It is fair to say that my brother loves motorcycles and of course riding them whenever he can. If he’s not at home, he’s out on one of his bikes somewhere across the stunning landscapes of this wonderful Asian country we live in. With the above in mind he’s always on the prowl for people to join him and of course I get asked frequently. Don’t get me wrong, I loves bike too and have a UK bike riding license, however, its just finding the time giving the commitments I have to the very magazine you’re reading right now.
As this magazine has a motoring section, and that road trips in cars or on bikes are (in our opinion anyway) very much a part of a keen motorist’s agenda, it seemed fitting to get some road trips in.
This inaugural occasion gave birth to a new series of articles/videos that we’ve cleverly called ‘Road trip’ with this first one subtitled “001 – Phuket to Ao Nang”. As the title reveals, we decided to set off from Chalong in Phuket, drive through Pang Nga and then eventually drop down into Ao Nang for a couple nights in the seaside town.
“I’m a bit subdued, and sad because the Yamaha R1 I hired has earnt a place in my heart”.
James Alexander, Farangbowl – Phuket, Thailand.
I very sadly don’t own my own bike, though if you’ve been following the Farangbowl you will know that I’m in the market for a Suzuki Hayabusa. This meant I had to hire one. Following some research, we located a superb rental shop in Patong called Sayan Big Bike Rentals Patong. They have a very impressive selection of machines. I chose a Yamaha R1 in black.
On the morning we were set to leave, I was as you can image beaming with excitement with all my bike gear on, fully packed and sat on my bike. My brother was on road with his bike running and waiting. The moment I turned the key and my machine burst into life, the heavens opened, and it started pouring with some of the heaviest rain I’ve seen in years. Without further ado Ad and I just set of in the rain to rendezvous with our friend Les.
Les met Ad and I in a filling station café in Chalong and we all waited to see if the weather would ease which it did. Our friend Les had much to celebrate on this occasion as he was riding his brand new BMW 1250 Triple Black that he bought from the showroom the day before. This bike was to prove to be a right beast at high speed.
The rain pretty much continued all the way to Pang Nga not providing us with any real opportunity to ride at speed. We stopped briefly in a major Pang Nga filling station then got on with the mission to Ao Nang.
When we checked into the hotel we were all dripping wet and just wanted to shower. The hotel was called the Machorat Ao Nang Resort and I was really pleased with it. Comfortable bed, clean rooms and bathroom with hot showers. Perfect.
The rain didn’t ease up and apart from an hour here or there of sunshine it was windy and really cold. As a consequence, the three of us parked ourselves in the 8.98 Café across the road from our hotel and ate, and drank coffee and tea all day. This was a superb Café and I would certainly recommend it. Other restaurants worth a mention are the Thailandia Restaurant just doors up from our hotel. It serves Thai food and some great Western dishes. The second restaurant we ate in was the Zaika House that serves incredible Indian food.
On one evening the three of us went to the RCA complex of bars which was alright and not dissimilar to any complex of bars in Thailand. That being said the weather was rubbish and I just don’t think anyone, staff included wanted to be out. We then made our way to Centre Point on Ao Nang beach, which is a complex of bars on several floors to include its own escalator. It reminded me of Orchid Towers in Singapore or the entertainment zones in Bangkok. The top floor bar was the busiest with live Thai music performers (who were brilliant). This was a predominantly Thai crowd with not many foreigners, however, it was a great atmosphere. My favorite bar was the Tribe Beach bar on the Ao Nang beach road. Down a side street next door to a Mc Donald’s, it is decorated with white walls giving off a Mediterranean vibe. They have there own in-house DJ who was playing non-commercial house and Melodic House and Techno. All really cool and relaxing.
The final day sore us all mounting our bikes and heading home to Phuket not really knowing whether we were going to get soaked. Even though the sky was displaying some of the meanest clouds I’ve seen in a while, the ride home was dry and that allowed us to open up the throttle and enjoy the ride.
When I pulled up to Sayan Big Bike Rentals in Patong to drop off the Yamaha R1 I thought to myself “I’m a bit subdued, and sad because the Yamaha R1 I hired has earnt a place in my heart”. I somehow felt like I was letting her down by leaving her here. I think any biker will relate to these sentiments. Then it was time to return home and back to land of the living.
Thank you to Khun Run at Sayan Big Bike Rentals for loaning the Bowl the Yamaha R1. If anyone is interested in in renting a bike when in Thailand then please go pay them a visit.
James Alexander
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Company details
Company details
Sayan Big Bike Rent Patong
Owner: Mr Run.
Address: 2, 7 Sirirat Rd, Pa Tong, Kathu District, Phuket 83150
Call: 095 946 4416
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sayanchawadee/
Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/qzjZpvVXkskXCdWs9
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Machorat Ao Nang Resort
Address: 126 Ao Nang, เมือง Krabi 81180
Call: 083 926 9934
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Machorat-Aonang-Resort-224252454656122/
Google maps: https://goo.gl/maps/SSoZuWMc49MaCxTR6
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If you want to watch the filmed episode that supports this article then please go to the Farangbowl YouTube Channel or watch it in the media browser on this page below.
