Born and bred on the island, Chutikarn ‘Karn’ Thanadechaparn recently launched the ‘Vintage Wheels’ tours through her ‘A Spirit of Phuket’ tour company. She currently offers three routes – two around the Old Town and one on Koh Sirae.
Having previously worked as a freelance tour guide, around four years ago Karn started her own company and began leading walking tours. But recently, she decided she wanted to do something a little different, and that’s when she came up with the idea of motorised bike tours.
Effectively a moped, the brightly-painted bikes are made from steel and have a fuel tank and 49cc engine. Though they look vintage, the bikes are actually newly made in a factory in Bangkok. Karn leases the bikes through her friend Ben, the sole distributor for them on the island.
The bikes have all the same parts as a regular bicycle, however once riders become tired they can flick the clutch on the left hand side and – at around 10-15 kmh – it goes into “automatic” mode.
The motorised bikes, which can reach a top speed of 49 kmh, are good for a number of reasons, Karn says.
To cover the areas she wanted to take visitors, it would be too far to travel by foot, but not far enough to justify a car. Also, “When you’re in a car you miss all the little things, like the smell of the area. I want tourists to smell the culture of our country,” she explains.
But unlike cycling tours in other places, where you often are led down back streets to escape the hustle and bustle of the city, Karn takes tourists straight into the thick of things.
“In Phuket Town, you’re riding in the action, you’re in the real situations, and the best thing is you’re with the locals.”
But being on main roads doesn’t mean dangerous riding – far from it.
Karn leads the tours on her own motorised bicycle, while following behind the group is Karn’s assistant Ooy, who rides behind on a motorbike to effectively block cars from getting too close.
Fast cars are not such a problem on the tour anyway – most slow down to a ridiculously low speed in order to check out these amazing modes of transport, not often seen on Phuket streets.
However, before you can even start you must first learn how to ride the bike, which is more difficult than it looks – you must pedal to reach a certain speed in order to flick over into “automatic” mode.
On a recent Saturday, after 30 minutes of practice riding around the Indy Market carpark, the starting point for tours, we are finally ready to roll. Wok ‘n Roll, to be exact, the name of the tour I was on.
Our first stop was Soi Romanee in Phuket Town, where Karn discusses some of the history of the historic street, which once housed Phuket’s most famous strip of brothels.
A fourth generation Phuketian, Karn’s great great grandfather was an immigrant from China, while her grandfather, Ong Gok Seng, worked in the then-booming tin mining industry as a clerk.
While much of the money earned by the tin mine labourers was sent directly back to their relatives in China, Karn’s grandfather was responsible for giving out “tokens” to the workers, who could then cash these in locally for things such as haircuts and snacks.
It was from him that Karn learned all she knows about the Old Town, stories which she enthusiastically relays to those who join her tours.
We next pedal to the I 46 Old Town cafe, housed in a traditional shophouse on Krabi Rd, and then it’s off to the local market to collect the ingredients for the main part of the tour – making our own Hokkien noodle dish.
Karn takes us through the various rows at the market as we collect everything we need to make the dish, explaining local food culture and happily answering questions.
We then make a short stop at the Chinese Jui Tui Shrine, on the corner of Ranong and Phuthon roads, before heading to Karn’s family home on the outskirts of the Old Town to start the cooking class.
This is where the tour really comes into its own – cruising down the quieter roads we finally get enough speed to turn the motors on, and then the fun really begins.
Before long we are at Karn’s house, where four of her younger relatives plus her mother are eager to meet us.
They are the perfect kitchen hands – immediately getting us cold glasses of cha manao (lime tea) that are sorely needed as the midday sun beats down.
We watch Karn make her family recipe for Hokkien noodles, then the rest of us take turns at the hot plate to create our own version of the dish.
She hosts the cooking class at her house because she believes it gives people a real insight into local Thai culture and food preparation.
As we sit around the communal table, joined by Karn’s family who also taste-test the meal, it is indeed the perfect end to a very interesting and local morning.
“I’m proud to show people my home town, it’s my playground,” Karn says. “It’s a passion beyond passion for me, it’s in my blood.
“People arrive on my tour as strangers, but leave as friends.”
Karn’s tours run regularly through the high and low season. The half day Wok ‘n Roll tour is priced at B2,900. Karn also offers two other cycling tours: Just Roll In is B1,600 and Wonderful Sirae B2,900.
For more information on Vintage Wheels tours, visit facebook.com/VintageWheels2012, or vintagewheels.in.th or contact Karn on aspiritofphuket@hotmail.com. View the promotional video at tinyurl.com/spiritofphuket