At some point or another, I was going to talk about driving a motorbike. Driving in the madness that is Vietnam. About becoming a part of the madness. And about how it feels a little less mad once you're in it. Now, on the rare occasion when I'm using my legs to transport the rest of my body, my view from the sidelines has changed as well. It is not as crazy as it once seemed. If you surround yourself with crazy people for long enough they'll eventually seem normal. We adapt and assume a new state of normalcy. I think that is what happened.
Riding a motorbike is a lot of fun. Everytime I venture forth on two motorized wheels I am energized. You kind of have to be otherwise you could be at everyone else's mercy. And you kind of want some control. It's like being on high alert at all times. High terror alert. Flashing red. Keep your eyes open. Those in the back of your head as well. It's the only way really because there are a lot of stupid drivers. A LOT. I don't think there is a driving test over here. You have money for a motorbike? Here are your keys. Enjoy the ride.
The only time driving becomes a chore is during rush hour. Then you have to be even more on the ball. And you have to breathe a lot more exhaust waiting at every traffic light. Or you could wear a face mask and feel the sweat accumulate underneath while you slowly fog up your glasses. The choice is yours. I don't wear a face mask.
Rush hour is also less fun because of my bike's tendency to stall in the lower gears. I don't like having to keep a little pressure on the throttle just to prevent that from happening. But I really don't like hearing my engine die once everyone starts taking off from the line. And quickly trying to drop it back to neutral to fire up the engine again while everyone honks and swerves around me. Damn foreigner!
But as bad as rush hour gets around here, it could always be a hell of a lot worse. I recently had the pleasure of viewing this video of rush hour in Japan. You may have seen it too as it has over 500,000 views. Makes any commute seem like a breeze in comparison. However, being on a train, at least you'll get to your destination quickly. As opposed to sitting in your car for hours clenching your teeth desperately needing that beer at the end of the day. I really don't know which is worse.
About Me
- tyler
- hi there, thanks for checking me out. i'd check you out too, if you were hot. so where do i begin? i'm a dude. in vietnam i'm a nguoi nuoc ngoai. in thailand i'm a farang, in indonesia i'm a bule and in malaysia i'm a orang putih. i was born and raised in northern california. spent most of my life there until i moved to portland, oregon in 2003 for a spell and then jumped ship for se asia in late 2007 to indulge in sticky rice and sunshine. you need it after living in the pacific northwest. thailand and i had a short love affair and i soon found myself falling for vietnam – at least all the pretty girls, the endless array of vegetarian fare, driving a motorbike, the overall energy – and became an english teacher. did that for nearly four years and nearly went insane. now i'm free again wandering aimlessly around se asia. on the lam. whatever.
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