I didn't really know what I was in for on today's ride - but I knew it'd be our hardest day. We rolled out after an early breakfast and returned to the HELLOs of the children and the stares of everyone else. We stopped in the middle of no where (I guess everywhere is the middle of no where, so it's all same same).. to refuel. A herd of children surrounded us and we took pictures with them.. and gave them soda. A group of monks came by to beg for their food- and I awkwardly took off my shoes and stood in the road offering them pandan cakes and chocolate and coconut cookies. As they recited their chants, head bowed I thought about how awkward and how interesting this once in a lifetime experience was. Put on my helmet and went back to hammering the road on my bike.
Sometime in the afternoon we reached the base of a temple and we had lunch amongst the street dogs before climbing up it. It poured rain as we passed both monks and monkeys and got to the top.
After the temple we rode into battombong.. the 2nd biggest city in Cambodia. I couldn't envision a downtown, businesses, malls, and banks after seeing so many poor villages in the countryside. And as we got into the city - mud stained and soaking (and smiling) - the city was not exactly a 'city'.. but rather a collection of tuk tuks, motorbikes, a few hotels and 'markets'. The bank was a guy standing behind a counter full of money with a straight face and likely a big gun that I couldn’t see. Regardless a hot shower, a cheap massage, and wifi on my iPhone are the only essentials I need for survival. KIDDING.
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