Category: travel

Adventures in Thailand, lifestyle, travel

My First Scooter Accident

Evelyn Loh

Two weeks before I leave Koh Chang, last Saturday, about 4 days ago, I had my first scooter accident.

It is as if Koh Chang, being the fiery beauty she is, didn’t take my leaving her too well.

I had decided to go to Bang Bao for my day off to to see my friend Su, procure some souvenirs and check the boat schedules/prices that went to Koh Mak – which I was planning to visit after I finished working at The Spa. All went well and I did everything I came to do.

Happenstance had it that I even spent the whole morning with fellow Canadian, Tim, who I was acquainted with but never got to know that well from my visits to the dive shop before. Then Su arrived at the dive shop, we ate and went shopping and talking along the pier. When we were done, we went over to her place at Cliff Cottage and sat in the hammocks overlooking the sea.

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A beautiful day to chill in the hammock and have a conversation.

I was only going to stay till sunset and leave while there was still a little bit of lingering light in the sky. But things were going so well, so when the opportunity came, I decided to stay and try Roberto’s (my Italian dive instructor’s) pizza before I left. Usually I left that side of the island really early well before sunset, but this time I stayed and decided to drive home after dark. When I left, it started to rain.

The Accident

It was head-on collision between my scooter and a big truck. However, the accident wasn’t caused by us, but by the inexperienced, irresponsible parties that we were both trying to avoid.

What a crazy night! It was dark and rainy, scooters were flying everywhere and cars were skidding on the corners, it was truly amazing how no one got seriously injured.

There was no way that the truck driver, Phai, could have gone without hitting anything unless his truck was an airplane. Well…he could have driven a little slower and he could have driven a smaller vehicle – which is another thing I don’t understand. Why do they let this huge trucks, that 80% of the time can barely fit within the lines, on this island? They pose such a danger to so many people out there, especially at the speed that some of them are going.

Anyway, looking back he had the following 3 options that day. He would have to either :

  1. Driven into the bush and potentially roll over the female passenger of Scooter A– Her idiot boyfriend was the culprit that started all of this. He had taken the downhill corner too fast, slid all the way across to my side of the road and landed in the bush. She was launched off the back a good 3 metres behind him (right by where I was). I had to stop so she could get up and move safely out of the way. What a jerk.
  2. Hit Scooter B and potentially roll over one of their 2 passengers – This was the scooter the truck saw first and was trying to avoid on his side of the road. Scooter B was following Scooter A, saw what happened, didn’t keep their eyes on the road, freaked out, lost control and fell.
  3. Hit Scooter C -Me. I drove up the hill nice and slow like you’re supposed to. I was in exactly the spot you’re supposed to be when you drive a scooter closer to the left side of the road. When the idiots of Scooter A flew right in front of me, I made sure no one was behind me, so I could stop for her to get up. And within a split second around the corner, a truck was coming at me from the front. Had I not jumped off my scooter at the moment I did, I could have been seriously injured too. Had I continued driving, I would have potentially rolled over her hand and maybe have had even more severe impact from that oncoming truck. It was the best option in retrospect.

So how did it happen?

First, he saw Scooter B, tried to avoid hitting them, and took a wide turn and came onto my side of the road and saw me a little too last. He tried to stop, could not, I jumped off and watched my bike get smashed.

There was some confusion to what immediately followed the situation on his part. After he hit my bike, he got out of his car, brushed right past me to the passengers from Scooter A, all apologetic. I don’t blame him, they looked more like people who had just been in an accident, lying on the ground and all.

I didn’t have time to lie on the ground so I stood in disbelief as this dude that almost killed me didn’t even bother to say sorry. They were trying to explain to him that they fell by themselves and that he actually hit me instead. He was obviously having trouble digesting this and looked really confused because here I was geared up in my North Face jacket, long flowy hair without a scratch on my slender bare legs. He did a few takes between me and them, before finally coming to talk to me.

Meanwhile, I didn’t waste any time. While he was figuring out what happened, I was looking for my phone so I could call someone to let them know in case anything else happened. I immediately decided to call Poon, the manager, he spoke the best English and bright as a button, he would take the least time to explain things to. My bike compartment where my phone was, was smashed in and so my phone must have flown somewhere. It was so dark that night. Some locals (god bless their souls) pulled over to help us and I saw it just as another truck was about to roll over it. Thank god this truck was driving much slower and stopped for me to pick my phone up. I called Poon, explained what happened and he told me to let him know if they could be of any help.

Finally, Phai, the man who drove the truck, comes to talk to me. He is still in shock and says nothing. My mind was much clearer than his so I take the reigns tell him simply, “Hey, it’s okay. No one is injured, so be thankful. You just have to pay for the damages which won’t be that much because the scooter still starts. We can put my bike in your truck and you can drive me home. It’s only 7 o’clock and we will be done in no time.”

