Forgotten Youth Found Again

Ahh the times we remember from our youth---I just had this experience recently. My wife and I went on a small vacation to Krabi, Thailand and it was an excellent stay. It started out a little rough, we were staying in a very cute little resort, however, it was a bit of a walk to everything. After the first night I was already tired of the walking up and down the main (or really only) street where all the action is. So many times we have gone to Phuket or Bali only to walk up and down the same street day after day and night after night. This time seemed like it would be the same as the rest. Then all of a sudden I jokingly said, “why don’t we rent a motorcycle and explore the area, you know a “real” motorcycle, not one of those little kid motorbikes that do not even have a clutch”? My wife said “ok”. Course I was not really serious, after all I have not been on a motorcycle in about 25-28 years. I had my first bike when I was 10 years old: a little Yamaha GT8Occ dirt bike.

Anyway, the next morning my wife had mentioned it to me again and I felt sort of trapped, on one hand I really did want to do it, on the other hand visions of spilling the bike on the road before I even got up to 10 miles an hour were racing through my head. Thoughts of scratches, blood and doctors were running through my mind, least of all not to mention the thought of looking like a scared little child in front of my wife. Well, the next thing I knew, we were headed to the rental place while I am wondering if those silly little motorbikes that everyone uses over here really aren’t so bad after all. How manly can I make myself look on one of these put-put (pronounced: like puff with a T) bikes, after all, my wife used to ride one of them.

When we arrived at the rental place, I have to admit I stalled around for about 15 minutes looking at the bikes and thinking, “man, I have not been on one for these in about 3 decades, there is no way I am coming off of it alive and I am going to be the one who has sent my wife early to the underground”. I somehow found myself on top of a Honda Phantom 200cc Cruiser (yes I know it is not big, but it looked like a real cruiser) riding down the main street a mile this way and a mile that way and WOW it all came rushing back to me as if I had been riding bikes for the last 30 years. I mean it all came back, shifting gears, breaking, balancing and even the feeling of “Hey Man, I feel pretty damn cool on this”.


I found myself looking in windows of stores as I drove by with my wife sitting high on the back and my hair blowing all around (glad I have been letting my hair get back to its younger, longer than the girls at the beach shoulder length) and the sun cooking my arms giving me that all too famous bikers tan. Next thing I know we are looking for the ever allusive gas station down the road (suppose to be a kilometer from the rental shop) and we find ourselves 40 km away looking for Tesco. We even got caught in a rain storm and got lost on the way home.

The next day we drove all around our area and had a blast while a day later we drove another 40 or so km to go sea kayaking. What started out to be a run of the mill street walking vacation turned into being an exploration of the areas while being free and open with the environment. We could have never of had that experience while renting a car all closed up away from everyone and everything. Little kids were yelling out to us, people were waving and fellow bike riders were smiling and my wife was proud that we were on this “sort” of mean looking iron horse instead of renting one of those wanna be bikes that all the other tourist were using. I myself found a lost love that I had forgotten all about, a love that now a days is more of a mature romance instead of the younger kid goes for it all racing against anything that moves. I cannot help to think about buying one of these for myself on a permanent basis, while I would not dare to risk my life (let alone my wife’s) here in Malaysia riding a bike, I believe I will truly entertain the notion while in the US---oh and by the way, not a 250cc pony, but more like a 600-900cc true steel horse that yearns to run free.