I finally did it!!! I
rode a moto today for the first time! Come on
somebody, give me a gold star! Alright,
alright… I know good and well (and am reminded by others quite often enough)
that I’m a big chicken. I’m okay with
that. I have a healthy ego you now… I
never claimed to be Super Woman.
But motorcycles?
Yeah, I don’t know about that…they’re like deathcicles. I’m not a big fan. I drove a moped once when I was in college on
spring break in Panama City Beach, Florida.
Courtney Coutret wanted to rent some mopeds and ride around the strip
and I thought, ‘Sure! Why not?’
Yeah…
We went out to a dusty parking lot, drove around in a few
circles, I think I may have ran into a trash can with mine and almost fell
over, and then they told us to bring them back at the designated time – 2 or 3
hours or something like that. As I drove
out of the parking lot on my little moped, trying to keep up with Courtney the
adventure maniac, I remember thinking, ‘You don’t even have to have a license
to drive this thing?’
Did I know how to STOP the moped?
Nope.
Did I run through some red lights?
Yep.
Were people in their cars staring out their windows and
looking at me funny because I was alone on a moped, driving down a busy strip
while screaming ‘I don’t know how to drive this thing! Get out of the way!’ ???
Uh, yeah…
I think you get the point.
2 wheeled motorized forms of transportation just aren’t my
thing. But… back to my point here anyway
… I did it! I finally got up enough
courage to ride on a moto here in Phnom Penh (side note: to most, if not ALL, other people here in
Phnom Penh this is certainly not noteworthy in any regard; it’s apparently not
that big of a deal whatsoever & the people here are amazed that it’s
actually taken me a month just to get up the guts to take a moto).
And as I’m getting off of the moto after my first 5 minute
ride, while thinking to myself, ‘Wow, that wasn’t bad at all!’ I really don’t
know what happened; I think I literally just tipped over! All I know was
that there I was, laid out flat on the sidewalk, face in the dirt and the moto
driver didn’t even flinch. I wish I
could tell you that as I was sprawled out there, Noman came rushing over to
help me up and asked me in his most concerned voice, ‘Oh my gosh Sarah…Are you
okay?’ But, I’m pretty sure he only gave
me a half glance over his shoulder while paying the moto guy and when it
actually sunk in that there I was, still tipped over, still laying on the
ground, I do believe all I heard was laughing and then some sort of ‘Did you
break my computer?’ since I was wearing the backpack. Ahh, the romance of it all…
But back to the point here anyway, first moto ride =
success! Well, kind of . . . and I even
have the bruises to prove it! ;)
