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A superb 7 day, 600 km ride (approx.)
from the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu, across the border into Thailand and all
the way up the coast to SuratThani. Safe, flat, good food and accommodation
and a laid-back trip through the 'forgotten corners' of Malaysia and Thailand.
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Ride
6 Through
exotic Thailand: North to ChiangMai! Leg1: Malaysian border to SuratThani Leg2: SuratThani to Bangkok Leg3: Bangkok to ChiangMai The Ride: A superb 7 day, 600 km ride (approx.) from the Malaysian town of Kota Bharu, across the border into Thailand and all the way up the coast to SuratThani. Safe, flat, good food and accommodation and a laid-back trip through the 'forgotten corners' of Malaysia and Thailand. The Road: Excellent. Most of the way on this Leg there's a designated bike shoulder, which makes things safe and easy. You could do this leg easily on a light racer. Traffic: Reasonably thin the whole way. Not a problem. Hills: There aren't any. The Ferries: Two. One at the Malaysian - Thai border and the other at SongKhla. See 'The ride in detail', below. The ride in detail: If you're flying into Kota Bharu the airport is a quick 10 km away from town along a flat road. Malaysian Airlines domestic will take your bike free of charge, no problems. No need to pack it. Just turn the handlebars and deflate the tyres. Kota Bharu is an interesting Malaysian town with a great outdoor night market selling terrific food. Keep an eye on your bike though, there's a slightly seedy air wafting in from the bus station and back alleys. The most interesting crossing into Thailand from Malaysia is at Pengkalan Kubor. This 40 km ride up from Kota Bharu is dotted with interesting Mosques and cafes, and as you approach Thailand, the Wats begin to kick in. About 10km before the border there's an enormous six story golden Thai Buddha. It looks back over Malaysia; just keeping an eye on those crazy Muslims down south, I guess. (The more popular crossing into Thailand is through SungaiKolok, but the run up from Kota Bharu is boring, busy and Sungai is just another crappy border town.) Crossing the border is a breeze. There's a ferry running constantly back and forth, a large duty free market and a bunch of sleepy cafes. Passport Control on the Thai side at the little town of TakBai is snappy. Welcome to Thailand! Your first night in Thailand will probably be at Narathiwat, about 40km up the road from TakBai. Because of the Islamic influence, there's not as much public drinking and whoring going on here as the rest of Thailand, so things are pretty docile at night. If you've ridden up all the way through Malaysia though, you'll enjoy the contrast. Lots of good food and friendly Thais to pass the time with. |