Ups and Downs

This has been a week of ups and downs. Work on Monday was fantastic as I finally started a project I am actually interested in and was able to make some real progress. However, after work, everything that could go wrong did go wrong. After work I planned to head over to the tailor (to get my skirt made) that Lamnuegn had told me about, which was located a bit far from my apartment, but which appeared manageable by bike on my map.

I set off on my bicycle at 5:35 pm. I noticed almost immediately that biking was more difficult than normal, but put it down to having not ridden over the weekend and being a little out of shape. After fifteen minutes, I could no longer accept this explanation and I had to admit that I had a leaky tire. I kept my eyes peeled for a place to fill the tire with air, but spotted nothing and after five more minutes or so I reached the street where the tailor was located and decided to take care of it later. Well…the tailor was closed. I had biked so far for nothing. Accepting defeat on this point I turned around and began my trip back. Within thirty seconds it became clear I couldn’t ride my bike anymore. The front tire was fully flat and any forward movement resulted in such a tremendous wobble I feared being thrown off completely. I clambered off my bike and began to walk, pushing my bike along the side of the road.

I walked for what felt like hours, but what was, in reality, a mere fifty minutes. The tailor shop was located closer to the outskirts of Vientiane, in a part of town we normally do not go, and I can now say with certainty that I will not return to visit. This tailor shop is evidently located in a very “local” part of town where the falang do not venture. Walking back home through this area was a bit nerve wracking as everyone I passed stared at me, some pointing, simply stopping whatever they were doing to watch the falang girl push her bike down the street. The day was hot, although I was lucky that there was some cloud cover, and by the time I reached home my shirt was soaked with sweat and all I could do was collapse on my bed in exhaustion. My rest was to be brief, however, and soon it was time to leave the house for dinner.

A few weeks ago BABSEA dropped off two bikes at our apartment that we have been using as spares. I decided to use one of these bikes until I could get mine fixed. Unfortunately, some of my housemates used one of the bikes to go to someone’s house and then left there. So, on this day, we were down to one spare. I hopped aboard and was ready to go. I looked down and what should I see, but another flat tire. Yup. The spare bike also had a flat tire and I was now bikeless. Luckily, I have an amazing roommate and she hopped off her bike and insisted we walk into town and that it would be no problem. That night we walked to downtown Vientiane, quite a trek, ate dinner (which was delicious), and then walked home again in the dark. Quite the day.

Tuesday was much better. Work went well once again and after work Lamnuegn drove me to the tailors so that I could get there before it closed and wouldn’t have to make the bike ride again. The tailors took only ten minutes as the woman simply took my measurements, asked a few questions about the style and I was done! It was raining by the time I returned home, so I bundled up in my rain coat, grabbed my bike and set off to get my tire fixed. I only had to walk a few blocks and was able to watch the guy pull my tire apart, find the leak, patch it up, and put the whole thing back together again for only a 5,000 kip! I had been worried about the cost, but it was an easy and cheap fix, and I am now mobile once again! Zenia met me downtown for dinner, where we tried a Turkish restaurant, which was delicious! I had had Turkish food previously, but this tasted especially good for some reason. I ate a mixed chicken plate that gave me chicken kebab, chicken steak, and another type of chicken I can’t remember, all served with buttery rice and a small salad. Yum! If you have not had the pleasure of Turkish food (or Lebanese food or Greek food are supposed to be similar), you are definitely missing out and should correct this oversight immediately! I ended the day with a pineapple smoothie at Fruit Heaven and felt better about my wretched Monday.

Today is now Wednesday and my day has been consumed with plans for my upcoming weekend excursion. Tomorrow morning we fly to Cambodia for six days! Isn’t that exciting? We will be flying into Phnom Penh, the capital, and immediately take a bus south to Siem Reap. The next day we will take a tuk-tuk to Angkor Wat (the Eighth Wonder of the World) for a day from sunrise to sunset among the wats. That night will be spent in Siem Reap as well and on Saturday morning we will head back to Phnom Penh to spend the day and night exploring the capital. On Sunday, Saem will be heading home to Vientiane, while Zenia and I will continue on to Sihanoukville, which is located on the coast of Cambodia. Monday morning we will be touring a shelter in Sihanoukville that Rick (our ultimate boss at VFI) arranged for us to see. We will be taking an afternoon bus back to Phnom Penh on Monday and will be flying home on Tuesday evening (the earliest flight we could get). Phew! I’m tired just writing about this! It will be a crazed and hectic trip, but well worth the effort as Cambodia is not a place you want to miss. Unfortunately, due to the high crime rates in Cambodia, I will not be able to take my computer with me and we will all have to wait for new posts when I get back on Tuesday afternoon (although I probably won’t post until Wednesday morning or Tuesday night for you). I hope you all survive the deprivation! Wish me luck!