Dedicated Yoga Students...

My good old friends: J, Kelly and Emily and I decided to try our luck at the local yoga studio yesterday. The first class was free in hopes that we would be lured into a monthly membership, but after my experience with Mama, I was a bit hesitant with Thailand yoga! The time had come for us to make the trek across the super freeway and down the back road to class, so we piled on our bikes and set off in the pouring down rain. Yes, it was a total monsoon outside because it is rainy season here in the north. However, we were not going to let that stop us, so I put on my trusty poncho and started peddling.

I have a pink poncho to match my pink bike, J has a blue poncho to match her blue bike and Kelly has a red poncho to match her red bike because we are just that ridiculous here. It is so much fun to make a spectacle of yourself in Thailand being that everyone is constantly pointing and starring anyway, so we figure that we might as well really give them something to talk about! Emily just joined the bicycle gang with her black bike and green poncho. We have not had time to convert her to our cheesy ways just yet, but not to worry as it is only a matter of time before she is riding around, dinging her bell and matching her clothes to her bike. Otherwise, we might have to kick her out of our incredibly bad ass gang!

After sitting in the down poor at the longest light in Thailand it was time to make our way across the super freeway and over to the less traveled back road. This freeway has 5 lanes going in each direction. The road has two lanes that are separated from 3 lanes by a median and then the same set up going the opposite direction, so it is not really ideal for riding a cheap bike on. I was in the lead and was peddling as fast as possible with the rain pelting me in the face trying to get us across this massive freeway. The rain in my eyes was not making it easy for me to see and I began to wonder what the hell I was doing riding my crappy bike down a freeway in Thailand in a monsoon just to go to what I knew was going to be a less than satisfying yoga class and that is when I went from upright and dry under my poncho to floating waste deep in dirty freeway water!

I had seen an opening in the median that would allow us to cruise over to the far left side of the road and make our way onto the back road, so I decided to cut over and peddle through what I thought was a puddle. Come to find out the puddle was actually a gigantic concrete hole in the middle of the freeway that was spilling over with rain water. My front tire hit the hole and down I went sinking into this lake of dirty water with my pink bike. The back of my poncho was wrapped around the seat, so when I attempted to dismount I was quickly pulled back down. At this point I was going down with the ship and there was nothing I could do, but laugh at this absurd scene. The rest of the bike crew stood there looking at me and the mess I had peddled myself into while trying not to laugh at the stupid farang in her pink poncho, stuck to her pink bike in a big old cement hole on the side of the super freeway in Thailand during a monsoon.

J rushed up to the edge of the hole and through her laughter managed to extend her hand for me to grab a hold of in an solid attempt to pull me out. We were both laughing so hard at this point that we could barely breath, not to mention my foot was stuck in a sand pit that was creating the floor of this freeway pond. The first attempt at my rescue was unsuccessful; however, extremely funny. I was definitely ready to get out of this pool by now, so I wiggled my foot free and crawled up onto the road. The poor bike was just floating on its side, so I reached in and pulled it to shore. While I was barreled over in laughter and pain I was contemplating whether to forge ahead or head home to nurse my wounded leg. I decided that unless I wanted my fall into that stupid hole to be in vain; I would have to continue on to our yoga class and simply ignore my throbbing leg!

Before we took off I checked my belongings to make sure that I had everything. This is when I realized that my bike lock was no longer in my basket, so I headed over to the hole and yup I fell right back into it again. The hole had once again disguised itself as a puddle and I some how managed to walk right back into the same trap. Now I was flailing around trying to get back to solid ground screaming: "what the hell am I doing right now"! I once again crawled out and was ready to abandon the $2 bike lock. I jumped on my bike and off we headed. It was time to go sit through a Thailand yoga class in my dirty wet yoga pants with a bum leg.

The rest of the trip was pretty uneventful with the exception of J cackling the entire way there at my hole plummeting experience. Sure enough the yoga was not the best, but it was a definite step up from the Mama experience. This girl did not really know what she was doing, but at least she was not yelling out the window and stomping around in jingle bell anklets the entire time. The hour passed, the rain stopped and it was time to go home. The return trip went smoothly and we all vowed to think twice next time before heading out in a monsoon for a yoga class!

Namaste!