“the worst bike ride ever”

The worst bike ride ever? Well not really. We rented bicycles, which turned out to be great fun in the city, amongst the cars and motorbikes. It is amazing how my safety parameters have changed. I no longer feel that helmets and seatbelts are a necessity for ground travel. No life jackets on the boat, kayak, ferry…no problem! I have not seen a car seat in five months. Booster seats, funny. Kids are on laps, on motorbikes… I am more than happy when we are in a car and are surrounded by steel, protecting us from other cars. Now we ride bicycles in busy traffic, weave into traffic, ease into roundabouts and work on our confidence. Because deliberatness, confidence and awareness will keep you safe here, not helmets (which there are none). Our confidence with bikes is leading us towards renting scooters…maybe an island in Cambodia?

We took our bikes over the Mekong on a ferry that serves the locals and biked along dusty gravel roads, through villages and herds of water buffalo. It was hot, uphill and according to Addie, “the worst bike ride ever.” The scenery was spectacular and I kept laughing at our adventure folly as I watched Addie ride her bike through a herd of large water buffalo or Jack echo the “bleeps” back and forth in a conversation with a goat on the side of the road.

Trudging up a sand bank with our bikes going back, this is the conversation I overheard.

Addie asks “Dad, what does D I C K spell?”

Cork answers “It spells dick.”

Addie asks “What does that mean?”

Cork answers “Its a word for penis.”

Addie states “Well thats what Mom called you back there when you rode ahead and would not wait for us.”

There are tough moments for all of us. I laughed out loud when I overheard this exchange. We all did. We are learning a lot over this year!