Quote: (10-29-2018 08:18 PM)pk9090 Wrote:
Do you advise riding scooter for someone with zero experience in it and with very little car driving experience in Europe?
Scooters are really easy to ride but I agree with the consensus that if you're going to do it I'd recommend doing it somewhere you can have "lessons" first and I'd certainly start with a gutless scooter and nothing powerful. If you can find someone out of town a bit with a car park to see how you go then that's a good spot. Me and some mates hired a bunch of scooters and the 3 guys who'd never ridden before had no issues in picking it up (Samui but same same) but we had the other 3 of us who were experienced motorbike riders to show them what they were doing and probably more importantly ride front and back to protect them from other vehicles (mostly themselves...).
Biggest issue from your situation is that your general driving awareness will be very low and scooters/bikes require heightened senses and awareness on the road. I actually think in many ways Asians are the best drivers as far as avoiding accidents with others but it's also completely lawless and takes some genuine adjusting to adapt to their "rules" of the road.
Whatever you do, don't drink and ride, I'd go as far as even advising not to jump on the back of scooters when drunk as I've seen a ton of people mess themselves up even doing that (just because you're the pillion doesn't mean you don't need to be aware and balanced).
It's a great way to get around the island if you're confident but realistically transport is cheap anyway. Even hiring cars is very affordable over there.
Finally, as has been advised, take pictures of the bike, especially any scratches/bumps/whatever, very common for you to bring it back and then they tell you that you did it and can cause a serious situation (either money or violence). Always expect a scam in Thailand/SEA, it very rarely is and it's generally a great and safe place, but if you're prepared for when it is then you're a step ahead of the game.
The other "scam" to watch out for is the money changers, more prevalent in Indonesia but still present in Thailand. If you do get money changed in any of the side alleys then always pick up the stack and count it then put it in your pocket and do this for each stack. They're wizards at counting it in front of you and swiping a note or three as they put it down.