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This is a short Article about riding a motorbike back from Ko Samui to
the Seatran ferry
to Don Sak Pier to Surat Thani in Thailand. Followed by motorbike riding TIPS
for visitors to Thailand. I knew we were in for an easy ride when we started out from our
small bungalow on the beach where we'd just spent a couple nights
and I see this HUGE fat green lizard - like a skink - running across
the dirt parking lot. I jam the brakes and run after him - after
all, I'm a photographer and a lover of reptiles. We had just given a
snake handler 50 baht to show us a king cobra up close at the Ko
Samui snake farm the day before. The cool lizard decides to climb a
coconut tree. I grab his back and I see his mouth twist around to
give me a chomp. I let him go and he goes up pretty quick.
My girlfriend asks if I want to watch her climb up and get him. I
think about it for a second... is she joking or could she do it?
She's from Isaan - Sisaket to be exact... and they eat all manners
of insects and beasts. She just might be able to do it. I decline
her offer out of embarrassment that I could no longer climb it at my
age if I wanted to. But, it set the tone for a good motorbike trip
across Ko Samui to the Nathon pier, taking the ferry to Don Sak
pier and then motoring it to Surat Thani where we live.
We're sitting in the air con in cushy seats on the SeaTran ferry
back from Ko Samui to Don Sak Pier and we can see that even though
it's 2:30 pm Don Sak is nearly black. (See photos). There is a
serious storm moving through there. I'm not worried too much though. I have a brand new backpack that I picked up at a sports store
before we left Surat Thani for $37.50 usd (1500 baht) that has a
waterproof cover with drawstring to cover the whole bag.
Yeah, I know - a decent backpack costs upward of $150.00 usd and
probably more like upward of $200 usd, but I was NOT spending
7000-8000 baht on a bag. The salesgirl DID point me towards some
laflume bags that she said were better... so we started looking at
one of them and it seemed nice enough - waterproof bag - didn't even
need a cover. It was a stylish combination of maybe 6 different
greens and I was just about talked into it being better than this "VERTIKAL"
bag I chose earlier. Now, in America the salesperson doesn't
*usually* point a customer towards something that's 5 times as
expensive as what the buyer is looking at without telling the buyer
immediately that it is WAY more than the bag you're looking at...
but this girl did. When I finally looked at the price -thinking it
to be similar to the bag I had chosen - I was quite surprised and
put the thing back in 8 seconds and went to check out.
My thinking is - I can buy 5 different "vertikal" bags over the
course of 2 years when this french-made "laflume" bag would need
replacing anyway. I'm guessing this vertikal bag will last about 8
months if I baby it - so 5 vertikals at 8 months per is 40 months
and that's more than 3 years and so I think I made the right choice.
We'll see.
Anyway - so we're getting some pics of the nasty storm front and
getting the bag ready for the motorbike ride home. I can hear the
Thai monks next to me speaking about me in Thai thinking I don't
know anything. They were nice though, just curious about the "farang"
next to them snapping all the storm photos.
 What should have been 5 minutes away from docking we went below to
where the motorbike was waiting with the cars and trucks and of
course all the vehicles were running and building up the dangerous
levels of CO2 that doesn't do my 'sometimes asthma' any good at all.
We get decked out in our shiny blue oversized raincoats and put the
bag on the floor of the motorbike - it's a Yamaha MIO and nice for
bad weather trips because it is like a moped - it has a floor. It's
all automatic too - so if you rent a motorbike - and you are a girl
- if you can, get the MIO. If you're a guy - get the NOUVO - both
Yamahas. Easy to maneuver in Ko Samui or Phuket or Pattaya traffic
and the MIO stops really well. The Nouvo is a bit heavier and slower
to stop. Unless you use the front disk brake which is quite
strong...
In fact, speaking of stopping a Nouvo - it brings to mind yesterday
afternoon about 4:00 pm on the top of the mountain in Ko Samui.
There are dirt roads all over the mountain and some interesting
things to see - Magic Buddha Garden and various waterfalls and
restaurants with gorgeous views of the island, ocean and other
islands around Samui (see picture). Right before we take this
picture we are making a left into the viewpoint area and we see some
foreign tourist girls on motorbikes. One girl pulls out in front of
us - hits the brakes - mostly the FRONT DISK brake. I know this
because I watched the entire motorbike skid on the wet red dirt hill
she was coming down - I saw her jump over her motorcycle and run as her
motorbike crashed to the hard dirt and ground itself to a halt. She
was quite stunned. I picked up her Nouvo and told her about the
right brake is the front and you DON'T want to use it on loose dirt,
gravel or around a corner. The LEFT brake is the better choice. She
was too shaken to listen and was afraid to get on the bike. Some
local Thais told her over and over - NOT RIGHT BRAKE... so maybe she
got it? Not sure... it was beginning to rain lightly so we continued to go to the view point and took this picture >
It was starting to rain a little bit and the clouds were moving in
quickly. We shot some pics and left. We flew down the slippery dirt
roads as fast as I thought safe (I've owned motorcycles in America -
dirt and street and I'm pretty good in the dirt).
