Road Trip to Phuket 2017

[IronIIoxide]

 03^rd June

 

1000H: Recovered a little, getting excited as this was going to be my first time swimming in the waters of Phuket! As usual, getting our not-so fantastic breakfast fix and headed out to Big C HyperCentre for our grocery shopping. 

 

 

1230H: Didn’t really do much of a ‘grocery shopping’, my loots can’t be compared to bro Adrianli. Went back to the hilly No. 6 Restaurant for that awesome mango sticky rice. 

 

1330H: Onwards we drove towards Kamala Beach. The sky seems dark but no rain clouds were in sight. Took some photos along the way paid THB50 for the rental of a beach chair. Should’ve taken 1 more towel from the hotel to lay it on the beach. I got changed while Mr. A lepak with his mango sticky rice and read a book while I took a dip in the sea. Beach was considered relatively quiet on a Sunday. Great swim, huge waves but didn’t dare to swim out further where it was almost 2 meters deep, later get swept out then don’t need to come back le. 

 

 

1730H: Came back up, wore my shorts over and while we went back to our car, a family of 4 looked at us curiously and muttered “Singapore car?!” We replied in excitement and had a great conversation, as if the recent peace summit took place. Fellow countryman, what to expect? We then drove back to our hotel for some much needed rest and coincidentally, it was showing Fast and Furious 6 on our TV! 

 

2000H: Headed out for dinner, this time to another recommendation by Ladyironchef – kaab gluay Restaurant. We ordered quite a fair bit amount of food this time, but compared to No. 6 Restaurant, this was quite a disappointment I must say, aside from the aircon environment and there’s an uncle who will keep a lookout for cars and parking wardens when I park outside their premise. After that we went out to hunt for my regular massage shop; unfortunately it was booked till closure (2300H) and decided to try our luck at another branch of Kim’s Massage Centre.

 

 

Took a 2 hour massage but damn, this masseuse was playing piano on my back. Totally disappointed. By the time we were done, it was already past midnight and we rushed back to try to catch up on some sleep before our roadtrip back home.

04^th June

 

0900H: Not a very good rest since we slept late last night and my cough came back. Had a light breakfast, did some route planning and we aimed to reach KL before 12 midnight. Sounds ambitious but hopefully no more cock ups in paperwork and smooth traffic in both Thailand and Malaysia. 

 

 

1000H: Time check, equipment check. Checked out and away we went towards Krabi for our afternoon meal fix! Weather was not doing well either; it rained shortly after we departed and became heavier as we drove towards Phuket Airport. Construction work didn’t help either. The rain only subsided after we passed Phuket Island and hit onto Highway 4. The scenery was rewarding given that there were limestone mountains and fog formed up around the midpoint of the mountain. Definitely a sight to behold. 

 

 

1300H: Reached this Thai Boat Noodle (Ao Nang Boat Noodle) place which Mr. A was craving for. They serve a myraid of dishes but their speciality are still the boat noodles. Parking is a little bit of a hassle as we had to park it at a bend where the residents demarcated their lots using water bottles. Though not the safest place to park, one has to bear in mind that most locals are doing it the same way, so why not right? Mr. A ordered 2 bowlfuls of pork noodles while I just ate 1 beef noodles so if ‘touch wood’ any complications arise, it could be dispelled quickly. Went to 7-11 to clear coins, get some snacks along the way as we planned to speed to KL without stopping. 

 

 

1400H: Move off time! This time Google took us across Highway 4 instead of cutting through single carriageway lanes. Drove through mountain roads and damn, it is definitely a sight to behold! 

