'It's pretty insane': Singapore couple drive to Bangkok and back in a Maserati
PHOTO: Screengrab/TikTok/xinjiaporean
PUBLISHED ONJuly 10, 2023 9:45 AMByVenkat Gunasellan Embarking on a road trip is a fun way to explore the region.
While it's common for Singaporeans to drive up north to Malaysian cities like Kuala Lumpur (KL) and Penang, one couple decided to explore beyond that.
Daryl, 33, and Cheryl, 29, posted a TikTok video on June 25 on their adventurous road trip to Bangkok and back.
The video captures some of the key highlights of the 4200km road trip such as passing through Thai checkpoints and their car of choice: A swanky diesel-powered Maserati Quattroporte.
@xinjiaporean Road trip 2023, we made it from SG to Bangkok! (cost breakdown in next video) We know there’s many people driving further (much respect to them!) but its an #achievementunlocked & milestone for us. It’s pretty insane and I’m still in disbelief that we made it, but with planning and passion, it’s possible ✨ Kudos to my mighty hubs who’s the only driver of this trip 🦾 SG - Hatyai (1 night) - Hua Hin (1 night) - BKK (2 nights, we are embarking on the journey back to sg now, making pitstops at different cities) If you love driving and are adventurous, we strongly recommend you to give it a try. It’s really a different experience :) #sgtiktok #sg #singapore #singaporetiktok #foryou #hatyai #huahin #bkk #roadtrip #maserati ♬ มองนานๆ - FLI:P
In the caption, the self-employed couple mentioned that it's a milestone for them considering that it has been the furthest they driven on a road trip.
"It’s pretty insane and I’m still in disbelief that we made it, but with planning and passion, it’s possible," the couple mentioned.
They first drove from Singapore to the southern Thai city of Hat Yai where they rested for one night.
Then the road trip continued on to Hua Hin, spending a night to recuperate before arriving in Bangkok.
After spending two nights in Bangkok, they drove back to Singapore while making two pit stops at Krabi and Ipoh.
In a separate TikTok video, the couple shared the cost breakdown of their road trip.
Since they were driving to Thailand, they had to get the relevant documents - Thai insurance and a Thai car sticker, which cost a total of $15.39.
Having used 320 litres of fuel, they spent $321.37 on diesel. Toll charges cost them $52.55.
They also spent $959.74 on hotels. Lastly, for food and other expenditures, they spent $973.79.
Q&A from the netizens
In the comments section, netizens posted a slew of questions to the couple.
For instance, someone asked about the duration of the different legs of their travels. The couple mentioned that it took them seven hours to reach Hat Yai from Singapore, 9.5 hours to reach Hua Hin and another 3.5 hours to reach Bangkok.
Also, in another comment, the couple highlighted that the husband was the sole driver throughout the trip, and they would stop every three hours for a short toilet break.
And what was their plan in the event that their car should happen to breakdown?
Luckily, the husband is a car mechanic.
And if the car needs extensive repair, they would have gotten a tow truck to bring the Maserati to the nearest car workshop.
In terms of obstacles they faced, the couple mentioned it was a relatively smooth-sailing trip and they made sure to travel only during the day.
From London to Singapore
Taking things to a whole other level, one couple will be driving from London to Singapore on August 2.
The husband, Jeremy See, took to Facebook to share their ambitious road trip.
In the post, he mentioned that he will be driving across 23 countries for over 100 days with his wife.
To make the trip more memorable, Jeremy will embark on this journey with a Singapore-registered car, an SUV to be more precise, so he shipped his 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 4.6L V8 to London.
He also shared the route he plans to take: "UK > France > Belgium > Germany > Austria > Slovakia > Hungary > Croatia > Bosnia > Montenegro > Albania > Greece > Turkiye > Iran > Turkmenistan > Uzbekistan > Kyrgyzstan > Kazakhstan > China > Laos > Thailand > Malaysia > Singapore".
To be prepared for this arduous trip, his holiday packing list includes 30 bottles of octane boosters, spare car parts, two weeks worth of clothes, shoes, eye glasses, medication and food that can be easily heated up.
Jeremy will also be bringing along video equipment to document the entire experience. Think tripods, GoPro cameras, memory cards and the like.
No part of this story or photos can be reproduced without permission from AsiaOne.