Riding Motorbikes in Thailand

Most Thai people ride motorbikes, so why shouldn't you when you are visiting Thailand?

On our recent trip to Thailand, one of the first sights that amazed us was how many motorbikes are on the roads. And everyone rides them, young people, old people, even infants (of course a parent is holding the small child). Thailand even has motorbike taxis. The advantage of riding motorbikes in Thailand, especially in Bangkok, is that they are easy to maneuver through traffic, they get better gas mileage versus a car and they are less expensive than owning or purchasing car.

We never rented or rode motorbikes in Bangkok, Thailand because it was too overwhelming for us and because taxi rides were very cheap. But while we stayed two nights on the Island of Koh Chang, Thailand we rented motorbikes and it was a total blast. This is a fun thing to do in Thailand and you should not pass it up. Driving around the island with the wind at our backs was refreshing to say the least. We were able to explore more of the Island at our own pace and on own time schedule.

This was my first experience driving a motorbike all by myself. And let me tell you it was a bit scary, but also very exhilarating. Keep in mind when you are driving in Thailand they drive on the left hand side of the road and when you go to make a right hand turn it all feels a little backwards. The traffic is outrageous; you constantly have to be driving defensively.

Another place we rented motorbikes in Thailand was Ayutthaya. This was a great choice for transportation around the city and for sightseeing quickly from ruin to ruin. Thankfully in this city I did not have to drive. I rode on the back with my husband. Ayutthaya is a more populated area than the Island of Koh Chang and the driving was a bit tenser.

On a trip to Rome and few years ago we debated on renting motorbikes and we decided not to. We look back and kick ourselves for making that decision. I am so glad we did not pass up renting motorbikes in Thailand; it is one of my top ten memories of the trip.