Thursday, November 29, 2012

Going Riding Down to Katakolo

The first thing I saw was a flock of sheep in the road and they looked so cool.  I'm sorry I didn't get a picture but I had only been on the scooter for a few minutes and wasn't at all stable on it.  After finding my way around the sheep without me running into one of them or the other way around, I drove on down to Katakolo which is a couple of kilometers from here.

The ride was quite insane and I knew it would be as there is one ferocious wind blowing out there and bikes work like vans when there's a high wind:  they become sails.  Because of the small wheels, the scooter is kind of unstable anyway but the wind really made it delicious.  A sensible person would have turned around and waited for the winds to die down but you know me better than that.  Besides, you didn't tune in here for a weather report.

There was no particular reason for going to Katakolo so I took the camera to get some pictures.  It will look quite a bit different when the weather is better and there are cruise ships in port.  Vendors will set up all along the streets and there will be people all over the place.  When the port is empty, it's very quiet and everyone takes it easy.


This is a long-shot of Katakolo and it's misty because of the spray blown up by the wind.  There's no exaggeration on the wind as it really is blowing hard.


These appear to be fishing boats as you can see what looks like a net rolled up on the side.



Here are some more boats at Katakolo and you can see a marina in the background.  The cruise ships dock on the other side of the port but there were none here this morning.


It was quite an amusing ride as the scooter is the bar-none most unstable two-wheeler I ever rode but it's still a giggle to ride it.  You just need to follow the same rules as any other scoot:  don't do anything stupid and you probably won't get killed.

The things that make it unusual go like this:
  • You put your feet 'inside' rather than straddling the bike and that feels quite peculiar at first.  Well, it feels kind of girly is how it feels but, what the hell, that's how you ride it.
  • The automatic transmission makes take-offs very different from popping a clutch.  It kind of eases into motion rather than getting right down to it.
  • The tiny wheels (i.e. twelve-inches) don't give much stability and even Evel Knievel wouldn't think of leaning this one in a corner.  This aspect is a bit dodgy but see below.

Despite those liabilities, it's fun to ride and it's like I said up front:  stay cool and you probably won't get killed.

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