Scooter Practice

We are going to travel to Lipari, part of the Aeolian Islands, off the coast of Sicily this fall. We are planning to use less rental cars and more trains, buses and boats to travel around the Mediterranean.  In keeping with this plan, Rick had a brilliant idea to rent scooters on Lipari. Since we have never ridden a scooter, we thought it would be a good idea to get some practice before we leave for our travels.

Enter "Little John", a scooter rental company on Bonaire.  They deliver a scooter and pick it up for only $25 a day! They gave us a quick, (less than 5 minutes) tutorial on the scooter and told us it was like riding a bike.

We decided to practice in the neighborhood before we tackled the main roads with traffic.  Rick is the braver one, so he took the first ride. he learned to negotiate turns which are not as easy as it looks.  He traveled to the paved roads, practice on a small roundabout, negotiated the potholes and  speed bumps (yes we have speed bumps called "dremples") and drove 40km/h on the straight aways.  

He got back to the house and tried to dismount. I heard him say "could I get a little help". I walked out to see him laying on the ground with his leg under the scooter. I didn't get a picture because I was concerned that he was hurt.  I picked up the scooter and  he got upright with no damaged parts. Thank goodness.

I was next.  Since I have short legs, Rick had to hold the scooter while I mounted. I started it, revved it a few times and took off.  I never got over 25km/h.  I was a grandma riding a scooter and I looked the part. I discovered that right hand turns are easier than left hand turns and traffic scares the shit out of me.   I tootled around the block a few times and decided that my first practice session went well.

I have a whole new appreciation for scooter riders on the island.  They used to be just an annoyance on the roads because they go slow and are difficult to pass in a car. Now I know that they are scared to death that a passing car will blow them off the road.