The Great Battle for Norodom

I feel like I'm a pretty brave person. Now, it's not like I jump out of planes or swim with sharks all the days of my life (or ever for matter, but it's definitely on my to-do list) but still, I'd like to think I have some courage in me. Let's get real here. Pottermore told me that I'm a Gryffindor. I rest my case.

I say this because Cambodia has already forced me to not only be brave, but be a borderline adrenaline junkie. Ya know, the type where if their mother saw exactly what they were doing they would grey faster than well... something that greys quickly (my metaphor generator is currently experiencing maintenance, sorry for the inconvenience).

Anyways, I say all this because I believe many of you have seen this picture on Facebook.

I feel like this deserves an explanation.

FIRST OF ALL, I'm a firm believer in wearing a helmet. Safety first remember? Just keep that in mind for a sec, okay? Anywho, one of the first items of business my first full day here was to get a bike. Other than a BYU owned tuk-tuk that we can use when we can, bikes are our main source of transportation. So I picked out my bike (I named him Barry since he has a sticker on the side that says "Extreme Berry") and then discovered that the helmet shop was closed for the day and wouldn't be open until Monday. So I got to learn the crash course of riding a bike in Phnom Penh helmetless against my will. Rest assured I'll always wear one once one is my possession

Traffic here is insane. I was warned of this before I came and was told that everytime you reach a destination on a bike you feel a huge sense of accomplishment. That couldn't be more true. Here's why. See that picture? Cars, motos, and bikes fill the streets ALL THE TIME. The only way to describe Cambodian traffic is organized chaos. People don't stay in their lanes and every lesson about defensive driving in driver's ed is out the window here. Agression is the key and you just have to be assertive go for what you want. On a bike, you literally have to dodge and weave inbetween cars, motos, and crowded intersections to get where you need to go. Everyone here is so used to it that they're miracuoulsy really good at not hitting you despite the face they're seemingly millimeters away from you. Doesn't make it any less terrifying though.

This will be my life for three months. I'll get to cruise the main drag called Norodom (pronounced Noro-dome with a slightly rolled 'r' and a popped 'd') on a daily basis and feel like I'm participating in the great battle for Middle Earth everytime I enter traffic. I'm genuine when I say I'm going to enjoy this, but I doubt I'll ever say so many fervent prayers in such a short amount of time. Additional prayers from all of you wouldn't hurt as well.

Here's another shot of a random side street in Phnom Penh. Cool, no?

Oh I guess I should say that my flight was good, I watched lots of good movies, Korean Air is incredibly posh, and it's extremely hot an humid here. Life is good people. Never forget it. 

I did indeed change the name of my blog. The other one wasn't suiting my fancy very much.

And here's a shout out to one of the bravest people I know. My mom! I love you and I hope you have a fantastic Mother's Day!

Until next time, and remember to comment and ask questions for my talk-back posts!