Long drives and road trips are not a big thing in tiny Singapore, compared to larger countries like Malaysia or the United States (US).
That didn’t stop one Singaporean man from making his road trip dreams a reality.
Able Wang recently took his car to China and back — simply because of his love for driving.
Source: Able Wang on Facebook
The experience left such an impression on him that he urged others to do the same.
In a detailed post in the MY SG Road Trip – Your Malaysia Road Trip Guide Facebook group, Able highlighted some useful tips for fellow drivers.
On 31 Oct, Able shared about his experience driving to China from Singapore and back.
Though the mere thought of such a long journey on the road may be daunting to some, this didn’t hold him back.
Able shared that the entire journey — spanning 11,000 kilometres — took him 27 days to complete.
Source: Able Wang on Facebook
During the trip, he experienced extreme weather and traversed different altitudes.
Source: Able Wang on Facebook
Able also remembered driving through thunderstorms and snow on both “horrible broken roads” and “absolutely splendid” ones.
He described tarmac highways and B-roads in such a poetic way that one can’t help but yearn for them.
Source: Able Wang on Facebook
“There were frustrations and happiness. Ultimately, it was joy and more joy,” wrote Able.
The post wasn’t all fluff though. Sentimentality aside, Able listed a series of tips for those who may want to do a similar trip.
He highlighted four main points, saying that to drive into China you need:
A Chinese agent should be able to convert your Singapore licence to a provisional Chinese one, claimed Able. He also said that there’s no need to apply for special permits in each province except for Tibet.
However, even with a provisional Chinese driving licence and vehicle number, you won’t be able to drive anywhere you wish, he noted.
One would apparently need to submit an application with a fixed itinerary, date of entry, and departure when securing the provisional vehicle number.
Able thus suggested for keen travellers to search for road trip packages to China — citing adventure companies based in Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore, that have fixed itineraries.
According to him, these companies will arrange all the necessary documents for the travellers.
The only thing you’d need to do is pay and show up.
Apart from the adventure companies, Able also recommended contacting a specialised tour company from China.
“Unless you are an experienced planner and know China very well, you should leave it to the tour agent to plan the trip for you”, he said.
For these Chinese tour agents, they’ll require your driving licence, passport, log card and road tax.
However, Able, being the seasoned traveller that he is, opted to plan his own itinerary to Thailand.
He claimed to have driven to Thailand seven times already, choosing to spend more time in Nan, Chiang Rai and Mae Hong Son for the “beautiful B-roads”.
From there, he joined a Thai adventure group and journeyed with them from Laos to China and back to Chiang Khong.
Source: Able Wang on Facebook
Able shared that the group travelled in a convoy and highlighted that inexperienced drivers may find overtaking on left-hand drive roads difficult.
All in all, though, he assured netizens that driving to China is worth it.
Just remember to get used to Amap or Baidu Map though, because Google Maps isn’t updated with the newest roads and establishments.
“My motivation for posting here is to encourage more people to drive to/in China, and it is reasonably affordable for the destinations, distance and time,” he said.
Will this be something you’d be keen to try? Let us know in the comments.
Also read: 65-Year-Old Man Cycles Over 9,000km From Australia To S’pore To Raise Funds For Charity
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Featured image adapted from Able Wang on Facebook.
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