So I was thinking, Hm, no one's commented on my blog in awhile... and then I realized I haven't posted properly in over a month. Sorry. I will write a longer post updating you as to all my little adventures (trip to the beach, concerts, rugby), but for now I have to tell you a little about my new bicycle. (You can also sort of keep up with what I'm doing via my Facebook photo album.)
First of all, it must be said that Phnom Penh is not the most agreeable city for walking. Picture grand, tree-lined boulevards... which are impossible to cross due to the 6+ lanes of traffic. Picture narrow, dingy alleys... where at any moment you're likely to get run over by a moto roaring out from a shop, another alley, or from behind another vehicle. Picture cracked, dusty sidewalks which are perfect for twisting an ankle, or smooth, even sidewalks, perfect for riding your motorcycle. I think you get the picture. Any stroll through town is not only sweaty in the humid heat, but an obstacle course of weaving around cars and motos parked on the sidewalk, shifty storm drain covers, broken concrete, and people trying to run over you. Not to mention the tuk tuk and moto drivers who yell "LADY, TUK TUK? TUK TUK! LADY LADY, TUK TUK?!" at you at every corner.
This makes other options for getting around town preferable. Tuk tuks and motos are the local equivalent of taxis, although you'd better know where you're going and how to get there because most of the drivers are new to the city, will say they know where said place is even if they don't, and don't know how to read maps. In my early days here I spent more than a few tuk tuk rides with the driver circling the same area for 15 minutes before realizing we were all lost. The drawbacks of tuk tuks and motos aside, they're still quite convenient, but taking them everywhere tends to add up, especially when you're going out by yourself. Also, it's a better idea to call a driver you know and can trust, rather than picking a random from the street. If he's not available (I haven't seen a female tuk tuk or moto driver yet), you either risk it or stay in. Even if he is available you can be waiting 20-30 minutes for him to get to where you are and pick you up.
Again, none of this is really complaining, but you can see why one would want to be able to get around on her own. Of course, the coolest, best, most awesome and supremely dangerous way to get around is to get a scooter or motorcycle. As I'm staying till September and unsure of my time after that (oh, did you get the memo? I'm staying till September) I didn't want to spend a few hundred bucks on a scooter and worry about having to sell it quickly or at a loss when I go. Or about gas, or finding a mechanic, or getting stopped by the traffic police (for valid or invented reasons) and having to bribe them to get out of it, or getting run over by a marauding Lexus (though I suppose this is possible on a bicycle, too).
So instead, I opted for a regular old bicycle. I call it Frankenbike because when I bought it I took all the good parts off the other bikes at the used bike shop. Part of this was because mine cost $5 more than Sharon's because it has differently shaped handle bars. Hm. Can I switch the handlebars (to the cheaper kind)? I asked. Nope. As it was the only bike tall enough for me, and it's still a bit small, I basically swapped all the other parts (brake pads, brake handles, handle bar grip, chain, pedals, gear shifter, etc.) and got a new front tire. Now Frankenbike is mine, a nice little Japanese-built frame with a basket, light, and frame on the back for a passenger.
We've had some good times together already: grocery shopping, going to restaurants and bars, and just generally exploring. Last Monday, after I finished my errands I just decided to ride around town for a bit and explore. It was amazing. I rode about 10 miles in total, just taking long trips down streets and then turning around and following them back to the city center. It's so crazy to see the contrast between the narrow side streets and the giant, constructed boulevards. The side streets feel so... Asian. I can't think of a better way to describe it. They perfectly fit into the Western, romanticized 'idea of Asia', for lack of a better way to put it. Narrow streets hemmed in by four-story buildings, storefronts and sidewalk stalls and traveling vendors all spilling out into the street, with cars and pedestrians and bikes and motorcycles and scooters vying for space. And then the giant boulevards constructed during colonial times are just huge and chaotic and thrilling for how busy they are. They feel like the New Asia, with giant government buildings (I swear the gates on the Council of Minister's building are about 50ft high, definitely inspired by Angkorian proportions) and new, gleaming sky scrapers going up (only a handful in town at the moment).
I definitely am not going to be scared of biking around in the US after this. (Also, weirdly enough, tuk tuk drivers still solicit "Tuk tuk? Tuk tuk?!" at me even when I'm riding my bike.)
No comments:
Post a Comment