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The Hills and the Sea |
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Teams Alpha and Bravo rolled from 2nd Link before dawn for the start of the PCS Northern Thailand Drive 2005. It is the most ambitious and logistically most challenging PCS Drive yet. The planning, co-ordination and execution for accommodation, car transporters, flights, security, guides and interpreters, coach transfers, meals along the way, communications and a myriad of other things, for 3 teams using two different routes and leaving on different dates with the furthest point reached some 2,800km from home and less than 200km from the Chinese border was a challenge that drew enormously on everyone, gainsay the organizers. The multitude of “what if” at the planning stage would be sufficient to dissuade such an undertaking but the keenness of members was incentive enough for the Club to proceed. It also caused Eddie a few grey hairs at least.
Immediately at the start, the unexpected
happened, as always it is the common things that fail. The comms set was not
transmitting. I struggled to adjust it even as I tried to lead the team in
complete silence. Eventually, the spare set was dug up from the depth of the
left hand door pocket and I was able transmit a request Jes to take over. This was
followed by a second struggle to disconnect the 1st set and connect to
the spare set to the antenna, charger and extension mike in the dark and in a supersensitive
car at high speed. Jes was to complain later that this was the 3rd time when
leading the convoy I have asked him to take over, each time with the same excuse.
The convoy was as usual rolling along rapidly with the usual Along the foothills of Pagoh, I took back the
lead. Overtaking a rapid convoy may appear intimidating but with the assistance
of team members, it was done without fuss. Seremban came up rapidly and at by
early morning we were at Sg. Buloh RSA to rendezvous with Mike and Angela. A quick
refuel, Team Bravo came up |
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The woodcraft in building the villas is outstanding and shows an intimate knowledge by the artisans of working with teak. Suchet described the efforts he made to procure older retired workers to construct the resort and perhaps even more importantly to teach their grandsons skills that would otherwise be lost. The buildings are simply exquisite and the place resembles more a palace compound than a resort. It takes more than skill to build this resort. It takes passion too. The next day there was plenty of time to laze around in the resort, sightsee and shop in town. A few members even took time off to teach the resort buggy drivers how to run a proper convoy! Suchet invited us to dine with him in the elegant surrounding of the teak ceiling banquet hall and royally entertained by a troupe of classical Thai dancers and the magnificent service from the staff. |
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In the afternoon, we left for Samoeng. As we drove through the streets of Chiang Mai, the convoy rouse the town. Locals and tourists alike took a keen interest in the proceedings. Chiang Mai is an attractive city with its canals and tree lined roads. With a population of 1½ million, it is the 2nd largest city in Thailand. Leaving the city, we took the expressway for Mae Rim. After Mae Rim we turned into Route 1013 for Samoeng and the hills. Like the Tapah / Tanah Rata road, the 1013 starts as a
sweeping B road climbing gently. The sweeping bends and gentle inclines soon
developed into a sequence of sharp and hairpin bends with steep inclines, blind
brows and crests. It had rained for the last two days. The rain stopped in the
morning for a while. Then it started to drizzle, then rain and then continually alternating between rain and drizzle. A
typhoon blowing into Southern China was spilling over to Northern Thailand. On this wet switchback road, the In the rear view mirror, Jes was following in
his C4S. He was evidently enjoying himself. In as much as the GT3 was balanced
on a knife’s edge, Jes was benefiting from the much larger comfort zone of his
car. With 4 wheel drive, a beautifully balanced chassis, supple suspension,
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 PCT brought with
them a surprise for us; our member Denis, who is now working in Bangkok. PCS
and PCT had last met in Penang in 2004. Before that it was Phuket 2003, and Kosamui
2002.
To the beat of drum, Thai classical dancers showered us with rose petals and gave us a warm sent off. | |||||||||
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Northern Thailand is hilly. After the
junction for Mae Hon Son, Route 107 works its way over low lying hills and then
runs along ridges much of the On this secondary road the turbo and the GT3 played for a while, matching each other as they romped effortlessly through overtaking manoeuvres, bends, and inclines. The road was smooth and dry and today the GT3 redeemed itself. 40km short of Fang we refuelled, I changed comms set yet again and took over as lead car for the 2nd packet. | |||||||||
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After the fuel stop, the scenery changed yet again. Now the area is less populated. The road runs through a narrow valley flanked by blue green slopes of foothills. Where there is flat land, it is farmed with padi, corn and fruit orchards and a myriad of other crops. The pleasure of the drive is enhanced by the relatively lack of traffic. Northern Thailand is sparsely populated. | |||||||||
 
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At Fang, Route 107 ends and we continued
along Route 1089 to Mae Ai. Then Route 1089 forks and one branch winds into
higher hills.
