Kuala Lumpur - Ayutthaya (1,660 km in 13 hours)

Heyya..

This is a normal route every time I travel up north.. I always do Kuala Lumpur to Ayutthaya within one day... Ayutthaya is a short name of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya.. It always takes me 13 hours to reach Ayutthaya town, or Ayutthaya Hotel to be more exact..

The total distance is nearly 1,660 km.. that’s right.. 1,660 km in 13 hours.. that is more than iron butt, metal butt or whatever you call it.. I have been doing this ride for almost 4 times on my GS Adventure, 1 time with my Pajero Sport GS and 1 time on my KLR 650 (but that time, i rode to Kanchanaburi).. And i can only achieve doing the KL - Ayutthaya (13 hours ride) by doing it Solo!!

For those who have been following my blog, ya'll already know that I never use GPS for the entire of my life..
I only use Road Maps when riding..

Why do i always choose Ayutthaya? Well, Ayutthaya is located in Central of Thailand, nearly 85 km North of Bangkok.. Because the geographical location of Ayutthaya makes it easy for me to decide where i wanna ride on the next day.. From Ayutthaya, i can ride:

• North to Mae Hong Son, Chiang Rai, Mae Sai Golden Triangle, Chiang Khong, Huay Xai (Laos)
• North East to Nakhon Ratchasima, Nongkai, Vientiane (Laos)
• East to Aranya Prathet, Poi Pet Cambodia, Siam Reap, Phnom Penh (Cambodia)
• South East to Chonburi, Pattaya, Trat, Khlong Yai, Sihanoukville (Cambodia)
• West to Kanchanaburi

I usually leave my Kuala Lumpur home at 3.00 o’clock in the morning, with the GS Adventure's fuel tank already filled a day before. I reach Bukit Kayu Hitam Caltex petrol station for refueling another full tank before I head to Malaysia - Thailand border. From Kuala Lumpur to Bukit Kayu Hitam, my average speed on the GS Adventure is about 150 km/h.. I will make sure I’ll be one of the first people at the Immigration-Customs counter at 7 o’clock in the morning by beating the passengers, travelling on buses at the Thailand’s Immigration.

Approaching Hatyai town from Dannok, there is hardly to see any road users, as it is 6 o’clock in the morning in Thailand. There are many traffic lights from Dannok to Hatyai.. I tend to jump the red traffic lights and this saves lots of my time..

I will ride along Phetkasem highway of Route 41 passing Patthalung, Thung Song, Wiang Sa, Surat Thani and stop for second refueling near Chaiya town in between of Surat Thani and Chumphon province.. that's almost 480 km covered from Bukit Kayu Hitam, the first refueling stop for my GS Adventure..

I normally have khaeng kiao wan gai (green curry chicken) with khao suai  for lunch at a petrol station in Chaiya... along with Gaa Fae Yen and a bottle of Krating Daeng or Red Bull as known globally..

Then i continue my ride to along the Phetkasem highway passing Sawi in Chumphon province and Thap Sakae, Kui Buri and Pran Buri in Prachuap Khiri Khan province...

Riding in Chumphon and Prachuap Khiri Khan provinces takes lots of nerves and it consumes lots of energy along these two provinces.. the distance from Chaiya in Surat Thani to the end of Pran Buri of Prachuap Khiri Khan is about 400 km and it takes nearly 2 hours and half.. the ride is boring and makes me feel tired in the hot afternoon..

As i'm entering Petchaburi Province along the Phetkasem (Highway 4), the traffic starts to build up.. Petchaburi province is next to Bangkok city and most of Bangkok residents would travel to Hua Hin and Cha-am for weekend beach break.. Once i have passed Hua Hin, i am almost near to Samut Songkhram interchange (Route 4 and Route 35) which is approximately 150 km from Hua Hin..

Right after the Cha-am / Hua Hin and Phet Kasem interchange, there are many Premium Outlet stores, restaurants, etc...



Then i make my 3rd refueling stop along the Phet Kasem highway in Bang Khem, Petchaburi.. there are many petrol stations along the Bang Khem area but there are more along Highway 35 in Samut Songkhram..


..Riding Through Bangkok..

There is a huge advertisement signboard on the left of the Phet Kasem route, which is the beginning of Samut Songkhram of Route 35..

