Exploring Phuket: Thai Countryside by Motorbike

Most of the local Thai people travel primarily by motorbike. They are EVERYWHERE. At any given stoplight, there will be between 10 and 30 motorbikes. They all zoom to the front of the intersection, weaving in and around all of the cars and other vehicles. Some wear helmets and some don't, most are carrying groceries or other goods of some kind, and many will transport their kids and families on motorbikes. We saw many parents holding their kiddos as they drove, and several had the sidecars for kids and belongings as well. This seemed crazy and dangerous to us, but it's just their way of life.

After seeing the abundance of motorbikes in the area, Collin and Kevin were itching to try them. We visited our new friend Bau at the tour/excursion business down the street from our condo to check about renting scooters during our stay. When the boys inquired about scooters, they were told that they could ride all around our area but to be more careful around the major streets and intersections. We learned that Thailand has the highest death rate from motorcycle crashes in the entire world. I was understandably nervous, but they are adults and off they went!

Fast forward to a day later, the boys had been cruising all over the Phuket countryside near our condo with all kinds of amazing sights and explorations. After hearing about the sights and their adventures, Jeff and I agreed that it was something our entire family would enjoy. I was still SO nervous about riding the motorbike but even more to let the kids ride. I swallowed my fear and let the older boys drive the younger ones around, but not before we lectured them to be SAFE.

After a few quick rides to and from the nearby restaurant, Jeff and I agreed we were comfortable enough to venture out a little more on the scooters. We ended up riding around the Thai countryside in our area for HOURS and exploring so many amazing sights. My favorite was a nearby waterfall that we were able to climb because it was dry from the off season. So cool!

Collin was our family navigator for our motorbike adventures. He was using Google Maps to find nearby sights for us to explore, and we sure found some beautiful spots. The scenery was simply gorgeous, and we had a front row seat to all of it.

Even just seeing more of the local Phuket city sights was interesting. These are the areas that you don't normally see when you stay at a big resort, which has always been our norm.

Jeff and I felt like our Airbnb condo, in a more remote location that most resorts, as well as our mobility by motorbike really enabled us to see Phuket in a completely different way than most tourists. It all added up to a truly unique vacation experience.

Of course, there was one downside we discovered about seeing the Thai countryside by motorbike: the bad hair days. HA!