Koh Lanta to Ban Na San

Day 41: Koh Lanta to Krabi

Minibus and ferry back to Krabi, we don't arrive until late afternoon. Our bikes are fine, and we decide to stay with the resort they've been in until we leave for Surat Thani on Tuesday.





Kilometers: 0

Total Kilometers: 1102

Day 42: Krabi

We've rented a motorbike again for the day and we head north to view a waterfall and some caves.



Unfortunately, when we get to the waterfall, we're told we have to purchase an inflated ticket price, and it would appear that there is a two-tier pricing system in place, which Kate is firmly against. We don't see the waterfall, but we are privy to the National Park that surrounds it. Later, we head to Ao Nang, which turns out to be a pretty, but touristy kind of place.

Kilometers: 0

Total Kilometers: 1102


Day 43: Krabi to Khao Phanom





Kate had a poor sleep last night, apprehensive for the days cycling ahead of us. We leave Krabi and head off towards Surat Thani. Along the way there are several hills, three in particular cause us trouble; the first was not our fault as the road was being resurfaced and grit was everywhere and very loose, but the other two were very steep and we had to walk our bikes up. We managed to get to a place called Khao Phanom and find a guest house. Kate is convinced this doubles as a brothel as there's porn on the television, plastic on the mattress and a large mirror alongside the bed......!

Kilometers: 36

Total Kilometers: 1138


Day 44: Khao Phanom to Phrasaeng

More hills today but no such problems as before; granted they were not as bad. We feel we were ripped off at breakfast, paying nearly double what we expected, and this puts Kate in a bad mood for the rest of the day. We stop at a restaurant for an early tea and have trouble communicating with the owner, we eventually order Pad Thai (the national dish); fried noodles with bits of meat chucked in. With regards to accommodation, the guest house we've arrived at is definitely a brothel, and even Lee is convinced due to the free condom we've been given! Later, we're after some snacks and ask the proprieter the way to the local 7-11 store. The owner points us in the direction of the mini mart but when we question how far it is she hands us the keys to her moped and lets us use this. In return we buy her and her little boy an ice lolly, after a ten minute game of hide and seek with the boy we retire to our Boudoir!!!!

Kilometers: 55

Total Kilometers: 1193

Day 45: Phrasaeng to Ban Na San

Fairly uneventful first 30 km; easy ride and moderate heat. We stop at a shop for a drink with only 10km left and then the heavens opened and stayed that way from 1.30pm till 4.30pm when we finally decided that in order to find a room whilst the light was on our side we would have to brave the weather. We got absolutely drenched.




On arrival to Ban Na San we desperately wanted to find a guest house and after asking several people for directions a very kind lady offered to lead the way on her moped. Guest house secured and hot shower for us. Later went to the night market and brought what can only be described as a meat feast.........chicken in breadcrumbs, sausages, and a whole roast chicken. Once again though, our eyes were too big for our bellies and most of the roast chicken was given to a local dog who was in need of a dinner and lots of hugs. In return, she sat outside our door and guarded our bikes for most of the night.

Kilometers: 42

Total Kilometers: 1235

Krabi to Koh Lanta

Day 36: Krabi to Koh Lanta (by minibus)

As the bikes are now settled in their new home, we catch a minibus to Koh Lanta, renowned to be one of the most beautiful islands off the west coast of Thailand, but unfortunately, we're left a little disappointed.



The beach we're on is full of litter – locals say there has been a full moon party, others say that this is now the start of the low season, intimating that they only clean the beaches in the busy, high seasons. However, our accommodation, Time for Lime, is comfortable and also doubles as a sanctuary for homeless cats and dogs, all friendly enough. It doesn't take long for Kate to become attached to Ginger, a tiger-esq tiny kitten who sucks your fingers because she's been weened from her mother too early.




