Motorbike Tours Asia

Sukie, Of the 4 countries which was the most exciting riding for you?

I am used to Thailand so for Dreamchaser 2 Laos was the most exciting for me. It was the most virgin and unspoiled. While up in the mountains in the northeast we encountered almost no vehicles on the road. Also being high up in the mountains the weather was very nice, which is a blessing coming from Thailand.

 You mention the "pink Route"!  Can you explain more particularly where it began and why is it called the "Pink Route"?

The Pink route begins at the Muser Market at about the 40 km mark on HW 105 connecting Tak to Mae Sot in Northern Thailand. “Pink Route” is a word that Thai official uses for route that is somewhat dangerous, something along the line of “enter at your own risk.” In our case we had police escorting us in. About 3 weeks earlier some park rangers where shot at and police are still looking for the culprit.

So, a Dirt bike is now on your shopping list!  250cc, 400 or are you going for a more serious piece of kit such as a Honda CRF 450?

Your riding Partner 'Hui' was slected for a large group of individuals who applied to be a apart of the show and was chosen for the trip!  What was his riding ability, and how did he cope with the entire trip and deal with the filming side of things?

Hui had never ridden big CC bikes before and had to adjust a little bit on the Honda Hornet. However, off-road he kicked my ass. He grew up in the mountain region of Loei (Northeast Thailand) and spent a lot of time riding off-road. Overall, he coped pretty well during the entire trip – he was just happy being able to ride everyday for 2 months straight, he’s 24 and just got out of the army so this was a blessing for him. On the filming side it took him about 2 weeks to adjust to having the camera around him. At first he was trying to get the answer right and not answering from the heart. The director told him this is not an interview; just say what you want to say and what you feel. Once Hui got to know the crew better along with getting use to the camera his filming became more smooth and natural.

Now Hui has finished Dreamchaser do you think anything will come out of this for him?

 I believe the trip was an eye opener for him as he had never left Thailand before.  I hope we were able to show him many things that he wouldn’t have been able to on his own. Throughout the trip I kept telling him that this was only temporary and that once we are back from the trip he would have to face the realities of the real world. I also told him when we go on air a lot of people will recognize him (CH3 is one of the highest rated channel in Thailand) and that he should always remain grounded; he is still young and searching for himself. Regarding if anything will come out of this for him, we would need to see what the feedback is like once we go on air - I see my role as an older brother who would need to help advise him over the next few months.

Dreamchaser 1 you were riding BMW's through Thailand do you think this was an ideal bike for the country?

For someone thinking of doing the route you used without a support team and film crew....  What would you advise?

1. Make sure your paperwork is in order – bike registration, border crossing, etc and go with an easy maintenance bike – you do not need to carry many spares and if something does go wrong it is easy to fix, spares are compatible and easy to find. 
   
2. Take as little as possible   Asia is cheap and you can buy a lot on the road!
   
3. A good guide book- these things are great and a lot more detailed than you think.
   
4. Go to biking community WebPages like Motorbike-Asia and look up people who had done the trip, this was my biggest source of info.
   
5. Make sure you bring some form of medicine for your stomach – half of our crew got sick!
   
6. Planning the trip, one thing I forgot completely was the global rising fuel prices. The Blackbird & Hornet guzzled a lot more gas than the XRs. If fuel price continue to rise I would highly recommend a bike that is fuel-efficient.  When I travel around Thailand solo my highest cost is always fuel: sample 1 day cost – guesthouse $12/night, food $15/day fuel $37/day/500km

Tell us about the border crossings?  Time consuming?  Any problems?

While preparing only one thing worried me and that was border crossing/paperwork. It wasn’t just me on a bike but we had an entire crew with camera and filming equipment. I decided to sub-out this responsibility to a tour company called Trans Asia .   The entire border crossing went very smoothly waiting for no more than an hour per border.  Trans Asia also provided us with a fixer in each country who was professional and new how the system works. There is a lot of paperwork required but Trans Asia handled everything for us, basically we just handed over all documents required by them and they did the rest.

There was a restriction on taking bikes over 175cc into Vietnam?  How did you manage to take Dreamchasers bikes bikes in?

 We took in both our XR250s along with 3 other vehicles.  Again, Trans Asia handled this so I do not know the exact details. What I do know is that we had to get permission from a few government agencies and being a TV show did help since we’ll be promoting their country. The crossing for us was easy and smooth, even at Tay Trang, which just recently opened. From DC2 experience, if you decide to just show up at the border and cross with your bike forget it. My advice is to contact professionals who are familiar with the system and have them handle it. Anything is possible in Asia if you know the right people.

Tell us about the Number one best day you had on the entire trip!

There were many good days but, the one that keeps popping into my head was the ride from Udomxai to Muang Khua (hw 4) in the north of Laos. The scenery was stunning, mountains on one side and river on the other. Very little cars, good weather, great curves. Have to watch out for pigs, chickens, dogs, cows – but, other than that not much more you can ask for.

The absolute worst day?

