PW_2_2022

Spotlight on the SIGs

Two Wheels in Thailand Paul Owen , Warwickshire and Coventry Branch & Motorcycle SIG It was a long journey from England, with all the flights being crowded. The extra Covid security measures took a long time, especially at Birmingham Airport. I had to do seven days quarantine in Phuket but, unlike many who were cooped up in their hotel rooms, our quarantine zone was the whole island. If you tested negative, you can go anywhere after the first day and it is a very large island. The water is crystal clear and I saw many fish. It is also quite famous for its turtles. I rode around the island, which is very mountainous, and went scuba diving around the Similian Islands. Then I flew to Chiang Mai, where I did lots of motorcycling. For this trip, I again chose a 650cc Suzuki V Strom, with a lot of extras and really nice tyres. I did two big rides, the last was the famous Mae Hon Son loop (1900 bends), which took me two days. At Mae Hon Son, I visited the Chedi Monument, erected for the ex-pat bikers who lost their lives here. I also visited a Chinese town on the Burmese border and then to the sunflower fields, which are very famous in Thailand, and can only be seen for one month a year. I took a shortcut to the sunflower fields, which took me on the steepest roads I have ever ridden on. It was an extremely narrow track, straight over a really high mountain. It was very, very, dodgy, and I couldn’t stop to take photos, as it was too steep. Obviously age doesn’t bring wisdom for some people. The Loy Krathong Festival, where the Thais light big lanterns, and float little boats to ask for forgiveness, was quieter this year but was still interesting. While I was there, one of my riding companions had a nasty motorbike accident, when a scooter U-turned in front of him, with no signal or warning. He spent more than two weeks in hospital, having lost a kidney and broken eight ribs, along with many other injuries. These are the kind of injuries that an air vest may have helped, so I am seriously considering using one in future.

I recently took a four day motorbike trip right up to the north east of Thailand; to Chang Khong (on the Mekong) and Udon Thani. It was a long ride for a single day, over 300 miles, with no motorways. Dehydration was a real issue. Despite drinking loads, I still managed to get dehydrated. I actually slowed down to about 20 miles an hour for a substantial period, which I didn’t realise I was doing. A lot of the guys only want cheap accommodation, so we usually pay less than £10 for a room. What we got this time was really poor, with no bathroom, nowhere to hang our clothes, a bed like concrete, and just thin panels between you and the next person. I didn’t get a lot of sleep to say the least. Unfortunately, Steve, who previously shattered his collarbone, managed to damage it again when he tried to stop his scooter falling over. So he had to head back home for another operation. One of the photos is a view of the Mekong from Chiang Khan. There were a lot of monks travelling by foot, usually in bare feet. They walk barefoot for hundreds of miles, on ground so hot you could fry eggs on it. I don’t know how they do it, as it was over 100 degrees in the afternoon.

POLICE WORLD Vol 67 No.2, 2022

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