While I was having my breakfast in Shimla, India, during my motorcycle trip, I heard Adam talking to Jamal about shipping their bikes to Nepal where they will start another trip in October, I didn’t pay attention to it until I am back to Doha, started thinking seriously to join another 2 weeks of another adventure, however I was scheduled to fly to Boston and join my group for the Qatar Leadership Center which was enrolled at for a year. During my 3 weeks trip to the US, I had a serious health condition, which was losing my voice completely! I was in the beginning joking about it with all as I sounded very funny, but it took me more than 6 weeks and my voice was still the same, sometimes it goes worse, and started hurting me whenever I spoke. I have seen many doctors in Qatar and had different opinions, I even lost couple of TV and Radio interviews opportunities because I was voiceless!
Getting fed up with the different opinions the doctors gave me, I remembered that my father and sister are in Thailand, I have immediately decided to fly to them and see a proper doctor. To me it was more exciting being in Bangkok with my father and sister than seeing a doctor. Although they have left just 3 days after my arrival, I have seen the doctor who was a young pretty Thai girl who told me what I had was way simpler than all the opinions I heard, I was given some pills to take for 3 days, and my voice was getting better and better. Yet I still chose to stay for 2 weeks in case if it gets worse. I didn’t even want to go back to Qatar for the Book review at QLC without my voice coming with me!
my dad on the first day of my arrival
The second week in Thailand was the most boring, I have spent the whole time by myself, walking around, eating, coffee and more eating. So I posted on Facebook if any Thai friends and any ride to do during my stay, and the response I got was pretty quick! A facebook friend who I never had a chance to chance not introduce myself to, asking for my number, that was Phill, who offered to drive to me next morning to talk about it. It was a great short drive to a mall for a quick bite and discuss the ride over a Japanese food.
To ride in Thailand in such a short notice, I needed a lot of equipment, gear, helmets, and most important the bike, which wasn’t available! Phill drove me to Held, and Touratech Thailand to get all needed gear for the next days ride, a helmet, a Held gear, backpack, boots, and even socks! The second part was to find the bike, which was a quick solution when someone bought a BMW F800 GS to rent it out to me, for 30,000 Bahts. I immediately loved the idea and offered to pay in cash for the Zero milage BMW. I wasn’t sure how safe this ride would be with people who I never met, it was another adventure just 2 months after my India trip, riding to top North with a group of 6 I found on Facebook. Phill sounded friendly and the rest of the guys too. There was one older Swiss man riding with us who didn’t talk much. The rest of the riders didn’t speak a word in English. All of them except Hans, the swiss rider were connected to radios and were following the route based on the command they getting from the leader.
the brand new bike which was bought for me to rent
The route was suggested by Phill to ride from Bangkok to a town located by the borders of Laos, that town was called Nan. Riding for 800 km to spend couple of days in Nan where there would be a gathering of 50 BMW bikes and some other adventure bikes.
The ride towards Nan was straight forward ride, no mud was involved, compared to Spiti Valley, riding in Thailand was a walk in Paradise, using highways, all tarmac roads and riding in group. The only issue I faced was all were connected to radios and I couldn’t hear whatever decision they made, therefore at more than once, they suddenly took the right turn and I continued straight! They were assuming I would hear the command “in Thai”! the stops were great with delicious Thai food, the amount of food we were eating was more than normal, it had to be breakfast, lunch and dinner. Most of the time I am talking to my phone, while eating, because no one really spoke English, and Hans wasn’t the type of a man who would talk much. I was semi-isolated except when I talk to Phill who spoke very well English.
Thai riders were on BMW GSA bikes, fully equipped, panniers, top box, antennas, stickers from all around the world, brand new shiny gear, Gopros on front and rear and Bluetooth radios! Normally those stickers must be bought from the country each rider has conquered, but they are using any sticker they get. They even gave me some to stick on my brand-new aluminum panniers! They were Held, Touratech and an MC sticker.
The hotel we stayed in Nan was very creative and designed to host motorcyclists, many of the European riders who cross to Laos stay there. The theme of the room was all based on motorcycles related, spare parts, wheels, etc. to me, I was amazed of how close my bike was parked next to the room, which I didn’t have to worry to move the stuff I put in my panniers. There was nothing much to see in Nan except short rides and eating spicy food, the moment we arrived, I checked in, had a quick shower and then we rode light to the town, parked near a local restaurant, and had the spiciest noodles ever. The Thai buddies were insisting more than me that all the food on the table contains no pork. It wasn’t like they would tell me that this plate had pork, as a way of respect they didn’t even order pork, they even struggled to find dishes with no pork. What shocked me more, that during the whole journey for the 3 days, they didn’t even have any alcohol, I know how it feels for a rider and a cold beer after a long hectic ride!
The next day we rode to a huge motorcycle gathering at a restaurant facing the river, riding through rice plants, smelling the humidity and feeling the breeze around felt great, the land was orangish/brownish muddy with a bit of gravel, it looked slippery but the grip was great. I could tell, at least there were 50 bikes, most of them were on BMWs. It was great looking at all those fully equipped bikes, top of the range, had extra features that you would see only in Thailand. Many of those riders I have seen their profiles on social media, some of them were pretty famous in motorcycling and were there with their selfie sticks walking around. Many of them added me on Facebook that night and had lots of talk about motorcycles, I was shocked back then to hear about Hans’s story who rode his bike from Switzerland to China, to me it was quite impressive that I wished to do one day. He was even on that bike with his Swiss plate and many talked about their adventures, some been to Laos, others to Tibet, and others in Latin America, I was even shy to talk about my little adventure in India.