Highway 279 & 4 connecting Dien Bien Phu and Son La in Northern Vietnam. The roads were under construction and it was just plain not fun - and the scenery was just uninspiring.  Along the way there were a lot of development and a lot of construction going on, causing a lot of smog and pollution. I do not mind serious off-road riding but I hate riding roads that are under construction with rocks, sand, granite and heavy machinery.

Cambodia is among the poorest country in Indochina.  What stood out most about Cambodia to you compared to Thailand?  Most of it is flat and dusty but many potholes...Did you find the riding easy or difficult?

I spoke to a few locals and they all told me the country boom has just started this past 2 years.  The road from Anlongwang to Siem Reab is under construction so currently all red dirt. Siem Reab to Phnom Penh and 100km south of Phnom Penh is as you said – flat, dusty and potholes. However, heading further south all the way to the coast and then west for Thailand, the road are good and well paved. There used to be 3-4 river crossing from Sihanoukville to the Thai border but, now bridges are being built and I was told will be finished in about 3 months, which will cut the time down considerably. So overall, the riding wasn’t as difficult as I though it would be. Obviously, I’m sure there’s still a lot of difficult off-road if you look for them, but the main roads especially in the south are quite developed.

Dreamchaser 3 !  Is it a possibility?  if so, what would you do different this time and  how would you make it different from  DC 2?

We did DCI with no expectations but with the positive feedback we decided to move forward with DC2. Obviously if DC2 can take things to the next level and sponsors and channels are happy then we would continue with DC3. To be honest, a lot of it boils down to financing. I ride solo a lot going everywhere but to do a TV show with a crew of 12 (plus office staff in Bangkok) you need financing.   A trip that I’m interested in and toying with is to start off in Bangkok – Laos- China Mongolia-Kazakhstan- Uzbekistan.  Another is to follow Marco Polo’s silk road and ship the bikes back. And the big one is to do a RTW DC3 We’ve done Thailand, followed by Indochina – so DC3 we’ll have to go further.

A smaller crew will be needed to keep the cost down. Due to time constraint, certain routes we winged it and did not do enough research and were disappointed at the end. DC3 will need more time for research. Still looking for that perfect bike, small enough to truly go anywhere (XR250) but with the comfort/practicality of a bigger bike (R1200GS) – not sure if F800GS is the answer? Any suggestion? On DC2 I learn a lot about Indochina’s history and where the country is at presently, “Communism in the age of Liberalization.”  For DC3 may choose a topic that has to do with the countries history and where it is heading, a topic that is of interest to me especially with emerging countries.

Editor: Any suggestions on the perfect bike if  Dreamchaser 3 came about?  Give us your ideas at the bottom of the page!

Was any money raised from the trip for charity.  If so how much and who to?

Last year we were able to raise around $20,000 USD for the Friends of Thai Elephant foundation. This year we are working with the Rak Thai Foundation, which is a member of CARE International. Obviously we will know how much money is raised total once the show is aired and done.  We will also be organizing a rock concert/bike rally in Aug, where all proceeds from the ticket sales will be given to charity. Readers who are interested in donating please look at info below: - For information on Raks Thai Foundation/CARE, please go to http://www.raksthai.org 

If you would like to help Dreamchaser raise money for the Raks Thai Foundation Donations can be made to account number: 056-239616-7 of the Siam Commercial Bank's Aree Samphan branch.

Are you interested in taking Dreamchaser global?

We are interested but obviously we are a Thai show and would have to find ways around it; the obvious solution is using subtitles and having related items that are in English – books, DVDs, etc. Another option is to produce another show in English; National Geographics new channel NatGeo Adventure had express some interest but still a long way from finalizing anything. Currently there are many Biking shows on air but none that specialize in Asia to my knowledge. (if anyone knows please inform me)  I believe that the global biking community are very passionate people who love biking: and if we put together something of high quality, people would be interested. We are very open to input and advice from any people out there and would love to here from you. 

Who is your Director?

Aditya Assarat is a Thai independent film director. He has produced a series of short films that have screened at over 100 film festivals all around the world and won 15 international awards. In 2002, his work was featured in a special screening at the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York. In 2003, he became the first Thai filmmaker to win the prestigious Hubert Bals Award granted by the Hubert Bals Fund in association with the Rotterdam Film Festival. In 2004, he was the first Thai filmmaker to be invited to attend the month-long Sundance Directors Laboratory, an intensive film workshop mentored by Robert Redford, the founder of the Sundance Institute in Sundance, Utah. In 2005, Aditya was personally chosen by Rolex SA and the renowned Indian director Mira Nair to become the first Rolex film protege as part of the Rolex Mentor and Protege Arts Initiative. In 2008 his first featured Film “Wonderful Town” has won top prizes at the Pusan International Film Festival, International Film Festival Rotterdam & Berlin International Film Festival to name a few.

Thank you very much Sukie the team here at Motorbike-Asia are very jealous indeed!

Sukie will be pleased to answer any questions you may have and especially keen to listen to any advice or ideas on possible future Dreamchaser series.  Most importantely please tell us if you would like the chance to see Dreamchaser made for an English speaking audience!  

Last update : 21-05-2008 21:12

Keywords : Dreamchaser, Indochina, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Honda, BMW,

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