Tire problems in Thailand

AWhile Ahmad Razlan Alias ​​​​(Lan) filled his tanks with our remaining reserves, I continued with the visual inspection of my Kawasaki Versys-X 250, as part of my pre-flight ritual, because sometimes I identify as a fighter pilot. Other times I am the Queen of England.

As my gloved left hand caressed the rear tire, it got caught on something. I looked closer and saw that a piece of industrial wire had become lodged near the sidewall.

“Ah, sheep…” I murmured quietly.

“Apache?“ (What’s going on?) asked Lan.

“I have a flat tire.” I looked at the tire to see if it had lost pressure overnight. It seemed fine. Next, I put some weight on it to see if I could drive it to the nearest tire shop in Koh Lanta for repairs.

“Sheep… I think I saw one near the hotel,” Lan said. Within five minutes we were in a bike shop and being served by Kim, a bike wizard in his early 20s.

“Aku kena tukar tiub ko. Harganya mungkin mahal sedikit“I need to change your hose. It might be expensive,” Kim said over Google Translate. I nodded and gave him a thumbs up. In the end, a new hose and labor cost me about 600 baht (RM77). I added an extra 100 baht just because he was efficient and thorough.

Well treated, we returned to the hotel to pack and set off for our trip to Aonang. The last two days had been relaxing, I was sufficiently rested and the relatively short drive to Aonang, 85 km away, went without any problems.

That evening we finally met up with our cycling partner Pravin Menon and his sister Sunitha at a cafe in downtown Aonang. Lan's wife Karlin Kayzee Khairudin decided to stay at the hotel. Over coffee and tea we told each other stories from our tours. While Pravin, Sunitha and Lan made plans for the next day's activities, I sipped my coffee in peace. Tramping through the jungle and hauling myself up a steep rock face is not exactly my idea of ​​a relaxing vacation.

“Send all the pictures,” I finally said.

After two nights in Aonang, we were ready to head home. The plan was to meet at the hotel where Lan and Karlin were staying at 9:30am and then head to a museum that had a Ling-Temco Vought A-7 Corsair II on display, which had served with the Royal Thai Navy. The “SLUF,” as it was affectionately known, was a medium fighter aircraft that was widely used by the US Air Force and Navy and had limited export success, with some examples being sold to Thailand and Greece, among other places.

We waited for Pravin and Sunitha to check in, but our messages remained unanswered. Finally, at 9:47 am, Pravin sent a short message: “I have a flat tire and am coming to your hotel.”

What he didn't tell us was that his rear tire had been blown to shreds. When things calmed down a bit after he found the nearest Vespa dealer in Aonang, he sent us a photo. On one side, the tire looked like it had been sprayed by a GAU-8, 30mm Avenger cannon from a Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II. It had been completely blown to shreds. The fact that Pravin managed to stay upright on the bike, with his sister on the back seat, was a testament to his riding skills. I know I would have eaten a mouthful of dirt if it had been me.

While the repair work was underway (he also had a problem with his fuel line, which was leaking), Lan, Karlin and I decided to head for Hatyai. We had 289.8km ahead of us, a grueling four-hour drive. Despite the crippling heat, I was adequately rested and alert the whole time. The ride along country roads was uneventful. Our rhythm was relaxed, our cadence leisurely. Traffic was minimal, but we were constantly on the lookout for threats, obstacles and dangers. At around 2pm, we stopped for lunch at Fatimah Halal Restaurant near Trang Station. The nasi goreng udang petai and sambal belacan were divine.

The closer we got to Hatyai, the more traffic there was. Downtown Hatyai was a mess of cars, motorbikes, trucks, people and tuk-tuks weaving through traffic and squeezing through impossible gaps and openings. I was constantly shaking my head. Here in Hatyai, at the Monkham Hotel, I met God face to face.

The article “Tire problems in Thailand” first appeared on Twentytwo13.