Selective Manners do not Maketh the Man

Young rubber plantations

We have cycled through hectares and hectares of palm oil and rubber plantations, while the sounds of chainsaws buzz in the background. I have no clear idea of what the terrain would have once been, the best indication being the elephant park we visited near Hua Hin.

 

Roadside beef

Domestic animals graze on the roadsides, lots of chooks but few ducks, and cattle. To date I have not seen any pigs but we are in a more Muslim area in the south of Thailand. Lots of dogs still, but most seem better behaved than those further north.

 

Schoolchildren emerge in the morning impeccably dressed in white shirts. However there still seems to be many kids who are not at school.

 

The king's birthday celebrated on December 5 has had a steady build up with flags along the side of the road, bunting and convoys of trucks blasting out the national anthem. Such is the daily life in rural Thailand.

 

However it is the range of approaches to civility and manners that I wish to explore in this post.

 

It is lovely to ride past a house and be greeted by smiling women and children yelling out "hello". There seems to. Be no end of sitting outside, no matter what the time of day, enjoying extended family time. Some households host a small store out front, or perhaps a small kitchen or juice stand.

 

Michael, Walli, Kendy and Marko

Drivers are courteous and I have not seen or heard one instance of aggression. A slight toot sometimes, to let us know they are behind.

 

And of course a considerable enjoyment on these long haul bike rides is interacting with people from across the globe who have come together to grunt, grind, glide or swoop up and down hills and along roads of dubious quality dodging all manner of obstacles. Of course we are part of the lunatic fringe. Not one of us can and should make a serious claim for normalcy. Bike riding and normalcy probably peter out round day 10. Professionals are in a different category altogether, but lunacy must rank high there too. Consider the personal risks of injecting substances, submitting to blood transfusions and so on and so forth.

It's a dog's life at the Thai Malaysia border

 

Some demographics. We are 36 riders, 5 TDA staff and 6 local staff and drivers. Of the riders, only 12 are women, 5 of whom are part of a couple. Canadians far outnumber the rest of the world at 16 strong. Four riders hail from Germany, 5 from the US, 4 from ANZ, 4 from the UK and a solitary Dane, Frenchman and South African.

 

Unfortunately, a significant minority of male riders practice selective manners. This is something I have not experienced before. Of course there has been the odd rude person in the past, but several is a bit hard to take. This is in contrast to the TDA staff who are polite, helpful and friendly. What a pity. I have never liked rudeness and on a long haul bike ride where it is sometimes necessary to rely upon the kindness of others, it is discouraging to feel not quite up to scratch.

 

Ralph cooling down after the ride into Malaysia

 

 

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