Six days ago I got back on a motorbike – my first time in Bali. But this time I wasn’t the one driving. I just held on to the back and trusted a completely unknown driver. Already in the first hundred meters I felt that this journey would not only take me forward on the island, but also towards a completely new experience.
I called a motorbike taxi with Grab because I thought it was the cleanest and easiest solution. Well… that day this theory was pretty spectacularly overturned.
The crazy traffic on Koh Samui is a calm summer walk compared to the crazy traffic here!
I live on a one-way street. Since I’ve been living here, they’ve been constantly renovating it: they’re currently building a curb, and at dawn they’re secretly paving it. The road is quite narrow – in my experience, it’s comfortable for a car, but nothing more.
So it’s hard to imagine that you can overtake a car on a motorbike. But – believe me – it’s possible. I’ve seen them try it from both sides at once.
The fact that the driver himself asked me if I needed a helmet was a warning sign. It was a question worth considering, but I didn’t hesitate: I snapped it on. During the trip, I thought about it several times, how much it would help me if I fell from the back of the motorbike onto my back… but let’s leave that for now.
I had to realize from the moment we set off that the definition of “close” in this traffic is being rewritten. We almost got into the car in front of us with the initial momentum. Of course, it could be that I was the only one who experienced it this way. But I’m not kidding when I say: there was no more than an inch between the motorbike’s wheel and the car’s bumper.
The traffic here is very intense. I think it was a good decision that for the first time I wasn’t driving, but rather behind a motorbike taxi driver. For the price of the round trip, I could have rented my own motorbike for a day. But that will be the next time.
I enjoyed the whole trip, but it occurred to me many times that this form of transport is not for everyone. It requires a little bit of worry-free acceptance that I am entrusting my life to an unknown person who – from who knows what routine – will guide me through the chaos.
Sometimes the motorbike would get so stuck that if I didn’t hold on, the momentum of the start would just leave me there.
There was a corner where I counted ten motorbikes ahead of us. And the driver started to accelerate. And I thought: “No normal person overtakes here.”
We do.
The fact that we had to quickly pull back into our own lane several times on the main road after overtaking at the end line is, in my opinion, basic here.
The sharp turns in front of us, which lack even the basics of traffic rules, probably only seem natural because they keep our reflexes constantly awake.
There was a time when we went down from the unpaved road to the rocky, potholed shoulder to overtake, then, avoiding the stairs at the last moment, we forced ourselves back onto the road.
In the meantime, it was getting dark, which brought another game of attention: many motorcyclists do not use lights. Or their lights are just not good. When they come in front, the next level in this traffic fun arrives.
I think that both the driver and the passenger need presence of mind. The driver probably wants to get you to your destination alive – this is completely in line with my goal. But I need presence of mind because, although I am just as helpless as in a car, here I feel the consequences of a possible mistake much more directly.
The journey – despite the fact that we only covered ten kilometers – took almost 45 minutes. It must have been tiring for the driver. I assume that it was for me too, even though I was just sitting.
Despite all this, I enjoyed the trip. Just like when I was driving a few weeks ago.
This was the first time I had a helmet on my head that had a plexiglass face shield. I tried it and liked it. But the fresh air is much better than the version that matured under plastic.
The salary
When we left, the driver said that I would give him a nice tip. This was not strange to me, because I had read that they expect to supplement the salary here. An average of 7% is worth counting on for this.
I think he was in a hurry because he thought that the tip would be bigger. I – honestly – did not encourage him to hurry at all. We left 45 minutes before my program, and I calculated that I would have about half an hour to walk before the program. I imagined this based on the distance, of course.
The traffic then shaped the idea so that I arrived at the venue exactly at the announced time. What would have happened if the driver had not been in a hurry?…
Before arriving, our trip was nicely framed, because the good man again asked me to give him a nice tip.
But this did cause me some headaches. The trip was 48,000 rupees. That is not 1,000 forints. I prepared 13,000 rupees during the trip, which is more than 25%, but only 260 forints in value. I also thought it was a bit funny that I was returning the 3,000 rupees that the laundry man gave me after the laundry, after they had searched the house for 5 minutes for this huge amount.
The driver must have found the amount funny too, because he laughed, but then said it was okay.
What would be the correct procedure? Should I double the cost of the ride by giving a reasonable amount? I don’t know… I hope this issue will be resolved…
On the way home
Dinner was in a suburban area, behind a section of paved road with a twist. Think of it as a section that felt like a moon, crossing it felt a bit like I was at sea, it was so bumpy.
After dinner, I called a motorbike taxi. I got a response saying it would be here in 3 minutes, and then I saw the motorbike approaching, it was only a few blocks away.
Then I immediately got a message that the driver had canceled the ride. He obviously didn’t want to make any noise… I got a message that they could pick me up a little further inland due to an impassable section of road.
So I walked out of that section of road. Of course, about 10 taxi drivers offered their services, but based on my previous experiences, I insisted on Grab.
I stopped in front of a small shop and called the third vehicle. It arrived two minutes later. This driver didn’t even wait for the end of the trip and laughed. Because 4 minutes before, he had also shouted at me to take me, but I refused. But – officially – he took me anyway.
The truth is that we laughed together about it. I told him that there were too many scams, so I only travel with a vehicle ordered through the app.
On the way home, of course, there was less traffic, there was not so much excitement.
When we stopped, the anticipation was palpable!
I didn’t have much choice. The smallest money I had was 20,000 rupees, which is 400 forints. I tipped him that much, but it’s already close to 50%.
This tip is a tough nut to crack!
Summary
Motorcycling is good!
So is motorcycle taxiing.
But I’m sure it’s not for everyone.
Religious people should pray before they set off. Non-believers but worried people should call a car.
The rest of you should try this, hold on tight and trust the driver, and the drivers of a thousand other vehicles in traffic.
And while you’re driving, calculate the amount of the tip!
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