So, today I rode by bicycle from downtown Khon Kaen to my apartment in Gantse Dan (a 20 minute ride) in the pouring rain...and I loved it!!! It was idiotic and I utilized some incredibly poor judgment on my part, but it was also one of the most magical, exhilarating, and terrifying experiences of my life! I was gunning my bike at breakneck speed (maybe not THAT fast, but I'll exaggerate here) with my backpack on, my helmet strapped tight, shoeless, in my work khakis, and reppin' the blue and orange of Virginia in a faded shirt, blazing the streets of Khon Kaen. Earlier in the night I had come inches from getting run over while crossing the deceptively named, enemy-to-all-bicycles, Mittapharb (Friendship) Road, where motorcycles, cars, and trucks mercilessly roar through the tarmac. I should've adamantly protested rekindling my rivalry with that "Friendly" road, especially after the skies opened up and the monsoonal rains came pouring down in droves, but I sucked in my fears and rode!!! Let me recapitulate this night a little for you:
I finished work/planning at Khon Kaen University, where I am an English teacher, around 7:30PM, and rode my bike downtown in order to make Tuesday Trivia/Quiz Night at Cheap Charlie's by 8. Cheap Charlie's is an establishment run by a Cockney British man where Westerners often congregate for a drink or some chatter; it's a lot of fun and we have become Tuesday night regulars there since coming to Thailand. Mid-way through Meredith (another Princeton in Asia teaching fellow in Khon Kaen) and I's valiant, but trivial, effort at winning the game (and after a couple of elephants came strolling down to the bar, mama elephant shrieking as it's child was being pimped out and made to perform tricks by Thai handlers trying to make a buck), the rains came down - and heavily. While we were wrapping up our night, I considered leaving my bike downtown and taking a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled, open-sided motorcycle taxi) home, but I had just spend 100baht to play in the trivia (the regular participatory fee) and 270baht on a pizza and sodas, and I wasn't trying to get ripped off of 70+baht to get home. If you're lost in the monetary translation, $1 is approximately 30baht, and although I sound petty and pathetic for complaining about spending a grand total of $10 on entertainment and food, you start thinking cheaply once you've been in Thailand for a while. I mean, a good, filling meal could have cost me between 20 and 25baht at one of the nightmarkets (outdoor markets where vendors sell everything from pad Thai, grilled chicken, sushi, fresh fruits, and sweats, to sandals, trendy and colorful shirts, and Hello Kitty pillows!) peppered around the city, or at a nice roadside restaurant. When you put that in perspective, anytime you have to spend 300baht in one night you REALLY feel duped.
Also, I wanted to be able to ride my bicycle to school tomorrow. Before purchasing my bike, a bright yellow and black beauty, streaming with personality, I had been riding songtaohs (covered pickup trucks with two rows of seating on the bed, which run all through the city at 8baht per trip - they are the main form of public transportation in the city) regularly. As convenient and cheap as songtaohs are, the downsides of having to rely on them is that (1) the 8baht fee adds up over time, (2) they stop running after 7PM, and (3) they stick to a fixed route, thus giving you little opportunity for genuine exploration. A bicycle gives me a cheap alternative to the songtaoh and also offers me the freedom to roam the city as I choose. Most people in Khon Kaen (KK) get around on motorcycles or cars, but I have never ridden a legit motorcycle before and I'm too afraid to try my hand on one in these bustling and chaotic streets, and I can't afford a car. Although I hadn't ridden one in years, a bicycle sounded like a perfect idea, and mine hasn't failed me yet...So I didn't want to leave my bike downtown because I didn't want to spend more money on an "expensive" ride home, and I wanted to be able to utilize it tomorrow. Thus, after seeing Meredith off (she, smartly, took a tuk-tuk home), I strapped my umbrella to the back of my bike, took my dress shoes and socks off and put them in my backpack, rolled up my khakis, strapped my helmet on, and headed into the damp night...
It was one of those scintillating, adrenaline-pumping, WTF! experiences, and one of the most thrilling things I've done! I call it a magical experience because it was just so eerie and different; the rain, the flora, the roads, the lights, the architecture, all blended together to form this concoction of culture and emotion that I'd never felt before...it was incredible. As I was scurrying to get home safely, I couldn't help but pause a few times and just reflect on how awesome life is, and how blessed I've been to have this opportunity. When I got home, I pumped my fists a couple of times and just wanted to let out a scream: "Momma I made it!!!" Then I thought about how badly my mother would have berated me had she learned that I'd driven across a dangerous highway, in the rain, barefoot, and at 11PM in the third week of my stay in a country that I am not familiar with. So Mom, if you read this, I'm sorry. But your boy's taking care of himself and he's doing well. I'm in Thailand baby!!!!
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Frank, you sound like a writer from National Geographic - I thoroughly enjoyed the read. That's incredible how you can buy dinner for a dollar!
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