OUCH..........that hurt...

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My mother always said that “pride goes before a fall”, and if the events of yesterday afternoon are anything to go by, well I guess she was right !!!



I’ve been doing quite a bit of bike (bicycle) riding in Siem Reap, which is something I haven’t done for a few years, and was really enjoying it. Each time I made it home safely, I’d give myself theoretical pat on the back.....I’ve mentioned many times that there are no road rules here, and that it’s insanity on the roads...so every time I arrived home I felt a pretty decent sense of achievement.



Hmmm, so what happened yesterday I hear you asking.....

On Tuesday afternoon after school, Sina (one of the teachers) and I road home side by side (moto and bicycle) and had a chat about all sorts of things. We did the same yesterday. We chatted about his 10 years as a monk; his family; his teaching; where I lived; my family etc etc. At one stage I asked him what speed we were riding at, and he said we were doing 20kms an hour....not being as fit as I should be, and considering the fact that I’ve not been riding in recent years, I was actually quite pleased with the speed we were doing.....ok, so this is where the pride started creeping in...



As is typical during conversations with Cambodians, the topic of age came up and when I told him my age, he was really shocked and commented on my attitude to life and the fact that I obviously kept myself fit by riding the bike etc, and that he thought I was about 15 years younger than I really am.....ok, so here comes more of that pride.....



A couple of kms up the road, he left me to go and play volleyball, and I continued on my merry way....at the same speed, and determined to cut some time of my efforts of the last few days – I can be so competitive, even with myself. I was also thinking about how much I was enjoying riding; living in Cambodia; and appreciating Sina’s compliments about my fitness/age etc.



And that’s where my mother’s voice creeps into my head.....I was riding on a nice, flat, straight stretch of road and just about to reach quite a hectic intersection....I started looking left, ahead, right....basically every single direction because you simply have to over here.....when a guy on a moto came around the corner from my right, and remained on my side of the road (the right side here) and hugged the gutter...........this meant I quickly had to swerve to the left to miss him, and entered the intersection way too wide, and had to quickly correct my line of travel. Well, I completely over-corrected and managed to lose control of the bike and slammed into the gutter/kerb and went flying off the bike and sliding over the footpath.............OUCH..........double ouch !!!



With pride firmly in place, I stood up, dusted myself off, pretended like I was fine and do this sort of thing every single day without injury, and got back on the bike...........afterall, that’s the rule isn’t it? You have to get back on the bike....plus I was still about 4kms from home, so what choice did I actually have?? As I stepped onto the bike, a sweet young boy asked if I was ok, and I breezily replied “yes, all fine, ackun”.



Only after I was away from the crash site, did I check my hand and arm, and saw the blood and cuts etc....bugger...........and my shoulder was starting to ache, as was my foot.....oh, and did I mention the huge dent to my pride??? I felt SO stupid...



I called into one of the supermarkets on the way home to get some large bandages (I only had basic bandaids at home)...........let me tell you, getting bandaids or similar in Cambodia, is like trying to buy metho in far north Queensland..........almost impossible !!! You actually have to go to the counter, and they dig around in the cupboard and give you only what you need. Seriously !! They’re not on the shelf for you to pick up and buy.......why? I have no idea!!



Anyway, the long and short of the story is, that I got home, organised someone to come to the guest house and massage my back and shoulder, as they were already stiff and locked up.....Moon (reception/assistant manager at guest house) patched me up with bandages and betadine....and thanks to codeine, I got some sleep. Today, my shoulder is still very sore but I think it’s only muscle damage, my cuts and scratches are stinging but they’ll heal, but my right foot is not so great....still not sure if it’s muscular or if I’ve maybe chipped a small bone...if it’s still sore and puffy tomorrow, I may just have to go for an x-ray......will keep you posted.



So, that will teach me to feel too much confidence and pride........or should I just take it on the chin and accept that had the guy on the moto not been riding on the wrong side of the road, this incident may not have happened....or should I just have been paying a bit more attention? Who knows? But it’s history now....and I will get back on the bike....Monday when I can use my shoulder and hopefully foot again.



Bye from Siem Reap...xx

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Comments

[Amanda and Scooter Boy]

Hope your foot will be okay!
Sorry I have not been emailing more but have been following your blogs religiously..you are a born writer! I have been loving all your descriptions of all your adventures. We are all well.Scooter Boy has been up to see his mum in Darwin who is not so good and going through chemo at present and our darling Sarah survived Schoolies, as did I ...just! Please make sure you get that foot checked out..I would hate it to spoil the rest of your trip but I must admit I did have just a tiny smile at your description of falling off...have not shared with Scooter Boy..you would never hear the end of it! Lots of love..xx