Learning to Ride a Scooter

With a little shifting of responsibilities at work I have now been given the opportunity to supervise part of our operations in northern Thailand. And as we are currently short on staff in this new area of my responsibility, and to give me an opportunity to familiarize myself with the operation it became necessary for me to head to the area of Mae Hong Son to lend a hand and provide some oversight. I left on a Wednesday early afternoon and arrived a few hours later after 2 short plane rides.

Northern Thailand is known as a great jewel of Thailand with beautiful mountains, cooler evening and morning temperatures and a more relaxed pace of life. It is mixed with a diversity of hill tribes, each with their own culture, clothing and language. I had come to this part of the country when I first arrived to Thailand over 2 years ago but I hadn't been back since. I was grateful for a chance to get out of the Big Mango and enjoy different surroundings as well as connect with the people I supervise and the populations we serve. In fact, it was hard to contain my excitement!

Before coming I had asked people what I should do while I was here, knowing I'd have 2 weekends to relax and enjoy some sight seeing. I was told that a motorbike ride to the town of Pai was a must. Not that Pai was an amazing town but that the ride was beautiful and the surroundings of the town picturesque. There was just one problem. I have never learned to drive a motorbike. So, I made up my mind that I would learn to ride a motorbike so I could make the trip to Pai (I know I just made some people very nervous..I was a bit nervous myself).

So, how was I going to make this happen? I decided it wasn't a good idea to make the trip alone so I needed to convince someone as crazy as me to make the trip by my side. On Thursday it happened! I was telling my coworkers that I wanted to make this trip and someone mentioned that another of my coworkers was planning to go that weekend to meet some friends. PERFECT. I spoke to him to see if he wouldn't mind my tagging along and he agreed that it would be a ideal for us to go together. Now I just had to figure out how to ride a motorbike before Saturday. That gave me 2 days. Could I do it?!

I spoke with one of my trusted coworkers who had made the trip to Mae Hong Son from Bangkok with me and asked him if he would teach me to ride a motorbike. He said yes and suggested I start on a scooter which doesn't require shifting. Sounded like a good idea to me so that evening after work I walked down the street with him and rented a scooter for 3 days at 200 Baht or approximately $6/day. We went off to a quiet street and he showed me all the controls and handed the bike over to me. Thirty seconds later I was a near expert. Who knew it would be so easy! Balance was a bit difficult with my coworker as my passenger but we rode around town for about 45 minutes and I felt pretty good.

Friday after work I headed for the scooter and once I remembered how to start it (insert and twist key, hold the break and press the button) drove through the streets of town, alone this time. My confidence was building bit by bit. Balance was much easier with just my weight and after an hour of practice I decided I was ready for the big trip.

The ride to Pai would take about 3 hours and it is notorious for the hundreds (no exaggeration) of curves along the way. In fact, there are T-shirts you can buy advertising the fact that you have made your way through the hundreds of curves to Pai from Mae Hong Son.

My coworker suggested that we begin the journey at 6:30am Saturday morning. I knew it would be chilly at that hour and I would need a few additional clothing items to ensure I didn't freeze in the cold wind. I managed to find a long sleeve shirt at the market and a pair of cheap stretchy gloves to protect my hands. I packed my bag with clothes, snacks and camera and lay down to get a good nights sleep. I was admittedly nervous, wondering if I was crazy. I decided that I might be crazy but it wasn't stupid. I could go slow if needed and I would be with someone else if anything went wrong. Once I had determined this the excitement of the adventure filled me!

I finally drifted off to sleep.