The Island of Koh Samui

I spend much time in Koh Samui just riding around and visiting the whole island enjoying the scenary daydreaming really. This island is truly a beauty.

Ferry Ride to Koh Samui 

Bophut Fisherman Village - Koh Samui

Koh Samui Beach

Big Buddha - Koh Samui

Local Basketball game in Koh Samui 

Lamai Beach - Koh Samui 

Only one mini adventure in Koh Samui which was to take bluey out for a spin on the Island inner jungle road. The tourist information said it was good roads just inland up and down and barely anything to see.

The ride started pretty nice with fully paved concrete road going up some steep slopes, curving and cutting around the hills of Koh Samui and at one point I saw a sign saying no Automatic Bikes allowed. No picture taken since I was riding and it was already steep and then I was going up this steeper slopes where no Automatic Bikes are allowed since its too dangerous.

Bluey is now a season veteran ... I went though those slopes tackling it with technical skills instead of just blaring the throttle to push my way up. It was a good feeling knowing I now the skills to take on such mountain climbing challenge and then it was downhill to the coast.

Inner Jungle Road 1 - Koh Samui

Inner Jungle Road 1 - Koh Samui 

There was two inner island roads in Koh Samui and after going through the first one in the morning pretty easily I thought .... why not do the second one as well.

This one was as challenging as the first one and my mind kinda went blank just focusing on each corners and each climb, and just then the pavement became dirt road, and the dirt road became something that looked like a river bed dried up. Heck am I still on the road ?? still there was only one road so far and the GPS still said I was going the right way.

Looking ahead at the crazy slope up and bends with loads of cracks in the dirt road filled with stones and pebbles, I had a bad feeling but at the same time I also felt it was so close to the top of the climb .... If I could just get there ... then it was just a downhill challenge ... downhill is never that hard ... I can always just slide down worst case with bluey scraping the road and me watching with heartache ...

The climb was beyond my capabilities and Bluey went to a stop with it’s back tire wedged deep in a crack dirt road filled with stones. All my attempt to move forward or even trying to turn bluey to get the tires out of the cracks was a no go ... in one attempt the slide backwards made me lost control and bluey fell sideways pinning my legs hot with the engine but not before I yanked the leg out quick and kill the engine.

Bike down ... no one around.

Inner Jungle Road 2 - Koh Samui 

I manage to pick bluey up ... and I could hear a vehicle coming from behind .... I was at a bad location, in the middle of the slope and also just after a bend to if the vehicle came to fast there was a high change it could collide with me which was still holding on to bluey.

Blared the horns and the vehicle slowed down at the turn and I saw an ATV. Locals ... and I asked for help. With their help, they tried to get bluey uphill thinking they have the skills to handle this terrain but after a few tries with even me pushing bluey behind ... the guy gave up and said no way ... no way .... turn bluey around and they help be bring bluey back down 100m to a more safer gradient albeit still challenging to continue on downhill. They said good bye and I watch them ATV up the steep rocky terrain ....

Very slow ride downhill and that was the end of the mini adventure ... long way back to the hut to lick my wounds ....

Koh Samui 

Koh Samui

Guan Yu Shrine - Koh Samui 

Traveled on : Apr 2019

The easy ride down to Surat Thani

From Samut Songkhram it was then a easy ride back down the gulf of Thailand. No adventure, no new sights but just revisiting the pit stops which I had did along the way up many months ago.

Life was boring ... and it was good ....

Salt flats farm for a tea break, no idea whats the place is called but in google if you want to find the place this is the address “4012, Tambon Ban Laem, Ban Laem District, Phetchaburi 76110, Thailand” - Its called ยุ้งเกลือ - บ้านแหลม 

Ban Laem - Salt Flats 

Ban Laem - Salt Flats 

Tea Break at the Salt Flats - Ban Leam

Had Puek Tian Beach for the famous sculpture in the sea,

Had Puek Tian Beach 

Hua Hin for a few good hostel nights by prestine seaside watching people kite surfing,

And a long ride all the way down to Surat Thani. I did not even see much of Surat Thani as it was just a gateway to take Bluey on a ferry to the island of Koh Samui.

Hua Hin Beach

Hua Hin Beach

Traveled on : Apr 2019

Train Market Samut Songkhram

On the 2nd day of Songkran, I ride out of Bangkok to Samut Songkhram to see the famous train market at the same time really starting the journey back down to Malaysia. The little town was quint looking like a blast from the past type of photo with old wooden two shops with overhead power cables running though the streets that if one were to open the window the first thing seen would not be a beautiful town sidewalk but a mess of ugly dangling cables hanging right in front of the window.

Samut Songkhram Town

Samut Songkhram Town

Maeklong Station was the famous last stop for the train which attracts many tourist every day. Before the train arrive it a genuine market not catered for tourist but rather the locals buying fresh produce, fresh meat and fish but somehow I wonder how long this would last. The number of tourist walking the market was way more than a local trying to go about their daily lives in a market.

