The Big Chase

[dafyduck]

Today was a beautiful day,clear blue sky,so after having my usual midday salad i washed up packed my bag and headed down to to the beach on my bike.I retired here 2 months ago in a new condo in the rassada district,i was living in Bangkok for 3 years before that.i headed down past the junction where the central mall is situated and drove down the road towards pattong heading towards Surin beach for the afternoon.Somewhere along the road to pattong maybe halfway while cruising at approx 40km hr i was overtaken by a another bike who suddenly slowed down forcing me to do like wise,i then moved to one side and overtook and contnued my journey and again he came back up again and performed the same shunt, i kept my cool ignored him slowed down and did the same maneuver again,i quickly had to take count of what was going on ,i realized here was someone trying to provoke me for no reason he looked bad no shirt on, helmet on his arm, tatoos everywhere, a straw in his mouth.I just kept my cool never looked at him or reacted in anyway.This cat and mouse went on for about a couple of kilometers and i decided to keep on going until i would reach the police station further up the road,he then came again from behind and hit me on my back with his helmet,nothing painful and i kept going never looking back, at this point a car behind clearly seeeing what was going on started honking and i kept my pace looking at the mirrors and suddenly he disappeared to the left somewhere and that was the end of that.i was not scared during the whole happening since he never forced me to stop and i dont know wether he was armed,drunk or what caused his reaction.i then got to surin beach and spent a lovely day on the beach not giving what happened a thought.i am sharing this experience with you to know wether expatriates living here and goping about their normal daily life have had any starnge experiences which could easily degenerate and what precautions one should take and things to avoid that can cause this kind of unexpected and unpleasant experience.

[BangTaoBoy]

That wouldn't suprise me on quiet roads and at night, but during the day with other cars around, that's a new one on me. Glad you kept your cool and didn't let it ruin your day. Could have been a lot worse, some people may have panicked and lost control of their bike.

I would like to think it wouldn't have degenerated in to anything more serious, but you never know.

It's funny. I also had my closest call ever in Phuket today. First time I've ever needed to have fully locked wheels, skidding down the road to avoid a car that did a u turn in front of me. But everyday bad driving isn't any where near as sinister as what happened to you. I'm fairly sure that's not a common occurance but it is a bit unlucky for it to have happened in your first two months here.

[ESB7]

Welcome to Phuket and 'paradise' :bah: ...get used o it

[dafyduck]

Welcome to Phuket and 'paradise' :bah: ...get used o it

[Bung]

Congrats for keeping your cool and not letting it spoil your day. A lot of people may have just rode by him and kicked his handlebars on the way past or something like that.

[dafyduck]

usually an event is caused by a trigger,in this case i did nothing there was no reason.The only provocation was my alien presence on the public road,was he waitting for a prey on the side of the road at the end of the decent after the mall junction ? i dont remember overtaking him.I am convinced a day later that my response was the best one since he finally let go,he obviously new the police station was just a mile away.A couple of years ago i downloaded "Bangkok Hilton" and "the Beach" just for fun while in Bangkok and i quickly understood that they both conveyed important messages to anyone living here. In the first movie Nicole Kidman is correctly accused of beeing an acomplice to a crime which in reality she new nothing about "true story" and ends up in hell.In the second movie a bunch of naive students full of life and adventure go too far and some end up paying the ultimate price.in both cases the triggers that caused the dramatic events happened suddenly and lasted a very short time maybe 3-4 minutes as in my case and by the time it was over i could have been on my way to hospital, jail, the mortuary or subsequent to the happening and how you react and digest the event or further similar events if i chose to live here for a very long time simply depart as in the case of the second movie .Beeing very conscious of how the law can be missinterpreted i make dam_n sure that my papers,licenses, insurances etc are valid.A foreigner is what he is and will always be the weaker subject in any foreign developed or third world country.

[Ping]

He was probably high on ya ba

[grumpyoldman]

He was probably high on ya ba

Also, that Rassada District is notorious, he might have followed you out of there hoping to clip your wallet if and when you went down.

[DougLee]

Would rather have that happening than all the idiots who start doing uturn while my car is going 100km/h and im 30meters away

[Ulysses G.]

I automatically thought that he was some Western yob looking for trouble as that is usually the case. Was he Thai?

[dafyduck]

yes he definitely looked thai to me, heavy build, dark skin 25 years old i recon tatoos all over no shirt on and helmet slung to his arm straw in his mouth generaly scrufy looking.We never met eye to eye since he never looked back while slowing me down. at the only traffic light which was at the first major intersection he stuck right behind me kept reving but never nudged my bike.he never tried to cause an accident by pushing me over to the cars or over and never waved .he did yell something when he hit my back and thats when he peeled off.If his intention was to make minced meat out of me he missed a golden oportunity cause the undersigned has been operated for a herniated disk and wobbling vertebraes at the lumber level 23 years ago and so there was no way i could have effectively defended myself without risking paralysis of both legs not to mention i'm almost 60 years old.

