Ride Report : Danok - Betong on Route 4001

[nikhuzlan]

Ride Report : Danok - Betong on Route 4001Sometime in August i had a few days in my hand, and having bought an F800GS, the call to go for a long ride was irresistable.I managed to gather three good buddies, one with a Boxercup and another with a Gixxer K5. Both these gentlemen rode with me previously on a 1400km scooter trip last year.As their bikes were not suitable for the trip, they each bought the Aprillia Pegaso 650 Trail. The trip in brief: from Danok we took a right turn into some rural roads that crosses the restive Southern Provinces of Songkla and Yala, traversing a number of National Parks before main roads presented itself to Betong. There were times when we were in the jungles of Southern Thailand I felt some doubt about where we were heading, especially when tarmac ended and the gravel road led us ever deeper into the depths of tropical foliage. Luckily we always managed to find 'normal' roads and eventually reached Betong, having ridden 260 km in about 5 hours.Having had a good time and assessed that the roads can be tackled with bigger DPs, I organised another trip, this time with a bunch of GS Riders.For this trip, I planned a Route took us from Hatyai to Samnak Teao, San Kala Khiri Nat'l Park, then to Sathon, Prakop, before we joined Rte 4001 to Ban Lalae, Kabang and Than Tho, where we joined the main road that winds its way on the banks of Bang Lang Dam towards Betong.Pictures below tells the story.Here's the Route, on GPS

The Riders ( less the photographer )

Our first night was at Hatyai.

Our rides awaiting the next day

We started off with breakfast at a stall run by Kelantanese speaking ladies in the middle of Hatyai town.

After about 40km on the main highway from Hatyai to Danok I led the group left into the kampongs and after another 10 minutes riding we ended up in a rubber estate, the first of the many gravel sections we will be riding through.

We reached a kampong, again populated by Kelantanese speaking muslim Thais. It is clear that whilst they are not wealthy, we later found out that they are rich with hospitality.We stopped for a drink, and the villagers brought out some pulut and rendang for us. hen we wanted to pay, they refused, saying that they are happy we stopped by, and to treat the food as Hari Raya food. Really nice people. The 'cafe'

We left after half an hour, and I led the group through more estate roads.

The first challenging stretch caught Fazlee out. He was on his GSA. It was on a fairly steep downhill incline, muddy and slippery, and Fazlee slid his front wheel into a deep rut, leaving his bike unmovable.

http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/021.jpgIt took 5 of us to pull his bike out.http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/025.jpgThe journey continued at a leisurely pacehttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/026.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/027.jpgAfter about 40 minutes we reached this beautiful tarmac that winds its way into the San Kala Khiri National Park. The road was clean and smooth, with good grip so the bikes can be ridden hard and fast. That the road was devoid of traffic added to our enjoyment. http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/028.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/029.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/030.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/033.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/034.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/035.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/036.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/037.jpgThen it was time for some photos....http://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/038.jpghttp://i1001.photobucket.com/albums/af138/nikpix_photos/Hatyai%20Betong%202010/039.jpgPart TWO to come........

 

[deep3102]

very nice adventure there bro..thumbs up..cant wait to see the part two..

 

[ICEMAN 68]

walauweiii ...nice picture and lotsa thrills ....

 

[mizhan]

beattiful pictures of an awesome adventure :top:

 

[climenta]

Good one bro, and I have to agree with you that the folks over there are mostly friendly and hospitable

On another note, what other options are there if we'd like to have a tarmac-only ride or drive along these scenic roads? Thanks:top:

 

[Eggie86]

Very nice thread bro. Awesome write-up interspersed with lovely pictures. :top:

 

[ALBundy]

Good stuff Nik, and nice photos. You baring on the road for some of those or use an adjustable LCD screen?

 

[nikhuzlan]

Ride Report : Danok - Betong on Route 4001 Part 2

We continued towards Sathon, then Prakop. The nice smooth roads eventually turned into rural tarmac, dotted with potholes and eroded surface. Photod do not do justice in showing the quality of road......

We stopped at Ban Lalae ( Ban means Kampong in Thai ), another Muslim community deep in the South. Again the hospitality was overwhelming, and again they refused payment for the food and drinks. We decided to leave them some money anyway, saying that even if they do not want to take it, at least they can treat it as sedekah for their mosque fund.

Bidding us farewell.

The route ahead

As we left, the rain came. This worried me as I secretly knew we would be in trouble if this rain continued into the gravel section ahead. The rest had no idea as they have never passed through the route and hence have no idea what awaits them.

As we got closer to the dirt stretch, I was happy that the area was clear of rain, although I also knew that it will be a matter of time before the deluge catches up.

we rode on, and the road was ominously quiet, with absolutely no traffic. We observed as we got deeper into the jungles, nature was reclaiming the road back, with creepers and foliage covering the road shoulders

After another 30 minutes of riding on rural tarmac, the road ended and ahead lies a jungle track.

