A relaxing day of cycling in Bangkok – hah!

January 21st, 2002 at 12:00am

Errand day in Bangkok. Lesson learned today – If you can successfully maneuver a bicycle through the insane traffic of Bangkok then you can POSTIVELY do anything!! NOT a challenge for the weak at heart, inassertive, or those afraid of concrete, metal, and pollution.

I started out this morning doing typical errands – selling back books, dropping off laundry, and resupplying toiletries. On Khao San Road (which by the way if you’ve read The Beach you will remember Richard saying that he wanted to write to Lonely Planet and ask’What’s so fucking LONELY about Khao San Road?’, i.e. the place is absolutely jam-packed with backpackers), I ran into a Dutch couple from Ko Mak that were having breakfast so I sat for a bit and we chatted. It was their last day in Bangkok so they were preparing for an all-day shopping assault. I said good luck and was on my way again an hour later.

Couldn’t avoid what I had to do any longer, and that was to ride my bicycle roughly 6 km through town to the cycle shop for a tune up. It HAD to be done.

I don’t think I can fully explain how CRAZY the traffic is in Bangkok – between the cars, buses, motorbikes, and tuk-tuks it’s like riding in a real live video game at level 10 and you only have one life left and NO ONE has gotten to that level before. Suddenly you are thrown into it with the first turn of the pedal. Good thing I’m a tough Philly girl otherwise I would not have lasted half a block. It is by FAR the most hectic traffic I have EVER cycled in. I am amazed actually that there is no road rage in Thailand but that must have something to do with the Buddhist influence. I tried to follow the packs of motorbikes and I managed to hop curbs and avoid being squeezed alive by a few buses here and there. It took full concentration the entire time to keep it together. But I made it.

Bicycle is ready to be ridden again…tomorrow it’s off to Vietnam!!

Entry Filed under: Bangkok,Thailand