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That branch narrows into a country road as it
climbs, twists and turns its way up the high hills towards Mae Salong. As we
drove deeper into the hills the country road peters out into a switchback
country lane clinging onto a foothold through rugged hills. Some gradients require
2nd and, for some cars, By now, we were driving into the clouds. This is more Cayenne than 911 territory but the road remains good enough even for those 911s with low ground clearances. The weather turned cooler as we climb. Most of us had by now switched off the air-conditioning and wound down the side-screens to let the fresh cool mountain air to waft in. We were deep inside the hills and other ranges both far and near come in snapshots peaking out of one bend and hiding at the next. | |||||||||
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As we drove along the switchback lane, the
view became even more spectacular. At every corner a new range of hills came
into view. On the nearer slopes, a
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We stopped at the Mae Salong
Hill Resort for lunch. The view from the resort was spectacular as it is
perched high on the hillside overlooking groves of tea plants and forest
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We continued further along Route 1130, now going downhill and joined Route 1 heading north. Next stop was Mae Sai, the northernmost town in Thailand on the border with Myanmar. The Thai border police was friendly and allowed the convoy to park right at the border. It is a border town like many other boarder towns thriving on trade between an open economy and an open society with one that is close on both scores. Shops and stalls on the Thai side sell every conceivable everyday item from clothes to white goods and VCDs. There were also a large number of goldsmith shops. Jewellery is a good hedge against a rapidly devaluing currency.
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From Mae Sai we turned into Route 1290 and arrived at the Golden Triangle for the night stop. We have arrived at the point of the triangle, the confluence of Ruak River and Kong River. As we parked our Porsches for the night at the tip of Thailand, to the left was Myanmar and to the right Laos. We have reached the furthest point of our drive from Singapore and have driven nearly 400km from Chiang Mai. | |||||||||
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That evening we were invited by PCT members for dinner. Dinner was by the riverbank, 7 km downstream from the Golden Triangle, across the Kong River from Laos, and 200km from China. We are now over 20 degrees north and the chill in the air was sufficient to bite the lightly clad. The roaring log fire kept those unprepared for the chill and a potable band churned melodious western and country music. |
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On the 5th day I woke early to watch a heavy mist lingering over the river confluence giving the river the appearance of a gargantuan hot stream. On the right bank barely 500m away is the Myanmar border and on the right bank perhaps a kilometre away is Laos. Regrettably the sun was blanketed by cloud and the fame Golden Triangle sunrise did not materialise. | |||||||||
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At one point when accelerating to close the gap, the strobe light fell off. I stopped to remove the light and then drove hard to chase after the convoy. In city, driving the GT3 is intimidating and truculent. Stroking it along at touring speed on open roads, it is a coarse bumpy and noisy thing often with a mind of its own. Open it up; it instantly comes alive, transforming into a lithe scalpel sharp road missile. Chasing after the convoy the GT3 was absolutely flying, warping through its gears as it gobbled up the road in chunks. There is a lot to like about the car. There is an evenness of weight of controls; the pedals, the steering and gearshift. Throttle respond is sharp and immediate. The GT3, on this road, needs a touch of trail braking to settle the nose in. Easing pressure on the brake pedal to trail brake is made easy by the progression and feel of the brakes. Turn-in and the steering bites immediately and gives the driver exactly the steering angle that he wants. The grip out of bends is huge and allows it to rocket out of the apex. Catching up with the rapid convoy was a delight not a struggle. | |||||||||
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 We arrived back at Dhara
Dhevi, Chiang Mai at
13.45.
There the cars are loaded onto transporters bound for Hua Hin and the sea. The members took the flight for Bangkok and coach transfer to Hua Hin. | |||||||||
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Cha Am and Hua Hin are sea-side towns built
at two ends of a straight broad dual carriageway running parallel to the sea.
Hua Hin is a royal town and exudes the placid old world charms of sea side
towns that sprung up with the railroad. Hua Hin has escaped the raunchy side
that afflicts many Thai sea side towns. At Hua Hin we rendezvous with Team
Charlie. Bar a puncture, they too had a trouble free run with night stops at
Penang and Krabi. | |||||||||
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Next day at 12 noon convoy headed for Surat Thani. We headed south on Route 4. Somewhere near Chumphon Route 4 becomes Route 41. Further south we exited to Route 401 for Surat Thani. The entire route was a dual carriageway mostly straight with flowing 90 degrees corner. The whole journey was an effortless cruise at 145-160km/h.
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 When we arrived at the Diamond Plaza Hotel, a
familiar sight greeted us, a silver 911 SC targa with a quadruple “9”
registration number plate parked in front of the lobby. Khun Thanee has taken
time of his busy schedule as Chief Executive of Surat Thai province to greet
us. Three things we will not forget about Surat Thani, Khun Thanee’s 911 SC
targa whose paintwork has such a deep lustre that it makes a new car look dull.