When we hit concrete we doubled the speed and made it back to our
room for a quick nap.
I'm getting off topic - so - we're still on the koh samui to don sak
pier ferry and sucking in large amounts of CO2
and I'm sure the levels in my blood are reaching toxicity. I'm
pissed off because the ferry captain can't seem to get the ferry in
the dock - we see through a crack in the front of the cargo bay that
he's trying and trying. The wind is playing with the boat - taking
it where it wants to. Captain was probably pissed too. He'd never
show it though - Thais are cool on the outside. VERY cool. (see Thai
concept of "face").
FINALLY we see cars and trucks moving off in front of us - we're at
the very back. When our turn comes - we head out and suck in fresh
O2 like it was life-giving. We are immediately POURED on and I ask
my girlfriend if she wants to wait here at the dock where there is
TV, snacks, restrooms, chairs, ATMS, Thai food, Farang food,
everything and she says "yes". I ignore her cuz it's not the answer I want to hear. We're sweating in the damn raincoats and we're
geared up to make some good time to Surat.
In another minute I try again... I ask her through my helmet, hers, and the pounding rain, "do you
think we should go until the gas station and then we'll see how it
is - if we have to, we'll rest there for a while until the rain
stops...?".
Again, she says - "maybe we should just stay here, it's more
comfortable here than the gas station, we'll get bored". Again, I
surprise myself by ignoring her completely because I don't really
mean it like a question... I'm more saying it just to get her
approval before I continue doing what I want to do. Usually she
senses it and goes along with it - but this time for some reason she
wants to stay at the SeaTran dock. I know what it is - it's the free TV. We don't have a TV at home - I
refuse to get one. Thai girls are like iron filings to a magnet
around a TV. Turn one on in their presence and you've lost them and any hopes
you had about a conversation.
So - we blow past the SeaTran and hundreds of people waiting there
like we should have. There are 2 other motorbikes - one with two
Thai guys with NO rain gear and no helmet. The other, a HUGE Harley
Davidson type copy made in China - with a little Thai guy in a
leather jacket, bandana over his face and a little girl riding
behind him - she was maybe 16 years old. He was about 28. He was her
boyfriend.
We make it to the gas station in 10 minutes and I'm already soaked. I still don't
know where the holes were in my raincoat but I'm soaked from elbows down
on both sides and my groin. Weird places and so it doesn't make
sense at all. Nearly NOTHING does in Thailand so I'm ready to
continue. Girlfriend is now in the mood too - she is dry as a bone
and in good spirits for some reason. I think because she saw I
slowed down from warp speed to a safer "rain-driving" speed for this
trip back to Surat Thani. Usually the 70km trip takes almost an hour
- even with stoplights. It DOESN'T make sense that it takes THAT
long because usually I'm going 105km per hour on the MIO. I've not
figured that one out yet either but I've stopped thinking about it
after about 9 trips this way.
So, we continue on - it's raining VERY hard and it's stinging my
hands like I imagine a tattoo might sting. Multiple stabs of tiny
needles. Gotta get a tattoo one day just to feel it. A small one. I
see a dog in the middle of the road - apparently freshly hit. A
middle-aged Thai woman on a motorbike - with no helmet or rain gear
is waiting on the side of the road - her motorbike running. She's
waiting to run into the street to see if the dog she just hit is
alive or not. It's the FIRST time I've seen someone care when they
hit a dog here. On VIP bus trips to Bangkok and Phuket I've seen 3
dogs get run over by my bus and not even a word from the driver or
the assistant.
I've also seen a
dog get nailed as I had coffee at a shop in Ubon and the driver
didn't stop. Everyone around me saw the dog get hit and had gaping
expressions as it pulled it's self along on it's good 2 front legs
while it's back two legs were twisted horribly to the left side and
not working at all. The dog had released all manners of excrement
all over the road and was dragging that too. It was a really
disgusting sight -but what was I to do? Thais' don't do anything
about it - what am I going to do? I'm not going to change their
country.
I need to change
my attitude I guess. I can't take every dog I see hit by a vehicle
to the vet and pay for it... what's the point? Things live and they
die. Thai people live and die too - and their reaction is not that
far from watching dogs die than it is people (in my experience at
motorbike accidents in Isaan).