So now we're settled in, time for a dip...........which ends abruptly when Kate is stung across her legs by a jellyfish (lime juice is the best antidote). No more swimming in the sea – it's then we realise that we should have opted for the resort with a pool.

Kilometer: 0
Total Kilometer: 1102

Day 37 to 40: Koh Lanta

Much of our time here has been spent relaxing.



The restaurant attached to the resort is closed, which allows us to cook our own food for a change – mashed potato, stir fry and more mashed potato. We did try the sea again, but this time Lee got stung. We've played with the kittens and downloaded the remainder of LOST, so Kate's happy (but frustrated). Our penultimate day here has been spent touring the island on motorbike; it's an amazing island, with stunning views from the mountains over the sea onto the mainland. We return to Krabi tomorrow, and we are looking forward to getting back on the bikes again.




Kilometer: 0
Total Kilometer: 1102

Kong Ra to Krabi (and reaching 1000km!)

Day 31: Kong Ra to Trang

Wake up with the sound of the head monk investigating our tent, which to his surprise is mesh rather then the conventional cover (thankfully Kate has her sarong on!). We spend the next hour packing the tent away before being taken back to the head monk to say our farewells and off we go.




Still tired from yesterdays cycling we take the ride slow only to come against the worst hills of our fledgling cycling career; 10km of steep inclines that seem to last forever.




At one stage Kate dismounts the bike and declares that she has had enough and I swear she nearly hurled the bike into the forest. After a short rest, we go on, both feeling the strain now and need to eat, sleep and rest. We see a sign declaring that there is a cafe in 1km but when we reach it, it's closed for refurbishments. Kate is nearly in tears, but Mrs Yuppdee and her husband Mr Sait Dugsara (the owners) are on site to oversee the work, and save our bacon. Very generously, they bring us rice and egg, stir fried cabbage and water, which is devoured in seconds, and we are able to sleep for a while. We wake up 30 mins later, very refreshed.







We are told that the mountain range only goes on for another kilometre, and they are impressed that we have cycled the hills (we later find out that the tallest is 1350m). On our bikes again, but this time it's great – there is only one more hill and then we get our reward – 1.5km of descent and we reach speeds of 47km per hour. Not all good news though – Kate is unable to dodge a large bit of wood halfway down, but the puncture doesn't make itself known until the bottom. We finally reach Trang; it is nearly nightfall and our map is worse than awful. We seek out the police station (again) and are directed to the hostel of our choice. We will rest here for two nights.

Kilometres: 65

Total Kilometres: 970


Day 32: Trang

Day of rest. Laundry and food is all we seek. We are successful.

Kilometres: 0

Total Kilometres: 970


Day 33: Trang to Sikao

Short bike ride today over to Sikao, started off being stranded at the guest house due to rain until midday. The boy at the front desk was so concerned that we had not eaten breakfast he went out and bought us some fried banana fritters for us to eat. Rain stopped and we're off. We see our first waterfall,





and five miles south of Sikao, we reach the 1000km mark – Yippee – a tenth of the way completed!!!



When we arrive at Sikao we track down the local police station to inquire about board and lodgings for the night, however it appears there is no guest house or hotel to stay at, apart from one 7 miles south (the way we just came). We ask for a campsite and the police offer their grounds to camp on. After much discussion and a dash to get a local who speaks English the police declare that camping would be too dangerous if it rains as the ground is prone to floods so they clear out a room on the ground floor and state that we are welcome to camp in that.



Enjoyable evening spent with Bhu (Thai) and Rick (Canadian) and they supply us with sticks and doggy treats to stave off any aggressive hounds we may come across in the future!




Kilometres: 35

Total Kilometres: 1005


Day 34: Sikao to Krabi

Extremely long day for us – the 97km was tough, and the heat was beating down on us. We stopped every 15km for a break so we didn't reach Krabi until nearly dusk. In hindsight, we should have camped at a wat in Khlong Thom. The Malaysian Cycle Team however, who passed us just out of Sikao, probably got to Krabi in just 2hrs. We tried to get a photo but they were too fast for us, although they said they'd take it down a notch to 25-30km per hour if we were willing to cycle with them!!! Digs in Krabi found for 200Baht per night, best room for the price to date, and we stumble upon a travellers cafe that makes the best homemade burgers ever ever ever!

