Evading collisions.  Dodging potholes. Plowing through dust clouds. 

Early Sunday morning, I zip along the city and countryside roads on my way to church. The 35-minute journey on my midnight blue motor scooter, the Honda Scoopy, is a long and challenging one but the 2-hour worship service and lunch afterwards with my newfound brothers and sisters in Christ is the reward.  And what a joyful reward it is! 

Finally, I am able to get around on my own without depending on Modester, my Malawi neighbor and colleague, to haul me around on the back of her motorbike.

The Search for Transportation

There are so many bike shops and big dealerships throughout the city of Vientiane. Which one is the best? Which has the biggest selection? What brand should I get? What kind of price am I looking at?

When taking on such a purchase venture, it’s always best to have a local. Not only that but foreigners are not able to buy vehicles on their own. The license and ownership documents must list a Laos person. Among the Suntisouk Language and Vocational Center staff, the one who is my go-to guy is Khamxay (pronounced kahm-tsigh).

This able young man is always the one in the Center to do all the foreign teachers’ needs: registering us for employment, helping to process our visas, assisting in opening our new bank accounts, copying any classroom materials we might need, creating fliers for special Center events, advertising us on Facebook to increase notoriety, collecting fees from students . . .

Khamxay is a whiz at doing anything, and I soon found out this also proved to include motorbike shopping.

A 5-hour Adventure

We left at 9:30 a.m., with Khamxay hauling me around the city on the back of his scooter. We visited 4 different motorbike shops and ended up at one which was located along the roadside going out of town. Khamxay mentioned this particular vehicle distributor he had bought his bike from a few years ago and another Center staff member as well. The selection was one of the best I’d seen from the previous three, with various colors available in the automatic, which is what I preferred. Naturally, the automatic transmission scooter is the higher priced one but it is the easiest to ride and most practical for me, being not too manually savvy when it comes driving a motor scooter.

There were numerous options (Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Italian Vespa, UK’s Kymco) and sizes but the top pick for me was the Honda Scoopy. 

Next was the color.

One would think choosing a color wouldn’t be a huge decision but for me, it was. I had at first wanted a flashy red but upon inspection, I noticed every dirt speck and accidental brush-up brought streaks of dirty black on the glossy finish. The entire lifetime of the vehicle, I’d be spending fretting and fussing over rubbing out every mark I’d see. (Notice in the below picture, I’m already eyeing one of those smudge-marks which is giving me reservations about buying this one.)

Khamxay recommended the midnight blue, which I agreed was a perfect look for me.  I selected the matte finish rather than the glossy, just because it was more to my liking. As you can see, I’m a happy girl!

Interesting Purchasing Details

Freebies:  I received a free helmet and windbreaker after handing over my $2,400 USD to the seller and his assistant. Khamxay recommended I put on the windbreaker ASAP, even though it was 92 degrees outside. I obliged, as seen in the photo with Khamxay.

Battery Connection: To drive it off the lot, the battery had to first be connected.

Gas: Of course, I needed some gas. The assistant was to fill me with 1 Pepsi-sized bottle of gas, just enough to get me to the nearest gas station. However, because of my great enthusiasm with our picture together, not to mention my hundreds of thank yous, I was given 2 bottles instead of one. 

Motorbike License: Khamxay had already copied his ID card and filled out the necessary forms for the bike to be registered under his name. (As mentioned before, foreigners can’t buy vehicles but we can drive them or easily rent them.). The license plate takes 2 months, which the shop processes with the city government using Khamxay’s documents. In the meantime, I carry a paper with me that shows the vehicle has been purchased and is not stolen.

Driver’s License:  I have an international license which I applied for in America for $20. Accompanied with my USA driver’s license (the two must be shown together), Khamxay was able to apply for a Laos license for me. In fact, he’ll be picking that up for me this coming Monday.

Week 2 of Honda Scoopy-ing

I haven’t minded at all walking the 25-minutes to the Center, or the 5 minutes to the little area stores I enjoy patronizing, or the open-air market to buy my vegetables and meat. But I must say it is quite exciting to cruise along with the locals on my Honda Scoopy, merging carefully into traffic-filled roads and joining fellow bikers on their travels to and from home or work.  There is a great sense of freedom and being one with the Laos commuters. With my helmet on, I become an indistinguishable entity, no longer clearly visible as the foreigner. I’m one of the crowd.

Just one of many steps in settling into a new overseas home. Let’s hope it continues!