Singaporean speaks of charms of riding
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The team from BMW Motorrad Singapore takes a group photograph at the port city of Busan, Aug. 31, before embarking on a motorcycling trip. / Courtesy of Korea Tourism Organization
Anthony Chaw
By Kim Bo-eun
“Riding in Singapore, one mostly sees cityscapes,” said Anthony Chaw, 44, a Singaporian bike rider and manager of BMW Motorrad’s Singapore office. Motorrad is the German carmaker’s motorcycle manufacturing unit.
“I liked Korea’s smaller roads along the countryside with less traffic, especially winding roads ― riding trips here offer an experience I wouldn’t be able to enjoy in Singapore,” he said in an interview in Seoul, Wednesday.
Chaw came here on Aug. 31 with 18 of his clients and fellow riders for a biking tour arranged by the Korea Tourism Organization.
In Singapore, Chaw often goes riding with his clients, and they cross the border into Malaysia and southern Thailand for longer roads and better scenery.
“But I felt it was time for my clients to grow; to take on a greater adventure ― and Korea was our first destination.”
The team shipped their motorcycles to Busan Port, and picked them up there. During the nine-day trip, the team rode from Busan to the historical site-filled Gyeongju, the northern mountain resort of PyeongChang and the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) between North and South Koreas.
“The mountainous roads around Gyeongju were amazing,” Chaw said.
Traveling alone, it would be impossible for foreigners to communicate with locals, he said.
Chaw said, however, it was a pity they had to skip Andong Hahoe Folk Village, a listed UNESCO World Heritage Site, due to their delayed schedule because of two days of heavy rain.
“The pace of the ride slows down in the rain and there are challenges ― your helmet visor and windscreen become blurry and the tire grip is not so firm,” he said, but added “We still enjoyed it. Mother nature is part of riding.”
Chaw has been riding for the past 20 years.
“I started to ride because it was convenient to get around. First it was just small 100cc and 200cc bikes but I eventually fell in love with riding,” he said.
Chaw has had a number of accidents while riding, which left several broken bones, but this has not stopped him.
Currently, he is in charge of sales managing operations at BMW Motorrad Singapore.
“I have been in sales for over 20 years, so it is natural for me to sell bikes, as motorcycling is also my passion.”
Chaw says he will “definitely come back” to Korea for another riding trip.
When the group had to skip Andong during the tour, they said they would “save this location for another time.”
“We hope to arrange another trip next year and make this an opportunity to anchor this program at BMW Motorrad Singapore,” Chaw said.