This is my new bicycle. My first real purchase here in Thailand. It cost me $52.70 and I threw in some extra cash for accessories to pump up its pimpin’ image. Like the bright halogen detachable headlight. The detachability means petty thieves can’t delight in an easy snatch of high tech hardware from oblivious tourist. So I take off the headlight from the handlebar, just like we used to take off the face of CD stereos in our car. I mainly got my bicycle for its matching red front basket. I can put a gang of cargo in there. Just the other day, I stuffed 12 huge bottles of high-dose Vitamin A to a local ethnic health department so that they can distribute these for their reproductive health program, specifically to give to postpartum women. They’re more at risk for Vitamin A deficiency (and likely to get things like nightblindness or bitot’s spot). These bottles should last about 5 months for the entire program. What I do plan to store on a regular basis in my front basket are rocks. I’ll throw them at those mangy dogs who think they have the right to scare the living crap out of me at night when I’m biking along the road, minding my own business. I might even chuck a few at these bandits who have recently been snatching purses and cell phones from foreigners here. That might teach them a lesson. I feel pretty safe at night though, biking home, however, especially since I’ve seen the Mae Sot police patrolling the main road. I wouldn’t if I were B------, however. Last week, someone threw a hand grenade at a B------ gas station. I don’t think anyone got hurt, though. I hear the B------ migrants get harassed, beat up at night so they avoid being out after dark. I was deciding if I should get a mountain bike with several gears or my shiny red “no gear” cruiser. I thought about it for a day, and I concluded that the front basket and backseat really would add to my happiness. The padded backseat is there to encourage people to visit me and be my passenger. Did I mention the bi-directional stainless steel bell for honking at cars that get really close? This generally happens when I’m biking the wrong way on the highway. But I only do that for a short stretch of the highway; otherwise I’ve got to bike almost all the way to the bridge into B---- where I can legally make a u-turn. I love bicycling to work every day, I love that this little beauty gets me to work every day, and since it’s getting hotter and hotter, I’m glad it takes little energy to pedal. Who needs the extra workout? I break out in a sweat just walking into the heat. That’s why I will go swimming at a private pool and pay the 75 cents entrance fee. I notice people glancing at my bicycle when I ride by. I like all the attention, but I’m thinking maybe they find my bicycle funny looking, a bit garish? It is really red with a white plastic wheel guard, with matching red & white pleather seats and it’s made in Thailand. Would this be the equivalent of riding in a bright orange Dodge Neon in the US?
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