Hermie the Scooter

Hermie is my scooter/motorbike and it is a he/she and keeping with tradition here in Thailand, it's a kind of lady-boy motorbike. Its name is Hermie (like a hermaphrodite which is both male and female) and I've been having a great time travelling all around the island most afternoons after training with people from the camp. On most days myself and another Norwegian guy sometimes go off to see the sights. To rent the bike for the week costs the equivalent of 20 pounds. All you need is payment, your passport, no insurance/driving skills needed whatsoever. You get shown how to turn the bike on and then off you go onto the roads of Thailand with all the other crazy drivers.

Here's my top 10 road tips for driving over here: -

1. Carry as many people on your bike if you want. A family of 5 squeezed on has been the most I've seen so far.
2. A 2 wheeled bike is like a juggernault on the road - place as much as you can on your bike - groceries, animals, coffins...
3. Buckle your child in between parents and other siblings - standing room is perfectly normal, as is sleeping on the back of your mother, as you travel at high speeds on the road.
4. Undercutting is the new over-taking.
5. Red lights can mean stop or go - whatever takes your fancy at that time.
6. Zebra crossings are just white stripes painted on the road to brighten it up - take your life in your hands if you decide to cross using it.
7. Roundabouts - circles of confusion. As long as you get on it wedged between other cars, you'll live - no giving way to the right over here.
8. U-turns are perfectly legal in the middle of a busy intersection.
9. Pot-holes, wild dogs, elephants, loose goats etc may find their way onto the road. If the monsoon rains start, take shelter under the nearest awning.
10. Safety clothing - dodgy helmet that escapes from your head over speeds of 60 kph. Flip-flops, shorts and singlets are perfect for the wind-chill and if you fall off you'll lose most of your skin to the road.

It has been great seeing all the sights with Hermie and the island of Phuket is just stunning. Not only do you get to see the sights but it's lovely driving through different streets with all the smells of street food being cooked as you whizz past. It's also great for drying out constant body sweat in the heat and humidity.

So what else has been happening? Obviously, I'm still training everyday and the Buddha runs with the tyres are getting easier. I've finished first in my group in the last couple of weeks and the tyre is becoming a friend. I've now been moved from 'Beginner' Muay Thai into the 'Intermediate' section - so that means I can break more bones as I'm a little bit better than before - so don't catch me on a bad day ;)

Yesterday, myself and 2 girls; one from Sweden and the other from Norway hired out bicycles (push bikes, not motorised scooters) and cycled for miles - my God, the hills over here nearly killed us all. The locals were looking as us as if we were crazy as no-one is on a bicycle here - all motorbikes, because the place is so hilly. We had to get the bikes back by 7pm, so at 6pm we were miles from Kata (the place where we hired the bikes) and managed to bike to Surin. It took us a few hours to get there, so we had about 45 minutes to get back. We managed to hitch a ride 3/4 of the way there (the Thais are just the lovliest of people who would do anything for you..Buddhism - what a lovely religion) and caught a tuk-tuk back (we were squashed into it!). Such fun.

Next weekend is 'Songkran' which is the Thai New Year and unlike us Westerners celebrating by getting drunk, falling out of pubs, singing Auld Lang Sang at midnight, the Thais celebrate by soaking everyone. From what I've heard, the soakings are bad, but great fun. The soaking of water starts at midnight and lasts for 2-3 whole days. Yes, all day long. It doesn't matter who you are, what you are wearing - if you are out on a street in Thailand, be prepared to get drenched. So we've all bought water-guns and are getting together to join in the fun. I'd say after my third drenching, I'll be getting hacked off - maybe I'll use my Muay Thai skills on someone? Nah, it should be good fun - if you can't beat em, join em. Watch this space!

Running up Big Buddha with a tyre

More tyre work on the beach

Me on Hermie the scooter

Nikita and Pernilla - our cycle day out. Here we are hitch-hiking

Bodyfit Beach Thursdays. Proof that I'm not the only nutter that does this.

Muay Thai training

Running up and down steps with tyres