If i keep on riding on the Phet Kasem (Route 4), i will enter Ratchaburi province and as i am getting closer to Nong Pho district, there is a junction which goes to either:

• Nakhon Pathom and Bangkok (Route 4)
• Ban Pong and Kanchanaburi (Route 323)

Back to Samut Songkhram's Route 35, it leads to Samut Sangkhon and Bangkok City via Bangkok's outer ring road, Kanchana Phisek of Route 9.. The traffic gets heavier and heavier as i am riding along the Route 35.. Luckily, i am riding at 3.00 pm so the traffic is not be as bad as peak hours (4.00 pm - 7.00 pm) but the traffic is building..

As i am approaching Bangkok city, i have to exit the Route 35, near Thanon Rama II.. There is a big blue Motor Highway lights and toll booths at the end of Route 35.. before the toll booths, there is an exit junction of Route 35, which connects to Kanchana Phisek's Route 9 and take that exit.. The distance from Samut Songkhram / Phet Kasem interchange to Thanon Rama II is merely 75 km..

Along the Kanchana Phisek Route 9, this is where i have to be aware of all the road / route signs.. it's a bit tricky as there are many interchange junctions and i must be aware of the building traffic.. sometimes the route signs could be blocked by huge lorries and busses on the slow lane.. therefore i just need to be alert of the signboards while riding in between cars through Bangkok traffic..

Riding in Bangkok is nerve wrecking but apart of me is happy because 12 hours ago i was riding in Kuala Lumpur and now, I am already in Bangkok!

I only need to ride along the Western Outer Ring road, Kanchana Phisek of Route 9 and only focus on the signage of Route AH1, Route 32 and Route 1.. these routes will lead me to Ayutthaya.. The routes which i need to ignore are:

• Thanon Phet Kasem
• Thanon Ratthanathibet
• Bang Bua Thong - Suphan Buri
• Rangsit - Pathum Thani
• Udon Ratthaya Expressway

Finally, after 82 km riding along Kanchana Phisek of Route 9, i have reached the AH1-Route 32-Route 1 huge interchange also known as Pratunam Phra-In interchange.. Then i proceed to ride on AH1-Route 32 highway and Ayutthaya town interchange is not very far.. only 23 km from the Kanchana Phisek interchange..

I arrived at Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya town nearly 5.00 pm.. I checked-in at Ayotthaya Hotel, took shower and changed to a pair of shorts and flip-flops.. The Ayotthaya Hotel is located along the night market.. i went around the historical town, snapped photos, the night market and had dinner of Phad Ka Pow Gai and Khai Tiao with Kao Suai..

HooRahh!!

Me'Nate Steakhouse 'House of Wagyu', Ampang Jaya

Heyya..

This is my 5^th time having dinner at Me’Nate, Ampang.. it’s situated along Jalan Kolam Air Lama Satu, Ampang Jaya.. it is next to 7-Eleven near Ampang's SPCA..

Usually, I would opt for Black Angus ribeye steak.. I also have tried the Wagyu beef once, but this time I was craved for a huge steak after watching Man vs Food tv series.. hence, I chose 2 pieces of Grass fed ribeye steaks, costs RM39 and RM42 each.. by the way, the taste between the Wagyu and Black Angus, i prefer Black Angus as it has stronger meaty flavour..

I own a dairy business, i.e. dairy farm, and all my dairy cows are 90% fed with grass and the other 10% are protein concentrates for milk production.. the protein concentrates consist of corn, soya bean, cotton seed, wheat pollard, etc...

I have seen other dairy farmers nearby feed their cows with grains and less grass.. I have noticed the physical of grass fed cows are healthier, less excess fat and the cows are more active than grain fed cows.. but the grass fed cows need little more time to gain weight..

No doubt in Malaysia, for meat cattle farming (it is kinda hard to find a big scale grass fed meat cow farming), the meat cows are mostly fed with grains, containing mostly palm kennel.. The palm kennel concentrate (PKC) increases the fat content of the cow’s physical.. The PKC increases the cost of meat production, but it cuts the production time shorter and lack of nutrients in the meat than grass fed cows..

Me’Nate sells the grain fed meet more expensive than the grass fed.. Yes, I understand the production cost is higher for feeding the cows with grains.. but the grass fed meat is healthier and tastier..  and amazingly it is cheaper cut of meat than the grain fed at Me’Nate.. Cheers!

HooRahh!!

Surat Thani, Thailand..

Heyya..

In July 2012, after spending 3 days in Koh Samui, i rode solo to Surat Thani to meet a friend of mine, who is Thai and been working in Koh Samui before.. Now she lives in Surat Thani and works for Chevrolet Thailand..

