Great article on Vietnam Scooters over at NPR today

In case you missed it there was an awesome article on scooters on NPR today.
I didn't see any wacking by the police but its believable. Still, Vietnam is probably one of the best places on earth in my opinion. There is little crime, you feel safe going out at night, and if you do get in a scooter accident its like at 10 mph.








http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/06/05/154345852/get-out-of-the-way-or-get-whacked-scene-from-a-motorcade-in-vietnam

(NPR's Larry Abramson is among the correspondents traveling with Defense Secretary Leon Panetta in Asia this week. Monday, he told us about a poignant exchange of artifacts. Today, he gives us a glimpse of what it's like to be in the secretary's motorcade.)

Traveling with Panetta places reporters in an elite sphere, unlike any they are likely to encounter in their normal lives. There's no waiting to board a commercial plane — we come and go on a dedicated Air Force jumbo jet that leaves whenever Panetta is ready.

But weirdest of all are the motorcades that take us to and from airports.

 

In my brief stint on the defense beat, we have seen European efficiency — the Belgians simply stop freeway traffic for the SECDEF — and the military no-nonsense approach — the Army escort from the Kabul airport drove at breakneck speed, and all passengers wore body armor and helmets. But the Vietnamese police escort from the Hanoi air field set a new standard for ruthlessness.

As the press van careened between the city's many motor scooters, a police car drove along side shouting "Get out of the way!" over a loudspeaker. To make sure local drivers got the message, the officer riding shotgun waved a baton out the window. Anyone too slow to move out of the way (some may not have heard the warning because Hanoi scooterists like to text and talk while driving) got a whack on the back. Wham!

It was a surefire way to get traffic moving, but it also made many of us uneasy. We know they do this to protect a senior U.S. official, but some of us felt personally responsible for the bruises these citizens would carry home with them. Would they blame the van labeled "Press" for their corporal punishment?

Romero Britto and his love of Vespa

I randomly bumped into the Brazilian-born pop art icon Romero Britto last night on SOBE.

We first met a couple of years ago at the Setai where he signed a book collection of his works that was a gift that's currently on display at the MRP office. So we had a chance to ask him about his love of fun vehicles which I should upload shortly.

Two things stuck out. First how he is probably the most famous Brazilian I know and the fact he was just the guest of honor by the school of Samba at the 2012 Carnival in Rio where his works were more than likely viewed by over 100 million people. I've been to Brazil, but never had a chance to go to the Carnival and that's on my list of things to do and second how I loved the designs he put out for the limited edition Vespa's and how he had to do more of them.

Vespa every couple of years selects different artists and those designs for charity auctions and other events, but honestly the best artist in my opinion has always been Miami native Britto. So let's hope Vespa is reading my blog ( I have it on good word from people at the Vespa USA office that they do )



I wish he would make a miniature version and sell them.
He could just grab some Maisto toys and paint them.

The Dream of Scooters are Alive in Miami

Miami is a great place to ride a scooter. We have year round weather, over 10 rental shops in South Florida offer everything from 50cc to 250cc units for long term rentals. There's even word the local Rent a Motorcycle location will be adding Maxi 500cc units for all those tourists that want to fly in to MIA and drive to Key West on a rental scooter. I certainly know more than one Italian friend that would like to rent a 600cc if available for a month in the summer if the service was ready.

We have amazing locations and below are some of the reviews we've done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWn7Ib9lD74


The Scooter Maven visits the brand new Coral Gables museum and shows us some of the cooler sights in Miami, Florida. One of the best things about Coral Gables is that when it comes to transportation the city embraces different forms of travel. From its free Trolley operating all week long, to bicycles, and scooters there is a modern vibe to the city. It's different from the rest of Miami in the sense that you can get around on a bike or scooter safely and there's lots to do.
For more scooter adventures join us at http://www.mrp-speed.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlQwcYWSDcY