It's another border crossing today and Peter escorts us down on his R1100RS. We say farewell and begin the procedures. Although there was a little to and froing both sets of officials were done in around 1.5 hours and that included insurance, police permits and carnet. Instead of headng south we tackle the road east to Kota Bharu. Winding roads through the forests culminating in a tropical downpour at Keroh. We found shelter in a hotel just as another down pour beings.

More mountains and twisties to Kota Bahru with the road flattening out closer to the coast. Accomodation at the Ideal Travellers Guest House was considerably more expensive than similar places in Thailand. In general, food and accomodation was more expensive in Malaysia. Most women here are dressed in long bright floral dresses (two pieces) with a coloured scarf wrapped tightly under the chin. No hair is exposed however, most wear makeup and are generally quite friendly. It is amazing how differently the Islamic law is interpreted through all the Moslem countries we have travelled.

Our travelling companion Connor who has been with us for a lot of our trip since Iran decided to return to the U.K. Being a qualified vet and the dilema over foot and mouth in England has swayed him enough to return. He departed for K.L. and last we heard the bike was in storage and he was back in England. His plans are to return in 3-4 months and continue onto Australia.

Plenty of rain in Kota Bahru had us delaying our departure down the east coast. Stopping several times at Marang, Kuala Dungan and Chendor we baulk at the high cost of accomodation for very ordinary rooms. Finally at Cherating a quiet beach area we park the bike at the Coconut Inn which has great little rustic chalets with shower and toilet at a reasonal price. Two nights here listening to the birds and the rain drops on an unlined tin roof. Very tropical.

Mersing is the gateway to many of the eastern islands and we arrive just as a thunder storm circles the city. Enjoy satay chicken sticks for dinner but agree the one we consumed in Bangkok were much better.

South towards Johor Bahru we investigate the ferry times to Changi on Singapore Island. The next was at 6.30pm, too late for us. Getting to this point we must have ridden through the heaviest rain on the peninsula. The sky was black and each drop felt like half a cup of water. Lucky it is warm rain.

Johor Bahru is the 2nd largest ciy in Malaysia and it has traffic to match. Basic accomodation was expensive but as this was the main crossing point to Singapore it could not be avoided. Motorcycle chaos as thousands of Malays cross the border each day to work. Arranging a legal entry was tedious but the officals were extremely helpful, advising us of all the do's and don'ts in Singapore. We parted with too many hard earned dollars for our short visit but hearing of the efficiency of Singaporean beauracrats made us do everthing correctly. Being a weekend we had no road tolls to pay although we still had to buy the 'toll card' to be legal. It's a souvenir now just like the excess number of parking tickets we had to buy.

Riding in Singapore was an orderly affair although a number of taxis 'carved' us up. Each country we visit has its own quirky ways of driving. Patience Ken, patience. The roads are clean and wide and the sign posting excellent. We still missed our turn off to Changi however and ended up riding into the real prison to find out where the Changi Prison Museum was situated. It was only 200mtrs down the road. With free entry we spent two hours reading the history of the fall of the island to the Japanese and the horrific treatment metred out to its occupants.

Cruising back to town we find accomodation at the Ah Chew Hotel parking the bike on the street with guarantees from the manager and the staff of the attached restaurant that all would be safe. Raffles Hotel was very close and we entertained ourselves wandering around this old colonial monument. Carol had a Singapore Sling and I had a pint of Guiness. Pure decadence as we munch our dry roasted nuts, throwing the shells onto the floor (this is the done thing here) of the world famous 'Long Bar'.

The Singapore Zoo was worth the visit with the orangutans providing us with the most enjoyment. The resident anaconder gave birth to 23 young ones that morning so she was looking decidedly loose around the middle.

Tackling the causeway border crossing back to Malaysia at 5pm on a Sunday with some 500-600 small motorcycles is front of us and a similar number behind us (and increasing) was not a good idea. We swelter as the line slowly shrinks towards the immigration booths. Stamped and processed the fun begins again. Checking to see if we owe any road tax and showing customs how to complete a carnet de passage. Amazing!! We reach our hotel after 7pm.

Exiting Johor Bahru we experience a misfire and roll to a stop. An ignition wire under the triple clamp has broken. Reaching Melaka in sunny weather was a first for many a days travel. We stayed at Robins Nest with the bike parked on the footpath below. The bike cover deters the lookers and touchers when we park under these conditions. Plenty of sight seeing at this old, now almost redundant port. Museums abound and the replica of the old Portugese sailing ship reminds us of the history that envelops the area. Our hosts at the Guest House cook up a great Malay feed and all the guests retire that night with a very contented look.

