Mel’s Blog

below is a recent Skype conversation that my friend suggested I post - a snapshot of life in Cambodia - about getting home after a dinner

[7/15/2008 6:28:52 PM] Melina Chan says: the other night we had a going away dinner for my closest friend here (there’s been a mass exodus lately), a pasta night with board games at a belgian couple’s house.

I had been in Phnom Penh and travelled back that day and busted my ass to get there on time, but by the time I arrived, 6pm, people had all already eaten, in true Battambang-early-night syndrome style

So. that was just an aside. anyway, we hung for a while and had some great QT (qualitytime) and when it came time for us to go, it turned out that three of us were unexpectedly without motos.

mine was locked up at work, yvette’s had gotten a flat on the way and Jenny doesn’t have one.
Anyway, Andrew offered to ride us all home (not a great idea to fit four people on a moto unless you’re “khmer-sized”)

[7/15/2008 6:31:18 PM] John van Kooy says: heh

[7/15/2008 6:31:37 PM] Melina Chan says: so instead he drove to the closest hotel to try and hire us a tuk tuk (and we all live in opposite corners of town, conveniently enough)
so he sourced one after a while… and was quoted an astronomical, insulting $5 to get us all home.
[7/15/2008 6:32:14 PM] John van Kooy says: disgusting
[7/15/2008 6:32:25 PM] Melina Chan says: but as we didn’t have much of a choice we accepted… and we were a fair way out…
so the tuk tuk arrives and we say our goodbyes and jump in. tuk tuk doesn’t start.
this poor young guy driving was kickstarting the thing for about 15 minutes before he gave up. Dripping with sweat, embarrassed to high heavens, he had to accept our offer to get out and push to try and roll start it.
it was such a hilarious sight. three barang (white) chicks running behind a tuk tuk, pushing as hard as they can with the driver at the front trying to pop it into gear. Tuk tuk came to a screeching halt whenever it was put into gear though, and we all smushed up against the back of it… beside ourselves with the giggles…
so. the dude doesn’t have a phone, doesn’t know the number of any of his mates. my two contacts weren’t answering. and we were just in the middle of a pitchblack road, sweating way too much for you to imagine.

[7/15/2008 6:36:46 PM] John van Kooy says: so.. youre stuck?
[7/15/2008 6:36:59 PM] Melina Chan says: decide to walk the tuk tuk back to the hotel where perhaps he can source us some other form of transport… quite a procession, as we passed a wedding and got closer to civilisation, we got stares, whistles yells all sorts of attention (mostly just laughed at). We walk the tuk tuk back to the dude’s house, just by a big hotel and he runs off to try to get us all motos to catch home. pops yvette on one and Jenny and I hop on his and off we go… not far now…
[7/15/2008 6:38:19 PM] Melina Chan says: about halfway to Jenny’s house the front tyre of the moto blows
[7/15/2008 6:38:25 PM] John van Kooy says: jesus
[7/15/2008 6:38:31 PM] Melina Chan says: luckily it was only our sides that were splitting with laughter
[7/15/2008 6:38:47 PM] John van Kooy says: are you going to blog this?
[7/15/2008 6:38:53 PM] John van Kooy says: definitely think you should
[7/15/2008 6:39:19 PM] Melina Chan says: no one was hurt. we rolled very slowly to jenny’s place and then to the nearest roadside tyre patcher dude
[7/15/2008 6:39:49 PM] John van Kooy says: this is.. at night?
[7/15/2008 6:40:07 PM] Melina Chan says: it was late on a saturday night, like around 10:30pm or something, but it was peak hour at the ol’ tyre repair stand. lots of gangsters (young bucks with fancy shirts and guns that ride around in threes on these speedy motorbikes without a hint of sensibility)
[7/15/2008 6:40:29 PM] John van Kooy says: ah
[7/15/2008 6:40:33 PM] Melina Chan says: there were two tyre patcher dudes, and about 5 motos waiting for repairs. It was a scary 15 minutes. The roadside tyrepatchers pulled off our innertube, assessed the damage and couldn’t save it

of course, they didn’t have any new replacements they could sell us… so they patched a second hand one for us…in the mean time i just held my bag close and tried to look as scary but non confrontational as possible
[7/15/2008 6:42:15 PM] John van Kooy says: hilarious
[7/15/2008 6:42:16 PM] Melina Chan says: jumped back on the moto. not far now.
but would you believe that as we turned into my street the fuel injecting thingy f**ked up and moto kicked back again… uh uh not cool
i’ve had that problem with my moto before. it happens when you put SHIT fuel from roadside cokebottles in it
[7/15/2008 6:43:47 PM] John van Kooy says: ah, roadside coke bottles, theyll get you every time
[7/15/2008 6:44:12 PM] Melina Chan says: so we got off and the poor tired sweaty unpaid driver proceeded to suck or blow (I couldn’t tell) on the mouth of the fuel tank with little success.
he ended up walking me home before turning around and wheeling his rotten moto back to where he came from.
[7/15/2008 6:45:24 PM] John van Kooy says: did he end up getting the $5?
[7/15/2008 6:45:34 PM] Melina Chan says: i think it took about an hour and 15 minutes to go about 3 or 4 k’s
i gave him a dollar, although he didn’t want to accept anything, as he shamefully made us not only walk, but push and run
ah, needed a shower after that adventure
[7/15/2008 6:46:03 PM] John van Kooy says: . nice
[7/15/2008 6:46:18 PM] John van Kooy says: well and truly been initiated then