One of my big fears I decided to conquer this year was driving a motorbike in Thailand. If you’ve followed past stories, you know I was in an accident … or two. I would liken driving in Thailand to juggling swords. Pretty much every time I do it… I almost die.
Seriously.
In one day of driving to and from the school I work at, I encounter nearly every form of demise in a variety of all shapes and sizes. People drive on the opposite side of the road here, drive head on at you from either side of the road, and you are constantly dodging dogs, children, monks, tuk-tuks, other motorbikes, super-sized trucks, and paving equipment.
Right now, they are doing some construction. A minor inconvenience of six to twenty foot ditches are running alongside the road with absolutely no warning or boundaries. I call this part of my drive “The Graveyard”. But somehow, even through the mayhem, I still make it to my destination unscathed, every day.
Most of these steps can also be applied to Life…
I’m slightly humored that this new event has brought about some valuable lessons I’m applying to more than just driving, and I hope they can help you, or at least make you laugh…
1. Have someone show you the ropes… or at least the brakes
When in doubt, get someone to help. My friend Hilton took me out to drive on my first day. I was hoping to go for a gentle ride around slow and straight roads. What I got instead was a very real taste of what it is like to drive in Thailand.
We went down very windy roads, dirt and gravel roads, practiced skidding emergency stops, sped through a pack of wild attack dogs, then onto a road covered with paving equipment, spraying water trucks and slippery oiled asphalt chunks. The traffic was down to one lane and oncoming traffic squeezed us up against the six inch shoulder. Once that event was complete, back to a dirt road where geese proceeded to rear up and nearly attack us.
That night, it rained, and I was sure I had seen it all. Even though I hoped for a more gentle introduction to riding, I realized that I would need to be comfortable in each of those situations, and inevitably they got me through my first week of driving where I needed to use each skill I learned in my training.
2. Assume everyone around you is going to do something stupid
Not to be a pessimist but I’ve discovered something that has made me much more happy. I now assume that people around me are going to do something stupid. On the road, or in life, people are typically looking out for number one, and you are not it. Really, some days as I am weaving in and out of Songtows (trucks that act as busses), motorbikes piled high with people and dogs, and ruthless truck drivers, I realize it is a miracle that we are all able to make it to our destinations alive. If I assume we’re all just a bunch of fuck-ups trying to get to our destination, life and driving becomes a lot more bearable.
3. Don’t worry about what’s behind you, or you’ll crash
If I’m too worried about what is happening behind me, I start to get very overwhelmed and miss what I should be looking at: what’s happening right in front of me. Driving here is scary because trucks move at a much faster speed behind you and can invariably push you off the road if you aren’t paying attention. But, I’m learning more and more to ignore them, take my time, and claim my space.
4. Change your speed when you need to
I recently read some statistics about how many traffic fatalities there are a year. He made an excellent point of showing the relationships between speeding up and fatalities. Obviously, the faster you go, the longer it takes to stop. This is something important to keep in mind in life, as well as driving.
That said, oftentimes it is important to speed up. I’ve gotten out of many near-catastrophes by speeding up and getting around the situation. Being able to read the situation helps, and knowing how to change and adapt will get you around turns, ups and downs, and out of dangerous situations fast.
5. Claim your space and own it
This is a very exciting concept for me. I’ve never really “owned” the space around me. When you drive here, you very much have to own your space, or you will get run over. I imagine it must be like being a quarterback and picking your path and going balls-out around and past obstacles. At the stoplights, you might have twenty or thirty motorbikes lined up with you and when it is “Go Time”, you’ve got to claim that space and go for it.
6. And as Teacher Bill says, “When all else fails, and the road gets rocky, hold on to that Som’Bitch and keep on driving!”
There are so many times I want to Stop Driving. The road is dusty and gravely (or wet!), the turn too tight, or a big-monster-truck-with-wheels-bigger-than-life cuts so close that I can smell the brake fluid. My natural reaction is that I want to stop. But I can’t.
So I take a deep breath, grip my handles tighter, and make it through. Every time, I’ve lived, and every time, I get just a little bit tougher. I’m learning more and more to sit through uncomfortable situations rather than trying to avoid them—and what do you know?—I’m getting better at dealing with them, too!!
Hope this finds you well and here are some pictures of my epic journey….
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26 February 2010 at 1:41 am
I love being on the back of motorbikes but the idea of driving one myself scares the crap out of me. Most people I know would prefer to be in control in these situations, I am able to recognise that I’m a shit driver and I like to lose control, anyways. BUT… I really do love the freedom that would come with hopping on a bike and just going. I’m not sure yet which I like more… the idea of the freedom or not killing myself on two wheels.
26 February 2010 at 2:06 am
Hey Brooke!
Great tips for life and for riding a motorbike in Thailand. I’ll be there in a couple months so I need them.
It might be similar in Thailand to how it is in India. Every day I feel like I will be run over just walking around. My friend was grazed by a car last week, and I’ve had quite a few close calls.