He turns to his mother and sister and speaks in hasty, frustrated Thai – a version I’m not familiar with. I only know how to talk about lighthearted stuff in Thai. I’d imagine his mother was giving him trouble about not listening to her to slow down or something like that. He doesn’t like the idea of taking me home on the other side of the island because he drives a manual car, doesn’t know the island very well and was well still, shaken and afraid.

During the next 5 minutes, a few more near misses happen. First, a van screeched by, loses control and almost hits Phai’s truck. Phai excitedly grabs me and pulls me into the bush which trips me. I tell him to calm down and that the sooner we get out of here, the better. He was definitely still in shock. Then yet, another truck comes by, passes us safely, yet has trouble stopping down the hill, wavers and almost hits a car coming uphill. We move onto the other side of the road thinking that it was safer and within seconds, two Russian men on a scooter come around the corner sliding sideways. They are fine, get up and take their sweet ass time to get off the road. They seemed cheerful and think it’s funny. The locals tell them to get off the road and they did very slowly. I wanted to get out of there as soon as possible.

They wanted me to drive the scooter all the way back to Salak Khok, which is over an hour away like nothing happened. Even though my scooter’s engine still started, the lights worked, I didn’t like the idea because what if there were unseen damages inside? But knowing that I would have to stomp my foot and make like a baby for another hour to get my way didn’t seem appealing to me either. And I really wanted to get out of that area. So after initially contesting to idea, I gave in. I kept his ID card and we decided to settle it tomorrow. I told him that if I die tonight on my way back, I’m going to come back as a ghost to haunt him forever – he laughed nervously and told me that I will be okay. I think deep down he was afraid for my safety too. I asked one of the locals to drive with me to Kai Bae, about 5 minutes away, where the roads got better and it would test the scooter’s reliability. If something went wrong during this time, at least I’d have someone to help me out.

Luckily, nothing did and I managed to get home safely that night. Phai called me to check that I got home safely. He apologized and told me he will settle the damages in the morning. After which, he striked up a conversation with me regarding his trip to Koh Chang from Chiang Mai. He told me that his mother was still a little shaken from the incident because he could have killed someone that night. He told me a little bit about his life and he asked me about mine. We discovered that we were about the same age and that we both schooled in Auckland. I decided he was a decent guy that wouldn’t screw me over. And true to which, the next day, he settled the bill in full which was really nice of him.  I was not able to meet him since I was teaching at the time. But I’m glad we both made the best of a bad situation. We’re now Facebook friends.

The impact cracked the anterior of the scooter. The whole thing will need to be replaced. The cup holder and exhaust guard will also need to be replaced.
The impact cracked the anterior of the scooter. The whole thing will need to be replaced. The cup holder and exhaust guard will also need to be replaced. Pi Mem, the lady who rented me the bike, was not impressed by what happened. But she acknowledges that these things do happen and she was glad I was okay.

I was proud of myself for 3 things from this experience:

One, was that I was able to make a life saving decision to jump off when I did and that I didn’t take too much time to think about it.

Two, was that I didn’t freak out completely after it happened and that I was in a calm state of mind to get myself home safely the best way I could. I made best out of a bad situation and  I felt really mature for the words I said and how I acted.

Three, I didn’t scream. You always see girls in the movies screaming in accidents. I was surprised I didn’t since I am quite the screamer the type of person who would.

During the whole time this happened, I heard myself teaching mediation saying, “Keep a calm and balanced mind. Stay present, stay peaceful.” My former self would have been a bit more of an asshole and more demanding, so I’m sure glad that this meditation and yoga thing really works. It’s all true.

 

Adventures in Thailand, lifestyle, travel, yoga

Leaving The Beautiful Island of Koh Chang to Re-enter Society

Evelyn Loh

Time has flown right by and it’s almost time for me to leave this beautiful island.

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I remind myself of the reasons to leave.

  • I have relationship ties – a wonderful dog and a loving fiancé who means the world to me
  • a beautiful home and a great support network waiting for me when I get home
  • I love Canada – although the winters are long, I do enjoy snow-related activities
  • it would be nice to use a washing machine and a dryer again
  • I have an upcoming wedding to prepare for in a couple months

And so with a heavy heart, I must go and get my affairs in order. I must re-enter into the structures of society and the boring old routine of consumerism.

What is that routine you ask? It’s simple. You work to get more stuff, work to pay off that stuff, have kids because everyone else is having them, unable to spend time with those kids because you need to work to pay for kids’ stuff, then work some more so that you can stop working and retire so that you can then spend your feeble days waiting out your death. It all seemed less than appealing to me. Somewhat pointless.

I would rather just spend my days here sipping coconuts in a hammock with my man and my dog, Koya, who would run around playing in the sand chasing crabs or something and having a good time as dogs always so. And not having the stuff that everybody is programmed to want.

