Wonderful times Riding a motorcycle in Thailand

     When I first moved to Thailand, I lived in Chiang Rai which is also surrounded by mountains like Chiang Mai. Any free time I had, I spent riding my Honda Dream in the mountains. The scenery was so beautiful. I had put some dirt tires on my Dream so I could go up the steep dirt roads. The people I met were so nice. I would spend time talking to them and made life long friends from my travels. Once, I was caught in a terrible storm in the mountains and was unable to make it home. A local family took me in and gave me a place to stay for the night. They fed me and gave me a nice bed to sleep in. There was so much to see in the mountains around Chiang Rai. I recommend to anyone who wants to have fun while enjoying the beautiful mountains to expore around Chiang Rai.
     I later moved to a small village about 65 kilometers North of Surin. This was like going back in time about a hundred years. I still was using my Dream to get around on. Although it was only 120 cc, it was plenty strong enough to take me all over Surin. The village I was living in did not have paved roads so you needed to be careful when you were going fast. The nearest ATM, western market, or western food was over 60 km away, so I was always going to town on my motorcycle. At this time, you didn't have to have a one year visa to stay in Thailand. As long as you left Thailand once a month, you could get another one month visa. Cambodia was the closest border to go to make a border run. Plus they had a casino which was fun to kill time in while you re-cooperated from the long ride on the bike. The ride through the area was mostly jungles and small villages. There were monkeys in the trees, but you mostly watched for the unattended livestock that drifted into the road from time to time. The air was so fresh because of all the green vegetation. I didn't wonder off the roads any where near Cambodia because there were still people being killed by land mines from the Vietnam War. To the North of Surin it was safe to explore. The roads were very flat and you could go any direction for a tank of gas and see nothing but rice fields. There were some canals that I would stop to swim in in order to cool off. The weather in this part of Thailand is hot. If you can not tolerate hot weather, do not go to Surin. Even though it was hot as hell, nothing much to look at, and one of the most boring places on earth, I still enjoyed living there. My long rides on my Honda Dream were a lot of fun. I filled my scorched brain with memories of wondering around doing nothing.
     After Surin, I moved to the beach in Rayong. This is a great place to ride a motorcycle. I really do not want to bore you with the pleasure of riding up and down the beach every day. This is Thailand where the water is warm and the sand is perfect. Bad weather would only last about the amount of time it took to drink a beer or two. There is one thing I miss about riding by the beach. Every morning I would get some dog food and ride down to a part of the beach were the tourist did not go. There were many stray dogs down there and I enjoyed feeding them. I think I was just jealous of them being able to crash on the beach every day.
     Finally I decided to move back to Northern Thailand where it was a bit cooler. I rode my motorcycle to work everyday for many years. The challenge of making it to work everyday without dying was an exhilarating experience. Of course lady luck wasn't on my side every day. I had never broken a bone in my body until I rode in Chiang Mai. A couple of accidents later, a lot of broken bones and steel throughout my body, I gave up riding a motorcycle on a daily basis. If you have a death wish and enjoy pain, ride a motorcycle in Thailand. It may not be your fault, but you will pay in the long run.