There is a great love between Thai people and chili! Which I shouldn’t complain at all, as I am myself a chili lover, dinner was all spicy except the raw shrimps we had, that we had to dip into the spiciest Wasabi dip ever! I was even shy to ask for another portion, but luckily Phill felt it and ordered another, again no one ordered any alcohol, although everybody else was drinking, and no one has let me pay any bill including some fuel for my bike. That kind of hospitality you will always find in Thailand. The ride back was through the rice plants again, which I was looking forward, enjoying the cooler breeze and the wonderful strange smell that I went slower to enjoy it. After arriving back to the hotel, I chose to pack most of my stuff for the next day early ride back to Bangkok.
Raw shrimps
Next morning was the riding back journey, I woke up with full energy, except the, comparing how incredible I felt to India, when I had lots of skipping beats, I related that to my Garmin watch causing that, no one has believed me, but I have tried to put it on and off and noticed. Even the cardiology Doctor laughed at me when told him so. The moment I put the riding jacket on, I felt a pain on my neck, that pain reminded me of the barber when he shaves the little hair off my neck when I had hair back in the old days, felt like a deep scratch on my neck, that scratch that I used to get when I used to fight with my sister when we were kids. I tried to observe the pain but I just felt some pimples. I tried to find a small mirror to reflect on the bigger one and failed. I finally remembered that I can take a photo by my phone, which worked well, the result was horrifying though! They were lots of red pimples with huge white heads, they looked so disgusting and creepy! I have tried to ignore it but the gear was making it worse.
the annoying painful pimples I got on my neck
Along the whole ride I was thinking what it could be: Could it be the raw shrimps I had the day before? Is it related to my voice? Is it a scorpion bite? I kept asking myself all these questions until we got into a stop. I asked Phill to check it out, it could be something familiar in Thailand. He got disgusted himself and showed a funny facial expression not knowing what it could be. This has scared me a bit more. I remembered the Algerian guy who helps organizes appointments at hospitals in Thailand. Mainly he supports Arabs who are flying to Thailand for medical appointments. He was my father’s coordinator and luckily, I had him on WhatsApp. Texted him the photo, and he got disgusted himself too, promised to send it to the Doctor, and within 20 minutes he told me next morning at 8 is my appointment. This has reduced the amount of worrying and I concentrated more on my ride, following the Thai riders who promised to take me to a twisty road. That twisty was huge, more like a highway than small twisty roads I had in India.
Riding through the twisties we rode over a diesel spot and my bike has slipped really hard, and as usual unintentionally I put my right foot and managed to avoid a big crash. This is the most stupid move a rider can do, but sometimes you can’t think when you do so. I have parked the bike on the side and noticed everybody else did too to warn rest of the riders. We have arrived to Bangkok around 10 pm, getting ready to check in at the Marriot hotel for the next day appointment which worried me the most.
The Algerian coordinator had a great service to save the headache, he sent me a car with a driver, not just a driver, a Thai girl wearing Hijab and speaks fluent “Fus’ha” Arabic. That girl was supposed to be my translator, I didn’t need any assuming everybody speaks perfect English in Thailand. The moment I got into the Doctors office, he was waiting for me, with a small brochure about some insects! He didn’t even need to look at the pimples as he was pretty sure what it was. First question he asked me: did you walk near a rice plant? Yes, sir I did, answering him with confidence! He said this is what walked on your neck, he opened the brochure he had, and it was a tiny orange long insect that looked like a bug but with wings, huge horns and he said: you are lucky it didn’t bite you, it just walked on your neck and its body produces a burning acid, that acid caused you the pimples, you are lucky it didn’t walk on your face or eyes, it would be more serious! He prescribed some creams to apply daily for the next 3 months as it will take time to disappear. He pointed one more thing; this insect doesn’t attack Thai people! Always after westerners and foreigner’s blood!
the Algerian coordinator who welcomed me at the hospital and provided his services
this was the thing walked on my neck
By leaving the doctor’s office, I had my last task done in Thailand, and getting ready to fly back to Doha. The best part of that trip, that I got my voice back finally! I left not knowing how it got back, did I need another motorcycle ride? Did I need to meet a friend for a drink? Was it the poisonous insect from the rice plant? Was it the spicy raw shrimp? Or was it Thailand itself? I was pretty sure the doctor and hospital didn’t do much, as I didn’t take the pills at all. My voice got back and I sounded like someone who went to Thailand for a medical treatment and he got back cured and satisfied.
The random motorcycle trip got me deeper into adventure motorcycles, getting me more international rider, more finding myself, more skilled in riding and more in love with traveling on bikes, I was at the airport with a big smile and a red helmet inside its case thinking what I would do next, lots of dreams in my head, thinking I should plan another one soon, or I will either get older or just lose interest and look for another thing. I felt a journey of a paper plane, if I don’t go on it, I would lose my opportunity! This plane I would follow blindly, wherever it takes me I would accept to land on, even if it continued flying, this is my faith and journey, I would be on it rather than being the tree. That tree stayed for years, being fed few drops, growing slowly, but the inside of it wanting to crack its bark to fly away, but lots of restrictions stopping it, the gardener who wants all the trees to be growing slowly, being fed on an organized schedules, giving what the trees produces, taking what the gardener generously gives, I didn’t accept that position, the job I was doing and the cultural restriction that now allowing me to be that butterfly I have felt myself when I was on Dukhan road. This is the moment I should jump on the paper plane to find my path.