So what do you do if you cannot find your motorbike?
The phanganist team has heard many stories of people waking up in the morning and instantly thinking ‘where on Earth is my motorbike?’
This island is so brilliant with all the great parties, people and bars that sometimes you can go out ‘just for a few beers and food’ and then this turns into a fun drunken session.
A member of the Phanganist team once did this and did the sensible thing at the end of the night and took a taxi back to the hotel. In the morning there was no recollection at all as to where the bike was parked, (true story). After spending most of the morning and early afternoon walking around in the immense heat trying to remember where the bike was parked it could not be found.
If this happens to you then after you have had a look around and you are unsuccessful then notify your bike rental company and ask for help finding your bike. You will find they want to help you find the bike as much as you do, and they know the usual spots where bikes are parked and it can be found pretty quickly. Which is also a true story.
Tips to avoid this idiotic, and quite frankly embarrassing situation, is to always take a photo with your smartphone or tablet whenever you park your bike in front of a shop, bar or a landmark to help you remember. You may end up in a taxi or a boat somewhere forgetting all knowledge that you have actually rented a bike because the party you are attending is just too damn good!
We do not recommend after partying to ride your bike home as we have touched on this before about the dangers of the roads on this island so we won't go into this any further.
If you are going to the major parties on the Island such as the Jungle Experience, Waterfall Party and certainly the full moon then it is always best to budget for a taxi back of which there will be many.
Your Hotel or Hostel will provide taxis to the parties so why worry about the roads and having to drive when you can let someone else do this for you?
If your bike has simply disappeared then this can leave you with a very expensive bill at the end of what has been a great night so we recommend to use the plethora of taxis on the island which you will be able to access 24 hours a days even if you just stand with your friends on the main road.
If it turns out your bike looks to have been stolen then go to the police station as soon as you can to report this as getting a stolen bike off the island is difficult - the quicker this is reported the quicker the police can act on this.
You will be required to fill in a form and be patient at the police station and do a follw up visit a couple of days later.
It is very rare for bikes to get stolen but sometimes at the parties your bike will be moved by the staff to accommodate the amount of people attending so have patience and remember the licence plate number, colour and any distinguishing marks such as a tear on the seat, a sticker on the front etc.
If you do all this then you and your rental bike should be fine!