Not a scratch on my moped in Pattaya
In all the years that I have been on holiday in Thailand, I have traveled a lot of kilometers with a rental car. Crossed the north and east of the country frequently and have never suffered a scratch or dent. And that means a lot in this country.
You have to be mindful of everything. In particular, cars parked along the road can just drive away. Look in the mirror to make sure no traffic is coming; never heard of it.
Patron saint
I don't really believe in ghosts and Gods, but in Thailand my faith has been strengthened. For example, when I arrive in Bangkok and stay there for a few days to acclimatize, I always go to the Erawan temple. Inwardly I always have to smile there about all the fuss about God worship. But still… you never know. The Gods, not to mention the many Thai spirits, have appreciated my mere presence there. I am also grateful to them for that and to prove it I always decorate the mirror of my rental car with a Phuang Malai, such a beautiful garland with jasmine flowers and small roses.
Its deeper meaning is the request to the Gods for good luck. When hanging the malai, the Thai will fold their hands devoutly and direct a request towards higher spheres.
My action does not go that far. For me it's more of a festive thing where I feel like I'm making a very small contribution to maintaining this tradition. It is also a small reward for the people who make the graceful flower garlands and sell them at intersections of roads with traffic lights.
On the moped
There is a place where I always rent a moped, rather a light motorcycle, instead of a car: Pattaya.
Get the impression that the traffic in this place is getting busier and busier. On Beachroad and also on Secondroad there are more traffic jams than in Bangkok during peak hours. Therefore rent a motorcycle there with which you can navigate between the stationary cars. At a certain point I spot an elderly woman trying to sell flowers with her cart, including the malai. Can't resist decorating my means of transport with no less than two pieces. Bystanders had to smile and the beautiful female smiled at me more than usual.
So men you know with a malai on your moped you are really in the spotlight. And what is much more important; after two weeks in Pattaya without a scratch on my Honda or myself I could say goodbye to the place. Could gods and spirits exist after all?
Yes Joseph without luck, no one benefits. An accident is in a small corner. I have had my motorbike in Pattaya for four years and it is still in new condition. I have not done too badly so far, but it is and remains to watch out and drive preventively. My wife always hangs those wreaths of flowers in our cars. Smells nice, but deprives some visibility if you hang them on the rear view mirror. My wife actually got rid of this on her own. She now puts them behind the wheel and the smell remains the same. We have had accidents with the car. Of course never our fault, once a big bike in the side with a foreigner on it. Englishman in a hurry. Once a large truck on the back of our truck in Ang Thong. That was a scary moment. Were stuck in a traffic jam and the spillway had a truck whose brakes faltered and full on the back. Fortunately, no neck injuries were sustained, so the flower wreath had worked.
Speaking of luck.
Last Sunday morning a piece of bamboo of about four meters came out of a cluttered Soi into the street .
Then the carrier came an old man on an old bicycle who took a piece of bamboo with a total length of around 10 meters on his bicycle.
So you had to swerve quickly on the motorbike, and then you don't have time to mirror.
Don't be reminded if a car is just driving behind you that is going to overtake.
If you drive a car or motorbike here, your attention cannot relax for a moment or else it is you know.
Jan Beute.
@ Jan Beute. That's true. ! don't pay attention for a moment or don't look in your mirrors during a maneuver and it's BANG! Sometimes it seems as if another road user is falling from the sky. Look left, look right and empty roadway go driving and loud honking behind me. Where does he come from? I don't know, my wife says. Adventurous here that car and motorcycle drive.
I have been riding with a malai on each side of the handlebars of my Honda Wave 125 for years. At first they were fresh flowers, but I switched to plastic hangers. You can't smell them on a motorcycle anyway. The Thai clearly appreciate my belief in luck. Already driven 35.000 km without damage. Thanks to the puang malai or also because of my constant attention?