31 December 2015

Lotus pre-adventure drive Thailand.

My yearly motorbike ride was cancelled due to some unforeseen circumstances.
So i was left utterly jobless. 
Idle hands led to a solo drive with my English mistress across the border.
As this was the first time i'm touring by car i didn't know what to expect.
The other issue was that we've travelled to most places so to find something  new and interesting that is accessible by car was a challenge.

Day 1

Left home early and reached the border after a 4 hour drive  :-)

Takes us 6-7 hours by bike

Not too far.

Malaysian border.


Done, and now Thailand.

I spent 5 hours at the Thai border.

Cause they wanted some additional documents that entailed me having to go back to Alor Setar JPJ to get. The JPJ officers at Alor Setar and Bukit Kayu Hitam were so helpful . Kudos.
Then the Thai authorities went through the car with a fine tooth comb looking for god knows what. 
Finally i got the customs form.
Trip almost came to an end here.
A good learning experience though.
And the Thai guys were very nice through out .

Finally free and clear.

A photo op stop

My baby.

Something different.


It was a good thing i left home early.

Driving in Thailand  :-)

I didn't switch on the GPS as this parts are familiar.

I'm headed to Nakhon Si Thammarat .
Never been here before.

A relaxed pace in Thailand.

Later in the evening the GPS was needed.

Sights along the way.

We don't stop for rain  :-P

Almost at the hotel.

Dirty girl  :-)

A splash of colour.
Check in , eat and zzzzzzz
Long day.
1000 km total today.



Day 2

Time to tour.

First stop...

An ancient temple.

Chedi Yak is Nakhon SI Thammarat's second tallest pagoda. It is located near Nakhon Si Thammarat Municipality in the abandoned Wat Chedi area. According to the legend, the pagoda was built by Khotkhiri, a wealthy Mon, and his employees, in year 1003.


Recently painted white....
Its really big.

Back on the road...

Streets of the city.

Nice landscaping.

2nd stop...

My baby  :-)


The ancient city walls...

The City Wall of Nakhon Si Thammarat is the emblem of the ancientness, fortitude, prosperity, and the long history of the province.

 According to the legend of Nakhon Si Thammarat, the city wall was built during the reign of Phra Chao Sithamma Sokarat when founding the city on Had Saai Kaew. He constructed the rampart surrounded by a ditch. 

A central park...

The city chronicle mentions a fortification when the town was refounded in 1278. Restorations were recorded at the time of King Ramesuan(14th century), as well as King Narai (1686).- Wiki


It extends across the road...

The parks entrance...

Back on the road...

Along the main road...

Nice decor...

Temples everywhere...


So a quick photo op with a unique background...for us Malaysians that is  .

Monks...

The 3rd stop.

                              Wat Phra Mahathat Woromaha Vihan


Land of a thousand temples.

And all beautiful.

The main stupa of the temple, called Phra Borommathat Chedi, literally, the Great Noble Relics Stupa, was built prior to other religious architectural buildings in the temple by King Sri Dhammasokaraja in approximately the early 13th century CE - Unesco

Time to check it out.


The entrance. Gilded  :-)

Pigeons ..see   :-P


Many small stupas on the inside

Nicely decorated...

Everywhere you look.


Rows of Buddha statues.

Tour done.

An elevated view of the city. The Chendi Yak stupa is nearby.

Mountains in the background.

Rest of the day for R&R  :-)


Day 3

I was supposed to drive to Songkla or Hat Yai .
But in the end i decided to head home.

Cause -1.  We have been to all these places so nothing new to see.

2. Its the Christmas weekend so these places will be full of Malaysian and locals. 

So , home it is.

I missed this place on the way in...so a short stop.

The route 41 cowboy town.

Some Malaysian bikers were there..

So we exchanged stories of rides past...

And took the opportunity for pics.

Unique background.

Nice guys  :-)

This was shot by the Management as i was leaving  :-)
More bikes had pulled up by then.

A short break and fuel...

Leaving Thailand was painless and fast. 
Soon its back home.

The jam of vehicles entering Thailand was terrible.

Lovely Malaysian highways.

Almost home...please disregard the max speed meter...Twas not me  :-P

Since i don't have these at home...

I had to settle for this  :-P 

A nice drive to a new place ,some R&R ,exploring and new experiences.
A good trip .
Cheers.




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