 

1900H: Finally reached Sadao Customs house and Mr. A’s problem start to surface – tummy aches and it’s not gentle at all. I alighted him at the MacDonald’s we ate on the first day and he rushed in to use the toilet while I went nearby to change my excess Baht to Ringgit. Surprisingly the rates were higher than what Google has provided; my guess is probably Black Market rate?  This part of clearing is relatively straightforward. As what most members pointed out – just drive straight towards the car lane (just like how you would across Singapore), hand them your duly completed TM2 and TM3 (white card) form. Once you are cleared, head further down to the next counter to return back and sign in your Carnet form. Do take note that there are ‘overtime fees’ if you exit after certain hours (in this case after 6pm), but it’s a token fee of 25 THB + 5 THB for every additional passanger, so it’s really no biggie. After clearing the customs and seeing Mr. A in so much pain, I gave him 2 bottles of Po Chai Pills and went into the toilet to do some ‘clearing’. 

 

 

1930H: Mr. A felt better but was feeling very weak throughout. I was feeling ok after some stretching and headed towards Bukit Kayu Hitam Checkpoint. Same thing, got our passports stamped in (please get it stamped even if you are on MACS, it is explicitly stated that MACS is only applicable for movement between SG and Malaysia and vice-versa) and only 1 lane was open. Mr. A tried to conceal the alcohol he bought from the Duty Free the other day but was spotted by the senior officer. She questioned us and we told her that it we were heading back to Singapore tonight and would not consume in Malaysia. Gave us a stern look and then signalled us to leave the checkpoint; what a sigh of relief! 

 

2000H: Stopped by a petrol station in Aloe Setar for refuelling and trip up to KL. My body is wearing out and Mr. A was in deep sleep; situation is not looking good for the Malaysian leg. Google calculated a maximum of 5 hours drive with no stop. My car only has a max range of 450km with no traffic whatsoever. Did a mental calculation; hopefully could reach the AirBnB apartment in KL before 2am. 

05^th June

 

0330H: Was the time we reached our AirBnB apartment. Thankfully we only had several near-misses due to my tiredness and Mr. A shouted at me for almost losing the car in my limbo driving skills. We stopped a total of 2 hours in between as I was too shag to drive and had a refuel break included as well. Took our bags, went upstairs the apartment, good wash up and zonked out on the bed like no tomorrow. Damn this sleep was good. Never going to do such crazy marathon drives again. 

 

1030H: Woke up and was greeted by the bustling morning traffic in KL. Our apartment was located near Plaza Ampang City, which had a good view of the city’s skyline and mountainous region.  

 

 

1230H: Washed up again and prepped up for lunch, we went to a nearby local Wanton Noodle (Toong Kwon Chye Wanton Mee) shop around Bt Bintang. The taste was light and noodle was springy; though I’m someone who prefers heavy flavouring, this noodle hits the right spots and the big bowl with extra ingredients definitely helps make up our ‘brunch’ Since we were feeling energised and while we were at it, we decided to skip Malacca (initial plans) and went straight for JB so we could clear up some grocery shopping, a ‘make-up’ massage for the terrible one the night before and end off with a great dinner. 

 

1730H: Traffic back to JB is pretty light and we went to my usual massage place – Bangkok Spa along Taman Pelangi. My usual masseuse was fully booked up and had to settle with another masseuse. Took a 1.5 hrs session and came out feeling refreshed J 1900H: Settled dinner at a steakhouse (Projek Maging Steakhouse). Mr. A loved the steak done medium rare, though could be better; hated the cream of mushroom (like straight off a campbell’s soup can) and the cream Bruele? No comments, didn’t even finish ½ a bowl of it. 

 

2130H: Did some grocery shopping at Giant Pelangi Mall while my usual kakis at D’Lux (next door) wash my car. Time flies and sure did 小白, she’s due for scrap the following week! Gave her a good full tank and headed back to Singapore with heavy hearts.  

 

 

2300H: Reached home (Tampines) via Woodlands and what more to end a memorable road trip with lots of hoot from both Malaysia and Thailand!  

 

 

Conclusion

Though the schedule was planned out extremely tight with little rest in between, a better schedule as what Mr. A would propose was that on the return trip, we stayed one night in either Phatthalung or Hatyai.

