This is the edited version for brevity but captures most of the ride through the mountains as well as a few 'happenings'.
But it's not quite the heroics of the first journey (footage unusable) but should at least interest a few HHAD members
The quality on googlevideo is pretty pants but a youtube version is in the pipeline as we speak (better quality).
Setting out was fine and traffic was light (a big plus in Ranong).
Up and into the mountain was a little tricky to get back into again, especially as you're faced with steep climbs.
No fast cars to race on this leg, just a skirmish with a silver pick-up.
The full journey took about half an hour (to the Chumpon border bridge) but I've edited it somewhat for brevity and the fact that LiveVideo and Youtube have restrictions on how long and how much you can upload to their servers.
The rest of the journey was pretty boring to say the least, although some potholes north of Chumpon nearly gave me a close encounter with the guard rail! (more on this for my next videos).
Apart the the odd trip around town on the old Honda Bucket I'm somewhat of an ex biker. Kawazaki Z900 was my last real bike, that was over 20 years ago.
Great video, I've been on that road (in a car) a few times.
Anybody else find themselves 'leaning' into the corners and bends whilst watching it?
Certainly brings back memories Rider - and easy to see why that run is a 'must' for real bikers! Like the soundtrack.
Unfortunately when that run had to be done by car or minibus every 30 days we all became slightly bored with it (to say the least) and maybe failed to realise what a beautiful part of the country it is. Ranong itself is worth a couple of days of anyones time to have a look around, and the hot springs are a 'must dabble' for the toes!
Maybe the much maligned Ranong run will now have a biker rennaisance?
It'd be nice to see.
But I will say that going there and coming back I didn't see one bike above 150cc! Big Bikes are an alien machine down Ranong way! :O
Great footage. I've been down to Ranong/Burma maybe 50 times (I'm not joking) and those hilly bends going out of and coming into Ranong are spectacular.
I've only ever done the trip by bus/minibus and by a shared car (I was driven). I can still feel those bends and cambers. Lucky you to be "free" on a motorbike.
But, where is my favourite roadside restaurant in the rubber plantations? It's about 30 kms east of Ranong on the main road. Every time we pulled up there they got me a can of beer and started the fried rice. They remembered us every 30 days. Let the good times roll.
And the waterfall on the bend? I swam in there for a laugh one time and nearly got swept away by the current.
Off topic a bit, but I've traveled the road from Chiang Mai to Pai a number of times ( been driven) and the scenery puts Chumpon to Ranong to shame.
Bring it on!!
Yes I recall the stops we made on the road during 'that' visa run.
But during shooting I really wasn't in the mood to stop for anything! In fact I only stopped later on in the journey to switch to the reserve tank on the bike!
But I think next time I'll make some rest-stops and look for this mystery waterfall you speak of mate
You can't miss the waterfall. As you come from Chumphon, it's about 20kms before Ranong on the road on your left hand side as you make a sharp right hand turn and head up the first steep hill with the scenic views over the valley.
In my very out of date Lonely Planet, it's marked as Punyaban Falls. There's a car park there and one or two restaurants.
There are a couple of other waterfalls before you get to this one. I havn't been to them but have heard that they're not up to much. If you need to travel inland to get to them, then you're at the wrong place.
Only 50 times Lomu?
Seriously - I need to count the passport stamps! But the waterfalls are very variable according to season of course. That big one on the bend always there, but even that sometimes down to a trickle. Whereas in rainy season there are loads, but you need to be a passenger and really concentrate to spot some of them through trees.
Unlike the huge boulder washed down onto the road one time. Couldn't miss that.
Rider is right about very few big bikes doing the run though. Even when it was a regular chore it was rare to see them at immigration. I know Kurtz did it a couple of times (came unstuck if I remember correctly) and Mac once?
