SAFWAN STREET CUB

Date: 3rd February – 16th February 2016

This journey began not with luxury or speed, but with intention and trust. From 3rd to 16th February 2016, a small Street Cub Honda GBO C70—its engine upgraded but its soul unchanged—carried one rider, weighing 82 kilograms, across borders, mountains, history, and faith. The average speed hovered humbly between 80 to 90 km/h, yet the distance covered was anything but small: 5,953 kilometers carved through the spine of Northern Thailand and beyond.

The wheels first rolled out from Gombak, heading north toward Dannok, the gateway into Thailand. From there, the road opened into Hua Hin, where the sea breeze greeted the tired engine like an old friend. The journey then turned solemn at the Death Railway on the River Kwai—where steel tracks whisper stories of suffering, endurance, and forgotten lives. From history, the road climbed toward Tak, and further still to Doi Inthanon, Thailand’s highest peak, where the air thins and the heart learns humility.

The ride into Mae Hong Son tested both machine and man. Endless corners, rising fog, and quiet villages demanded patience rather than power. In Pai, the Memorial Bridge stood as a reminder that even roads have memories. From there, the journey pressed on to the Boundary Post at Mae Sai, the northernmost edge of Thailand, touching the threshold of nations. The Golden Triangle followed—where borders blur and rivers decide history—before arriving at the White Temple in Chiang Rai, a vision of devotion shaped in white.

Route 12 Café offered rest to both rider and Cub, before the ascent to Phu Thap Buek via Route 2331. The cold bit hard here, but the views repaid every shiver. The road then bent toward the bustling Bundle Border Market in Aranyaprathet, before the roar of engines returned at Burapa Bike Week 2016 in Pattaya—a celebration of brotherhood, grease, and freedom. From Pattaya, the long road home awaited, and the Cub answered without complaint.

Accommodation was simple: four nights in normal 24-hour lodging, the rest spent at Amazon Hotels—no walls, just a sleeping bag, stars above, and asphalt beneath. Expenses followed the same philosophy: roughly RM100 per day, enough for fuel, food, and survival—nothing more, nothing wasted.

This was not a journey of comfort. It was a journey of belief: belief in a small motorcycle, belief in endurance, and belief that the road always teaches those willing to listen.

Next, the journey will be even farther, In Syaa Allah.