ASEAN On Wheels and Beyond: 12/27/09

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

PAJERO IS HOME

1. At last, the Pajero is home. The car arrived in Singapore in a container from Surabaya on 25 Dec. Collected the car from Keppel Distripark yesterday, 28 Dec - the first working day after the festive weekend. With Yong Peng of Toll Logistics with me, it was a breeze clearing Singapore Customs and getting the car out of the Free Trade Zone. Its unpacking today.

2. There are still 2 countries outstanding in my Asean on Wheels journey - Myanmar and Philippine. I am not sure about the possibility of Myanmar, as I made hardly any headway since I put the request early this year to the Myanmar Embassy here in Singapore for a self drive holiday in Myanmar. The prospect of doing a trip to Philippine was looking promising as Philippine Department of Tourism was helping with getting the necessary approval for me until I decided to drop Philippine in the last trip due to insufficient time. I will have to start exploring this again, some time next year, 2010.

WHY THIS BLOG?

Travel and driving are two of my passions. Through this blog, I hope to share my adventures and experiences of various self-drive holidays that I embarked. They were:
(1) Part 1 of the ASEAN on Wheels journey with Sunny Loo in my Pajero in May and June 09, which took us to Malaysia, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam in 64 days over 14 440 km. Do visit Sunny Loo's blog too, www.2free-n-easy.blogspot.com too.
(2) Part 2 of the ASEAN on Wheels journey with Lim Yeow Pheng in my Pajero from Oct to Dec 09 which took us to Brunei, East Malaysian states of Sabah and Sarawak, and the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan, East Java, Bali, Lombok and Sumbawa in 65 days in over 9 800 kms. Do visit Yeow Pheng's blog, aseanautoventure.blogspot.com.
(3) A month-long 6 812 miles (10 963 km) self-drive holiday to Western National Parks of USA with my wife (Li Hoon) and son (Weiping) in Weiping's car, a Hyundai Elantra, from 17 May to 16 June 2010, starting and ending at Madison, Wisconsin.

Current Location: Singapore

Distance traveled:

Next Destination:

ITINERARY

Nite Date Place

Part 1, Asean on Wheels
APR 09
1 27 Ipoh, Malaysia
2 28 Kuala Lipis, M
3 29 Kaolak, Thailand
4 30 Chumphon, T

MAY 09
5 1 Cha-am, T
6 2 Korat, T
7 3 Nong Khai, T
8 4 Vientiane, Laos
9 5 Vientiane, L
10 6 Sunnavekhet, L
11 7 Pakse, L
12 8 Pakse, L
13 9 Don Det, L
14 10 Kratie, Cambodia
15 11 Siem Reap, C
16 12 Siem Reap, C
17 13 Siem Reap, C
18 14 Kg Chhnang, C
19 15 Sihanoukville, C
20 16 Phnom Penh, C
21 17 Phnom Penh, C
22 18 Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
23 19 Ho Chi Minh City, V
24 20 Ho Chi Minh City, V
25 21 Da Lat, V
26 22 Da Lat, V
27 23 Nha Trang, V
28 24 Quy Nhon, V
29 25 Hoi An, V
30 26 Hoi An, V
31 27 Hue, V
32 28 Hue, V
33 29 Vinh, V
34 30 Ninh Binh, V
35 31 Ha Noi, V

JUNE 09
36 1 Ha Noi, V
37 2 Ha Noi, V
38 3 Ha Noi, V
39 4 Dien Bien Phu, V
40 5 Dien Bien Phu, V
41 6 Udomxai, Laos
42 7 Luang Prabang, L
43 8 Luang Prabang, L
44 9 Luang Prabang, L
45 10 Huay Xai, L
46 11 Tachileik, Myanmar
47 12 Chiang Mai, Thailand
48 13 Chiang Mai, T
49 14 Chiang Mai, T
50 15 Mae Hong Son, T
51 16 Mae Sot, T
52 17 Ayuthaya, T
53 18 Ayuthaya, T
54 19 Hua Hin, T
55 20 Khao Lak, T
56 21 Phuket, T
57 22 Phuket, T
58 23 Phuket, T
59 24 Hatyai, T
60 25 Pulau Banding, Perak, Malaysia
61 26 Cherating, Pahang, M
62 27 Kuantan, M
63 28 Kuantan, M
64 29 Singapore

Part 2, Asean on Wheels
OCT 09
1 14 BSB, Brunei
2 15 BSB, B
3 16 Temburong, B
4 17 Kota Kinabalu, Sabah (Sh), M
5 18 Mt Kinabalu Natl Prk, Sh, M
6 19 Sandakan, Sh, M
7 20 Sandakan, Sh, M
8 21 Danum Valley Conservatn Area, Sh, M
9 22 Semporna, Sh, M
10 23 Tenom, Sh, M
11 24 Miri, Sarawak (Sk), M
12 25 Miri, Sk, M
13 26 Bario, Sk, M
14 27 Niah Caves, Sk, M
15 28 Sibu, Sk, M
16 29 Kuching, Sk, M
17 30 Kuching, Sk, M
18 31 Singkawang, Kalimantan, Indonesia

