I have a confession to make. I’m a bit of a chicken. Trying new things, having adventures – yeah that’s not me. Which might surprise you as I left Australia to live overseas, but I love routines, mundane, controllable things that are going to keep me safe and protect me from failing or making a massive fool of myself.
But occasionally, yes occasionally, that daydream to step out and try something new wins over and I psych up the determination to do it and tell me fear of failure to wait on the sideline while I take a deep breath in and try something new.
And riding a bike around Siem Reap is something new and outside my comfort zone. I loved riding a bike when I was in high school but being hit be a car whist riding on holidays made me weary of hitting the road again. Since being in Cambodia I had ventured out twice to bicycle around, yet both times found myself embarrassingly flat on the ground during the experience, a few bruises along with some shattered pride. So usually I stick with my exercise bike that is firmly closed into my room without the audience of prying eyes or the obsticals of the road.
So the day after Janelle and Dave left me to head back home I walked down the street to a store renting out bicycles, took that breath in and went about getting myself some wheels. I opted to upgrade to the $2 bike rather than your basic ride (which is only $1 for the day), gathered up my bike lock, water and map and then pushed the bike towards the road. I hoped on hoping that it would all come back to me - the knowledge of how to ride a bicycle – so I turned away from the traffic to build up my confidence along with finding my balance on some quiet back streets and was able to do this with not much trouble – yay!
Once I got out to the temples I decided to veer right instead of the common left of the small tour that I have been on before. I have never visited the Grand Loop before a figured that if I was trying new things I may as well see some new sights as well.
It may seem strange, being a Christian and visiting temples on a day set for refreshment, but I believe I truly see God along the roads, observing the ruins and just marveling at the talents that He gave to these people to make amazing structures like these. Whilst sitting in a quiet at one temple these thoughts entered my mind:
“Sitting in a gap between two towers, inside ancient ruins of forgotten days. Admiring beauty and questioning how these temples could have been built when all around me I hear “God” shouted loudly. Is it strange to see the Father’s fingerprints all over something designed to worship what is false? Am I the only one who hears these temple stones crying out to my saviour? Or is my heart hearing what too many are deaf to?”
Additionally you get to see another side of Cambodia from the seat of a bicycle. I got to chat to some beautiful people in my broken Khmer and they smiled proudly, as I fumbled over words, at my effort to speak the language. One delightful girl, who was selling water at one temple, helped me as I struggled with the stand on my bike. I had to buy water from her, her charming smile and generosity of heart totally won me over. I had tuk tuk drivers looking after my bike, at one place moving it more into the shade behind their tuk tuks to prevent my seat from getting too hot in the midday sun. That brought a smile to my face. I had children call out to me, their sweet voices echoing in the wind as I turned and waved or chanted back my own warm greetings of friendship.
If I ever head back to Siem Reap I would love to do the whole bicycle trip again – maybe even push myself further to the temple that is over 30km to ride out to. Days like this a truly refreshing, bringing new joys to my heart and reminding myself that it is safe to venture out into the unfamiliar as many rewards wait out there.
