Not Fake News. Urban Legends

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The day started badly – I toppled the scooter over trying to mount the dear wee thing.

It was a fine line I rode that day out of Thailand.

One slip on the trusty rented scooter, and it was all over bar the injuries. The following is how not to leave a country.

I’d made the dubious decision to ride the scooter from my base in Rayong, to return it in Pattaya the same morning I’d booked an afternoon flight from Bangkok to Da Nang.

It probably should have dawned on me during repeated suitcase weigh-ins that this was a risky venture. But no – I ploughed ahead even when it became obvious I would struggle to stay within the flight’s weight limit for the suitcase.?

The scales would show the bad news – 28.5 kgs, eep!? I’d attempt to trim the excess 3.5kgs, and out came the rice cooker, and re-weigh : 27.8kgs!?. Possibly the hotel scales were telling mincey pies.

Each trip meant hefting the suitcase down the hallway, on and off the lift, into the hotel restaurant, and onto the scales. Then reverse and repeat. It was an exhausting week.

After this regime, the start on the first leg of the trip boded ill.

The hotel staff had been watching this palaver the entire week, and so were watching with amused detachment as I strapped the 24.5kg suitcase

This is how not to travel out of a country.
Bike topples over.
Back goes out.