Biking in Bangkok

With time on my hands, I've been bicycling around Bangkok. It is not for the faint of heart.

Yesterday I had two collisions with cars. Both happened at very low speeds as I was weaving in and out of traffic on Sukhumvit Road. First, my handlebar scraped somebody's rear view mirror--no problem. Then, as I was darting into the space between two cars stuck in traffic, the rear car lurched forward and struck me with its bumper. It knocked me from high gear to low gear but I was unhurt so I kept on riding. The last thing I need is a shouting match with a motorist. I think it was my fault anyway.

On the way home a motorcyclist looked at me laughed and said, "You're a brave man, riding a bike!"

"Not really," I said.

"Hah!" he laughed. "It's good. You're a leader, setting an example for all of us!"

I don't see anybody following my example. It seems that in Thailand, bicycles are only for people too poor to afford a motorbike, and motorbikes are only for people too poor to afford a car.