Kilometres: 97

Total Kilometres: 1102


Day 35: Krabi

We decided to spend another night in Krabi – the accommodation is cheap, clean and spacious and Kate wants another burger. We arrange to visit the island of Koh Lanta, so we'll be getting a minibus to take us there tomorrow. The bikes are left with the guest house we arranged the transport with (this was the police's idea) and we hope they'll be safe.

Kilometres: 0

Total Kilometres: 1102

Photos of Malaysia

Penang to Kong Ra

Day 26: Penang



The rain was pretty bad today so I caught up on some much needed kip – only got up at 1pm. Lee has been informed that there are three cylones currently bordering the West coast of Malaysia, which is the reason for this unpredictable weather. Most of the day spent in the hostel, chatting to other travellers and reading.

Kilometres: 5

Total Kilometres:796


Day 27: Penang

Rained just about all day again. It ceased between 11am and 1pm and we were able to visit the Temple of the Reclining Buddah, At 33 metres long (108ft), he's a big Buddah!!






The rain begins as we're 20 seconds away from the hostel, and we get back absolutely drenched. It then rained for the remainder of the day and all night; sometimes so loud, you couldn't even hold a conversation.

Kilometres: 13

Total Kilometres: 809


Day 28:Penang to Hat Yai (Thailand)

Today we left Penang – we were quite sad to leave – this is a place where you could quite happily while away time (apart from the atrocious weather). We met many interesting people, including a couple who have cycled across India, Bangladesh, Southern China, Laos and Thailand, covering 7500km in 7 months! They said they were now addicted to cycling and would happily bike it back to their native Germany if they had the time.



We catch the train to Hat Yai in Thailand and arrive just as the night comes. Digs found at Ladda Hostel for 400Baht (£8), but it later transpires that this place also doubles as brothel. In any case, the room is clean, boasting air con and a private bathroom and we'll stay here for 2 nights. We don't mind the moaning that much!!! Lee and I have also discovered “roti” - a sweetened pancake with bananas, egg and milk. Delicious! If we don't start cycling again, I can bet that all the weight we've lost to date will reappear very quickly.

Kilometres: 4

Total Kilometres: 813


Day 29: Hat Yai

Having looked at the travel book last night, Lee and I noted that Thailand boasts a number of National Parks along the path we're headed, and all of these allow camping in their grounds. In addition, we were told by the TAT (tourist information) that a viable place to camp in smaller towns and villages were temple grounds or on the land of the head of a village if we gained his permission. We now hope to use the tent. Accordingly, today was lovely – I got to go shopping for the first time in a month! We now have camping mats, lighting, and also an internet SIM card to allow us to access Skype in the more rural areas where we can't get wifi. The weather, however, would appear to be worsening. It looks like the west coast may be a wash out. In any case, we're heading there tomorrow – we've wanted to visit that part of Thailand for years. If we decide it's too bad we'll cross country to the east coast.

Kilometres: 0

Total Kilometres: 813


Day 30: Hat Yai to Kong Ra

Long day today – we felt really weak on our bikes after the rest we've had, so doing 92km probably wasn't the best of ideas. Out of Hat Yai the roads became less busy, and we were aiming to get off Highway 4 and follow a more scenic route. At our first rest stop we met a local policeman, Churd, who gave us his mobile phone number just in case we got into difficulties in Thailand. Everyone here is so incredibly friendly and willing to help. Along the rural road, the heavens opened and we got soaked – we managed to shelter in various places along the way, mostly people's front porches; the owners are happy to let us, and we try and communicate via the phrasebook we have. We finally reach Kong Ra, absolutely shattered and we seek out the local Wat (temple) as we plan to camp tonight. The monks are very accommodating; we are very welcome to set up our tent and are taken to meet the head monk. Fortunately, one of the young monks, “A” is an English student at Bangkok University and we are able to converse well. The tent is an absolute winner – what an amazing buy! The mesh is invisible with no lights and it is akin to sleeping without any cover. The view of the moon and stars is incredible and we will try and camp whenever the weather affords us the opportunity.

