Cambodia Day 3 - Village Friends, Road Hazards, and Jungle Mysteries

3 April 2017

By the third day in Cambodia, I had my routines, had my paths to walk at night and was quite settled in. There is a crossover point when in a new place where you've figured out how to cross the street safely, where to shop for basics and what the sounds around you mean.

We started the day rolling through miles and miles of villages. On well worn dirt roads and path, past homes with hammocks swinging underneath in the cool shade and past dozens of children that would rush out to practice their "hellos." Being in the midst of day to day life got us in the path of some hilarious road hazards. In the course of an hour, Heng and I encountered, super aggressive dog chases, water buffaloes crossing the road unexpectedly and a rice sack falling off of a truck right in front of us. Adrenaline dumps were constant as was the grin on my face. Thank goodness for quality riding skills and a laid back attitude!

I love the cooperative element of these children. Each child carried a sack between them and seemed cheerful about it. There were festivals all around this day and we could hear music blaring from speakers. I'm not sure what was in the sacks, but these kids were headed for a good time.

I wish this was a better photo, but this child had the largest smile of all as she whizzed down the road on her bicycle. Between that bike basket and those little sandals, she is overwhelmingly cute.

This young lady passed us going the opposite direction. About 10 minutes later she caught up to us as we were taking a break. She boldly wanted to practice her English had no issue stopping to inquire if we would mind. I loved Heng helping her find the words she wanted as we talked about our favorite animals, colors and what we wanted to be when we grew up. She wanted to be a teacher and I hope it works out. We shared our butterfly photos from the day before. She was quiet and strong.

This is the little girl's bicycle. It was big enough for me, but gave her no pause as she stood up to pedal it.

Drying rice in the temple yard.

This is typical construction. It allows for protection from flood and most families can be found in swinging hammocks beneath the house during the heat of the day.

Grocery home delivery, Cambodia style.

At this point, my chain went bone dry and started to make quite a racket. We stopped at a corner "store." This is more of a house with a cooler out front with cold drinks for sale. The gentleman ripped off part of his shirt tail, and came out with a water bottle filled with a little cooking oil. We flipped the bike over, put the cooking oil on the shirt and lubed the chain. For less than 50 cents, we were back on the road. At this point, we were a solid 20 miles from town. The crowd at the store didn't understand why we would bike all the way out to the village on purpose.

Water buffaloes cross the road when they want.

Shortly after this morning full of adventures, we got closer to Heng's village. They had cut down some trees and he got turned around without the frame of reference. We stopped for directions and ended up in an extended adventure of a completely different flavor.

This bamboo was filled with sticky rice, black beans, sugar and salt. The bamboo is shaved down to a thin layer that makes it peelable after cooking. This exposes a delicious center. I could have eaten four of these and probably should have. It was the most amazing food in all of Cambodia.

Bamboo with delicious goodies cooking.

This is the home where we asked for directions. It was also a store front. The woman was in the back preparing fish and making rice wine. I declined rice wine in fear of going blind, it was essentially moonshine. I know a still when I see one and curiously, I've seen them looking about the same all over the world. We chatted as her son cleared a place for us to sit by sweeping the planks with a rustic broom. I watched the boy play with his chained up puppy while his mother expertly prepared fish for sale. The pigs grunted in the background and I could do nothing but smile at the simplicity of it all.

These were the grossest pigs I've ever seen, but cute none-the-less.

This photo represents my favorite moment of the trip. Across from where we asked directions, these women were preparing rice noodles. Like most cultures, the women were talking and working with a lot of smiles and laughter. Having gone over to just see the process of making noodles, we ended up in extended discussion via Heng about relationships, kids and life. They asked if I was married, why I came all the way to Cambodia, if I had ever thought about adopting kids as I was getting older, particularly a Cambodian child. I'm not saying they would have sent a child home with me, but I would have been afraid to ask. Cambodian children have such a can-do spirit and the most beautiful smiles. Temptation was creeping in. They asked how my skin was so white. What creams did I use to make it that way? The ringleader, in the big hat, pulled the noodles from the water, wrung them out and placed them in the bowl in front of her in a certain way. The colors of their clothes were brilliant and fun, while their smiles were undoubtedly the most beautiful feature of all. I loved this precious 30 minutes and am very thankful for their willingness and curiosity.

We finally got ourselves sorted for directions and headed towards Beng Mealea. Deep in the jungle and so many miles beyond, this crumbling temple radiated mystery and power. I could have spent hours and did end up going through twice.

I love this 5 (and sometimes 7) headed serpent. The preserved detail is amazing and the little teeth made me laugh for some unknown reason.

Looking into rubble piles, you would see hints of detail still preserved.

This tunnel of total darkness really piqued my curiosity.

Is there anything more sexy than a quick dry t-shirt, sarong and cycling shoes?

I love how the trees have taken over and in some cases, held the ruins together.

The last image of the tunnel.

We finally had to retreat home ahead of the daily storms. I certainly wore Heng out as he took a hearty nap of the way home for the second day in a row. I'm so thankful for a chance to meet new people and enjoy a simple talk in the shade.

A monk waiting for a ride.

Another home.

I was obsessed with these two wheeled tractor-haulers. They were definitely the main way to move anything from families to firewood. The complexity comes in with a sharp turn where the driver must precariously lean out with a few fingers still grasping the edge of the handle and turn the nose while sitting on the fixed point behind where the trailer connects to the machine.