The key refused to turn. Hmm, that was a problem. Okay, relax, we’ll try this again from the start. The key slid out of the lock core, closely followed by a small spring and various bits of smashed plastic. Shit, that definitely wasn’t supposed to happen.
The road had been beautiful so far (good surface, lots of curves and flanked by jungle). The bike we’d rented, a Honda Phantom, was very similar in style and engine displacement to the bike we had spent 13 days on in India, only it seemed to run slightly better, perhaps due to the more pleasant air that it was allowed to breathe here in Thailand. But here we were, on the side of this wonderful road, with this wonderful bike and we couldn’t go anywhere. The wheel-lock was jammed in the locked position, effectively blocking any movement.
The frustration had only begun to boil up when the smiling face appeared. The security guard from the Botanical Gardens had ventured over to us from his hut. We’d barely been messing with the bike for more than a minute or two. With no english, all he could do was watch and smile, but it didn’t take long for him to figure out what our problem was. He took the key and, giving it a go himself, came to the same conclusion: We were stuck. But where we’d been getting stressed about what to do, his response was to smile and laugh. This, he knew, would help us save face (a very important concept in Thai culture). And, what do you know, it worked! There was some humor in being stranded on the side of the road.
A moment or two later a pickup truck pulled into the lot next to us and its passengers, a couple, got out and came over to investigate. Again, the key was taken, the lock tried and our situation confirmed. Again, the smiles and laughs. The girl called the bike rental shop, only to find that they wouldn’t do anything to help us (and their stranded bike) get back to Chiang Mai. Some rapid Thai was exchanged between the two men and the decision was made. They motioned at the bike and then pointed to the back of the pickup truck. They wanted to put the bike the truck and take us and it to the locksmith! And after a few minutes of disbelieving apologies from us, that is precisely what happened. They called over a few more lads and, with our help, the bike was lifted straight up on to the truck and they drove us to the locksmith, fifteen or twenty kilometers away, who fixed the lock straight away and wouldn’t accept any payment in return.
If there is anywhere that you could call anything that crazy typical, it would have to be Thailand. People seem to go out of their way to help you find things, help you get what you need, or help you get yourself out of a spot of trouble – always (and most importantly) with a smile and a laugh.
Tags: chiang mai, motorbikes, motorcycles, Thailand
