In Asian countries the sheer volume of scooters never fails to fascinate me.
A recent trip to Malaysia was no exception and provided many opportunities for people-watching those on two motorised wheels.
Young guys hooned past with tough-guy stickers on the exhaust covers, their girlfriends clinging tightly to their waists. Workers puttered sedately to and from their jobs. Young women in headscarves and flowing saris beetled by on their errands.
A Penang taxi driver told me scooters are by far and away the cheapest form of transport. New, they cost about 5000 Malaysian ringitt ($NZ2200), while the cheapest new car is 25,000 Malaysian ringitt ($NZ11,000).
"They are compulsory. Every household has one,'' he says, matter-of-factly.
It makes sense, really, as this is a country where parking on the already crowded, narrow roads is relegated to corners, or indeed the middle of the street. Scooters simply meander around the obstacles, weaving in and out of people crossing the road without the slightest consternation.
Try doing that without causing an accident in a bulky SUV or bulbous people-mover.
Scooters also seem to have road rules equal to cars and riders happily cruise along the highways three or four abreast. No shrinking to the side for these moped madmen as they weave daredevil routes through the traffic, speeding deftly between buses, with little inclination for left or right indication.
The ability to load up a small motorbike with goods is not solely a Malaysian talent - I've seen similar stacking in Thailand and Singapore - but it's always impressive. A few standouts were a driver balancing four large gas cylinders on a tray, and dozens of egg trays piled high behind another. Or, my favourite, families transporting mum, dad and two children, with the youngest often perched in front, tiny feet braced against the front wheelguards.
One new scooter spectacle I hadn't witnessed elsewhere in Asia was drivers wearing their thin jackets back to front. After my first sighting I assumed the rider had got dressed in the dark or was perhaps returning from a big night at the local karaoke bar, but spotting many others with a similar get-up, prompted me to ask my knowledgeable taxi driver.
The backwards garb is worn to protect their arms from sunburn - wearing them around the other way is too hot, apparently.
Go figure.
Catherine Pattison
Motoring reporter
Drivesouth
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