Thursday, January 22, 2009



The other day my bike broke down! It was awful! I had never occurred to me that I don't know what to do if my bike breaks. So there I am stranded in the street on a very hot day!
It all started because my friend Erin was riding with me (Erin I don't blame the accident on you!) She accidentally hit the kick-start while I was pushing the automatic start button. For some reason, this locked the kick-start up, and it would not move or start.
The first thing that always happens when something goes wrong on a bike, is that random men swarm to help out. The guard from the place across the street and a man from the shop we had been in, came out to help us. They tried several things, but they couldn't get it to work. Then a group of tuk-tuk drivers from down the road tried there hand at the bike. The annoying think is, that they will tear at it and move important looking parts, but they have no idea what they are doing! They don't care that they actually could be making things worse!
So after 30 of random men fiddling with my bike. Erin and I begin to walk the bike down the street in search of a mechanic. It was so hot! I was sweating profusely from pushing and the heat.
After a while we found a "mechanic" (aka. a man with a tent on the side of the road). He was extremely nice, but he begin ripping into my bike.
I knew the problem was the kick-start, so I kept pointing to it. Despite that, he tore everything off the bike. He took my seat out (as seen in the picture. It's sitting on the ground). He tore the gas tank out! It was crazy. In the end, it turned out the kick-start only needed grease. But we sat there and waited in the heat for 2 hours! ah!
The whole time we were waiting. Two guards from a near by building were trying to flirt. It was humorously annoying. Erin teaches at a Cambodian Univerisity, so she asked one of the guards if he was studying at university. And he said "I do not study... but I do study love. I study love everyday. Especially with foreign girl." I started making puking sounds. I know it's immature, but really! Who honestly thinks a line like that will work? I what universe would that make me want to date him? None! that's the answer!
Apparently the mechanic thought I was cute. When I walked across the street to get a phone card, he told Erin that I was beautiful. :) That's more like it. Not that he had a chance either.
ah... Living in Cambodia is an adventure.

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