In 2019, I bought an Africa Twin.
By November 2025, the mileage was still below 15,000 km.

In the last two years,
I rode it maybe eight times only.
Mostly home to office. Office to town.
Sometimes I was so lazy I even asked Big Wing to ride it for service.

Then I posted something reflective about 人生无常.
Ben Teo invited me to join a ride.
I said yes without thinking too much.

Before the ride, friends kept asking whether I would really show up.
In the past, I had cancelled at the last minute more than once.

This time, I showed up.

Floods changed our plan to ride to Hatyai.
We skipped it and rode straight to Prachuap.
About 800 km in one day.

Near Hatyai, I saw a trailer submerged in a river.
That was when I realised this would not be an ordinary trip.

The next morning, my bike would not start. The battery had failed.
Fortunately, I replaced it in Bangkok.
Unfortunately, Bangkok traffic almost finished me first.

Bangkok to Nan was mostly highway.
Very long. Very boring.

I rode alone most of the time because I was the slowest.
On a Honda among BMWs, I disappeared very quickly.

Then came Laos. Gravel, mud, and constant bumps.
On one short muddy stretch, I fell four times.
By the fourth fall, I had no dignity left. A fellow rider rescued me.

Sapa was beautiful, but unforgiving.
Fog, cold air, narrow roads, steep drops.

Night riding into Hanoi reminded me that my eyesight is not very good in the dark.
When I reached the hotel, I was not happy. I was relieved.

On the ride back, something shifted.

I stopped trying to keep up.
I stopped pretending I was not slow.
I rode alone. At my own pace.

By the time I reached Bangkok, I learned something.

Being afraid does not mean you should not go.
It simply means you go more slowly, more humbly, and you still come home.

That is enough.

Grateful to Ben Teo for organising the ride and to all the riders for the support, patience, and laughter.