Maeklong Station - Samut Songkhram

Train Market - Samut Songkhram

Train Market - Samut Songkhram 

Train Market - Samut Songkhram 

Train Market - Samut Songkhram 

Train Passing the train market at Samut Songkhram 

In a way, it was only a matter of time souvenir shops would dot the line and slowly replace the authenticity of the wet market but then again, once that happen, so goes the tourist as well which does bring business to the little town of Samut Songkhram.

As the time comes for the train to make its passes, the market was transformed within minutes shoving buckets, tables, goods, shelter and anything in the way to become a railway area. As the train approaches, tourist dotted the sides taking photos of a good time while the locals waited lazily for the train to pass so their business can resume as usual.

Traveled On : Apr 2019

Songkran in Bangkok

Bangkok .... if not for Songkran ... I would have entirely avoided riding Bluey into Bangkok. But the old city charm is unique to Thailand.

I will assume those that read my blog will know what is Songkran ... for those who don't ... google it. In a way I have always heard of the stories of Songkran festival but never had a chance to experience it. Crazy water gun sales, load of people with smiles on their faces blasting random strangers all in good fun.

Not much to write about .... so pictures it is ....

Bangkok

A little shopping in Bangkok

A little High End Window Shopping in Bangkok

A little River Boat Taxi

A little Souvenir in Bangkok 

A Little Souvenir in Bangkok 

Shopping for Weapons of Songkran 

One is not enaugh ...... Rambo !! 

Night Market Gentlemen Barber 

My Actual Songkran Ammo .... - 5 Nos of Mineral Water Bottles. 

Hooters is Closed during Songkran ^^ 

Just doing Business in the rain .... selling ICE WATER 

No one is Spared .... If you come here ... No excuses ... Be Prepared to be drench ... 

Good Ole Gang Up Water Gun Fight ... 

You look cute .... 

Police Joining the Fun .... Songkran 

Traveled On : Apr 2019

To Bang Sean and some chill time on the beach while repairing Bluey

* I am really getting lazier and lazier in updating this journal and also the blog ... somehow when the travels has been a while ago .. its nice to reminisance but at the sametime painful to write about it when not being able to travel*

From the border I thought I would be spending the night at Chantaburi which was a short 80km ride away but once I reach and locating the hostel which had no parking and the doors were locked, I decided to continue the journey improvising along the way.

Pattaya or Rayong was the easy choice since both were now within my comfort zone as I have been there before but I wanted to avoid the detour going slightly south to Rayong or Pattaya. To be honest I also wanted to avoid the crazy tourist area and find some quiet time as Cambodia slow pace has made me really lazy.

Bang Sean Beach Downtown

Chon Buri was the obvious choice but somehow all the hostels or cheap accommodation was so darn expensive. Further digging at every stop en route east made me found the cheap hostel in Bang Saen Beach which was somewhere between Pattaya and Chon Buri. Bang Saen it is.

Bang Saen was a surprise like a hidden gem with so many local tourist visiting the beach, full of amenities that it feels like a proper beach town. I stayed two nights there since I manage to save a night from Chantaburi so I could now afford to relax and rest up before hitting Bangkok which was less than 100 km away.

Bang Sean Beach further out to the far fringe 

Bluey became a bit shaky near to Bang Sean but I thought it was just bad fuel after running on low RPM so long in Cambodia but the more I ride, it was obvious that something was misfiring. With extra time in hand in Bang Saen, I started looking for a motorcycle workshop.

The first workshop, supposedly a Ducati specialist that also does bike modification and customization said it was the carburetor. I highly doubt it and suspected the spark plug. Changed the spark plug, opened and washed the carburetor but could not fix the problem of a jerky engine when the speed goes up to 60km/hr. Mechanic said it was the faulty carb that need to be changed but he did not have the parts.

Big Bike Shop ... wrong diagnostic of Blues misfiring  

Disappointed, I headed back to the hostel but somehow ended up rounding and rounding Bang Saen looking for workshop. It was a good thing too since I found a very small little shop that had the skills to diagnostic the bike properly. One old man and his son which maned the shop, had a look at Bluey and I tried my best to explain the issue of the jerky engine.

Needless to say it was hard to communicate but some gestures and a good trust of handing of keys over, they test ride the bike and I said to push it to 70km/hr to get a feel. When they return they started checking spark plug, washed out the carburartor as before and test ride again.

Carb ok ... spark plug ok .... CDI maybe problem ... need to leave bike overnight to fix since it was already 6pm. Somehow I managed to understand that without translation.

Replacing the CDI in Bang Sean 

Replaced CDI of Bluey .... With the new red wire it looked like Bluey got a heart bypass. 

Seams like plans were not going well since I had to leave the next day to Bangkok. Taking a chance since I saw this father and son work very systematic in analyzing Bluey’s issue, I left the bike and came back in the morning.

11 am although they told me to come the next day at 3pm, Bluey was already fixed up and all good. They showed me the faulty CDI that was stripped apart but I could not see the new CDI that was placed underneath the fuel tank.

CDI – Capacitor Discharge Ignition and the power coil was changed new and now Bluey runs smoothly on high speed but seams to start cold most times in the morning. I guess its a ups or down type of problem with CDI.

Traveled on: Apr 2019