It is not far to K.L. so we decide on the long route, east towards Kuantan on highway 12 and then back west on highway 2. This is over 500kms and we were surprised on how easy we did the journey. There were plenty of winding roads through the mountains with highway 12 being lined entirely with palm tree oil plantations.

We stayed at the Sun Kong Hotel in Chinatown. It is always busy in Chinatowns and this one is no exception. We cruise the markets looking for bargains but most are items from Thailand where they are much cheaper. At Sunny Motorcycles we have our troublesome shock checked. The mechanic finds a loose swing arm and agrees to add more preload to the spring. Adding more nitrogen the next day the suspension and handling improves.

Our next stop north was the Cameron Highlands. Up there the weather is cool and damp and Tanah Rata (the village) has plenty of guest houses. We stumble into the Twin Pines and have an enjoyable two days mixing with travellers and sightseeing. High rise appartments and hotels grow out of the jungle and it disappoints us to see the overdevelopment. Returning down the twisty mountain road we reach the warm humid plains again and make a dash to Penang hoping to arrive before the inevitable afternoon thunder storm. Our haste was in vain as we collected a spike of steel deflating our rear tyre. Once again our patches would not bond to the asian tube so we replaced the tube.

In Georgetown, Penang we endeavour to ship our bike to Medan in Indonesia but the asking price exceeds our budget. We contact the Indonesian Consulate and photocopy their requirements to bring the bike in. Their rules are so far out of date but what can be done??

Sunday we left Penang and headed back to Melaka as we had information of a better and easier deal from that port. The deal is done and we depart for Dumai 25/4/01. We are on the passenger ferry and the bike is on a beaten up old cargo boat. Hope the pirates don't get her and it is a calm crossing. Indonesia here we come.

(for information concerning how we got into Indonesia see www.HorizonsUnlimited.com)

Shipping the bike can only be done on a cargo vessel. We were directed to an agent by the Customs Officer in Melaka who was very helpful.
Company name.............Jalinan Muara Enterprise, 865-1 Jalan Semabok,
75050 Melaka. H/P 012-6238438 Tel/Fax: 06-2921867. This office is located beside the ferry terminals.

Cost to ship the bike is 400RM Passenger Fares + Dep. Tax is 59RM each There will be charges on the other side but that will be negotiable. We will forward other info. connected to this once we have reached Indonesia. We have heard that entering through this port the Customs are 'very gentle' and only the Carnet is required. Not a letter of Invitation as was necessary in the past. Hope this is of help. There is a Peter looking for this info. on the BB but we have run out of time to post a reply.

Bangkok was steamy and hot in contrast to the dry heat of India. Getting the bike out of customs was a marathon effort and Bangkok airport cargo on a Monday morning would have to be one of the busiest we have seen. Connor's story of releasing the bike taking a day without an agent had us engaging one, hoping this would speed things up. No such luck and we departed the cargo terminal at 5pm charging into the peak hour traffic. This was after negotiating a substantial reduction in our fees, 3,800 Thai Baht to 1,500 Thai Baht. Avoiding the freeways we lost ourselves and extended our journey back to the hotel by over an hour and several kms.

Sight seeing around Bangkok was fun using the local buses we visited a few Buddist Temples. Our hotel, New World Guest House was surrounded by sidewalk restaurants where the food was superb and we tried almost everything.

After purchasing a new rear tyre, we headed to Kanchanaburi or the famous bridge over the river Kwae. This was not our day as we left Bangkok, we missed a turn and ended up on a freeway, a no go area for motorcycles. We were chased by a motorcycle cop who promptly demanded a 1,000 Baht donation. After much discussion, the policeman, after a very deft move, absconded with our map and compass. We gave chase. This was a ploy to get us back to the station where he had moral support. He was out numbered three to one on the freeway. A disscussion was had for several minutes (loud) with our apprehender leaving in disgust as his superior gave us the benefit of the doubt and said 'go'. The chant of 'money, money, money' still rings in our ears as we leave. I might add it was Carol's negotiating skills and determination that saved the day. Although very touristy, Kanchanaburi was very interesting. We visited the Jeath War Museum which displayed a lot of photos of Australians building the death railway and bridge. Aussies dominated in the photos although there were several nationalities involved. The bridge was some kms away and we spent the afternoon walking across the bridge and taking photos.

Next day we make it to Kamphaeng Phet. The roads in Thailand are excellent, the traffic minimal and orderly (compared to India!!!) and we travelled much further in the day than expected. A tropical storm soaks us as we ride into town. Dinner at the hotel was punctuated by young Asian girls preparing themselves for a night of karaoke. This was one of those famous Thai bars. The singing was terrible but the locals didn't seem to mind. We left early as the drink prices were way too high.