Kilometres: 92

Total Kilometres: 905

Merang to Penang

Day 21 : Merang to Kuala Terengganu

We only have about 20km ahead of us today so a well earned lie-in is in order (Hotel check out is still 12:00pm though). We cycle to Kuala Terengganu and on the way we stumble across a bike shop which offers a service and clean for £3 - bargain.



It transpires that the shop is owned by Nasiruddin Wan Idrus, who cycles for the Malaysian National Cycle Team and he is very helpful, despite having just returned from a 1400km cycle tour of Malaysia. It's an opportunity to gain some insight into the areas of this country we may have to explore, and we're dismayed to hear of his speeds when on the bike compared to ours – on average of 40km per hour, 60km downhill! After being fitted with a new cycle computer and adding two much needed inner tubes to our equipment, we carry on to Kuala Terrenganu. After some confusion about Wifi (original guesthouse claimed to have it but actually didn't), we bed down for the night at Hotel Seri Hoover for 58RM per night. We have also learnt that Malaysian Express Coaches are extremely reluctant to take bikes – we may encounter problems reaching Penang......

Kilometres: 20km

Total Kilometres: 719


Day 22 : Kuala Terengganu

Day of rest for Kate and Lee Lee and we decide to take a tour of the Istana Tengku Long Museum, which displays a collection of restored Malay architecture and boats dating from the late 19th Century.






We also manage to find an express coach company willing to take the bikes for no extra charge, but they're not sure if they'll actually fit in the luggage compartment (it's tiny). In any case, our tickets are reserved and we're directed to return tomorrow evening at 8.30pm to try.

Kilometres: 15km (not included in total km)

Total Kilometres: 719


Day 23: Kuala Terengganu to Penang


Whole day spent waiting nervously in anticipation of getting our bikes in that luggage compartment. By 7pm, our plan resembles that of a swat SAS team and each member knows their role. As the coach pulls in, we're there, disassembling our bikes in record time and squashing them in. Result!!!

Kilometres: 15km (not included in total)

Total Kilometres: 719


Day 24: Penang

The coach arrives at 5.30am and we're left, blurry eyed and watched by an ever growing curious group of locals to assemble our bikes in the middle of a bus lane. Ferry to Penang (RM1.4 per person) and we've made it! Digs found at Old Penang Guesthouse for 50RM per night including brekkie. To date, this is the best room we've seen for the price, and although it's a shared bathroom, it meets Kate's standards. We're booked in for four nights, which allows us to apply for our Thai visas and sightsee in what appears to be a charming colonial town.

Kilometres: 18km

Total Kilometres: 737


Day 25 : Penang to Batu Ferringhi and back again

Today we applied for our 60 day Thai visas – the Thai government has suspended the application fee until June 2009, saving us £40! We got them ourselves from the consulate which is about 4km out of Georgetown, saving us the RM40 arrangement fee that the travel agencies charge. We take a ride to Batu Ferrenghi – the beach is lovely but unfortunately we haven't brought our cossies, so we'll return for a tanning session tomorrow or Sunday.




For dinner, we ate at a local Chinese restaurant and after the meal I noticed a baby cockroach on the table drinking from a spilled drop of water. It hurried off under the table and when I looked to see where it went, I was confronted with the unpleasant sight of dozens of the little creeps scurrying on the underside. Eugh......

Kilometres: 54km

Total Kilometres: 791