SOUTH EAST ASIA
These are our views based on our experience in South East Asia in 2008/9.
NB: Importing the vehicle into Singapore
NB: Exporting the vehicle from Kuala Lumpar
Vehicle
Type of vehicle
Land Rover Defender 110 TD5 with a Bimobil demountable on the back.
Tyres
Unknown
Spares and Maintenance
There are not many Land Rover dealerships. There are plenty of mechanics though and it is always amazing what they can achieve with very little.
Servicing
Unknown. Presumably the same as in the rest of the world.
Fuel
Petrol and diesel are always available.
Road conditions
Road conditions were generally good. There was a new road in Cambodia from Thailand to Nomh Penh
Insurance
Cannot remember having to buy any.
We arrived in Singapore on Christmas Eve and they were anxious to close. Other travellers have had to buy insurance coverage and pay other charges or they were loaded onto a flatbed and transported to the Malaysian border.
Carnet
A carnet is issued by the Automobile Association in your home country. It is a guarantee that you will either not sell the vehicle or will pay the import duty if you do sell. For this reason a deposit is required by the AA. But do check with other countries. We have heard but not confirmed that the UK does not require a deposit.
Required in Singapore, Malaysia, Cambodia, Laos. Thailand have their own form which you receive on entry and hand in on exit.
Camping / Hotels
There are no campsites that I am aware of. Detailed below are the places we stayed. These are not necessarily the best or the only ones. They include supermarket parking areas, paid parking, empty stands and places down dirt tracks away from road.
We ran out of chemicals for the porta potti long ago, they are not available so we are now using bleach.
Food
Stores range from small supermarkets to large supermarkets such as Tesco.
Health
We filled up on water in the major towns where it is usually potable. We used bottled water where we were unsure.
I did not need to buy prescription medicine in South East Asia.
Other
Borders
Borders were easy to cross, just a matter of procedures.
Money
US Dollars can be exchanged everywhere.
Chinese Yuan can be exchanged in Udomxai and closer to the border but it is better to do this at the Chinese border.
Once out of Laos you cannot exchange your KIP so get rid of it before going over the border. We did not see any exchange offices or individuals at the border but then we were not specifically looking. We still have KIP!
ATMs are the best option although some smaller towns do not have an international ATM. They are however gradually being introduced. The best bet is Standard Charted.
In Cambodia you draw US Dollars from the ATM. It is a great place to stock up. Change is in the local currency.
People
People everywhere are friendly and helpful.
Internet
Internet Cafes are readily found. Many allow you to bring your own laptop which you connect with a cable.
GPS
A GPS is handy, although there are enough roman script directions to get by with.
Singapore | Malaysia | Thailand | Cambodia | Laos | |
Averages | |||||
Cost per litre of diesel | 0.48 | 0.70 | 0.63 | 0.72 | |
Accommodation per night in hotels.
Camping was usually free |
48.43 | 28.00 | 14.18 | 15.00 | 10.44 |
Average spend per day | 100.26 | 47.14 | 75.79 | 51.13 | 40.91 |
Total | |||||
Kilometers traveled | 197 | 1,992 | 5,430 | 1,500 | 2,543 |
Days in country | 22 | 40 | 39 | 23 | 33 |
NB: Currency is USD and is based on 2 people
Singapore | East Coast Parkway Car Park C4 | Showers and toilets available | N01 18.200' E103 55.079' |
Malaysia | |||
Jahore Bahru | Dana Mall | shopping centre. There are better options | |
Melaka, | Tesco | shopping centre | |
Melaka | near Holiday Inn, | empty stand | N 02˚ 11.285 E 102˚ 14.819 |
Teluk Kemang | N 02˚ 27.663 E 101˚ 51.296 | ||
Kuala Lumpar, | Tesco | on MRR2 (Middle Ring Road 2) | |
Penang | Teluk Bahang | A popular beach. No facilities. Bus into town | N 05˚ 27.729 E 100˚ 13.148 |
Thailand | |||
Songkhla | Somila Beach | Parking area. Strong winds from the Gulf of Thailand | |
Ho Hin Beach |
West Coast road of Peninsular |
small quiet beach away from everything including drinking water and food supplies. Lovely | N 7˚ 33.223 E 99˚ 18.198 |
Ao Nang | West Coast road of Peninsular | toilets, tap and hose for shower | N 08˚ 01.756 E 098˚ 49.551 |
Phuket, | Rawai Beach | no facilities | N 07˚ 46.090 E 098˚ 19.047 |
