And the Answer is...

Riding without a helmet!!

Brian was possibly one of the many helmetless riders to be ticketed that New Year's Day in what, I am guessing, was a holiday safety check (I escaped that hefty $6 fine, as I stayed in our bungalow, lost in a fevered delirium).


Here in Japan, neither of us would even think about getting on our mountain bikes without a helmet, and nor will we ride with un-helmeted friends. And so, the irony is not lost on us that we did not put helmets on our dense skulls the whole time we were motorbiking up to a 125km/h around Koh Chang.