Karol
26 February 2010 at 11:13 am
Sounds like the way they do it in India/Pakistan.
I love the way you turned them into life lessons.
Keep on Rocking!
Rasheed
26 February 2010 at 7:39 pm
i’d never ridden a motorbike until i went to thailand. within the first minute of getting on, i crashed beautifully. sounds like you’re doing much better than i
26 February 2010 at 8:59 pm
It’s a good metaphor, though I’m still not keen to go driving in Thailand anytime soon. =)
27 February 2010 at 6:44 am
@Kirsti – Ya, I guess I should have also added the fact that I see the most amazing things, and that the air smells like paradise, and the sense of motion and freedom that goes along with it! I’m really enjoying the challenge, and on the days where the traffic dies down, I’m having a totally different experience all together. Like seeing the 101 year old lady on her morning walks, or the monks going for alms in the morning. Nothing really beats that. Thanks for commenting!
@Karol – I’ve heard that about India, too! Are you going to come through Krabi when you are in Thailand?? If so, please let me know the dates, would be great to catch up in person!
@Rasheed – Hi Rasheed! Great hearing from you, I’m enjoying your blog!! :0) You keep rocking, too.
@Mark – AH! I forgot about that! Although, for the record, I’ve heard that from Several people, so at least you aren’t the only one!! How are things with you??
@Sonicsuns – Ha ha. Yes, its a big adventure, for sure, but also loads of fun. Any chances you’ll be coming through Thailand?
27 February 2010 at 11:56 am
@Brooke – Well I’ll be studying to Japan for 6 months starting in April, and I might just end up living there. So if I hop over and visit Thailand sometime, I’ll let you know!
27 February 2010 at 6:35 pm
Ok reading Bill’s quote literally made me LOL this morning. And how true this entire blog about the graveyard is. I’m with ya honey.
1 March 2010 at 10:08 pm
Wow, that was quite the honest-in-your-face depiction of the risks involved! I’m headed to India in two weeks and my journey might take me through Thailand. I’ll definitely need to find someone to give me a tour on a bike so I can learn the ropes first!
2 March 2010 at 7:24 pm
Great description Brooke but to Brookes blog fans, that was the short version. Every morning I head over to the local chicken and rice hangout and watch the other little munchkins come to the private elementary school across the street. You see, after Luanes and my daily ride to school I need that first smoke. Anywho, Brooke and I call the last 3 miles of road to our school the gauntlet. There is even one place where all the traffic jams up, and in order to get in line for the light, all bikes move to the far left and get in line. This is when my girl friend starts praying to Buddha as we have about 2 inches of clearance between mirrors on both sides. The last dash finds all traffic congested comrised of large school buses, many new credit owned cars and us. My favorite saying at this juncture is “Drive that as;ldfkjas;ldf bike”
As we pull into the school I raise my visor and calmly speak to Luane saying what a nice ride it was. She climbs off the bike, looks up to the heavens and says her daily prayer.
Now Brooke: She also had a second teacher. We usually take about 20 minutes to get to school solo. The first week Brooke had the bike we volunteered to drive with her. We needed to leave about 10 minutes early because that girl would not go over 40 kilometers. I think that is a bit over 30 mph in my country. I never got out of third gear and it is about 25 miles. That girl would not move over that amount for a week.
Going to school was ok, but coming home, I wanted a shower, beer and a quiet house more than anything, so going home did push my patience. Well after a week, she moved to 45, and now, may even push 60 on a clear, empty highway. I did teach her to speed up to get out of harms way and she is now a pro. She even passes us once in a while but we usually catch up when the construction zone hits. Very interesting when you see a 10 ton digger swinging a load of dirt over your head on a major highway. Gotta go, sorry for any mispellings but Brooke will understand. Teacher bill
10 March 2010 at 11:33 pm
Sawadee Kap Brooke,
I commend you for even attempting to drive ANY vehicle in Thailand, not that it’s so bad, but different, than how it’s done in the states. Two wheels, in my opinion, is the best way to get around there unless you have to travel a great distance, then you might need a bigger bike. I learned how to ride a super sport R1 for the first time on the beach at Pattaya. Thanks for the motivation. I’ll be there this year.
Free i
13 June 2010 at 10:41 am
Oh Hi Brooke !!
Your mom and I are checking out your website, very cool!
Ron and I are having your mom here in Kansas City for a visit.
We went to a Symphony in the Flint Hills lats night, and it was very nice.
Today we are just taking it easy.
I am sorry to hear about the flies in your lip gloss, I hate it when tht happens to me!!
Please be very very very very careful on your bike, my friends and relatives have bad motorcycle carma!
Sally says she is having a blast, please call her on the 16th or later, she will be back in Indy then. And a big I love you, and HUG !!!!
If you ever need to phone me my # is 816-807-8047
I love you soooooooooo much.
xoxoxo
Uncle Dave & you momma