If you're in the scolding mood, here's a ripe one for ya:

 

I was crossing beach road to that small promenade area directly south of Royal Garden.

 

There I was confronted by an old lady who said "No bike, must walk!"

 

She wasn't fully there and I felt like she was in High Thai mode, bossing the foreigners around.

 

I ignored her and made motions to remount my bicycle and ride the promenade into 2nd road.

 

She grabbed my shirt (loosely). I lightly tried to remove her hand.

 

She grabbed tighter, I ripped away her hand, did a half spin around, and stared her down for a moment.

 

She said in a somewhat hurt, somewhat angry voice: "Where you hotel? Where YOU hotel?"

 

I rode away.

 

 

There were a lot of people around as it was 7:30pm or so. Still, a scene was not made due to me not uttering a word. I will not be going back to that area for a month or more though as she is no doubt tied into the local community.

 

You guys can let me have it if you want. I know I was wrong to use force and especially to stare down someone vastly more frail than myself, while in a foreign country no less. If you want to understand my reason, I felt she was imposing nonsense rules for no good reason in a place where motorcycles roam the sidewalks, and it frustrated me. It wasn't exactly a fully formed set of decisions either.

 

What I want to know is this: 

 

Was she probably some shopkeeper, or is there some sort of security perimeter in that area? She was wearing a dark blue shirt, I didn't have the presence of mind to see if it was just a poverty shirt or part of a security unifiorm (she didn't look uniformed from quick glance though).

The apologists are going to have a field day with this one

Regardless of whether everybody else was doing it, are you supposed to walk instead of ride? What's the rule?

 

1 minute ago, Ruffian Dick said:

Regardless of whether everybody else was doing it, are you supposed to walk instead of ride? What's the rule?

 

 

I think I've seen a "no motorcycle" sign on the 2nd road side of that area. I don't recall a bicycle image but I'm guessing that old lady is a specialist in the exact ruling. I've definitely seen mototaxis using it during slower times (they can't use it when busy because the line of parked motorbikes can block the beach road side)

With all due respect, I'd say that just because you see a Thai person doing it, doesn't mean its legal.

The legality isn't under dispute, frankly who holds the moral high ground isn't really the question either. But I guess in these threads we will inevitably touch that subject as well.

 

Does Thai blood make it less objectionable to drive a motor vehicle through a restricted area compared to a bicycle? I certainly don't believe so but other foreigners seem to think these things hinge on who is the local vs the guest.

It's BayWalk not BayRide. 

Wasn't there a very aggressive older female vendor in that area who acted as a sort of cheerleader for jetski gangs when they scammed customers? Surely not the same person.

Seriously, would it have been such a big deal to just walk and push your bike, instead of riding it? Did you have to make it into a dispute with a Thai and now have to avoid the area, because you are worried about people she knows beating you to a pulp if she sees you there again?

It's on you.

wouldn't worry about it if I were you. deny all if it ever comes up

Don't worry about it. In a few months she'll never recognise you. After all, as I was once told, all falangs look the same to Thai people.

12 hours ago, pegman said:

It's BayWalk not BayRide. 

I didn't understand that post until I looked it up ...

Thai's have an uncanny memory for faces, even farang ones. If you go back there in 20 years she will probably recognise you if she is still around.

 

Whether or not she would bother to do anything about it depends on how much you upset her over the bike incident!

 

Simon  

 

 

1 hour ago, davidst01 said:

wouldn't worry about it if I were you. deny all if it ever comes up

Yeah, you farangs all look the same!

 

I suppose at the end of the day it could be argued that she had physically assaulted you, which in my book is more severe offence than riding a pushbike where you MIGHT NOT have legally allowed to.

i would suggest that if you walked there without your bike next time, she wouldn't even recognise you.

1 hour ago, bfc1980 said:

Don't worry about it. In a few months she'll never recognise you. After all, as I was once told, all falangs look the same to Thai people.

Probably right, she'll remember the bike though. 

this sounds exactly like the entitled cyclist behaviour I have encountered in US/UK

2 hours ago, davidst01 said:

wouldn't worry about it if I were you. deny all if it ever comes up

Exactly! since "all" farangs look alike, it simply wasn't you 

2 hours ago, Simon1287 said:

Thai's have an uncanny memory for faces, even farang ones. If you go back there in 20 years she will probably recognise you if she is still around.

 

Whether or not she would bother to do anything about it depends on how much you upset her over the bike incident!

 

Simon  

 

 

Thai's hold grudges for years. They never forget

Anyone know if there's security in that area? Or was she just likely a shopkeeper?

3 hours ago, punchjudy said:

this sounds exactly like the entitled cyclist behaviour I have encountered in US/UK

And obviously all over the world...

The push bikers are the worst. 

 

My advice to OP is to go riding there tomorrow 555

He will be one of many who'd blame a fellow foreigner for staining a sidewalk after being stabbed by a Thai. It's a shame the community is so self hating but that is Thaivisa for you and these types of threads will bring out the anti-foreigner sentiment like no other.

 

One could of course mention the motorcycle contradiction and watch an Olympic level dodging. Best to just forget it and ignore them IMO.

3 hours ago, Hal65 said:

Anyone know if there's security in that area? Or was she just likely a shopkeeper?

 

Either way I suggest you wear a disguise in the future when riding a bicycle in a pedestrian zone.  You never know, the old lady may have old lady friends.

 

 

7 hours ago, IAMHERE said:

Probably right, she'll remember the bike though. 

She may also remember his Tattoos , Earings and huge Gut.     

It's ain't tough, man.  If you were wrong, go apologize with a small gift.  Show your understanding and respect, and that should help smooth over hurt feelings, and your possible infraction.

16 minutes ago, PatrickMcHargue said:

 If you were wrong, go apologize with a small gift.  

LOL,  "Apologize with a gift"  Only on this forum would you read a reply like that. I was sure the apologists would have a field day on this thread. 

Hal, what if you were back in your home town and you saw a foreigner driving on the sidewalk?

1 hour ago, Ruffian Dick said:

Hal, what if you were back in your home town and you saw a foreigner driving on the sidewalk?

 

While the locals were driving tanks down the sidewalk? I'd pay it no mind.

On 1/23/2018 at 12:56 AM, brling said:

The apologists are going to have a field day with this one

Another self-important falang who thinks rules don't apply to him.

Nonsense rules are rules non-the-less and a foreigner behaving like a scoff-law perhaps aggravated this old lady, who may well have other issues.

As far as I know cycles are not permitted to be ridden there, and are a danger to pedestrians.

Maybe the old lady got hit recently by one!

 

Cyclists who ride in pedestrian areas and on pavements are aggravating.

I  think it is illegal to ride a bike on the pavement and what do many 200 k a week riders do they use the road, this is because the pavements are for pedestrians....we all see motorbikes/bikes racing down the pavements but it is still illegal.

it might be better if you either find a track or use an exercise bike as next time

it might end with a group of Thais objecting to your activities.

This is similar to the foreigners we see going the wrong way down one way streets

because they see Thai's doing it even though they know it is wrong. no excuse.imo