. The show was better than the previous one we had seen at the Cobra Village, but the attached zoo was dismal. They kept a multitude of various types of snakes and other animals and birds, in tiny, crowded and filthy cages. The only ones that had any sort of luxury were the rabbits, which had plenty of room to play while waiting for their day of destiny – snake food.



With a little bit of cash investment and some good PR this place could be onto a good thing, it’s just a shame to see these creatures suffering for our entertainment.


We managed to get back into Chiang Mai in time to watch the last hour of the cricket. Today is Australia Day, and as we had a few beers at the pub, we saw the Aussies defeated by England in the One Day International at Adelaide Oval (Kelly’s hometown).

27 Jan 11

Prior to leaving and after hearing about a good engineering firm in Chang Mai from John who had some exhaust pipe alterations done on his Tenere, I decided to get a crud catcher made. With a bit of scribble on a piece of paper and with their no English we managed to knock up a decent plate with all the fixings. The price including tip £20, this I felt would have been a farang price but the time, effort and the quality made it worth every penny.


We had no excuses to hang around in Chiang Mai now, and finally departed, probably for the last time (never say never). Our next leg is through the scenic but seldom visited Nan Province in north-eastern Thailand. Dave, the Texan on his DRZ 400 is riding with us for the next week, through Nan and into Laos. Our first stop was in Phayao, not too scenic a ride and much of it on the main roads but it was good to be back out on the bike again.

From Phayao the scenery picked up. Although it was still a highway, the 1148 is renowned to be one of Thailand’s best biking roads, and we followed it through the mountainous and jungle scenery of the national parks. If we had more time, we could have spent a good few days touring the area more thoroughly, but we were on a bit of a deadline with our Thai visas due to expire in a matter of days. Before we knew it sunset had come and gone so we pulled into a resort/campsite 30 km north of Nan town for the night. After good scran and a couple of cold beers it felt good using the tent again with no worries of being woken up by police and armed soldiers.

In the morning, we realised that we’d stumbled across a piece of paradise – the campsite was situated on a hill overlooking a picturesque lake. We decided we could afford to make the most of it here and stayed a couple of days. On walking up the steps from the lake, Kelly spotted a rather large black scorpion, non venomous but still could have given a nasty sting as flip flops don't offer too much protection.


The next stretch to Na Haeo was a dream. We passed through more National Parks along the Thai/Laos border - the curvy roads and no traffic were a dream but the surfaces made it a little slower going. Yet again we enjoyed the views so much and had another late finish to the day. Thankfully we found a gem of a guesthouse, which turned out to be a house to ourselves for the night.


The following day we rode to Khon Kaen to sort out our Laos visas (as we are still not entirely sure if you can get a 30 day visa at the Pakxan border crossing). We headed south back onto the busier main highways and rode the 320km into Khon Kaen at a good pace. The visa process took 5 minutes, as it did back in December, then we had a day to have a look around town. Despite being a bit ‘templed out’, Wat Phra Mahathat Kaen Nakhon was worth a visit.


Next morning we were off to Bueng Kan to catch the ferry across to Pakxan (Laos), the same border crossing that we used to enter Laos previously. Last time we were helped out by some Thai bikers who assisted with translating and paperwork, this time it was the three of us and the two foreign bikes. Things on the Thai side went smoothly but very slowly, the customs official that swiftly sorted it out last time wasn’t there so with not too much communication we got it sorted in slow time (not helped by arriving at their lunch break!).

Crossing the river was a joy although this time it cost us 200 Baht (£4) for the privilege. Into another country is always exciting, this may be our third time into Laos but we’re heading south this time so we still don’t know what to expect of the roads to come.


Previously, Laos customs went smoothly as the Thai bikers we met up with got the Customs guy out afterhours to sort out the paperwork. This time it was quicker, but more frustrating as we felt we were being scammed in some way. It may have only been for a few quid but nonetheless I hate it when they have you by the bo**ocks.

The price we paid was 40,000kip for bike paperwork, 25,000kip for motorcycle entry and apparently 5000kip for passport to be stamped (£3.33p, £2.08p, 42p). £5.83 doesn’t seem to be a lot, but last time we were given a receipt for 7000kip not 70,000kip. We asked for an official receipt but none was forthcoming and in the end left it at that. We still had current insurance, so once Dave had sorted his out, we left customs, after lots of handshakes, photos and big smiles. If you can’t beat em, join em.


With too much time spent crossing it was time for a quiet night in Pakxan.

beer

Nicely done sir

Now I know what you were up to yesterday afternoon

Great report John

Are we meeting up for a drink later this evening, we still need to swop GPS tracks and points if your still interested.

