I’m on the road! (Well, technically I’m on a rest day today, but I have been on the road.) Since this is this first time I have done proper bike touring with a loaded touring bike as opposed to a road bike and also the first time I have bike toured on my own I am learning a lot, but I am enjoying it immensely! Of course there are times when things are difficult – when the sun is hot, the road is monotonous, my body is tired, or problems crop up that I hadn’t anticipated (if it was easy everyone would do it!) – but the upsides far outweigh the difficulties. It’s amazing! I think it’s a mixture of the amazing sights and experiences, the endorphins from the excercise, and the feeling of freedom that just combine to feel like euphoria at times.
I’ve had so many great moments over the past few days it’s hard to pin down which to write about, but here is a little summary of some of them.
- I’ve seen lots of farming villages where people still live in mostly traditional ways as I imagine that they have for many years. I really feel like I’m seeing the real Cambodia, and getting a very different (and wonderful!) view of the country that you would miss if you simply visited the main tourist centres of Phnom Penh and Siem Reap as many people do.
- Whenever I pass through villages or pass people at roadside stalls loads of people, and especially children, smile and wave and call “hello!” I’ve even had kids running alongside or behind me for small stretches where I’ve been going slow over bumpy ground! I think a westerner on a bike is a bit of a novelty in these parts by the reactions I get. Lots of the adults make remarks like “well done, keep it up!” or “your legs must be strong!” (its generally easy to tell what people mean through their expressions and gestures.) I find it so heartwarming and uplifting – John will know from Velo Birmingham (a cycling event we did together) what a lift I get from people at the side of the road!
- My initial impressions of the general friendliness of Cambodian people seem to be entirely well founded. As well as waving hello, some kind passers by helped me out when I had a slight mishap with my chain on one occasion, and loads of people have let me fill up my water in their houses or stalls (it’s much quicker than purifying it by hand, given the option.)
- Aside from the people, the animals around here also deserve a mention. I shared a smile with a lady sitting by the side of the road on one occasion when a flock of ducks that were spread out over the path in front of me proceeded to panic-speed-waddle forward in front of my bike instead of going sideways into the water, so I essentially ended up herding ducks for a way! I’ve also met a herd of cows being herded down the lane towards me by a farmer, seen an escaped cow do all kinds of interesting panic-accrobatics in the middle of the main road while the traffic just stopped and waited patiently, obviously used to it, and seen a couple or actual organised cow crossings at designated points in the road. Also, there are random chickens all over the place! Some are in cages near people’s houses or stalls, but most are just wandering around, often in groups of a mother hen and a few chicks. (The chicks are quite funny to watch as lots of them haven’t really leaned to walk properly yet, so they often get their legs all muddled if the ground is uneven or if the mother hen changes direction unexpectedly.)
- On a more negative note, there is so much litter lying around. I find it really upsetting because the countryside is so beautiful and so obviously full of life. It’s a real shame the negative impact that modern society is having on it. On the upside I have seen two different ladies walking along the roadside with a bag collecting rubbish, so atleast some people are trying to do something about it. I’ve got no idea if they were being paid or just doing it off their own backs.
As I said I am on a rest day today. This evening and tomorrow I am going to go and visit the temples at Ankor Way (One of the seven ancient wonders of the world,) and then all being well I should start off cycling again the day after, heading towards the Laos border. I am looking forward to it! 🙂
Dancing in the Dawn 