Mae Sot Town. Thailand`s border town with Myanmar. I am sitting on the terrace of the guest house, surrounded by a dark evening, grasshoppers chirr and lizards scurry on the roof. Mopeds and cars still do not slow down their pace on the nearby street, and somewhere inevitably you can hear the sound of an air conditioner. This is my last night in Thailand within this tour, and just a few hours ago, in the center of Bangkok, I gave my farewell to Agnese, who is now enjoying her evening in the 500 kilometer- far away from me, main airport of Thailand. Who knows, maybe she is also in a contemplating mood…
It’s been a little more than two weeks now since I’ve started my third, hopefully closing part of this year’s Grand Trip. On September 17th, when I was flying to this end from home, it seemed to me that all the logistical frenzy of the journey was more or less settled. Almost all visas in a rather tense process were managed into my new passport. Issues with the transfer of motorcycle from Jakarta to a place where I could continue the ride, after the numerous flips, were also settled in the direction of Singapore. Although, not quite as I had planned, it caused me an extra 2,000 kilometers of rush to get to this place on time, but I resigned to it and was ready for the race. And I hoped that the plan would be quite clear now, leaving only the ride ahead, and that soon enough both of us would be home. Soon – this is exactly on the birthday of our Latvia, yes, it is precisely on late afternoon of that day that I intend to complete this trip, and then, once and for all, let my hometown to welcome me with fireworks and a brilliant and festive celebration.
Yes, but so it is and it happens to be in such adventures – every moment something changes, every moment a new adventure comes across, and also these, a bit more than two weeks, are once again turned completely different than I was able to imagine when leaving home. The fact that I had to arrive in this place, at the border with Myanmar, on 23 September, but now it is October 3, is already a good proof to this. Life itself changed the travel plans and gave me the opportunity to spend more time on this place, but if I want to stay in my big frames, these 10 days I will have to save somewhere in the next countries. There, of course, that will be a pity. But about these days I will not even complain…
When I arrived in Singapore, got my bike from the port and customs when I was setting myself up for a ride in a few days across Malaysia and Thailand, in order to hit the agreed Myanmar group, to which I had to join (since Myanmar is still not allowed to enter for an individual traveler with his vehicle without a guide), I received a message from the organizers of a tour of Myanmar that there were some problems with the entry visas, issued by the ministry there. For the whole group of six people they have been moved for a couple of days, but my only one has been moved to October 3 or 4. Anyhow, I claimed that my plans would not really work out well, the officials in Myanmar had been stubborn, and then, as I wish, I could not go at all, or at these dates. At first I was very frustrated – somehow the picture did not seem very positive for me with a week and a half for extra pleasures alone in Thailand at a time when should go further quite fast to reach the goals. Considering all sorts of variations, even sailing around Myanmar, nothing reasonable did not come to my mind. But then the thought was born on Friday of that week, then the tickets to my beloved woman on Saturday … and the next was already written and you already know it – I turned the Thai holiday into something very fortunate however. Also further, I moved the plans back and forth by days, and I hope that I still manage everything.
When a major re-planning was taking place, a couple of unexpected days appeared on the way to Bangkok. So I saw something a little bit also in Malaysia. There I was excited about the attitude of constructors and maintainers of highways towards motorcyclists. First, it is an immeasurable pleasure for Indonesia that the motorcyclist can show up on the country’s main highways. Second, which is not an unimportant fact on a long-distance journey – all toll roads for motorcyclists are free, at each pay-point there are special, well maintained ramps meant for bikers. And third one that fell into my eyes as a special kind of love for someone like me – underneath every bridge or viaduct, or if there are no such thing during several kilometers along the way, a special shed is installed, where … motorcyclists can shelter from the rain! With special road signs as direction marks to these places. You won`t believe – every time passing such place it felt warm in my heart…
I will not stick to Malaysia’s detailed descriptions; maybe I will write more sometime. The Malacca coastal town, which I only got through on the main street, is definitely quite cool. The fact worth mentioning is that while staying in the suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, I was able to find out, through my sudden FB friend, that here I could get the oil filter for my bike, which I had forgotten at home in a rush, but it will soon be needed again. And that I purchased the filter right at 1 o’clock in the night at a shop-service that turns out to work up to 2 o’clock in the night … I managed to make a bend on the Cameroon highlands, to taste this rainy season and the tasty local tea. I managed to stick my nose and hang out for a whole half of the night around Georgetown. So well, that in the morning, both with Hungarian Andras, in our hostel, we stood out of the dormitory beds with thoroughly aching heads. And then I’m at the border with Thailand, again with some minor concerns about whether I will get in there. But everything was smooth – I’m here, already at the drive out.
Thailand. With a couple of nice stops, at a fairly rapid pace, I run 1,500 kilometers from the border to Bangkok, where I should not miss out again – the Lady arrives at a concrete time and with a concrete flight. Once we’ve met, as I’ve already written earlier – we started by visiting the local Latvian guy. Then, a small touch of history in the second historic capital of this country, Ayutthaya (Bangkok, due to the militant Burmese for the past centuries, is already third place where the capital of Thailand was moved). We spend a few lazy days in Pattaya and Koh Samet. For both of us, we want to take a bit of breath after the crazy rallies of this summer. As for this part of the trip, Agnese is determined to describe more and more imaginatively – I will leave it to her. However, our farewell night is worth mentioning, as we spend it on the 74th floor of Bangkok’s highest building Baiyoke Sky Hotel. Once during the trip, you should afford something and, it must be said, it was worth it – the views and feelings at this height in the room with the entire wall as a window are purely fantastic. In the evening, even more, we felt like flying in space … ;)))
But yes – today the romantic holidays have come to an end, driving 500 kilometers to here, I have a feeling that I’m back to the expedition again. I enjoy the evening beer and tomorrow is a new day again, a new country ahead. And again, in my head the song starts to hum by itself On the road again…
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