The answer is: everyone. Old ladies wearing flowery dresses and stockings ride them. Twelve year old kids in school uniforms ride them. Working girls in suits ride them. And yes, we ride them. Well, Matt drives, and I ride. Better that way.
Motorbikes are a way of life in Thailand...they are easier to come by than any other form of transportation. Some people wear helmets, some don't (we wear the full face mask kind. Clearly the safest). Some people drive fast (not many) and some people drive really really slow (we're in the middle somewhere).
But the best part about having a motorbike in Thailand is the freedom to see and do what you want to see and do, off the beaten path. Chiang Rai isn't a touristy area to begin with, but once you get out of town, it becomes a completely off the beaten path experience. Because of our glorious and strangely powerful 125 cc Honda Wave, we have seen a temple that is completely white, covered in glittering mirrors. We have been on mountain roads that look down on terraced rice paddies (and had to wait for a quite a while due to cow traffic). We have been tea-tasting in the high altitude town of Mae Salong, and climbed 718 steps to a Wat on a hill. We got to go to a 210 foot tall waterfall hidden in national park (the motorbike couldn't quite make the trail, but it almost got us there). We have seen many a misty mountain and thatch hut in the countryside, and dipped our feet in many hot springs.
All because of the Honda Wave. Being on the motorbike makes us feel almost Thai...that and going back to the same pork bun vendor every single day (they are so GOOD). The Thai people value freedom and happiness...exactly what we're getting in these green hills.
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Do I want to know what kind of a critter is on that skewer???
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