Okay, okay. I'm under-exaggerating a little but a bike isn't necessarily necessary in a place so small. But don't tell that to any Khmer person anywhere because having to walk more than 10 feet is ch'ngai naa (very far.) And I do actually need my bike. I need to ride my bike to cool places like the happening provincial town of Takeo, and to my training village Angtasom to get frustrated that the bank doesn't really provide any services on Saturday but is still open. Hait ai?! (Why?!)
So the bicycle is utilized for necessary trips far and wide in good ol' Takeo Province. I'm also trying to take more aimless trips to villages off the main road. So far I've taken only two such aimless trips on my own and during each of those aimless bicycle trips: I GOT LOST.
What me lost?! How is that possible? Travel with me in NYC; we can get off the subway at a random station and I know which way is north and please trust me (Xin Wang (I love you!!)) when I say which way is the correct way. I know! I have an amazing sense of direction thanks to my weird parents. My mom prefers to read maps and my dad uses landmarks such as car dealerships to find his way. I'm a nice mixture of the two.
My bike ride today started out like any normal ride through the village. Villagers ogling and laughing at me as I rode down the dirt road. Children screaming "HELLO!" at the top of their lungs a little too late as I'm well past their home. And I think to myself "I'm not saying "hello." You lost your chance. And I wasn't going to say "hello" anyway." The sun was beating down with great force but it was a lovely day for a bike ride, nonetheless.
Welcome to the jungle.
I found turkeys. And if anyone knows me at all, they know I like me some turkeys. I didn't chase them down the street as I usually do. I respected the beautiful animals and simply stalked them for a while. I asked a guy if he knew what they were called in Khmer. He did not know. Cambodia has a serious lack of birders.
turkeys! come back! I love you!!!!!!
I biked beyond the landmarks that were familiar to me and just kept going. I found a new wat that was beautiful for the most part, other than a deep hole in the earth and piles of dirt surrounding it. I did not take photos of that.
Wat the Wat?!
Once I moved beyond the wat, I found myself surrounded by mountains and fertile farm land dedicated to more than just rice. It was inspiring to be out there and I really thought I was OUT THERE! Like, I had no idea where the hell I was - out there. But I was happy to be wherever that was. I made friends with a yay and awkwardly asked if I could take her photo. She was more than willing and even had us walk to a bunch of trees she thought were pretty so she could stand next to them.
My new yay friend that I'll probably never see again.!?!
I rolled down the rocky, pot-holed, mud-holed, puddled old dirt road until "WHOOOAAA!!"
NO, I didn't fall off my bike. I spotted two amazing birds I've never seen before! They flew around the trees and spiraled around each other and chirped loudly and brilliantly. I gazed at them slack-jawed and tried to sear their color, shape, and size into my brain. I had to find out what kind of birds they were.
I looked through each page of my "Birds of SE Asia" book only to find one bird that sort of, maybe was the right one; the Asian Fairy Bluebird. But it wasn't the same bird. I then searched the internets, googled the description of the bird, and google failed me. The bird that best fit the image I seared into my brain earlier was the Bronzed Cowbird but according the know-it-all-internets, this bird is only found around the Americas, North & South. Now, what the eff? How did that bird get all the way to SE Asia? Flying, I guess. That's what I'm telling myself, at least.
Bronzed Cowbird. I did not take this photo. Photo by Jeff Wendorff
After my brief encounter with an exciting set of unusual birds, I felt kind of like I was floating through my unknown countryside, encased in dazzling green mountains. I rode blissfully through this wonderland and the question of where I was only tickled at my brain a little. It had been a good hour and a half since I left my house and I wasn't ready to return just yet. I also thought that I'd eventually hit the main road. According to my keen sense of direction...I was traveling Southwest...right? The sun is up there...above my head over there...wait, whut? humph...
Mountains and Fields.
Then I thought I saw a familiar landmark in the distance, a wat placed on top of a small mountain that's right off the main road. I was slightly relieved because I thought my navigation skills were being awesome for me. As I rode on...the dirt road just kept going and it never connected with the main road as I thought it would. "I coulda sworn that was the wat that's by National road 3...Okay, just keep going...you'll get there" was my thought process. "Just keep going. You'll run into it eventually."
So...where am I? Oh look! a mud pond.
And then self-doubt began to seep in. Maybe my navigation skills aren't that awesome. What has Cambodia done to me? It was time to stop for directions. I approached a T in the road and asked a smiling woman where plow layk buy (road number 3) was. She told me to go that way, and then that way and then you'll be there. That's probably what she said. And I was all like "oh, of course. I know exactly what you are saying to me." I will go that way. I went that way and then I was still not there yet.
I stopped for directions again. I found some gentlemen and asked them where plow layk buy was and this time I also asked them "ponmaan kilo brohail?" (about how many kilometers?) One man said "Tramkok? brampeul kilo, ch'ngai" or 7K, far.
HA! Oh, yeah. far... And when he said Tramkok, I thought he was referring to the district of Tramkok which is fairly large, not the town Tramkok. Because I thought I was miles and miles away from home. Remember, I was OUT THERE! And he told me to turn right and go through the wat and some other stuff. I clarified with him several times until I thought for sure I knew where to go. This place was completely new to me.
I did as the gentlemen told me to and biked toward the wat and then I was filled with crazies and confusion because all of a sudden, I knew exactly where I was...I was within 7K from my house. Wait, whut? huh? How is that possible? And in that moment, I was no longer floating and cruising in my blissful state of mind. I knew where I was and I was going home. I felt like someone had smacked me with a large log to wake me up after a happy dream. I wasn't ready to go home.
a nice view
And here I am back in my stuffy room, melting my brain on the internets. I really need to go on more bike rides.
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