[transam]

yes he definitely looked thai to me, heavy build, dark skin 25 years old i recon tatoos all over no shirt on and helmet slung to his arm straw in his mouth generaly scrufy looking.We never met eye to eye since he never looked back while slowing me down. at the only traffic light which was at the first major intersection he stuck right behind me kept reving but never nudged my bike.he never tried to cause an accident by pushing me over to the cars or over and never waved .he did yell something when he hit my back and thats when he peeled off.If his intention was to make minced meat out of me he missed a golden oportunity cause the undersigned has been operated for a herniated disk and wobbling vertebraes at the lumber level 23 years ago and so there was no way i could have effectively defended myself without risking paralysis of both legs not to mention i'm almost 60 years old.

Should you be riding a bike with dodgy back and Thai pot holes ?

As for the moron, sounds like he was goading you into a street race.

[grumpyoldman]

Welcome to Phuket and 'paradise' :bah: ...get used o it

I say he mistakenly took you for someone else, or else just a nut job.

Nut jobs not being solely a Phuket occurrence ESB7 and BTW, where do you live?

[surayu]

Something similar happened to me some months ago, but not as bad, here in the Prachinburi region, i was cruising back home at probably 50/60kmh when a motorbike carrying 2 young thais in their middle 20's overtaked me at high speed and turned right, just to block my way, we were basically positioned as a "T" shape with their motocy being the higher part of the T, as i am always driving expecting the unexpected to happen it was no problem at all to stop and avoid the collision, as soon as they realize no accident had taken place, the passenger tapped on the leg of the driver apparently telling him to go and that was it, be carefull guys, some random strangers might just be around the corner to prey on you. Merry Christmas!

[dafyduck]

if you read carefully the sequences there is no way he was looking for a race with an old fart driving quietly at 40 km hr in 110 cc moped.it could easily be a one off and that is what i am going to find out since there is no other way to my favourite beaches.I live in a new condo just recently built above the football stadium 5 minutes from the central mall and the major junction,its called the green places and the building is on going since they still have 4 more to build.the chase as i stated above started at the bottom of the hill after the junction on the way to patong kamala road and ended about a mile before the police station which is situated about a mile before you climb..

[transam]

if you read carefully the sequences there is no way he was looking for a race with an old fart driving quietly at 40 km hr in 110 cc moped.it could easily be a one off and that is what i am going to find out since there is no other way to my favourite beaches.I live in a new condo just recently built above the football stadium 5 minutes from the central mall and the major junction,its called the green places and the building is on going since they still have 4 more to build.the chase as i stated above started at the bottom of the hill after the junction on the way to patong kamala road and ended about a mile before the police station which is situated about a mile before you climb..

I am older than you and l street race them.

[backstairs]

Not a pleasant experience for you. But where is safe these days? Back in the UK, I took some Malaysian chums through the main street of my home-town coastal resort. Not a large town. At the end of the walk past pubs, screaming revellers, two blokes on the ground, a hen party in fancy dress and two bemused police man, I asked them how they felt. The word they used was 'intimidated.'

You were in that mode on the bike. Both stories are a sad reflection upon today's society which I put down to child-centredness, rights and being spoilt.

[dafyduck]

Not a pleasant experience for you. But where is safe these days? Back in the UK, I took some Malaysian chums through the main street of my home-town coastal resort. Not a large town. At the end of the walk past pubs, screaming revellers, two blokes on the ground, a hen party in fancy dress and two bemused police man, I asked them how they felt. The word they used was 'intimidated.'

You were in that mode on the bike. Both stories are a sad reflection upon today's society which I put down to child-centredness, rights and being spoilt.

[momosan]

Great reaction from you. I know in the same situation I would have totally lost it with the guy, which would have made things a lot worse. Thanks for showing people like me there are other paths that can be followed which can still result in a favorable outcome.

[dafyduck]

In the movie Bangkok Hilton conditions in thai jails are well described and that is where i would have been heading if the situation had gotten out of control.In jail your hair whode be shaven off, the toilet is a hole in a corner and there is a tap for everyone to use, you sleep on the floor with everyone else.You are given a bowl with wich you must do everything with,you eat with your hands usually rice.You then have to wait to go to court and you are assigned an interpreter who yes and no will understand you and vice versa,you wont understand a thing in court unless you speak thai.from what I understand during my 3 years in thailand i would loose anyway and I would pay for all the costs..So that’s what could have happened instead of lying on the beach at surin that day.Simply put paradise hidden in hell for the unlucky.Keep this in mind because that is why when i went into "defense mode" as someone above mentioned activated by the provocation my strategy came naturally into play maybe subconsciously taking into consideration the upcoming scenarios.

