FREEDOM!

Freedom has never felt so sweet. I've owned a motorbike for about 2 months now, but I've only really started riding it around last week due to a number of issues including a bad battery and then a bad fuse. Now that it's running well and I'm feeling comfortable driving it, I've taken it to the streets!

Freedom has never felt so exhilarating! I only wish I could feel the wind whipping through my hair, but my helmet prevents that from happening. There's no way I'd ride without it though ... traffic is so crazy here. I feel like a maverick, the way I'm sometimes forced to weave in and around the other vehicles on the road. It's such a thrill! (sorry mom if this is terrifying you, but I ALWAYS wear a helmet and I am fairly cautious) My dad asked if I'd become a "Harley girl" when I get back. While I'm not 100% sure, I have added biking Route 1 along the Cali coast to my "Bucket List."

Where exactly has this new-found freedom taken me? Besides going to the market and back, my first 'real' road trip took me around the city on the inner and then outer ring roads. I basically circled the city on the major highways, stopping a few places along the way. The second trip took me to Airport Plaza Mall. This was a great experience for me because even though it's fairly close to my house, I happened to go during rush hour .... oh the weaving I did! The heavens opened and rain poured forth then on the way home. But I made it home safe, sound and slightly soaked (fortunately I had enough foresight to put my raincoat on before I left the mall).

My third trip Sunday was an all-day affair ... getting to Chiangmai Christian Fellowship (CCF), then lunch, then Chiang Mai Community Church (CMCC), then back home. Thankfully I have my dad's sense of direction and had no problem traveling through the city on my own. I will say that I decided to take what I think to be the most direct way home from CMCC. This took me up to Tha Pae Gate and around the moat to the Chaing Mai Gate before heading out of the city.

The plaza in front of Tha Pae Gate is one end of the "Walking Street" street market on Sunday nights, big tourist area ... the whole moat is a big tourist area. Anyway, when the coup first launched and there was some protesting at the North Gate, there were rumors that protests would spread to Tha Pae Gate/that there was a high possibility of protests taking place at Tha Pae Gate. Again, there's a really nice plaza area for demonstrators to gather at. As a result of these rumors/possibilities, there is now a strong military presence set up on one end of the plaza. We're talking a fairly strong presence ... probably 4-5 large military trucks and plenty of soldiers to keep the peace. Last week, the Walking Street market was cancelled, but this week I was surprised to see it back on! Sure, there were probably half the vendors in the plaza than there usually are, and the military presence was still strong, but it was business as usual! I think Walking Street's return has something to do with the fact that the curfew is now midnight-4am instead of 10pm-5am ... and I haven't heard of any more protests going on here since the first few days of the coup.

All this to say, life feels easier on a motorbike and I am so thankful for the freedom it allows me.

Also, I'm accepting suggestions for bike names...