Entering Thailand at the Bukit Kayu Hitam-Sadao checkpoint
A rainy day at the Sado checkpoint
Route: Ipoh to Hatyai
Distance: 380km
Time: 7hrs
Thoughts: There is a mandatory vehicle insurance for Thailand as well as as an vehicle importation form we need to fill in.
On my way from Ipoh to Hatyai, I stopped by Bukit Mertajam for lunch with my cousin, Shaun. At this stage, I hadn’t yet told anyone about my ride into Thailand and he was one of the first few. I wasn’t quite in the mood to share and didn’t really plan to actively do so, especially not on social media. Of course he is familiar with my free-spirited antics and I didn’t have to ask him twice to keep it to himself for now. It was nice to see a familiar face and I felt rejuvenated with the lunch he bought me. Shaun is one of those steadfastly loyal and consistent people you can rely on.
As my second time riding into Thailand, I waltzed through the customs like a seasoned traveler, knowing the steps to take, what papers to give them and the process for importing my motorbike in. Additionally, I found out from Shaun that the 10 baht or 1 ringgit they asked from me the other time, was an “informal” tip that people used to slip into their passports, until it became a norm. This time though, they didn’t ask me for it. It seems they were in good spirits because one of their coworkers was celebrating a birthday! And the usually surly customs officials even wished me luck on my ride to Chiang Mai!
Border towns across the world have a very similar feel of haphazardness as they represent a transition from culture to another, or from one state of consciousness to the next. The same can be said for Bukit Kayu Hitam on the Malaysian side and the Sadao checkpoint on the Thai side. One instantly knows that they are at a border town. Perhaps what characterises it can be best described with the concept of dissonance. Because of the meeting of two different cultures, there’s a kind of storm that happens, like when a cold weather front meets a hot weather front. But instead of a physical storm that clears up, this one doesn’t. The dissonance is constantly humming in the background. The lack of harmony is so palpable to me and rather jarring on my senses that I could never imagine ever living in a border town.
My ride to the next closest city, Hatyai, was largely uneventful. However, the roads were dotted with the austere portrait of their beloved King as well as many deity statues of the temples, as if they were the guardians of their beloved King. With each commanding portrait and statue I passed, I couldn’t help feeling a sense of apprehension and caution. It felt as if it was saying to all incoming travelers in a booming voice, “Fear the greatness of Thailand and enter at your own risk!” I’ve crossed many a border town before and the most I’ve usually had to contend with was a messy transition between two places. This one made me feel more uncomfortable than not.
While I was excited to have arrived in Thailand once again, I quietly sought permission with the invisible to enter the country and rode with a sombre mood all the way to Hatyai. My spirits lifted immediately after I arrived at Hatyai; a University town with many young people. I looked forward to what tomorrow will bring.