Ride to Myanmar ( Burma ): KL - Penang - Hat Yai - Ranong - Victoria Point (Burma) - KL

Top: KL-Ranong. Bottom: Total KL-Ranong-KL.

2046.9km journey crossing Thailand to venture into Myanmar. This is my first motorbike ride crossing the borders of Malaysia. How did I came to do this?...
 ..so I met this guy Hafizi at Sunny Cycle, Jalan Pahang while I was accompanying Radzy to install Hepco & Becker engine guard on his Verysy 1000. Hafizi is a member of Bintang Bikers Group, we chat a bit then I rode off with Radzy to Tapah R&R to met a friend. There, I met Hafizi again and we exchanged numbers - this is not a love story. more than a month later Hafizi text me about this trip organized by Mega Fortune Bikers - a bike shop bikers group from, Butterworth, Penang to Myanmar. 

I was hooked.
This is my chance to learn a few tips & tricks for my 1000 corners trip up to Mae Hong Son - 1864 corners to be exact. The budget was there, bike just needs regular service, 45L Krauser Xplorer top box has more than enough room for the 4 days trip. I just could not find any reason not to go.

Quarter past 6am Thursday morning, I rode up North to Butterworth, Penang to meet up with the guys at Mega Fortune bike shop at 10am. By about half-past 9am, I'm already there. It was raining and I'm early. Luckily I met a couple who was there early too, we had breakfast to break the ice. By 10, still not everyone is ready to roll yet. Oh.. janji melayu, the irony. BUT, it was raining, I could understand the hardship of starting to ride while it was raining. 

The group was organized. There's 2 support cars (4wd), one with bike trailer that can carry up to 3 bikes at a time. The group of riders consist of: 3 Versys 650 (including mine), 1 er6n, 1 Versys 1000, 3 GTR 1400, 1 Z1000, 1 Z800, 1 Z750, 6 BMW GS/A, and 1 Goldwing - forgive me if I miss any. I was lucky, in all of my adventures going to places randomly joining a group of unknown people, I can always blend in with their tune.

The support cars.

We rode off until border in the rain, where as usual the passport & insurance process was a mess and you have to provide an unofficial but obligatory bribe of at least RM1 to the officer. Lunch in Danok, continue riding to Hat Yai where we have some fun and spend the night.

Jalan-jalan cari makan with the group in Hat Yai.

8am sharp the next day, we rode more than 500km to Ranong. It rains AGAIN! I arrive in Ranong soaking wet because I took off my rain clothing after lunch thinking it might not rain again - yes, I am wrong. Group dinner and off to sleep since tomorrow we'd venture to Myanmar.

Ranong Trinidee Hotel, they have a Muay Thai gym at the entrance.

 

Going to Victoria Point from Ranong.

It took around 10 minutes to get to the jetty where we travel via long boat from Ranong to Victoria Point, Myanmar. It rains again while riding the boat to Victoria Point. On the way back, is even worse. In the bottom picture of the image below, judge yourself. I felt like the boat could capsize any moment.

Experience... adventure madness!

On the way to Myanmar, there's 2 islands which serves as Customs point and Army checking point before arriving to mainland. They'll check passports, look at your face, try to talk to you in a language that you'd not understand, and then let you proceed. Upon arrival, prepare 10USD or equivalent to give to the officer that checks your passport. I don't know what it is for but it is required. =.=' STUPID.

We are not allowed to travel more than 5km radius from the jetty as the officer told us, "If anything happen to you, I will not help you, I don't want to help you".

Interesting.. This is what old folks used to use for ironing clothes. Not it's purpose is mainly for display. Here in Myanmar, they're still using it. Literally.

I don't know how to justify the purpose of using a helmet while riding a super slow boat.

Victoria Point in my opinion really resembles third world country. It is dirty, people look at you like they never seen an outsider before, everyone starts gathering around you for no reason... and so on. It is a good experience, makes me appreciate what I have, the peace and harmony of my country, the life God gave, the work I have, the food I eat everyday, my family around me, and many more.. Economy wise, they sell mostly local production goods, apart from that, Victoria Point is uninteresting - from my point of view.

Map of Ranong province and a little bit of Myanmar. Victoria Point is at the bottom tip of Myanmar.

We got back to Ranong via the same route through the same process (w/o paying another USD10). Group dinner at night and doze off early to prepare for a long journey back home the next day.

Stop to buy salted eggs. It taste good just by frying it instead of eating the eggs as boiled egg.

SUNDAY - As usual, the plan is to ride at 8am after breakfast. But it rains heavily. The group decided not to wait long and we rode off into the rain around nearly 9am. The rains stops midway when around lunch time (thank you God) until after we stop to buy salted-eggs. These eggs is supposed to be famous because of the cause that do not know and I do not care- LOL. I bought some anyway for my family and for my girlfriend. 

It started to rain AGAIN, but it was a light downpour this time. I macho-ed my self riding without rain cover. We stopped for gas before reaching Hat Yai where the group splits. Some wants to spend the night at Hat Yai, some plans to sleep in Danok, while I plan to Ironbutt to Kuala Lumpur. Lucky I have 2 other riders who plans to back home also - one to Penang and another to Kuala Kangsar, Perak.

The three of us was kindly accompanied by Bulat, one of the Marshalls until Danok (border). The journey continues where we split up one by one up until Bukit Gantang, before Kuala Kangsar exit, where I fill some Gas and chat a bit with Sam (Z750 rider) before setting off on my own into the sunset back home with some PowerBar and Tongkat Ali drink, Cornetto Ice cream, and 100Plus into my biological system. - thanks Sam for the ice cream and drinks.

I arrived at my mothers house in Sri Damansara around 10pm at night after traveling for 1020.1km from Ranong to KL, for a total distance of 2046.9 to and fro. But I didn't stop there, I unpack some of my stuff, and ride to Sri Gombak to my fathers house. I was still fresh after all that - I guess all that power food and glucose really boost my energy. 

ALL IN ALL.. GREAT EXPERIENCE.. I AM ONE STEP CLOSER TO ACHIEVE MY SECRET TARGET =P 

Ride proven. If you don't have riding booties, safety boots will suffice. My Red Wing is durable, slip-proof, and water-proof. These leather gloves in the other hand.. has met it dead end.