My girlfriend and I found a dog last week when we were in Krabi at a
temple. Wat Krabi Yai I think it was. It looked sick and tired and
it was only about 6 weeks old. We took it to the vet in Krabi and
then again when we got it back here to Surat thani and she almost
made it. She regained energy after 2 days of medicine and good food
and then died on my lap at 3:10am Monday night after 25 minutes of
labored and fast breathing. I'm thinking a snake must have got her.
Vet thought worms. We buried her at another temple close to here. :(
So, I love dogs - and I feel for them... but I can't save the world
either. Things die.
Ok, so - I'm getting carried away. We continue on - not stopping.
I'm sure the dog the lady hit on the motorsai is dead, it's neck is folded under it's body in a
weird way. I get half a thought to help her check the dog. But
that thought goes away quicker than it came. There is LOTS of traffic coming our way behind me and I'm
not giving ANY Thai driver the benefit of the doubt - that they'll
see me, slow down or even swerve. In the rain everyone drives like
complete maniacs here. You'd THINK they'd drive more safely - they
drive MORE crazy to get OUT of the rain quicker. Go figure.
So we continue. I notice that at times I'm hitting 95km/hour and I'm
not hydroplaning. I know logically a motorbike shouldn't hydroplane
as easily as a car because it has much less rubber contacting the
road and the pressure per square inch or centimeter should be higher
than a car has. In Florida my Toyota truck would hydroplane in small
puddles around 70 mph. That's about 100 km/hour. I see a motorbike
fly by me at about 100 km/hr and seemed to be no problem. Anyone
KNOW what the hydroplane speed is for a Yamaha MIO? I have the
original tires - not the skinny racer tires that the kids get here.
We are flying home about 85 at a part icular point and a dump truck
passes me slowly and then hits the brakes hard and turns left right
in front of me... I do something I've not done in Thailand yet -
give him the finger for a good 15 seconds - knowing he is looking in
the mirror at me. He doesn't slow down. I curse him for a few
minutes until I feel better about myself and then it's back to
business.
The rain slows and yet I still cannot see much, I realize after 15
minutes. I try to wipe my visor and VIOLA I can see about 80% again!
Wow, why was I driving at 30% visibility for so long? I make a
mental note to wipe visor more often.
A truck FLIES by at about 110 km/hour and the back is full of kids
eating ice cream. The two close to the tailgate look at me and I
smile really big - exagerratedly and they smile back just as big.
Kids love to smile here. Everyone smiles a LOT here - especially if
you smile first. So, as a visitor if you want to have a better time
- smile a lot and watch how everyone smiles back. You can try not
smiling too - and you'll see about 20% of the Thais' will smile
first - so that's cool - either way - decide how many smiles you
need and then smile first or be smiled at first. Up to you.
So - we get back to our small room apart ment after 90 minutes of
riding in the rain and it feels good. We feel like champs. We stand
outside the mansion (apart ment building) and take off the raincoats.
I'm soaked there's little on me that isn't wet. She is dry as burnt
toast. And almost as dark considering her Thai skin spent 3 days at
the beach with me on Samui! We mope up the steps and after a few
minutes find the keys deep in the waterproof bag.
We go inside, get eaten by some mosquitos, turn on the hot water
maker for coffee and I sit down to write this before I forget it...
ahhhhhh life in Thailand... you gotta visit... it's not just for
sex-tourists. LOL.
[NOTE] Motorbikes are a lot of fun and
a great way to travel and see a lot more than you would if you just
took the tuk-tuk, buses, and taxis around Thailand. Please
read the TIPS section below for cautions.
[TIPS]
1. Don't rent a motorbike
if you've not driven a moped or scooter at minimum in your own
country. Thailand's tourist destinations are CROWDED during the high
season and there is a lot of traffic. Traffic is unforgiving. There
are MANY accidents here.
2. Read "Driving
in Thailand Tips".
3. Don't drive as fast as
Thais' and don't be afraid to use your horn more than they do. Use
your turn signals always - for passing and turning.
4. You can drive really
slowly - under 30 km/hour and not upset too many people since some
Thais' drive slowly too.
5. Set your mirrors
everytime you get on the motorbike and use them a LOT.
6. Always be aware of
changing directions. If you move more than 8 inches to the left or
right away from your 'line' then you need to be aware of what is in
back of you and on the side of you. Thai drivers are ready for
nearly anything as they come up behind you - but you need to be just
as aware yourself before you move left or right.
[readers??]
Anyone else have any motorbike driving tips they'd
like to share - submit them!
[Links]
Ferry trips to
Ko Samui - Driving
in Thailand -
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