Go Karting

There are two Go Kart tracks here in Phuket. During the Grumpy Old Men car rally (previous post) we used the track in Kathu for our driving skills testing of the participants. Now I will find myself behind the wheel of a Go Kart in about 2 weeks at the track Chalong, closer to my home.

It never started out to be that way. At a meeting of the Tourist Police Volunteers,
we talked about the event on August 28th, hosted by the Lions Club of Patong Beach. The Lions Club a few months ago, in conjunction with an optical company went to a school in Kathu and facilitated eye testing. At the end of the day, over 150 kids needed some form of corrective lenses. And in the area they live, getting eye glasses is something that take a long time for a family to try and get the money together for, if ever. At the same time, these kids are trying to go to school and having difficulty, being able to read, with these vision issues. So the Lions club got the testing done and then of course, then came the part about eyeglasses. The number is large, and the great work the Lions do here for lots of communities, can be a strain. So they came up with the idea of a Go Kart Championship.

So I polled the members to try and get a 5 man team together, and could muster 4 positive participants, and three reluctant. I looked out to the eyes watching me and there was Clive with his direct stare and mouthing the words "you should do it". Now I admit the idea and cause appealed to me. Plus I have never been in a Go Kart before. But I was reluctant. Some old superstitions about tempting fate. You see, my mom went to visit one of my brothers in early June. What was to be a 10 visit turned into 8 weeks, with 7 of those weeks in hospital with two broken wrists, having had a bad fall, less than 24 hours into her visit. She is headed home and I had talked with Clive and it was decided I would make a trip back to Canada on August 30th. I would spend some time with mom, hopefully help her with the transport for physio and other errands and chores. So in the back of my head, was a little voice saying, that I probably should not do the Go Karts because I could easily have an accident and get my own bones broken, less than 48 hours before I am to undertake a marathon flight. But in the interest of not letting this initiative fade, I said okay, I would go, and would step aside for anyone else who decided they wanted to drive and I would become the team manager. Well the entry form and fee's had to be done and by filing time,, no one has come forward, so it looks like I will tempt the fates.

My trip back to Canada is not the most speedy. I leave here at midnight, and fly to Taipei, arriving at 630AM;  14 hours layover in Taipei;  12 hours to Vancouver; 13 hour layover;   2 hour flight and then a 3 hour drive to get to my mom's. So I am hoping that my Go Kart race is uneventful from a bodily harm perspective. It may otherwise be a long and sore trip.