Secondly, dining on oysters the size of a breakfast steak from Khun
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Last modified on 04/03/2006 | |||||||||
PCS discipline and
flair on the move. The plan was for Team Alpha to run within radio range of Bravo
and this we did throughout the run to Gurun.
and we rolled
again. By now the lebuhraya was
crowded and we drove smoothly and conservatively. Alpha was a small team of 5
cars and progress was effortless. At late morning we passed Penang and arrived
at Gurun before noon. We were just 81km short of the Thai border. At 13:10
Eddie called, he was ready and Alpha rolled together with Bravo as one convoy into
Thailand. The transporters and coach were waiting. It was good to meet Col Poth
again.
From Hatyai we flew to Bangkok
and caught the connection to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is the hill city of
Thailand. Located 18 degrees north and at an elevation of 1,000 feet above sea
level, it is known for its pleasant climate and easy pace life-style. 700 years
ago it was the centre of Lanna culture and this is still reflected in its
architecture. Unseasonal torrential rain greeted our arrival. In a fleet of 3
luxurious mini buses, we transferred to the Mandarin Oriental Dhara Dhevi
Resort. The minibuses turned into a non-descript side road and as often happens
in Thailand, through the darkness and torrential rain a magnificent resort
appeared finished in white mortar, wood and marble. In a sea of umbrellas, the
hotel staff ferried us to the lobby as rain water cascaded down flights of marble
steps. Sheryl humorously remarked that the resort even had water feature steps.
The resort owner Suchet was on hand to greet us but not without his equally
magnificent white 996 GT3RS.
On the 3rd day, the cars arrived. The
transporters had inexplicably gone to Sheraton Hotel. With Somsak’s help, they
were told to stay put and Eddie rushed off with Kok Wai to find them. Inexplicably,
on their own accord they again decided to drive off to the unloading point for
the PCT, which unfortunately was not the unloading point for PCS. Eddie and Kok
Wai arrived just in time to see the transporters being driven away from Sheraton.
They gave chase, caught up and led the transporters to Dhara Dhevi. Kok Wai and the Stuttgart Auto support crew and
the hotel staff worked hard to unload, clean and prepare the cars.
beast in the
GT3 was barely contained. It was edgy, all light nose and tail happy. Everything
was working against its track bias set-up. The aggressive rubber was not able
to heat up sufficiently to grip 
the tyre thread flat on the road. The state
of tune of the engine and lack of low down torque worked against the car.
aggressive tyres and the stability of the wide body. He, above all was driving
the perfect car for these conditions. The C4S was sublime, glued onto the
tarmac, accommodating inclement weather within its broad envelope. I wasn’t the only driver working hard. Leslie
and Te Shan voiced their wish for a beer and as if on cue, in this wilderness
beer was available. Smiling Thailand! But the convoy leader did not stop.
Day 4 was the big day. We
have been relaxed for two days. This was the day for the real drive. Everyone was
up early. We are headed for the Myanmar border. At 09:15 sharp our Thai Porsche
friends roared in convoy into Dhara Dhevi. The roar of Porsche flat sixes
reverberated through the narrow street that leads to Dhara Dhevi and we heard
the convoy coming long before they appeared.
At 09:30, 10 PCS and 15 PCT Porsches rolled for
the Golden Triangle. We used the same route out of 
Within an hour we have driven through the
sprawling suburbs of Chiang Mai and passed the junction to Mae Rim where the
day before we had turned for Samoeng. We continued and passed the turn-off to
Mae Hong Son.
way to Chiang Dao. The scenery is picturesque as the
road winds through mist shrouded hills with luxuriant forests. We drove pass
forests of tall teak trees clinging to the hill slopes as they twist and turn
to reach the sun. Another charm of this road is the care engineers have taken
to camber corners and bends. This allows cars to settle through bends with improve
stability. The road is interesting and scenic rather than seriously fast. Then
the comms set was acting up again and Mike took the lead.
Route 118 is an absolutely gorgeous B road.
It is a fast road running along the valley on the southern side of the same
range that flanks Route 107. It is the Thai equivalent of the M’sian Hwy 4.
Co-incidentally, it is also about the same length. Being a broad single lane
road, with wide hard shoulders and sweeping bends, it is tailor-made for 911s
and Boxsters. After Wiang Pa Pio, Eddie took the lead.
For part of a day Teams Alpha and Bravo were
ahead of their Porsches and resorted to getting around in the hotel mini-bus.
Being driven around has it advantages. Passengers see things that drivers often
miss. It is evident from the well order and kept streets that we are in a
richer part of Thailand. Even the traffic is light and orderly. (I was told
that it is different on a weekend when everyone pours in from Bangkok). On a
weekday in Cha Am / Hua Hin, the truck culture is
evident. In Chiang Mai, the trucks
are mostly working trucks. Here everyone drives a truck. Mums drive trucks on
the school run. Teenagers cruise in their trucks. And rich towkays are driven
around in their trucks as well. The varieties of twin cab trucks are enormous.
All the major manufacturers, Nissan, Toyota, Isuzu and Ford are in the game. Petrol costs baht 27.90 or
SGD1.10 per
