Mud, Motorbikes, and Mountains

ATV'ing is now officially checked off my bucket list! Last week we surprised my Dad for his birthday and spent a day driving giant four-wheeled motorbikes through the mountains of Thailand. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday!

Before we began our drive through the mountains, we were given a quick run-down on how to manage and maneuver an ATV (aka. what to do when you stall out). My Dad, who needed no practice, got on his bike and took off down the track. When he returned his legs were covered in mud. My Dad has the habit of not staying on the beaten path so I figured he had gone a little crazy and purposely driven into some mud.

Finally, it was my turn to take off down the practice track. On the first time around, I came over the top of a small hill and discovered that the whole track descended into mud. Not just mud but a slimy, orange lake of water. There was no stopping so I drove straight into the puddle and, with a splash, stalled out. This was going to be a fantastically muddy day.

Despite the giant mud puddles that smelled suspiciously of elephant pee and the fact that  the bike flung globs of mud into my face, the drive was absolutely stunning. The small trail wound around the mountains through fields and villages. About twenty minutes into the ride I was startled by a group of boys who emerged from the jungle. As I drove by they held out their hands which were full of huge, black Rhinoceros beetles!

After driving for about an hour and a half, we stopped the bikes at the top of a mountain to give our poor thumbs a break (constantly pushing on the acceleration is tiring for small hands!) 

While I can see the mountains on my way school everyday, it's easy to forget how beautiful the jungle of Thailand really is.

It started to sprinkle, so we got back on our bikes and started the slippery journey down (I opted for turning my bike off and just coasting through the mud). Soon, it was pouring so our guide stopped and gave us all purple rain ponchos =). Covered in mud, both over the ponchos and under them, we ended our day and returned home in the pouring rain.