[ScubaBuddha]

I have heard some similar stories. You defiantly did the right thing. He may very well have been trying to get you to stop to rob you. He may have had friends nearby. We'll see if we here this MO in the news in the future.

When dealing with Thai's, it is wise to remember that there is no such thing as a 1 on 1 fair fight. Others not involved will join in, and in a way I can only describe as "gleefully", and weapons will be used. Something I had to remind myself on Christmas when I was told by a Thai manboy to move my legally parked bike because I was parked in the spot that he parked his rental bikes everyday. And this is on a public road.

I posted here my story of a tuk tuk driver that went bonkers when he tried to undertake me and another car on a corner and both of us refused to let him cut us up. Several times I have had U-turning vehicles nearly kill me. Drivers here often treat you as you're invisible, or just ignore you assuming you can panic stop or swerve around them. When merging, U-turning or changing lanes, the rule seems to be as long as you think the other driver/rider has half a chance of avoiding you or stopping in time, then go for it. Western visitors driving in Thailand need to quickly learn that the concept of right of way and courtesy on the roadways is not remotely the same as at home. Makes me want to sell my Ninja and upgrade to a black Fortuner so I can drive like an a33hole too. (I believe that's part of the purchase contract)

[dafyduck]

ScubaBuddha

I have given a lot of thought to your statement before replying,I believe that he could have been waiting there for his prey in broad daylight but I never felt or saw any acomplices,was the intention to rob in full view of the public almost nothing i cannot say,my motorcycle is new and still has the red number plates on”90 days” but it doesn’t make sense.I would have definitely lost in a fight anyway both physically and juridically and i was well aware of that having lived in the country long enough to know that but I never got into any form of trouble when in Bangkok ,but there I had no car or motorcycle since its absolutely unnecessary and I was warned by a woman not to do so during my first months.her words i still remember “you will have to mix with the police”.I am thinking of getting a car for the rain season later and i am very much aware of your comments on the driving habits,its displayed for me everyday free of charge like a warning video when I drive to the supermarkets or the beach,far less in phuket town itself,i made one big mistake by not taking note of his number plate ,its only 3 numbers.Another tactic i would like to suggest to the readers is if you can stick right next to another vehicle “convoy” who could be there at the time,in my case it was a new white Toyota sedan he was continuously slowed down by the event and even honked when we were almost at a standstill.todays news of the young swede found dead in his room in Bag Tao bay does’nt give much comfort either since it’s the next beach up from Surin and the same road is used to get to these destinations .I also get the impression while gazing at thais in general in supermarkets etc that there are many different social stratas all mixed up and the intellectual and social difference is huge.

[Soapa]

ScubaBuddha

I have given a lot of thought to your statement before replying,I believe that he could have been waiting there for his prey in broad daylight but I never felt or saw any acomplices,was the intention to rob in full view of the public almost nothing i cannot say,my motorcycle is new and still has the red number plates on”90 days” but it doesn’t make sense.I would have definitely lost in a fight anyway both physically and juridically and i was well aware of that having lived in the country long enough to know that but I never got into any form of trouble when in Bangkok ,but there I had no car or motorcycle since its absolutely unnecessary and I was warned by a woman not to do so during my first months.her words i still remember “you will have to mix with the police”.I am thinking of getting a car for the rain season later and i am very much aware of your comments on the driving habits,its displayed for me everyday free of charge like a warning video when I drive to the supermarkets or the beach,far less in phuket town itself,i made one big mistake by not taking note of his number plate ,its only 3 numbers.Another tactic i would like to suggest to the readers is if you can stick right next to another vehicle “convoy” who could be there at the time,in my case it was a new white Toyota sedan he was continuously slowed down by the event and even honked when we were almost at a standstill.todays news of the young swede found dead in his room in Bag Tao bay does’nt give much comfort either since it’s the next beach up from Surin and the same road is used to get to these destinations .I also get the impression while gazing at thais in general in supermarkets etc that there are many different social stratas all mixed up and the intellectual and social difference is huge.

I think you need to toughen up a little. Not every Thai is looking to rob you or beat you up. Stop being paranoid but do be cautious. Buying a car is a very good idea.

[dafyduck]

I think you need to toughen up a little. Not every Thai is looking to rob you or beat you up. Stop being paranoid but do be cautious. Buying a car is a very good idea.

So what you are saying is his real intentions where to greet me to the island with a smile and a handshake in the middle of the road wishing me a comfortable stay.and appreciate your advising the readers who should not get worried but to buy a car because going around on a bike is not recomendable here.Wishing you a comfortable and safe new year.

BUNTA 71

thank you for the tip i checked my map and im going to try it out next time i go down there,looks like a much more comfortable ride.maybe its time for the Lone Ranger again.

