I’ve forgone pursuing the Thai motorcycle license. I got so far as obtaining a certificate of residency and had all my paperwork in order, but when I went to make an appointment, there was a one and a half month wait time to get one. It’s comforting that DMV’s abroad are just like back home. I don’t really get the sense that I needed the license anyways, so for now they’re tryna to catch me ridin’ dirty. Good luck.
I ride to and from my co-working space every day and it’s a blast every time, although nerve-wracking. It’s for sure the highlight of my day. I’ve learned the unspoken rules of the road, which number one above all else is don’t stop. There is a certain flow that must not be disrupted. Controlled chaos, as they say. I’ve visited India and Thailand reminds me of there although more control than chaos. The speed of traffic is moderate, which makes everything feel a tad bit safer. There are still speeding maniacs out there, but they are few and far between.
A job here that doesn’t totally exist back in the states is that of the traffic man. They are quite common here in Chiang Mai. Hotels, resorts, or higher-end establishments will hire a traffic man to facilitate vehicles entering, exiting, or parking. I’m staying in the resort district and I’ve gotten to know a couple of these folks. They’re rather nice, but I’ve built a suspicion that they are a hidden network of spies for The Kingdom. No evidence for that whatsoever.
There is one traffic man who oversees parking outside of a coffee shop I frequent. Whenever someone comes to park, he jumps up and helps guide them in. There was one time when one parker parked diagonally and ignored the traffic man and all but sprinted inside to avoid interaction. My traffic man was visibly upset and couldn’t let the poor park job go. He paced back and forth and would shake his head and throw his hands in the air ashamed at what he allowed. I wasn’t sure what would happen next, but the disgraced and now caffeinated parker got back in his car and went on his merry way and my traffic man and I collectively breathed a sigh of relief now that the order of the universe has been restored. Take that entropy.
There is a hierarchy of importance and pedestrians are undoubtedly at the bottom. When I cross the road I am quite literally playing frogger. Vehicles simply do not stop for pedestrians. Can’t disrupt the flow for anything.
Bikes, motorcycles, and scooters sit at the top due to their ability to weave in and out of traffic lanes. Cars and trucks are at their (our) mercy and must yield. They are outnumbered and outmatched.
Everyone piles on top of each other. It’s common to see two people to a bike and I’ll often see whole families of three on one. I kid you not, I witnessed two policemen roll up to a scene with homeboy in the back holding onto homeboy in the front. Their military gear ended up looking more cute than intimidating.
Riding remains my limited joy here as I’m spending the bulk of my time working on GymRats. I’m quite stressed about it, but am making progress. I do have some fun things planned though and Australia is just around the corner, so stay tuned.
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