Cheers
SimonT

Cheers Simon,

The Loop

5th Feb 2011

This little chapter isn’t quite like a big off road mega adventure, but for three novice ladies was an experience that made them all finish with a smile and a strange need to do the rough stretch all over again

Now we’re heading south and our first stop is Thakhek. This is the start of what the guidebooks term ‘The Loop’, a 450km-ish route through and around the Nam Theun Dam. Within it there is approximately 70km of bad/non existent road, which makes it a little more interesting to those who haven’t ridden much before. Dave who was a little short of time split with us today to ride to Konglor to save going back on himself. We planned to ride the loop from Thakhek with very little luggage and Kelly on another scooter.


After a few days relaxing in a nice-ish hotel, and enjoying sunsets over the Mekong with a Beer Lao or two, we moved to Thakek Travel Lodge. Here we were able to glean some more information about the route, and leave our luggage in storage for a few days. There is a handy bike hire set up here too, which actually hires out decent roadworthy bikes. The scary thing is if you cannot ride, Mr Ku will teach you in 20 minutes how to start, change gear and stop the machine, and then let you have it to ride away with a helmet for just 100,000kip a day (£8.33p). Very, very scary.

In the morning Kelly with a little experience joined up with two Scottish girls Alana and Claire, who had no experience at all, but for the 20 minutes of instruction.

Off they rode and surprisingly they all did well, the road starts as a main road and is pretty quiet as it weaves through the scenic karst mountainscape. After the first 90km of good road, we went onto a 20km patch of gravel, which the girls handled with ease. We stopped for lunch, wondering if we’d already covered some of the ‘bad road’ that we’d heard about.


The scooters now required a top up of petrol, which was done via the usual Asian village method, poured from a glass pop bottle. This done, we hit the road and it wasn’t long before we found out the road wasn’t going to be that sweet. The scenery had changed from the rocky outcrops to riding through the middle of the dammed area with forest either side. The trees were all turning silver, I presume before they die and fall under the surface of the water. The dead trees combined with the still waters made for some stunning shots, although as per the norm, the resulting photographs aren’t a touch on seeing it live.


Now the fun began and through the sand, loose dirt, gravel, dodgy old road and more sand, the four of us did travel. Looking after the girls by giving them a few tips I hoped they would make it through unscathed. I started with a first big wobble by waving at some kids while not looking at the road ahead. I hit the sand and thankfully managed to save myself - the next couple of wobbles were just for fun. After we had cracked the 70km of tough stuff we pulled into Laksao. We were covered head to toe in red dust, but our first priority before showering was to enjoy a couple of well deserved cold beers. I was pretty impressed with the day’s riding, I think I was the only one who had a few close calls. However, stopping in front to take a few phots I managed to catch Claire lose it big time in the sand but she managed to save herself before it was too late.


Day 2 of The Loop was an easy one, it was just a slow plod of 100km down to the village of Konglor. This is the home of the Konglor cave, containing a 7.5km river running right through a mountain. We climbed into small longboats with room for 3 passengers and 2 crew, and cruised the length of the cave to the village on the other side. It is all in complete darkness aside from the torches carried by the crew to navigate. At one point you climb out and walk through an area of stalagmites/stalactites in various stages of development. We found the various coloured lighting illuminating this section, which was set up by the French, to be a bit naff. Back in the boat we carried on, having to get out every now and again when we ran aground in shallow water. We then came out into the open on the other side of the mountain, stopped in a little village for a quick drink, then did the journey in reverse back through the cave, this time without any stops.


The next morning, we headed out of pretty little Konglor with its tobacco fields in full bloom, and got back onto highway 8. At one point some lorries overtook us at full pelt, later we chuckled when we overtook one of them that had cut a corner and ended up in a drainage ditch. We had 180km to cover today, a big ask for the girls on their 125cc bikes, considering we left the cave after 1.30pm. Other than a quick photo at one viewpoint overlooking a limestone forest, we motored on back to Thakhek on Laos’ national highway 13 – a boring ride for me, but a bit more of a challenge for the beginners riding in heavier traffic.


Back in Thakhek we shared a few celebratory beers with the girls before they headed off on an overnight bus. Unfortunately we’d arrived at the Travel Lodge too late, they were fully booked but we managed to persuade them to let us put our tent up for the night. The grounds aren’t that good so the reading lounge was used for our new campsite. Concrete floor or not we slept like logs, there’s not a whole lot of difference between Laos beds and concrete floors anyway.

Great report and pictures.
Thank you for sharing them with us.
Safe Travels