A Local Encounter that Changed my Perspective - Solo cycling day
CAMBODIA | Friday, 19 April 2013 | Views [498] | Scholarship Entry
It was a perfect sunny day and cool breeze flowing in. In a
spur of moment I decided to try my hand at cycling while in
this alien country.
They say ‘the best plans are those plans which are unplanned’.
Even I had no agenda on my mind as I trotted on the
undiscovered lanes.
While I mounted my mare for the day and took a gallop on the
backroads of Cambodia I saw a country never seen before or
never heard off. I saw people of all age group be
it men,women or kids having a jovial hour fishing in small
stream across the road.
When the heat wore me out I stopped by coconut water
joint. This joint was in a small
grocery shop on the outskirts of town of Siem reap and was
run by ladies of the house. I sat sipping coconut
water, chatting with these ladies and observing goodies
stocked up in the store.
My motor then took a halt on seeing an old lady who was
walking towards a house. The lady wore typical Cambodian
attire: a long skirt without plaits or frills and a loose fitted
top. I walked over and attempted to talk to her. She
couldn’t understand English and all she said was India. While
my curiosity to speak with the lady was piquing a gang half
naked grandchildren came running out of the house to see
what’s happening. These children looked to be siblings and
though it might be surprising and contrasting yet for any
couple in Cambodia to have 5-6 children is something which
is considered to be normal. When my attempts to talk to the
lady were going vain, I saw a girl passing by who was driving a
scooty. The girl resolved the issue of the language barrier and
became my translator for the day. This charming young lady
was a typical Cambodian girl between the age group of 18-24
who was earning while learning. She helped to converse with
the old lady by translating English-Khmer and vice versa.
After indulging in a healthy chat which delighted my day once
again the warrior mounted his mare and galloped to accomplish
his mission further.
Tags: Travel Writing Scholarship 2013
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