NOV 09
19 1 Pontianak, K, I
20 2 Pontianak, K, I
21 3 Sandai, K, I
22 4 Sampit, K, I
23 5 Banjarmasin, K, I
24 6 Banjarmasin, K, I
25 7 Batu Lichin, K, I
26 8 Balikpapan, K, I
27 9 Samarinda, K, I
28 10 Balikpapan, K, I
29 11 Balikpapan, K, I

30 12 Balikpapan/Cruise to Surabaya, I
31 13 Cruise to S, I
32 14 Surabaya, J, I
33 15 Mt Bromo, J, I
34 16 Tanah Lot, Bali, I
35 17 Ubud, B, I
36 18 Ubud, B, I
37 19 Jimbaran, B, I
38 20 Munduk, B, I
39 21 Ubud, B, I
40 22 Nusa Dua, B, I
41 23 Nusa Dua, B, I
42 24 Sengigi, Lombok, I
43 25 Kuta, L, I
44 26 Kuta, L, I

45 27 Sumbawa Besar, Sumbawa, I

46 28 Lakey Beach, S, I
47 29 Dompu, S, I
48 30 Senaru, Lombok, I

DEC 09
49 1 Mangsit, L, I
50 2 Ubud, Bali, I
51 3 Ubud, B, I

52 4 Lovina Beach, B, I
53 5 Ubud, B, I
54 6 Ubud, B, I
55 7 Ubud, B, I
56 8 Banyuwangi(Licin), Java, I
57 9 Jember, J, I
58 10 Surabaya, J, I
59 11 Surabaya, J, I
60 12 Tretes, J, I
61 13 Surabaya, J, I
62 14 Surabaya, J, I
63 15 Surabaya, J, I
64 16 Surabaya, J, I
65 17 Singapore

US National Parks
MAY 2010
0 17 Madison, Wisconsin
1 18 St Paul, Minnesota
2 19 Pierre, South Dakota (SD)
3 20 Custer, SD
4 21 Custer, SD
5 22 Sheridan, Wyoming
6 23 Helena, Montana (M)
7 24 Babb, M (Glacier)
8 25 Babb, M (Glacier)
9 26 Whitefish, M (Glacier)
10 27 Whitefish, M (Glacier)
11 28 Gardiner, M (Yellowstone)
12 29 West Yellowstone, M (Yellowstone)
13 30 West Yellowstone, M (Yellowstone)
14 31 Jackson, Wyoming (W) (Grand Teton)

JUNE 2010
15 1 Jackson, W (Grand Teton)
16 2 Salt Lake City, Utah (U)
17 3 Moab, U (Arches/Canyonland)
18 4 Moab, U (Arches/Canyonland)
19 5 Escalante, U (Bryce Canyon)
20 6 Springdale, U (Zion)
21 7 Springdale, U (Zion)
22 8 Page, Arizona
23 9 Cortez, Colorado (Mesa Verde)
24 10 Durango, C
25 11 Idaho Springs, C
26 12 Denver, C
27 13 North Platte, Nebraska
28 14 Lincoln, N
29 15 Des Moines, Iowa
30 16 Madison, Wisconsin

MY FAVOURITE EXPERIENCES

1. Eating a Maggee Mee lunch while enjoying the sight and sound of Khon Pha Pheng waterfalls, Southern Laos.
2. Exploring Beng Mealea, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
3. Wading in the river over the thousand lingas at Phnom Kulen, Siem Reap, Cambodia.
4. Visiting the morning market at Kg Chhnang, Cambodia.
5. Exploring Hang Nga Hotel, the Crazy House at Da Lat, Vietnam.
6. Enjoying the boat ride at Tam Coc, Ninh Binh, Vietnam.
7. Driving along Highway 6 and Route 279, from Ha Noi to Dien Bian Phu and absorbing the stunning scenery of mountains, villages, padi fields along the way.
8. Driving from Tay Trang to Udomxai (Laos) and getting the adrenaline going as we dealt with the many physical challenges along the way.
9. Visiting the Hall of Opium in the Golden Triangle Park, Thailand.
10. Overcoming the challenging terrain in Western/Central Kalimantan, from Pontianak to Sampit.
11. Watching the sunrise at Mt Bromo, Java, Indonesia.
12. Enjoying a relaxing massage at Ubud Wellness, Ubud.
13. Watching sunset at Novotel Lombok Mandalika Resort.
14. Enjoying the captivating coastal scenery of northern Sumbawa, as we drove from Sumbawa Besar to Dompu.
15. Trekking up to Ijen crater, appreciating the labour of the sulphur workers and awed by the stunning scenery.
16. Awed by the stunning rock scenery in the US National Parks, especially Arches and Zion.

ASEAN On Wheels and Beyond

Tuesday, December 29, 2009

PAJERO IS HOME

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