My bike ride to work takes 20 minutes if I want to arrive sweaty, and 25 minutes if I want to take it easy and arrive slightly less disheveled. For the first day or two, I was taking mostly main roads, which meant I was sharing the road with plenty of traffic of all kinds, including buses full of tourists on their way to Angkor Wat. Then I found the back roads, which are mostly dirt, often shady, and full of far more interesting sights. We've had a few days with little or no rain, so there are fewer puddles to negotiate. I pass small roadside businesses, kids, dogs, chickens, goats, and monks, and I share the road with tuktuks, motorbikes, and other bicycles.
I thought you might enjoy a few scenes along the way.
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Roadside gas stations for motorbikes -
the gas is in those Johnnie Walker bottles.
I have no idea what's in the big blue containers. |
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There are food carts and stands along the way,
though I've usually had breakfast before I leave home. |
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| There are plenty of other bikes on the road. |
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There are a few car wash businesses around town,
but these motorcycle washes are more common. |
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| In case I need a cold drink along the way... |
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| One of the best features of this route is the shade... |
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| It's rather quiet along some points. |
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| Classic scene: laundry hanging on the fence, garbage on the side of the road, children. |
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| Sometimes it's just me and the dogs. |
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I'm not really sure what this billboard is advertising.
It looks like some kind of liquor, but there appears to be a deformed carrot on the right.
One of many mysteries I encounter every day. |
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| All the cool kids (and old men) are rocking the sarong this season. |
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| After several days without rain, most of the puddles have dried up. |
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They drive on the right here,
unless they're going to make a left turn any time soon,
or the road is less bumpy on the left,
or they just feel like driving on the left. |
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| Water, water, everywhere, all in plastic bottles. |
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| Monk crossing |
6 comments:
Loved the slide show and the commentary. Favorite is the deformed carrot billboard. Watch for those in the vegetable markets. Your pictures convince me beyond a shadow that it is right that I am not there. Why is it okay to bicycle in desolate places, but you have to lock up at night for security. Do bad guys come out only at night? I really hope this is not one of those messages that gets sent to everyone. xxxx, Sara
Bravo, Sara. This was NOT a message that went to everyone!
Yes, Cambodian bad guys only come out at night, if ever. But they're not very dangerous; they carry deformed carrots rather than guns.
I think the deformed carrot might be ginseng - a root the power of which is reserved for men in some cultures.
Love the pictures!
Hi Jess,
Love the pictures and your writing!! Brings back lots of memories. I think the deformed carrot is ginseng-your local energy drink!
Julia
FAAAARRRR more interesting than my commute to Williston. Thanks for sharing. I will share some fall pics with you soon so that you can have a taste of Vermont in all her glory. xo- Corky
P.S. Do you have an email address now? Did I miss it?
Ginseng it is then. (See how little I know around here???) But I prefer to think of it as a deformed carrot.
Silly Corky - I have the same email address as ever: jessw3745@gmail.com. I would LOVE photos from home!
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