Though not a daredevil in any sense, I have a tendency to look at activities beloved by the masses and think to myself/say to someone nearby 'how hard can it be?' Since we've been in SE Asia, this has been particularly true of riding a motorbike. Scooters are far and away the most popular mode of transportation, which is logical in places where fueling a car would be prohibitively expensive for the general public and paved roads are more a luxury than an expectation. As such, thousands of bikes clog the streets of Saigon and Vietnam.
And what's most striking is that the drivers multi-task in much the same way I would in a car. I've seen people drive a bike while texting, applying makeup, drinking tea, eating ice cream, fiddling with a radio, and on and on. And in terms of hauling, some of the feats we've witnessed seem downright anti-gravitational. Its not uncommon to see a whole family on one scooter thusly: Dad driving, while straddling young child who's head comes just above the handlebars, Mom behind holding infant in her arms, and toddler wedged between. I've seen two men on a scooter, the one in back holding a 26 inch tube TV on his shoulder. Also, a guy balancing a boxed washing machine on the back holding it only by the packing strap, a man carrying a load of i-bars to a construction job across his shoulder, 4 elementary aged kids headed to school on one cycle, and many other two-wheeled feats that seemed nearly impossible.
All this led me to believe that I could easily and instinctively ride a motorbike. Which I can. But let me just say for the record, it is neither easy nor instinctive. After lying to the rental company about having ridden before and watching a few other people take off, I asked Ed to meet me at a corner a few blocks away. I needed to test it out before having him on the back, and I didn't want the rental folks to see my first attempts at stopping and going. I shoved off and found my balance quickly, but sharp turns proved a bit more challenging. For someone who has been riding a bike forever, instinct says you can put one or both feet down as brake assist. Which you can, but it doesn't actually slow something with an engine.
But I'm learning. Scootering has the elements of riding a bicycle that I enjoy, but fast, and sans pesky pedaling. Cruising through the hills of Pai on back roads, stopping at whatever roadside stand we happen upon, having total freedom to pop into town for an ice cream or some bamboo clothing has really changed our experience. And Pai was made for it.
A few days in, we're scooting all over Pai, mostly staying in the left lane where we belong. Collectively we remind me that right turns are the big ones here (referred to mentally as Cross McFarlane), and that we need to look left at intersections. And you know what? I love it. I love it, and I want one.
The shortcut from our bungalow to town:
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