To end a busy week I bought an exercise bike. Not trusting my skills in balance, hand-eye coordination and all the stealth you need to ride on the streets of Phnom Penh I made the decision that riding on a stationary bike is more suitable for me….and it gives me something extra to do while watching a movie or tv.
It certainly was a mini adventure getting this thing. First I had to travel from my school to the family’s house that I was buying the bike off. It was on the other side of town in an area I have never been before. So I asked a friend at work to teach me how to say the name of the nearby wat (when taking moto taxi you say landmarks – drivers don’t know street numbers) and muttered it under my breath a few hundred time. When I said it to the moto driver he knew exactly where it was (without having to say the wat’s name again and again) so I confidently jumped onto the moto and off we went.
I got the moto to drop me off at the wat and called the person I was meant to meet. This meant I was waited on a busy corner standing out like a sore (white) thumb. Was asked so many times if I needed a moto or tuk tuk but attempted to communicate that I was waiting for a friend and I wasn’t sure where his house was. Thankfully the person I was meeting found me quickly – like I said I stood out, I was the only white person standing there looking confused – and we travelled on to his house.
Next task was to get a tuk tuk, get the bike in the tuk tuk and then journey to my house. It wasn’t too hard….well for me…the blessings of being female and guys carrying stuff for you. We did take some parts of the bike apart to get it into the vehicle. Then I had the job of climbing over it and keep it steady while we travelled to my place.
The journey home gave me time to franticly message friends who might be able to help me get it up all my stairs. The tuk tuk driver had a lame leg so I knew I couldn’t pay him extra to help.
We arrived at my house as the rain started to softly fall down. My driver was able to help me lift the bike out of the tuk tuk and move it inside my apartment’s gated area. At that moment my landlord arrived home and watched this interesting situation. I quickly dashed upstairs with the smaller parts of my bike while I waited for a friend to arrive to assist me with the larger, heavier section. As I was running back downstairs I witnessed my landlord carrying my bike up for me. I really appreciated that.
So it all worked out. Nothing to worry about….all the parts of the quest fell into place. I think that’s enough excitement for me for one day.
