need direction in south east asia
 

i need to know the best, scenic, rider friendly way to get from here:

N 06° 07.875 E 102° 14.546

to the ferry that goes to koh phangan. its at least a 2 day trip at 900kms but has anyone done it before? can anyone reccomend good places to stay? bike mechanics?

anything else i need to know?

Grik Highway
 

Take the Grik Highway - it's gorgeous. I did that trip in reverse a few months back - from Krabi (on the mainland opposite Phuket) to Kota Bahru - and the Grik Highway was a highlight of my trip.

From where you are you have two options. First is to head north, cross into Thailand at Sungai Kolok just north of Kota Bahru, then Narathiwat, Pattani, Hat Yai then Krabi. But check the news first: Southern Thailand has a problem with separatist violence, and the epicenters are usually quoted as being Narathiwat, Pattani and Hat Yai :) In fact, a week before I got there they bombed the hotel in Pattani that Lonely Planet recommends...

Second option is to head west across Malaysia along the Grik Highway, which is wonderfully scenic and passes through some beautifully unspoilt countryside. Then stop at Penang/Butterworth for the night (I stayed at Batu Ferringhi, which was quite fun) and head from there up into Thailand at Sadao, through Hat Yai and up to Krabi. I found Hat Yai to be a bit grim, so drove through without stopping. Everything after Hat Yai is lovely, though.

I took the second option (in reverse). My trip report (with big pics) is at
North from Singapore - ADVrider

Have a good ride!
Geoff

Doh!
 

Just re-read your question and see you're headed for Pha Ngan, not Phang Nga... I'd still recommend avoiding Pattani and Narathiwat, though :)