 

Aside from that, the weather was not a damper and the drive was good, a different experience from flying as you get to see the scenery and mountain roads differently. A GT car would be a more suitable option, probably would hope to do it in a 6-series Grand Coupe or a Mercedes CLS, (maybe an Aston Martin DBS if I have the money) in the near future, but aside from that, roads in Phuket and Krabi aren’t as bad compared to maybe, Bangkok and KL?  I’ll probably do it in a continental car in the near future, but for now, it’s off my bucket list and I wouldn’t mind doing it all over again   

[MannAien]

Hi,

 

Sorry if this has been asked before.

 

We plan to drive a family car into Thailand, but the owner is not part of the travelling group. Have a few clarifications to make.

 

1. Do we need to get the authorisation letter by car owner certified by any gov agency in SG? In the TM2 and TM3 forms then, do we apply using the main driver's name or the registered car owner's name?

 

2. Do we need original copies of the vehicle log cards, or can we just use print outs from one motoring website? Does the print out need to be certified as well?

 

Thank in advance to anyone who can help us. 

 

MannAien

[Adrianli]

Hi,

 

Sorry if this has been asked before.

 

We plan to drive a family car into Thailand, but the owner is not part of the travelling group. Have a few clarifications to make.

 

1. Do we need to get the authorisation letter by car owner certified by any gov agency in SG? In the TM2 and TM3 forms then, do we apply using the main driver's name or the registered car owner's name?

 

2. Do we need original copies of the vehicle log cards, or can we just use print outs from one motoring website? Does the print out need to be certified as well?

 

Thank in advance to anyone who can help us.

 

MannAien

Just a letter from the owner with his full details authorising you with full details.

 

Yes, just print the logcard from onemotoring website. Ensure details match with letter.

 

Sorry, cant remember the forms.

[Caifan]

Anyone know whether are there any sg car rental company that allows you to drive all the way to chiangrai? Thanks

[TameDriver]

Anyone know whether are there any sg car rental company that allows you to drive all the way to chiangrai? Thanks

 

Where's the enjoyment in driving a rental all the way?

 

You don't know it's maintenance history, condition of its tyres, etc...

Personally, prefer to drive own car, already done it in multiple trips so far.

If you really want to rent one, you'll have better luck getting it in Bangkok.

Edited April 9, 2019 by TameDriver

[Caifan]

But me no own car so need to rent. Buying a coe car or left 1 year coe car to do it is it more worth

[IronIIoxide]

Hellos Caifan!

 

My recommendation is not to rent. I used to rent an Estima 3.5A from a rental company in WCEGA Plaza and I brought it for pre-checks 24 hours before my departure - oil leaks almost everywhere and rear tyres were balding. My heart popped straight to my mouth as I needed to drive all the way up to Penang for the next 4 days.

 

At the end of the day I still soldiered on with my fiance's family and thank God we were all safe. As it was a rental car, you are dictated by their terms and all so if you are unhappy with the car's condition and want to get a last minute replacement, it's going to be very tough, or you could possibly forgo the holiday because you forgo the vehicle. What they meant by well maintained vehicle could be a different definition between both yourself and the rental company.

 

I own a rental company and I know the pains of it, but different owners have different standards of maintaining their vehicles. If you are going to drive that far beyond Thailand, my suggestion is to probably look for those <1 year car and fix it up yourself, at least you do have full control over it.

 

To add on, think most SG Insurers only cover till the tip of West Malaysia, my bro recently did a trip up to Krabi in his 2 year old Forester and AXA managed to cover him, but based on the pro-rated amount, it's pretty expensive. The cheaper alternative will be to get a comprehensive insurance coverage in Thailand (from one of the roadside stores), but you will need to be patient in the claims process should anything unfortunate happen.

 

That said, I think if you're driving solo, any car will do. I did it in a Civic 2.0 and it's very enjoyable, apart from those butt sores because it's a bread and butter car with basic seats. If you're doing it with more than 2 pax, my recommendation will be to get a full sized sedan; everyone will enjoy the journey :)

 

Enjoy the planning and trip!