I took the 10.00 am Seatran ferry from Koh Samui pier.. i reached the pier almost an hour early so i stopped at a restaurant nearby to have a breakfast of Khao Mun Gai.. generally, Khao Mun Gai is a famous dish in Thailand, where Thais would eat it during breakfast, lunch or dinner.. Khao Mun Gai is commonly known as Chicken Rice in other countries.. Khao means rice, Gai means Chicken and Mun means the oil/fat dripping from the roast chicken..

Normally, i would have my Khao Mun Gai with a glass of Gaa Fae Yen.. Gaa Fae means Coffee and Yen means cold (normally it serves with ice cubes)..

After breakfast, i headed straight to the pier, bought ferry ticket for a big motorcycle and a rider which costs almost 260 Baht, if i could still remember the exact price..

The journey back to Don Sak pier took nearly 1 hour and 15 minutes.. met few Malaysian riders from Penang, on their way back to Malaysia after spending 2 days at Koh Samui..

Reached Don Sak pier, i was still on my carpenter shorts, t-shirts and flip flops.. i decided to ride to amphoe muang Surat Thani without changing to riding apparels.. i could ride as slow as 100 km/h with the shorts and flip flops..

Surat Thani is only 56 km from Don Sak pier.. Upon reaching Surat Thani, i had to search for Roi Koh Resort.. Initially my friend had booked a room for me but telling the name of the hotel is 1000 Island Resort.. i could not find the hotel in Surat Thani but  then i asked a receptionist at Centara Hotel, saying that One Thousand Island Resort is the name in English.. the Thai name is Roi (Thousand) Koh (Island) Resort, located very near to a huge Tesco Lotus..

The room is wonderful, spacious and clean.. it is facing a swimming pool and costs only 1,100 Baht per night..  Ooowieee!!

Had lunch at Kanchanadit for fresh Thai Oysters, Lobster Prawns and Crabs.. Kanchanadit is a fishing village, 40 km from Surat Thani city.. most Surat Thani residents would drive to Kanchanadit for seafood meals.. the price of the Oysters are very cheap, i.e. from 5 Baht to 20 Baht depending on its sizes and they are super fresh too.. HooRahh!!

Then we headed back to Surat Thani town to have desserts and coffee at an independent cafe, called My Cup Cafe.. In Thailand, there are lots of successful independent cafes and Starbucks / Coffee Beans are quite rare to be seen.. unless if u're in areas populated with farang.. the prices of coffee late, cappuccino, etc at the independent cafes are 60% lower than Starbucks because Thai consumers really put an effort to support the local coffee farmers, by brewing their local coffee.. this ensures the price of every latte remains low and affordable for all..

 

For dinner, we just had simple Phad Thai in the Surat Thani night market, next to Riverside...

Went back to the hotel, had a very good sleep and left Surat Thani in the morning for Kuala Lumpur (950 km, almost iron butt mileage)... Solo ride as always..

HooRahh!!

McDonald's Samurai Burger

Heyya..

Are you having a laugh, McD?
As advertised:

The Real Deal..

Are you having a laugh, mate?

Anyway, i won't be complaining that much.. i've been feeding myself with hundreds of McD burgers in my life.. Hehee.. most burgers in all ads look as they have been supersized with steroids.. lol

As for me the Samurai burger tastes awesome.. the only burger i would have at McD is only the Quarter Pounder.. nowadays, the Quarter Pounder patty seems to be dry every time i order it.. it's good to have a change for a juicy beef patty dip with Samurai black pepper-ish soy sauce at the price of RM12.40 (inc tax) for a single beef patty, not during the McValue Lunch hour..

The size of the single beef Samurai burger is similar to the Quarter Pounder burger.. and please be prepared with napkins when u're having the Samurai burger.. it's gonna be messy, i tell ya..

I would say McDonalds at Port Dickson Waterfront has the best location in Malaysia for its fastfood chain..

Fyi, this is my FIRST attempt on food review apart of my travel reports, BMW GSA logs and apparels.. gotta try something different in blogging..

Update:

I recently had Double Samurai Burger.. The Double Samurai Burger totally beats the Over-Rated,  Crap Burger Bakar.. Believe me, it was messier than the single samurai burger.. I had it at Jusco Seremban 2 and it was full of mayonnaise and sweet & peppery samurai sauce.. i had it at 11-ish am so the beef patties were still hot.. Extra Yummy!!

It costs only RM16.75 with tax..

I just hope McDonalds would keep the menu forever.. and they can ditch the pointless Sakura McFizz drinks and Katsu Curry McShaker fries..

HooRahh!!