We rode on, the rest having faith in me that the jungle track will eventually lead to a better quality road.
It would be a totally different story of it rained here as it did earlier on

The track was bumpy and slippery, but it was a piece of cake for my long travel suspension of my GS800. The Adventures and GS12/11 did not have much of a problem.....

Plenty of mud crossings to keep the riding interesting

Then, a minor disaster struck. Minesh, on his GS1200 was tearing along at a fairly fast speed, amd his tyres slipped into a rocky rut. After a short struggle the bike went downnnnn

As I was the last bike, with Minesh ahead of me, the rest was oblivious of this little mishap, but Fazlee turned back upon realising we were no more behind.

Fazlee found out hat making a u-turn on his GSA is no easy task, so after heaving and puffing.....

He did it the traditional way

After picking up Minesh's bike, which suffered minimal damage ( just light cosmetic scratches ) we rode on.

The road got worse

We reached a section that had a fallen tree trunk across the road. Thankfully someone who have passed by earlier did a partial job of hacking the obstacle. it was still a challenge geting through as it was slippery as hell.....

With everyone safely through, we continued

These steep pebble strewn incline would have been a major challenge had the rain came....

We rode on for another 20 minutes on gravel, but with no incident. Eventually we ended up on a pristine stretch of tarmac that would do justice to an S1000R.

This beautiful road led us to the highest point of Yala Province, atop of a hill that's about 2500ft high.

We stopped for some photos.

The road onwards was really good, but being the camerabike, I maintained the last bike position as the rest blasted off to enjoy the twisties.

On my last trip i remembered vaguely that there was an uncompleted bridge that began with a chasm just after a blind corner. I was a little worried it may catch out my friends who rode ahead.
Luckily the bridge was completed.

The Bridge

The same bridge the month before. Notice the lack of any signs for early warning.....

The heavens opened up as we reached the main road and with 3 of the bikers ahead, Minesh, Iqbal and me decided to wait out the rain by stopping at Than To for a drink.

Heavy military presence was noticable. Note the two Humvees to the right of Iqbal

From Than To the road was a real treat, with straights of not more than 200 meters between corners. And the corners were never ending all the way to Betong, 88 kms away. We however rode with restraint as it was wet. In dry conditions it would have been FUN

We stopped to take some pics of Bang Lang Reservoir.

We rode on for the next 20 minutes in damp weather.

we met our group that went ahead at Ban Sakai, about 35km from Betong.

Onwards to Betong

Welcome to Betong

Our home for the night was Sweet Home Hotel.

Parking was secure, very important for bikers....

This is the way a GSA should look, dirty with no trace of shine.....

Then it was dinner. This awesome but simple dish was the pinnacle of our dinner that night.

Part Three to come

 

[db8]

Malaysian version of long way down..nice!

 

[nikhuzlan]

Good one bro, and I have to agree with you that the folks over there are mostly friendly and hospitable

On another note, what other options are there if we'd like to have a tarmac-only ride or drive along these scenic roads? Thanks:top:

There are numerous roads there, and a tarmac only ride/drive is certainly possible. I will be leading a Harley group on the tarmac route soon.

Before I planned the route, I did some research on where the hotspots are; ie surfed through all the violent incidents that took place so we can avoid riding through the area. In essence, i have an idea of places to avoid when we rode through there.

In fact, two days after we rode through the area, 6 Thai soldiers were ambushed, killing two troopers and injuring 4 more. This took place at Banang sata, about 10kms away from Than To, where we stopped for some drinks.

Although strife torn, the violence there are politically motivated, and as tourists, it is in the interest of both parties not to molest us in any way. Throughout we had great Thai hospitality from the soldiers and the locals. We were more worried about punctures and breakdowns than violence.

On y first trip there we had tea with the Thai border troops. They were so friendly they treated us breakfast.

 

[Don Franco]

Great photos and its really nice to read your "report" mate. Looks like your mates and you had a great time.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[mariff6365]

Great photos and its really nice to read your "report" mate. Looks like your mates and you had a great time.

Thanks for sharing!

Lovely snap shot and fun to see the "Ghost Rider" Squad on the trail. Now where is that GS I was looking for - shoot sold! Should have join the guys for the ride.

Keep up the excellant adventure. PM me if ada lagi trip ya. SYABAS :rock:

 

[deep3102]

Bro Nik, waiting for Part 3..

 

[stanleycck]

Awesome.........thats all I can Say.........:rock::rock::rock::rock:

 

[yeop]

Captain Nik,
Waiting for Part 3: Betong-Jeli-KL??

btw, how's F800GS comparing to GS12...in terms of ride comfort, cornering and other aspects that you could share? contemplating....!
Tq

 

[Fireblade]

Excellent ride Nik - that's what I call an adventure.

 

[enkil]

Marvellous adventure. Looking forward to something like this in the future. Firstly have to ditch my super for a GS

 

[Jay Bigbang]

Awesome. Just awesome bro! I hope someday, I'm able to join you guys. Cannot wait for the part 3. :top:

 

[DieSel]

Great photography! Great fun! Keep it coming Nik.

Cheerz!:rock:

 

[Zoggee]

Hello Kapitan Nik！

Long time no see Sir!