Day 4 BLOG

Posted by on Jan 20, 2013 in Blogger3 | 0 comments

Children and animals

 

Today starts with a belated dedication to Jonny ‘Boom’ Vantinel-Holmes, without whom my path through yesterday’s low point would have been a darker place.  Following from my own efforts with Jonny the previous day, a rousing return to mis-placed Christmas songs raised a smile for the first time in some kilometres – thank you Jonny!

So, today we visited a school which was full of smiley happy kids who were suitably excited to not have to be in their lesson for a little while as the circus had arrived in town.  John and Ola delighted with magic tricks, I managed a highly suspect couple of songs on a guitar missing its G-String and we all excited generally by being tall, pastey and full of smiles.

After the school we were due to catch the Bamboo Train to our next hotel, but after waiting for some time, we were informed that “this line is closed for planned engineering works” or words to that effect.  Back on the bikes we got, ten we got lost, then un-lost, then lost again, then arrived.

 

What else happened?

Stretching has become a new and meaningful part of my life.  Never before has my body known such effort being made to achieve so little – but that little is proving so important!   My knee is making gradual progress back toward not minding being a knee after all.

Patches of sand made their first serious inclusion on the route today.  That was annoying.

Wildlife:  To date we’ve seen normal farm fayre – pigs, chickens, ducks, geese, cows.  Domestic – dogs, cats.  Various birds that I can’t identify and…  Exotic – 2 snakes (One reminding me that I should look where I tread when going to the ‘Happy Tree’ and one reminding other snakes that even they can become road kill), one serious looking spider, water buffalo, and a collection of hard and soft shelled bugs, including the biggest and alarmingly quick cockroaches I’ve ever had to deal with before.  All of which is lovely.

Johnny and Ange caved spectacularly in the singing stakes leading to what must have been one of the most formidable accappela singing trios to have appeared on bicycles in Cambodia today.

Weather:  Sorchio

Falls: Zero

Blood spilt: None (new)

Hello, hellos! :  Holding steady

Resentment for generally existing:  Reducing

 

Glossary:  A “Happy Tree” is where you go to the toilet.  Yes, Happy Trees are unisex facilities.

 

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