BestYOULife
  • Welcome
  • About
    • Contact
  • What's Possible?
    • Reviews
  • Blog
  • About Yoga
    • Sivananda Yoga
    • Yin Yoga
    • Yoga Resources
  • About Ayurveda
    • Ayurveda, Diet, and Yoga
    • Ayurveda Resources

WEEK EIGHT - FUN WITH CAUTION

7/17/2016

 
Picture
Motorbikes are everywhere in Chiang Mai!  I've never seen so many on a regular basis as I see here.  What's interesting to me is that young and old, male and female and even whole families ride on these motorbikes, as they are commonly called here.  There are rental shops for the bikes on every block, and usually more than one.  Many also purchase motorbikes, if they are locals or planning to live here for an extended stay.

I've found it fun to watch with wonder the people as they are darting in and out of traffic, and seemingly fearless as they do so.  Many of the drivers are tourists, and I'm guessing that many are not familiar with Chiang Mai roads.  Yet, most of the motorbike drivers navigate around the city, using the bikes as their main means of transportation.  It's quite a scene to behold.

Being that I've been mostly a day time observer of the drivers, and while I've noted huge numbers of bikes on the roads as nighttime draws nearer, I was falsely lulled into a view that the whole scene was quite fun and safe.  

I've not witnessed or even heard sirens from one accident in the 2 months I've been here.  In Chicago, fender benders and full out accidents were a daily occurrence.  Sirens were part of the usual din of the city.  Thus my assumption was that while the roads look really chaotic here, and the traffic at times is extremely congested, somehow people managed to safely drive from place to place and have fun while doing so.

I usually take the hotel shuttle, Songtaews  (red trucks with bench seating for about 10 at a time) or Tuk Tuks (open air seating for 2-3 people vehicles with drivers), and I decided to inquire about the number of accidents.  While not having an in-depth conversation, due to language barriers, the two drivers I asked said that there were many accidents when I asked if there were any accidents in Chiang Mai since I'd not seen any.

Doing some online research, I discovered that the statistics are pretty grim and there are many accidents and many deaths each year.  There is a festival in April where the accident and death count is particularly high, especially in Chiang Mai, but all year accidents are a problem.

In a recent article in the Bangkok Post, a respected news source in Thailand,  World Health Organization (WHO) is quoted as stating that 24,000 people die each year in traffic accidents in Thailand.   80.67% of the accidents were motorcycles and Thailand is ranked 2nd in the world for traffic fatalities in terms of per capita deaths, according to WHO.  Libya is #1.

While burying my head in the sand is not what I'm advocating, I really preferred having less information in this case.  While riding in my relatively safe vehicles, it has been a favorite past time of mine to watch all the motorbikes and the people driving them.  They usually make me smile and often are a funny sight, causing me to laugh.  I now will pray for them that they stay safe, in order that they can have another fun drive on another day.

Namaste,
Sending You Love from Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Thank you for taking this journey with me! 

If you haven't signed up for the blog post updates, please do.
I also welcome you to leave a comment below or post one on my BestYOU facebook page.
Sharing your thoughts is a gift to all of us!

Comments are closed.
    Picture

    Here I am Life!
    I'm living out loud and sending up a flare.

    Join me in creating  the possibility of a happy, healthy and loving world.
       


    Archives

    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

©2020 BestYOU, Mary Roberts. All rights reserved. All content is the sole property of BestYOU, not to be reproduced without written permission.
Photos used under Creative Commons from emmadiscovery, Phú Thịnh Co, mikecogh, wuestenigel, emily @ go haus go, lisaclarke, emily @ go haus go, anokarina, jasoneppink, mealmakeovermoms, pinboke_planet, JoanDragonfly, theritters, wuestenigel, YourCastlesDecor, quarxdmz, symphony of love, ramesh Iyanswamy, Ryan Dickey, Tax Credits, cursedthing, Five Furlongs, JD Hancock
  • Welcome
  • About
    • Contact
  • What's Possible?
    • Reviews
  • Blog
  • About Yoga
    • Sivananda Yoga
    • Yin Yoga
    • Yoga Resources
  • About Ayurveda
    • Ayurveda, Diet, and Yoga
    • Ayurveda Resources