Upon our arrival in Siem Reap, we were informed that bikes have been provided for our transportation around town. There were five bicycles and five of us. Although we were grateful for the generosity and provisions of our host, this announcement generated a variety of responses.
Eric, I believe, was the most excited about it. I think it probably took him back to childhood days of cruising around the neighborhood. Having a bike gave him a little more freedom and independence than having to rely on group transportation.
I on the other hand, immediately recalled the family bike rides we took when I was young. Although it may sound nostalgic and fun, I hated it. I had to be dragged along, to my great displeasure. I don’t know why I despised it so much, but I did.
Just last year, a friend of mine introduced me to bike riding again. I discovered that I actually enjoyed it, much to my surprise. But somehow the idea of having to rely on a bike and my own sweat to get me everywhere, instead of choosing to ride when I was in the mood, made me a little less enthusiastic.
Mallorie was even more apprehensive than I, because she never learned how to ride a bike when she was young. The idea of being forced to learn a new skill, in a short period of time, in a foreign country, under less than ideal circumstances, would make anybody a bit unnerved. She embraced the challenge though, and is beginning to actually find joy in this new mode of transportation.
Michelle and Mary seemed more or less indifferent. It gets them from here to there, and gives them the opportunity to set their own schedule and agenda for the day. Not a bad deal by any means.
After my tender backside got used to the pounding of bumpy roads, and my muscles recovered from the initial shock of exercise, I began to appreciate my bike too.
Of course, I say my bike but that isn’t really the case. You would think that with five bikes and five people, we would each have our own bike to adjust to fit and get used to. Well, for whatever reason, it never really worked that way.
I would use one bike for a few days, and then suddenly somebody else would claim that one and I would jump on another. I never really understood the swapping, but I quickly learned all of the ups and downs of each of the bikes.
My first bike was an old mountain bike with no gears and no suspension. Only the front break works, and the seat and handle bars are so low that my knees almost meat my elbows. All in all, it’s not a bad bike, but it tires me out pretty quickly.
My second bike was an old cruiser. It also it not a bad bike, but it had it’s own little quirks. Only the back break works on this one, and the front tire has a problem staying inflated. More than once, I have noticed the peddling seams harder than usual, only to look down and find a completely flat tire. Yes, I know I should check that before I leave, but I always forget.
This has become my bike of preference. Despite the fact that the breaks really only work to slow me down a little, it has an added benefit that makes up for it. Every time I squeeze the break to slow down, it lets out an agonizing screech that warns everybody of my presence. In this crazy, free for all traffic, I kind of like that. It has served me well.
One of the other bikes has a chain that scrapes along a slightly twisted chain guard, another one has a loose basket that slips from left to right every time you hit bump. All of the bikes that have gears, shift randomly at the most inopportune times. The shifters only kind of work if you mess around long enough, but the gears are so rusty that it just crunches and grinds until it slips itself back into it’s default gear.
Most of the tires are just plain shot. “Eric’s” bike was out of commission for a few days because of a flat tire that would not re-inflate. We finally took it to a repair place down the street to get it fixed. A new tire and a new tube only cost us $5, so Mary had her flat replaced the next day too.
I guess maybe the guy overcharged us the first time and felt bad when we came back again, because Mary’s new tire only cost $3.5o. I had another flat on the way to school that day, so I took mine in the next morning and got a new tube put in for $1.50. I figure at those prices, we can afford to bless our hosts and the future teams with a few new tires as we go. Maybe even some chain lube if we can find it.
As much as I dreaded it at first, I have become accustomed to having “my” bike around. I appreciate the freedom it has provided, and I also kind of like the exercise and the fact that it is free transportation.
There are three new arrivals at “Fhonkie Town” though. Two Filipinos and one Cambodian have arrived to begin there work here. They will be taking over many of the classes once we leave, so that Fhonkie and Haiya are not doing it all themselves.
The three of them will be living here long term, and are a huge answer to prayer in meeting the needs of the school and providing more consistency with the teaching. They are great, and we have enjoyed getting to know them.
However, it does leave us with one dilemma. Now there are five bikes and eight people. Now I am having to remind myself that it is not my bike, I have no right to expect it to be available to me, and whatever is available is a privilege and not and entitlement.
It always comes back to that, doesn’t it. We all want ownership, we all want control, we all want our way. So once again, I am learning to just be content, and roll with it. It’s not like I can’t take a moto, and then I don’t even have to get sweaty.
It’s just all about perspective. The silly little things we stumble on.