I envy my dog’s life. Humans are to me the most blind of all the species. We created a society full of rules and structures and now we screwed ourselves over working in little cubicle cages for 8-10 hours a day with the inability to see much of the sun, let alone run and play in the sand.

Some form of paper money or numbers on a screen control our lives and determines how important a person is, rather than their traits of integrity and honesty. I suppose you do need some structure as dogs do in their dog world, but I think we humans took it a tad too far. It is what it is.

Societies do change, it just takes thousands of years to do it. In ancient Egypt, slaves were worked to death to build pyramids. And this is the same for other ancient civilizations. And what were the slaves thinking? They probably just accepted that that was life and I need to carry this huge chain on my back, attached to this huge stone. Then the Roman Empire came a few more thousand years later, a much more improved, more ethical society. Yet, still with slaves, crucifixion and death games as a norm.

Sure, we realized slavery is bad now (in this century, it took us that long), and we’re a far cry away from being in chains…but I hope you see my point that sometimes the reality you live in, isn’t always a reality that needs to be. Who knows? Maybe in a couple thousand years, our post-decessors will get it right. Maybe they will only work 5 hours a day, spend lots of time with their families and all energy will be green, and people will be happier and healthier.

Hey, you never know, right? There’s always room for betterment and for improvement. But for time being, It is what it is.

And so I take pictures of dozens of real estate ads instead. Dreaming of owning a small resort here, have a lush garden for vegetables and fruits, and teach yoga so I can earn a humble income to pay for simple pleasures such as coconuts and hammocks. Hey, you never know, right?

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travel, yoga

Your First Yoga Class, Part II – What’s behind the doors of a yoga class?

Evelyn Loh

Now that I’ve written up a brief introduction to yoga. You can start to get your yoga pants ready to join your first class.

I have a lot of students that come for their first ever yoga class and ask me what to expect. In turn, I ask them what do you expect? And these are top 3 answers:

  1. Just stretching. For 1 hour and 15 minutes, I’ll be stretching and that’s what yoga is all about.
  2. I’ll be more flexible, from all that stretching.
  3. Some core stuff, so I lose belly fat.

Alright, I don’t really know why people expect so much stretching. Is there an ad somewhere saying YOGA with a picture of people just stretching? Where is this ad?

Fortunately, there is more to yoga than just stretching. Well for my classes at least. In my classes, we stretch for warm-up and warm-down, and from time to time I have a yin yoga class, which is all about stretching. But most of my classes cover sun salutations (surya namaskaras in sanskrit), balancing postures, standing, sitting and lying down postures, and finally ending in corpse pose (savasana), a meditative or relaxation pose.

So what does that all mean? Well, let me break it down for you. In an physiological sense, the asana practice can be put into different groups and some groups weave into each other as well. If you’re a beginner, the groups you need to know are:

Sun Salutations (Surya Namaskars): This is like your cardio, you move through fluid pre-set movements at a brisk pace and get your muscles all warmed up, your breathing picks up a bit. If you can try to use your ujaiyi breath, breathing audibly in and out through you nose, and sounding a little bit like Darth Vader. The movements include reaching up to the sky, then down for your toes, plank pose, a reverse push up, cobra and downward dog. Cobra is an upper back strengthening postures.

Balancing Postures: Standing on one leg for extended periods of time will help your slow twitch muscles form, the ones that help your endurance.

Warriors: Lunges, lunges, lunges. Yogis tend to have this lean look in their upper body but when it comes to their thighs they are large and well-defined (and sexy). Take Kino McGregor or Meghan Currie for example. Lunges target your quadriceps, hamstrings and butt, these are your largest muscle groups in your body which means that they are your most effective fat burning machines. The stronger these areas are, the more fat you will burn throughout the body.

Sitting postures: It’s this group of postures where I find most of the stretching happens. They cover twists, forward folds, hip openers and shoulder stretches. Although, sitting postures like boat pose build up core strength in order to stabilize you.

Lying down postures: Cobra, locust and upward-facing bow pose focus on strengthening the muscles of the lower, middle and upper back.

Savasana: To end the practice, a few warm-down stretches and twists are followed by the famous corpse pose (savasana), which is a meditative and/or relaxation pose done lying down on your back with your eyes closed from 5-15 minutes, depending how long and/or strenuous your practice was. This promotes muscle memory and is compulsory relaxation for all yoga practices. To end this poses, the instructor will gently guide you verbally to move your fingers and toes and roll over to your side body in a fetal position before finally making your way up into seated position.

And that about concludes the yoga practice. This sort of practice varies from teacher to teacher, and usually most teachers are happy and willing to provide variations for beginners.

With that explanation, I hope it gives you the general idea and the confidence for you to start your yoga practice.