SE ASIA - The preparation

I am sure all of us have drawn up a bucket list in our mind. Some of these items get cleared along the way, and sometimes you add more items to the list as you come to be aware of them.

There is this item on my list on wanting to ride my motorcycle to as many countries as possible in South East Asia. There are people who have done it solo and they have documented it in their inspirational blog. (eg SGBIKERBOY ,  PANMOMENTS) 

Being physically demanding on stamina and endurance to do this, it is probably not something that you will consider to do after retirement at 62. I am privileged to have an understanding company, boss and team-mates that  allow me to take a 6 months sabbatical leave to do this. Very grateful to them indeed. In return, I promise I will take lots of nice pictures and share with them on this blog.

There are risks on getting into an accident, injury, vehicle broke down, robbed,  especially if I would to do it alone. I just have to manage the risk well, ride carefully, don't speed, take sufficient breaks along the way. No risk, no rewards, you get to live only once.

The Route

This is probably the 20th revision of route I have worked on. I plan to go head up to Thailand, turn to Cambodia, cross over to Laos and then come back to Thailand again. Along the way, I plan to head into Vietnam, China and Myanmar by foot. Bringing in my motorcycle into these countries would mean engaging mandatory and costly  tour agents to follow me along the way and it is really not worth paying.

The route will span 10,000km , 34 cities and estimate to take about 60 days.

It will include the famous Mae Hong Son Loop in northern Thailand that has 1800+ turns that thrills every motorcycle enthusiast, the Thakhek Loop in Laos with breathtaking scenery and total of 5 UNESCO sites in Cambodia, Thailand and Laos.

UNESCO Sites

- Luang Prabang , Laos

- Vat Phou, Laos

- Angkor Wat - Cambodia

- Historic city of Ayutthaya, Thailand

- Historic town of Sukothai, Thailand

There are significant amount of preparation effort needed.

I am documenting these down to share with those who are planning to do the same.

Visa

Being the world ranking number 1 passport in the world (https://www.passportindex.org/byRank.php），the Singapore passport is Visa waived for 159 countries. Of the 7 countries that I planned to go, I do not need a Visa and that does save me a lot of hassle on the land borders. Each entry will grant me a stay of 30 days in the country, which is more than enough. 

There is, however, a restriction imposed on a maximum of 2 overland border entry within a calendar year in Thailand since beginning of 2017 for a maximum of 15 days 30days for each entry. This excludes any entry into Thailand through airport. This is to deter a lot of people who perpetually stay in Thailand as a tourist by running to the border every 30 days to renew their Visa. While my planned route will require a total of 3 entries into Thailand, 2 of them will be in 2017 and the 3rd one will be in year 2018 instead, so no action required. I have to carefully plan the routes and ensure that I do not exceed the 15 days restriction on each entry. (Note from 01 Jan 2018 -  I have later discovered that it is 30days instead after entering Thailand from Laos border.) *Update: 05 Dec 2018 - From 12 Nov 2018, there is no longer a restriction for Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Brunei passport holders on the number of land borders they can cross in a year in Thailand. *

International Driving License(IDP)

Especially in countries like Laos and Cambodia, the traffic police will lookout and stop foreigners like me and check for faults. One of their favorites is checking for IDP. If you do not want to be "fined" by them, do prepare for a IDP before setting off.

Vehicle Insurance and Travel Insurance

For such long trips, it is definitely worth buying an annual travel insurance plan. This is mainly to cover any medical cost if you injured yourself during the trip. It will not cover any loss to your motorcycle, which will have to be purchased as vehicle insurance separately as you arrived at a new country.

Ensure Motorcycle in best condition before set-off

You would rather having all the wearable parts replaced prior to set-off then having them stalling you on a highway. Get a fresh replacement of engine oil, spark plugs and oil filter. Clean the air filter.

Packing for the trip

Its a challenge trying not to overload the bike but still bringing the essentials.
Here are my list for your reference.

Tools

Tire repair kit
Chain lube
Torch-light
Toolset - for turning all the bolt sizes you can find on the bike
Multipurpose knife
E-poxy, Cable ties, Duct-tapes - Must have for any roadside quick fix
Tow cable - for pulling out your bike if you ride into some ditches
Fuel tube - for transferring fuel from a pass-by vehicle if you run out of petrol
Chain locks - For locking your bike  to a stationary object. It is not difficult to get 4 people to lift your locked bike into a Tuk-tuk at night and slowly unlock it later in a workshop.
Bike cover - To cover your bike when you leave it in a premise for a few days to avoid attention
Phone mount - To run GPS application on your phone for your navigation
USB port - To charge your phone while riding

Clothes

Good riding protective jacket and pants
Raincoat
Waterproof Shoe-cover if your boots are not waterproof
Cycling suit - quick dry, comes with cushioned shorts for maximum comfort
Other normal stuffs that you wear while not riding

Electronics

Action cam
Notebook - for video editing, and archiving, goggling
Spare phone for quick snap of pictures along the way than detaching from the GPS mount
SLRs, tripods

Money


I brought along USD and THB. Other currencies will be either changed using USD or withdrawn at the local ATM. Each ATM transaction is estimated to cost about SGD5 so avoid multiple withdrawals of small amounts. There are UOB ATM in Thailand that waive transaction charges if you have a Singapore UOB ATM card. The exchange rate was a bit low though, can be considered as an emergency source of cash if you run into trouble.

Day 01 - Singapore to Hatyai(Thailand) - 17 Nov 2017