The biting cold wind was snapping at us.
"Oh!" she shrieked gleefully, as she negotiated another 90 degree bend without using the brakes, "This is just like a roller coaster!"
"This," I replied, trying to impose a sense of authority with my voice, "Is not like a roller coaster. We do not have a hydraulic harness strapping us in. We do not even have seat belts."
My pleas fell on ears deaf and filled with confidence and the adrenaline thrill of riding one of these vehicles for the first time.
I was riding pillion on a rented motorcycle behind a beginner rider, with our companions, Mike and Am, trailing closely in their motorcycle.
The sun was setting just beyond the valley of viridian green foliage and misty grey. It was beautiful, but also foreboding as we have no intention of being stuck in the mountains when it is dark and cold.
"Slow down," I repeat for the tenth time, my lips trembling while I spoke, either from fear or from the chill. Or both.
"Is my hair getting in your face?"
"Yes, they are quite annoying. Just like everything else that is attached to the other end of your hair."
"Whaaaat...?"
"You heard me," I said, grinning.
She turned her head and glared at me. Not the most appropriate time for a joke at the expense of someone who has got absolute control of my life at this moment, I thought, as she again conveniently forgets the existence of the brakes.
It got better though. Way better.
After a few minutes, I could tell that, as her confidence grew, Kat had the machine purring to her every whims and wants, and I learned to relax. My fingers, which were previously clenched tightly around the steel bars attached to the back of the bike, let go.
The wind, though still frosty, was refreshing.
I remembered how much I like wind. If I were asked to choose my favourite amongst rain, sun, snow, or wind, wind would, well, win.
Racing through the villages of Samoeng, one can really get lost in the whole experience. The undulating foot of mountains forming valleys that begs for breath-taking viewing by all those who passes by the mountain roads.
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| My riding buddies, Am, Kat & Mike. |
The exhilaration of zipping left and right on the quiescent roads, downhill, the thrill of the experience, made me understand why some people indulge in motorcycles of various sizes and power, and take long distance bike road trips.
As much as we look forward to being back in the old city of Chiang Mai where we can fill our hungry bellies, we were also not in a hurry to forget being in the present, in the presence of nature and all that she has to offer.
The day had started differently for our quartet, though. With Mike and myself giving the girls a ride, we left Chiang Mai city around noon and had intended to make our way up Doi Suthep mountain to visit the Wat Phrathat Doi Suthep temple.
As we approached the peak of the 1,676 metres granite mountain, Kat realised that she had left her pouch bag outside the hostel. We tried, in vain, to search for the phone number of the hostel. We then decided to make our way down to the hostel, as hastily as possible.
The pouch bag contained important documents, as well as irreplaceable photographs in the digital camera.
By any estimation, our ride back down took half the time it did for us to get to the nearly-top of the mountain.
Luck had not abandon us though, as Kat found that her pouch had been safely returned to the hostel receptionist, and nothing was missing from it. In fact, although I am not one who believes in fate or destiny, it was probably preordained that the left-behind pouch would lead to a chat with the receptionist, who recommended that we take the scenic ride around Doi Suthep mountain, pass the Tiger Kingdom, and back via Canal Road (Kaukhlong Chouprathan road) - a biking route the receptionist had took herself just a couple of weeks ago.
We followed her recommendation - and I now had the awesome experience which I just shared in the preceding paragraphs.
There is a lesson to be learned here, I guess;
Life screws you over once in a while.
But if you just keep on going, with a positive attitude and without fear (but holding tightly to that steel metal bar), you may just find something good after the next killer 90 degrees bend in the road.
Something like a roller coaster ride.
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