to always carry at least two driving licences , in different pockets . I actually had UK , Singapore and Australian ones with me at the time , all of which I could replace without too much trouble . The loss of any of them was no big deal .
The second thing I knew that he didn ’ t was that my Yamaha went like shit off a shovel if you caned it . Certainly way faster than the little two-stroke police crap heap leaning against the side of his tin and cardboard shelter under the highway .
I made a pretence of being flustered , looking for cash while at the same time edging closer to my bike , away from the little hut where he presumably stored all his “ fines ” in the box sitting under a plastic chair . He followed , berating me for being a horrid foreigner who had blatantly flouted the rules and deserved to go to jail at the very least — although he was willing , in just this one case , to take a penalty payment instead .
Still talking to him so it didn ’ t look too obvious , I sat on my bike , pressed the starter and just sped off , down the ( illegal right turn ) street all the other riders had taken , just to rub it in .
He was too gobsmacked to do anything , but I buzzed off sharpish anyway in case he was smart enough to get my number and radio his mates that a dangerous bandit was on the loose in the backstreets of Bangkok .
After about ten minutes of what magazine reviewers call ‘ spirited riding ’, and giving both brakes and throttle a good workout , I was feeling free and clear . No sirens , no gunshots , no chasing plod . The happy mood was reinforced by the feeling of my other licences as I patted my jacket pocket to check they were still there .
I carried on riding west , following the locals as before , and was eventually spat out of the Bangkok
mayhem with wallet , cash and now , only two licences intact . I stopped and treated myself to a plate of tasty chili fish and Singha beer as a reward for my successful escape from the slippery grip of the law .
I wonder what he did with my licence . Probably sold it to one of his mates for $ 25 . JT
TRAVERSE 88