Khao Sok National Park | just inside the park | toilets | |
Chumphon, | Thung Wualaen Beach | no facilities | N 10˚ 33.742 E 099˚ 16.426 |
Laem Thaem, south of Chon Buri | paved parking area | no facilities | N13˚ 18.094 E 100˚ 53.883 |
north east of Bangkok | Petronas Service Station | toilets | N 13˚ 47.906 E 100˚ 36.790 |
Kanchanaburi | site of the bridge over River Kwai | on an empty stand | N 14˚ 02.641 E˚ 099 30.368 |
between Pa Mok and Ayuthaya | away from the road | no facilities | N˚ 14 27.368 E˚ 100 28.202 |
Ayutthaya, | parking area near monument to King Naresuan the Great | no facilities | N˚ 14 21.986 E˚ 100 33.001 |
north of Nakhon Sawan | private property | no facilities | N˚ 15 46.799 E˚ 099 42.953 |
Sukhothai | no facilities | N˚17 01.056 E˚ 099 42.953 | |
To Phimai Highway 12 | Roadside | no facilities | N 16˚ 52.687 E 100˚ 38.348 |
To Phimai Highway 21 | Petrol Station | no facilities | N˚ 16 15.719 E˚101 02.938 |
To Phimai Highway 2 | Roadside | no facilities | N 15˚ 24.021 E 102˚ 28.435 |
to Aranyaprathet Highway 348 | Lovely spot by a small lake | no facilities | N14˚ 10.380 E102˚ 40.448 |
Cambodia | |||
Between Sisophon and Siem Reap | Closed restaurant | no facilities | N 13˚ 34.503 E 103˚ 26.819 |
just north of Phnom Penh | NH6 Beside the Mekong | quiet, scenic, no facilities | N 11˚ 41.121 E˚ 104 55.492 |
Phnom Penh | National Library - paid parking | no facilities | N 11˚ 34.576 E 104˚ 55.187 |
NH7 north of Suol on way to Kratie | down a dirt track | quiet, semi isolated, no facilities | N 12˚ 12.643 E 106˚ 26.688 |
NH78 To Ban Lung | behind a hedge, probably private property | quiet, no facilities | N 13˚ 34.626 E 106˚ 37.565 |
Ban Lung | Yeak Loam Lake parking area | scenic, toilets | N 13˚ 44.048 E 107˚ 01.016 |
Laos | |||
Bolevan Plateau, NH16 just north of Pakxong on road to Thateng | no facilities | N 15˚ 11.567 E 106˚ 16.029 | |
NH13S just north Khongxedon | no facilities | N 15˚ 41.201 E 105˚ 47.059 | |
Thakhek near the Mekong | down a dirt road | no facilities | N 17˚ 26.186 E 104˚ 46.690 |
Vientiane, Orchid Guest House | we stayed in the hotel but there is paid parking across the road | no facilities | N 17˚ 57.810 E 102˚ 36.234 |
Vang Vieng, Phoubane Guest House | staying in the van costs the same as taking a room | showers, toilets | N 18˚ 55.513 E 102˚ 26.765 |
Luang Prabang | any where on peninsular road near river. | we stayed in a hotel | N 19 53.881 E 102 08.546 |
Oudomxay, DanSaVahn Resort Hotel | We left the van here for 6 months while we travelled in China. We paid for the parking. |
Importing the vehicle into Singapore
We went straight to an agent
Central Express Lines
Block 511, #03-04 Keppel Distripark
Kampong Bahru Road
Singapore 099447
Tel: 65 6272-9533
Contact: Lawrence www.cel.com.sg
Costs
PIL Landing fees | USD 2,258 |
Central Express Lines | USD 3,120 |
TOTAL | USD 5,378 |
The whole procedure was painless. I do not know if we could have done it ourselves though for a lot less.
Other travellers have had to pay various fees e.g. insurance. Some have had their vehicle put on a flat bed and taken immediately to Malaysia. Our container arrived on Christmas Eve and everyone was anxious to go home before lunch. Maybe we were lucky.
Exporting the vehicle from Kuala Lumpar
Pieter looked up PIL, Malaysia on the internet and found and agent called PIL. We only discovered this was an agent when we arrived at their offices. Even so Leslie gave us great service.
9.1 Lorong Batu Nilam 20A
Bandar Bukit Tinggi 2
near Klang
Tel: 603 3324 8699
cell: 6016 217 5999
Because we have the Bimobil we need a 40ft HiCu container (i.e. 9ft 6 inches high rather than the standard 8ft 6 inches) with the Land Rover loaded in front of the Bimobil. The actual shipping cost is double that of a 20ft container. Our total cost was USD 4,228. About half was the cost of actual transport. For a standard container you could drop the cost by about USD 1,000. The balance covered agents fees etc. I do not know if you must have an agent or if you could go it alone.
Shipping Lines I know of
NB: They never answer e-mails. You have to go to the office in the country.
PIL | www.pilship.com |
MSC | www.mscgva.com |
Maersk | www.maerskline.com |
P&O NedLloyd | www.ponl.com |
CMA-CMG | www.cma-cmg.com |
Safmarine | www.safmarine.com |
Grimaldi Lines | www.grimaldi.co.uk (Europe and America only) |