Our departure to Chiang Mai was delayed with the turn signals on the BMW failing. In India this would not be a problem but in Thailand we considered it a must. Diagnosis of the problem took time and it turned out to be a dirty switch.

We spent three days in Chiang Mi seeing the sights, dodging the thunder storms, fixing bikes, killing mosquitoes, eating delicious food but mostly waiting for the rain to stop. The shock spring, replaced in Varanasi, India, had collapsed and with our load there was only 30mm of travel. A friend in Australia purchased a replacement so after several e-mails we arranged for it to be sent to Bangkok and collected by a local BMW rider (many thanks Graham).

On the road again we get doused with several heavy showers. Road works were turned to slush as we pushed on to Chiang Saen. This appeared to be almost a ghost town, very quiet. Dinner at a little restaurant was very nice but the floor show of several large rats visiting a small altar/shrine to eat the provided food was a little too much.

Sunshine and blue sky greeted us the next day. Following the mighty Mekong River we reached the Golden Triangle. Tourists, coaches, souvenirs and high rise hotels, this was why Chiang Saen was so quiet. We took the obligatory photos and rode into the lush green hills wishing the bikes suspension was fixed so we could enjoy these superb roads.

We visited the border town of Mae Sae. The Thai side was open but the Burmese side remained closed due recent border clashes. Phayao on picturesque a lake was worth the visit. Enjoying a cold Chang and watching the sunset while eating a spicy meal of chicken and vegetables. Super!!

Heading back to Chiang Mai we tackle a lot of smaller roads. Even the food in the smaller villages was superb and quite safe. We never went hungry in Thailand.

Leaving Chiang Mai the next day the steamy weather had us looking for a relieving shower of rain. It was not to be as we pushed the bikes close to their limits. We climbed up and down the mountains several times with each hairpin seemingly getting tighter and tighter. We arrived in Mae Hong Song around 4pm soaked in a lather of sweat, screaming for a cold shower.

The road to Mae Sot was similar but with more open road thrown in. What variety. Elephants walking down the highway and elephants hitched up on the back of a truck, what a sight. In the heat of the day we savoured roast chicken with sticky rice for lunch at Mae Sariang, I can still taste it now. This road is close to the Burma border so there are a few police road blocks. Most of which we ride straight through but once we are checked. This was near a Shan village about 60 kms from Mae Sot. We were later informed it was probably a refugee camp from Burma, hence the extensive police presence.

Departing Mae Sot, the rolling sweepers was the icing on the cake. Filling up with fuel near Tak, Connor and I both had huge grins from the last section of highway. All good things come to and end as we make time down the main highway to Bangkok (read straight and boring). At Bangkok we meet up with Dr. Gregory Frazier again and within a couple of days a number of other motorcyclists we have met enroute arrive. Angela, Leo, Yolander and Trond the bicycle rider. Much merryment and many tales were exchanged at our little Thai restaurants near the hotel.

With our replacement spring collected and fitted (thanks again Graham), we depart Bangkok as Angela, Leo and Yolander head to the airport to play the customs/cargo game to get their bikes. Dr. Greg headed north to see if the rain was as heavy as we said and Trond travelled south as he had already tasted the delights of the north. We took two days of steady riding to get to Krabi near Phuket. The road was smooth with plenty of variety, twisty rainforests to straight coastal roads through fishing villages.

It never ceases to amaze us that if a hotel or guest house gets mentioned in the Lonely Planet the price of the rooms increase dramatically and it is often difficult to get a room for a reasonable price. We have often found accomodation, that does not receive a good report in the L/P, has been more than adequate and the prices have changed little.

Krabi was touristy, the seafood good but overrated, the long prop boats were fun and the beaches 'hot'. We were amazed to see so many westerners 'fried' to a colour that was darker than the locals. Fruit was a big part of our diet in Thailand. We felt so healthy mum would have been proud of us!!

Krabi to Songkhla, we cooled down in a tropical downpour again. Plenty of rubber trees through the mountainous areas and rice paddies on the swampy lowlands. The houses were built on stilts and we imagined the mosquito populace would be quite substantial in this area. Along the coast were several shrimp (prawn) farms and judging by the number being built there is a big demand for this food in Thailand.

After one night in Songkhla we made the short hop to Hat Yai and meet another BMW rider. He escorted us to our hotel that was most luxurious for us, even had t.v. Peter had to work so we headed into town for some sightseeing. Modern city with only a little highrise and very little polution. Enjoyed dinner with Peter and Coco trying a number of Thai specialities. Yummmm!!!