Behind the Scenes # 9 – Dangerous Roads

Who would’ve ever thought I’d end up shivering on my scooter, fleeing for my life in Thailand? A police chase? A herd of savage wild dogs? Notorious robbers? Or something far more dangerous… 🚨⚠️🚨

The day starts well — okay… maybe the heat could’ve dialed it down a bit. Sweat runs down my back while I wait with my scooter at the traffic light. Luckily, I have my wide, elephant-style T-shirt on — nice and airy. And honestly, I shouldn’t complain, because one of my favorite holiday activities is on the schedule: scooting through the mountains with several beautiful Buddhist temples to visit.

Exploring the first beautiful Buddhist temple, I almost made a rookie mistake. Where is my sharpness? This isn’t my first rodeo. I just can’t resist — buying way too many souvenirs. My own body weight is enough to close the under-seat storage. Luckily, my diet doesn’t start until January 1st.

We continue our tour. The sun is shining, and everything feels peaceful. Reaching Nirvana can’t be that far away, right? Suddenly, I see something completely unexpected. I start doubting whether the sun is making me hallucinate. Did I seriously see a guy on a scooter wearing a winter coat in Thailand? Is this guy completely insane? And how is it even possible to buy a winter coat here???

The higher we climb into the mountains, the clearer it becomes… Suddenly, we are the only ones without jackets — freezing. The jungle roads are primarily covered in shade, with just a few hopeful sunbeams breaking through. Turning back without finishing the tour? Impossible. Ever since I was four, my dad has been bragging that he skated the Elfstedentocht. Besides, I’ve been living in Finland for almost four years; I’ve had worse. Hoping to stumble upon a sauna at any moment, I tell myself, “Come on, Viking, keep going.”

My elephant T-shirt slowly transforms into a mammoth, and icicles hang from my… We keep going, because we all know the persistent win. (Is that an official Dutch quote?) But we survived it, and instead of earning a medal, we ended up visiting some incredible temples. And one thing becomes very clear: never underestimate Mother Nature.