Life Lessons from Scootering in Thailand

I had no experience riding a motorbike before moving to Asia, and Thailand is a pretty intense place to learn. During my TESOL course, we were actually advised not to get motorbikes. Mostly because there aren’t necessarily “rules” to navigating traffic, and therefore you have to find your own way. Kind of a metaphor for my life, huh?

Riding here has been such a huge part of my experience, though. It’s on my bike where I have some of my most profound thoughts, and often where I can find the most peace during the craziness that’s taking place in the world.

I’ve learned a lot on my scooter, and of course when I reflect on these seemingly small lessons on driving, I can’t help seeing the implications for the bigger picture. Here are some life lessons from my experience scootering in Thailand.

Fear will Get You Nowhere

Fear, and emotions born from fear such as rage, are pretty natural when you first are getting used to the traffic patterns here. If I’m not perfectly centered and grounded before going for a ride somewhere, the probability that I’m going to shout something impolite is high…and I don’t have the protection of a car, so people can hear me.

Somebody told me that the Thai language doesn’t have a word for “logic”…and that basically summarizes where my Western frustration starts to kick in. It’s not uncommon for an enormous truck to pull out in front of you out of nowhere and then drive extraordinarily slow. Or for someone to be driving in the wrong direction towards you in the middle of a busy road.

Westerners have gotten used to strict rules and being governed by fear, so there is a big learning curve because that’s not how things operate here.

On the other hand, when I’m perfectly centered…

Same exact traffic patterns, except I’m able to navigate it calmly. Because I stop seeing other people as the enemy to my safety. The thing about Thai culture is that there is such an ease present at all times. That’s what makes it so beautiful. Ease even in chaos. When I can ride with full acceptance, I can really see my place in the flow of everything. Even when it seems chaotic, it’s actually perfect.

Chaos Can Be a form of Meditation

“If you are quiet enough, you will hear the flow of the universe. You will feel its rhythm. Go with this flow. Happiness lies ahead. Meditation is key.”

Buddha

As I mentioned, there are two distinct states that I can approach riding my scooter, or anything for that matter, with. There is fear and calm.

Approaching chaos from a place of fear only creates more chaos. But when I have a calm mind, nothing can rattle me. Even if someone is driving diagonally down the highway with no directional coming right towards me (because what are lanes?)

Sometimes we forget we have a choice in how we experience life. We fall into the thought pattern that things are being done to us, when all it takes is a simple shift to realize everything in our reality is happening for us. It’s happening to liberate us from our victim-hood and see that we are powerful.

Being calm and finding joy no matter what is a super power. Laughing when something is ridiculous, no matter how threatening it seems, is mastery.

Let Yourself be lost

One time I was riding to the beach with some of my co-teachers for the first time. My phone had no data, I was supposed to be following them, but on the middle of the highway my helmet flew off so I had to pull over and lost them.

It took me like 2 hours to find my way to the beach (which is fifteen minutes from where I live).

Since that day, I’ve spent time getting lost on purpose quite frequently.

Sometimes I set an intention, like, “I want to find some cool tropical flowers”, or “I want to see if I can find a market with pretty lanterns”, and then just wander aimlessly. I’ve always ended up finding what I was looking for and more.

Getting lost is an adventure. (Clichés are overused because they’re usually true.)

Addendum: some other things to keep in mind that aren’t quite so profound (but still important!!!!) –

1. If a sign says that a hill is not suitable for motorcycles, don’t ignore the sign and go up that hill, trust me.
2. If you lose a shoe, you lose a shoe.
3. Not a bad idea to have bananas on you in case you pass a monkey…
4. Unlike in the States, you can weave in between cars to get to the front of the line for traffic lights and U-turns and stuff. But if it looks like a tight squeeze, it definitely is and you shouldn’t chance it.

The most important thing is to accept that there’s room to learn. That’s true of both scootering and life. Nobody has it all figured out, sometimes they will cling to a rigid way of thinking to cope, but that’s not how ya grow!

I hope everyone is staying sane out there. Much love x