Edited December 30, 2010 by dafyduck

[Soapa]

ScubaBuddha

I have given a lot of thought to your statement before replying,I believe that he could have been waiting there for his prey in broad daylight but I never felt or saw any acomplices,was the intention to rob in full view of the public almost nothing i cannot say,my motorcycle is new and still has the red number plates on"90 days" but it doesn't make sense.I would have definitely lost in a fight anyway both physically and juridically and i was well aware of that having lived in the country long enough to know that but I never got into any form of trouble when in Bangkok ,but there I had no car or motorcycle since its absolutely unnecessary and I was warned by a woman not to do so during my first months.her words i still remember "you will have to mix with the police".I am thinking of getting a car for the rain season later and i am very much aware of your comments on the driving habits,its displayed for me everyday free of charge like a warning video when I drive to the supermarkets or the beach,far less in phuket town itself,i made one big mistake by not taking note of his number plate ,its only 3 numbers.Another tactic i would like to suggest to the readers is if you can stick right next to another vehicle "convoy" who could be there at the time,in my case it was a new white Toyota sedan he was continuously slowed down by the event and even honked when we were almost at a standstill.todays news of the young swede found dead in his room in Bag Tao bay does'nt give much comfort either since it's the next beach up from Surin and the same road is used to get to these destinations .I also get the impression while gazing at thais in general in supermarkets etc that there are many different social stratas all mixed up and the intellectual and social difference is huge.

I think you need to toughen up a little. Not every Thai is looking to rob you or beat you up. Stop being paranoid but do be cautious. Buying a car is a very good idea.

Try and read between the lines a little. I never said he was not out to rob you or whatever. I don't know what his intentions were nor do you. And me saying buying a car is a good idea, Not for the fact of not being robed, but for the fact that as you know, driving motorbikes here is not very safe in general. Everybody knows that the intellectual and social difference is huge here, as anywhere in the world. "Big chase". Have a good new year. Don't go out you might get mugged

[katabeachbum]

The Heroins Monument in Amphur Talang is important for Thais.

2 disrespectfull posts have been removed

[Bizz]

it's time for recent posters to look at recent comments from all over the country. this is happening. I would ask George and as a long member he may listen thanks Thailand

[neverdie]

yes he definitely looked thai to me, heavy build, dark skin 25 years old i recon tatoos all over no shirt on and helmet slung to his arm straw in his mouth generaly scrufy looking.We never met eye to eye since he never looked back while slowing me down. at the only traffic light which was at the first major intersection he stuck right behind me kept reving but never nudged my bike.he never tried to cause an accident by pushing me over to the cars or over and never waved .he did yell something when he hit my back and thats when he peeled off.If his intention was to make minced meat out of me he missed a golden oportunity cause the undersigned has been operated for a herniated disk and wobbling vertebraes at the lumber level 23 years ago and so there was no way i could have effectively defended myself without risking paralysis of both legs not to mention i'm almost 60 years old.

Good on you for keeping your cool and reacting the way you did, kudos to you. You used your intelligence (perhaps just the intelligence inside your small toe) to outwit this grub, he's probably still trying to work out how you got away.

Edited January 1, 2011 by LivinginKata
Inflammatory remark about a member removed

[neverdie]

The Heroins Monument in Amphur Talang is important for Thais.

2 disrespectfull posts have been removed

Its a pity you can't wave the same magic wand and clear the island of the vermin that prey on other people.

[Kernow86]

I have heard some similar stories. You defiantly did the right thing. He may very well have been trying to get you to stop to rob you. He may have had friends nearby. We'll see if we here this MO in the news in the future.

When dealing with Thai's, it is wise to remember that there is no such thing as a 1 on 1 fair fight. Others not involved will join in, and in a way I can only describe as "gleefully", and weapons will be used. Something I had to remind myself on Christmas when I was told by a Thai manboy to move my legally parked bike because I was parked in the spot that he parked his rental bikes everyday. And this is on a public road.

I posted here my story of a tuk tuk driver that went bonkers when he tried to undertake me and another car on a corner and both of us refused to let him cut us up. Several times I have had U-turning vehicles nearly kill me. Drivers here often treat you as you're invisible, or just ignore you assuming you can panic stop or swerve around them. When merging, U-turning or changing lanes, the rule seems to be as long as you think the other driver/rider has half a chance of avoiding you or stopping in time, then go for it. Western visitors driving in Thailand need to quickly learn that the concept of right of way and courtesy on the roadways is not remotely the same as at home. Makes me want to sell my Ninja and upgrade to a black Fortuner so I can drive like an a33hole too. (I believe that's part of the purchase contract)

some Fortuner Drivers really think they have arrived! It's sooo funny! We call 'em Chelsea Tractors at home.