Conquering fears, kilometers
Mom, you asked me not to tell you about anything dangerous until it was over. In accordance with your wishes, I can now report that I spent the last 2 days exploring the countryside around Mae Sot by motorbike, and I had a fantastic time.
I've discussed the first motorbike accident with many different people, and discovered exactly what went wrong. It wasn't that I was simply inexperienced in using one, I truly did not know how to operate one properly. Specifically, I didn't know how to brake properly. Instead of using the foot brake, as I should have, I used the hand brake. The effect is the same as using the wrong hand break on a bicycle -- one wheel keeps spinning really fast while the other stops too suddenly.
My classmate Eric has a lot of experience riding far bigger bikes, and explained to me how to use one of the little ones zooming around Mae Sot properly. Before my landlady let me drive off, she insisted that I take few practice laps around the courtyard in front of the hotel. I took the additional precautions of wearing jeans -- to protect my legs in case of a fall -- and going very slowly. I pulled over every time a car or fast motorbike came up behind me, and let them pass. And of course I was wearing a helmet -- that goes without saying.
And I'm fine. No problems. No falls, no scratches, no bruises, no bumps. Really. The only time I faced a hint of danger was when I thought I saw a roti stand or furniture store. And those are very rare.
I even took proactive steps to prevent problems. When it started raining and I got scared, I pulled over at the nearest building to take refuge. It turned out to be a highway patrol station. After I pantomimed "rain," "biking" and
"afraid," the officers allowed me to stay until the rain let up. They even offered me lunch.
Yesterday, I biked out to some hot springs, about 17 km from Mae Sot. For only 20 baht (50 cents) you could rent your own bathing chamber and soak in the mineral water as long as you wanted. I could even regulate the temperature. It was lovely. Today, I biked out to a waterfall, which was also lovely. I also went to the border market, around the refugee camps and all over town. I found cool new restaurants and stores, and even a shortcut to work. I biked more than 100km, and I'm no longer afraid. Good stuff.
I've discussed the first motorbike accident with many different people, and discovered exactly what went wrong. It wasn't that I was simply inexperienced in using one, I truly did not know how to operate one properly. Specifically, I didn't know how to brake properly. Instead of using the foot brake, as I should have, I used the hand brake. The effect is the same as using the wrong hand break on a bicycle -- one wheel keeps spinning really fast while the other stops too suddenly.
My classmate Eric has a lot of experience riding far bigger bikes, and explained to me how to use one of the little ones zooming around Mae Sot properly. Before my landlady let me drive off, she insisted that I take few practice laps around the courtyard in front of the hotel. I took the additional precautions of wearing jeans -- to protect my legs in case of a fall -- and going very slowly. I pulled over every time a car or fast motorbike came up behind me, and let them pass. And of course I was wearing a helmet -- that goes without saying.
And I'm fine. No problems. No falls, no scratches, no bruises, no bumps. Really. The only time I faced a hint of danger was when I thought I saw a roti stand or furniture store. And those are very rare.
I even took proactive steps to prevent problems. When it started raining and I got scared, I pulled over at the nearest building to take refuge. It turned out to be a highway patrol station. After I pantomimed "rain," "biking" and
"afraid," the officers allowed me to stay until the rain let up. They even offered me lunch.
Yesterday, I biked out to some hot springs, about 17 km from Mae Sot. For only 20 baht (50 cents) you could rent your own bathing chamber and soak in the mineral water as long as you wanted. I could even regulate the temperature. It was lovely. Today, I biked out to a waterfall, which was also lovely. I also went to the border market, around the refugee camps and all over town. I found cool new restaurants and stores, and even a shortcut to work. I biked more than 100km, and I'm no longer afraid. Good stuff.
posted by Jen at 7:49 PM
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