bao-bao
November 18th, 2008, 21:45
Back in high school I saw a friend of mine pull his Vespa out of the student parking lot and get knocked through the air by a woman in one of those big 60тАЩs land yachts. He never stood a chance, and probably wouldnтАЩt have even if he was wearing a helmet. As I stood there dumbstruck, watching the pool of his blood grow around his head I decided IтАЩd probably never ride on one ever again.
Fast forward to 2005, and IтАЩm out for the afternoon with the charmed offspring of what I gathered was a fairly well-off family in Bangkok. By тАЬwell offтАЭ I mean they owned the hotel I was staying in and his biggest decision that day was whether heтАЩd pick me up in his BMW or his Mercedes; that kind of тАЬwell offтАЭ.
He knew most of the motocy drivers outside his familyтАЩs compound and picked one for me that he assured me would get my sweaty being unscathed to one of the family restaurants for dinner before having the hotel limo pick me up to take me back for the evening. He said with the traffic the cycle was the only way to get there in any reasonable timeframe. For some reason at the moment I didnтАЩt consider the hundreds of other drivers weтАЩd be jockeying for position with along the way and got on, my friend on another just behind us.
Had it not been that I wouldтАЩve been embarrassed to wet the back of the driverтАЩs trousers I may well have pissed my own pants. Helmet or no helmet, this was a hell of a lot more risky than I bargained for, and as I tried to re-learn how to lean with the bike while he zig-zagged his way along I was reminded of my decision some 40 years before.
IтАЩd often been surprised at the devil-may-care attitude of cycle riders there but since that day IтАЩve paid closer attention to the hordes of people there who take the тАЬif itтАЩs your time, itтАЩs your timeтАЭ thing to heart. While on elevated walkways at an intersection at commute time I like to watch the cycles filter their way to the front of the pack of four-wheel commuters at a red light, listening to the whine of their engines revving when the light changes and they rush out ahead of the cars and trucks.
Fortunately so far I havenтАЩt witnessed an accident involving one of these cyclists, but I suppose that time will come. Evidence of past тАЬroad rashтАЭ is a fairly common sight on folks there and IтАЩm surprised at the number of people who have helmets but donтАЩt wear them -- such as the young man pictured below. ItтАЩs not all that much of a fine if youтАЩre caught without it, but I should think thereтАЩs a certain amount of inconvenience to trying to get around without a portion of your head.
One of my early friends there needed a loan for the down payment on a cycle to get him from his rural home to work and school, and to my knowledge kept his side of the agreement to wear at least his helmet to protect him while he paid the bank and myself backтАж but I still worried about him.
I suppose lifeтАЩs full of choices, and I didnтАЩt always think all that far ahead when I was their age, either.
Ah, the invincibility of youth!
http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/albumpics/2743.jpg
Fast forward to 2005, and IтАЩm out for the afternoon with the charmed offspring of what I gathered was a fairly well-off family in Bangkok. By тАЬwell offтАЭ I mean they owned the hotel I was staying in and his biggest decision that day was whether heтАЩd pick me up in his BMW or his Mercedes; that kind of тАЬwell offтАЭ.
He knew most of the motocy drivers outside his familyтАЩs compound and picked one for me that he assured me would get my sweaty being unscathed to one of the family restaurants for dinner before having the hotel limo pick me up to take me back for the evening. He said with the traffic the cycle was the only way to get there in any reasonable timeframe. For some reason at the moment I didnтАЩt consider the hundreds of other drivers weтАЩd be jockeying for position with along the way and got on, my friend on another just behind us.
Had it not been that I wouldтАЩve been embarrassed to wet the back of the driverтАЩs trousers I may well have pissed my own pants. Helmet or no helmet, this was a hell of a lot more risky than I bargained for, and as I tried to re-learn how to lean with the bike while he zig-zagged his way along I was reminded of my decision some 40 years before.
IтАЩd often been surprised at the devil-may-care attitude of cycle riders there but since that day IтАЩve paid closer attention to the hordes of people there who take the тАЬif itтАЩs your time, itтАЩs your timeтАЭ thing to heart. While on elevated walkways at an intersection at commute time I like to watch the cycles filter their way to the front of the pack of four-wheel commuters at a red light, listening to the whine of their engines revving when the light changes and they rush out ahead of the cars and trucks.
Fortunately so far I havenтАЩt witnessed an accident involving one of these cyclists, but I suppose that time will come. Evidence of past тАЬroad rashтАЭ is a fairly common sight on folks there and IтАЩm surprised at the number of people who have helmets but donтАЩt wear them -- such as the young man pictured below. ItтАЩs not all that much of a fine if youтАЩre caught without it, but I should think thereтАЩs a certain amount of inconvenience to trying to get around without a portion of your head.
One of my early friends there needed a loan for the down payment on a cycle to get him from his rural home to work and school, and to my knowledge kept his side of the agreement to wear at least his helmet to protect him while he paid the bank and myself backтАж but I still worried about him.
I suppose lifeтАЩs full of choices, and I didnтАЩt always think all that far ahead when I was their age, either.
Ah, the invincibility of youth!
http://www.sawatdee-gay-thailand.com/forum/albumpics/2743.jpg