During our recent family trip to visit my in-laws in Pursat, we took a side-trip to buy a bicycle for Srey-Yuu & Monkey-B.
Big City Shopping 🏙️
Pursat is a very agricultural and mountainous area, so even the provincial capital is light years behind Siem Reap, Battambang, Sihanoukville, & Phnom Penh, basically the only 4 big-ish cities in Cambodia. It took us about 15 minutes of driving around random roads to stumble upon a cluster of two bike shops.
We chose the bike shop on the right because it was closest to where we parked the tuk-tuk. Srey-Yuu has been bugging me for ages to get a bicycle again, so I was glad to finally have this opportunity. A wealthy Cambodian family member in California sent us $100 to spend on the @kidsisters, so this her and Monkey-B's chance to get some wheels.
Choices, Choices 💭
Srey-Yuu was seemingly stunned at the thought of having a bike again. I reminded her Pramaoy has a few hills, so if we're lucky we might find an internally-geared 3-speed bike like we had in Suriname. Srey-Yuu and Monkey-B were both able to get bikes, and we put them both in the tuk-tuk with several bunches of coconuts gifted to us by family members, then hit the road back to Pramaoy.
🥣 Eat, Ride, Repeat 🚴♀️
Since arriving back in Pramaoy Srey-Yuu has begun riding her bike to Khmer public school in the mornings, and Monkey-B is trying to learn the delicate art of balance, something absolutely necessary in the absence of training wheels.
Even though we no longer have a cafe, we still eat just as good as when we did. Whether chopping coconuts or making a "puri pizzas," the @kidsisters need more calories than ever to pay attention in school and complete homework.
A local dessert seller that hawks from her bicycle recently saw our mass of coconuts, and asked to have the meat from a few for her business. Due to the higher than average prices of coconuts here, we were glad to give them to her for free, and it's always nice to be friendly when you are the new folks in town.
Go!! 🐵 Monkey Go!!
Much to Monkey's chagrin, I have asked her to forget the pedals for now and focus on moving the bike with her legs, then lifting and experimenting with balance. She can go for a few seconds now, and I sense within a week she'll be scooting around like this much more gracefully.
🦟 Mosquitoes 5 - 0 Monkey-B 🐒
Learning to ride a bike requires a lot of brainpower, apparently so much that you can't even tell when 5 mosquitoes are drinking your face. I only went inside for a few minutes and the above face is what I came back to, Monkey-B oblivious to the battle she lost with Pramaoy's mosquitoes.
Just Hivin' & Bikin' 👩💻
The door to our rental room can barely be seen behind the tuk-tuk, but it's a pretty panorama of a typical scene from our life here. We often use our neighbor's hammock hut, and the extra wide sidewalk has kind of become Monkey-B's bicycle path. On the right you can Srey-Yuu helping Mom with her Hive blog.
The above shot is Monkey-B getting for a push and balance attempt. She's getting so close now, and I can't wait to see her ride and eventually ride by alongside big sister to public school. Well, taht's all for now folks, so far a bad attempt at posting 7 days a week like I'd wish.
Even though Hive is my full-time job, I rarely find to post and earn from my own profile after doing various daily chores, ASEAN Hive stuff, and helping Srey-Yuu and Pov with their blogs. I really hope to find some more time in the near future to post and engage more because I honestly miss creating posts and reading ASEAN Hive content from you all.
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Darn it. I can sense the itch on her face! Nevertheless, now it reminded me I don't usually get mosquito bite. I heard some vampire said smoker's blood doesn't taste as good, and blood type O actually taste better than A or B. So I guess, back then I was a heavy smoker with blood type B positive, added with a wife who is blood type O save me from mosquito bites 🤣
On the side note, I never had my training wheels at all. I know my elder brother can rider and do BMX stunt, but it never cross my mind I can ride. Until my dad upgraded him with a race bike, and then put me on the BMX, gave me a push ask me keep pedaling. I wasn't so sure if my dad even assist me, I did it for quite a far distance, before I looked back and found my dad wasn't pushing 🤣 and then I fell. And then the 2nd, I got it right to the point and managed to keep my balance until the end of the field where I have no idea how to use the brake lever 🤣 ended up in the drain with few cuts and bruises.
As I read your comment I can't help but imagine a young Dave pedaling until the field stopped you. Funny you mention the blood types and mosquitoes, there is definitely something behind that. In Suriname the mosquitoes wanted to suck all my blood, but never bothered the family. Luckily here in Cambodia the local mosquitoes seem to be afraid of my ginger blood. It's quite clear Monkey-B is the most delicious blood bank in our house 😉.
Hi hi Justin... I think @asean.hive is still doing great. It is alrite that you are busy. Hehe.. I also spend a lot of time on house chores and they take a lot of time to complete. It's really important to make new friends in a new place. Wahhaha
Monkey B looks grown up. I am recalling from earlier post that you've written. I enjoy reading about your journeys. Will be reading as soon as your new post are out. 😀😀😀
I think you understand my time management issues very well 😆, I know you're a busy guy. Of course kids consume a lot of time, but now Srey-Yuu is getting to the age where she is helping more and more in the house. Monkey-B is also getting bigger, even washing the dishes on occasion now. Thanks for stopping by and sharing some positive vibes.
Yea.. having three great ladies takes a lot of time.. Need a lot of communicating and understanding of their needs.. but it makes everyday a lot more brighter.. looking at them growing up.. I think after a couple of years, I will be reading their life as teenagers.. instead.. pretty cool.. =) Great that Srey Yuu is helping more... Monkey B seems to be thinner and taller.. they grow up really really fast.. sometimes, it is sad...
I love reading about family life.. And I read about what SreyYuu said in one of her post.. about her life .. she's got deep thoughts already.. Thanks a lot Justin for making this community great.. hahaa.. the first thing I do every day is to post here.. =) Just to make sure I get one post out..there were times in the past where I just did not find any motivation to write for a month.. hahahaha.. well, I am motivated nowadays ever since I have been on Asean Hive.
I am just coming out of a Hive slump myself, kind of lost my motivation for awhile due to being super busy and lacking the energy needed. Our girls are growing up on Hive, and it should happen soon, but Monkey-B promised when we left Suriname that she'd make a post once a week to help her sister. Srey-Yuu will be a teenager in 3 months, and I am simply not ready yet.
That was the best advice, because even when I was learning to ride a bike, you told me this at the beginning, you are teaching really well. Hopefully soon he will learn to ride a bike. However, the mosquito bites are quite swollen.
She's so close now, but I can still see that so much brainpower is required that it's impossible to worry about mosquito attacks 😆.
I am new to the Asian Hive Community and have been reading posts from others as well as yours. I am glad that your family settled down in Cambodia after being away for several years. And your kids starting school and stuff. I hope your girl will get the hang of cycling soon.
I would've never imagined reestablishing ordinary life would be so exciting, but thanks to COVID the ability to simply go from one town to another was something we couldn't afford while stranded in Suriname. Most of all it's good to see the girls back in school again.
After all the ordeal, I am truly happy that you are reunited with your family in Cambodia.
🙏🙏🙏
So happy for the girls to have their own bikes (again). Every child should at least once learn how to bicycle. Riding my bike alongside friends to school and around the neighborhood was a fun time.
It's a simple thing, but to me it's one of the few things I can share with my daughters that I experienced as a child too. I am now working on Srey-Yuu getting confident enough again to be able to take her sister to school on the back. But this town is very small and peaceful, and kids much younger than Monkey-B cycle to school solo every day here. When she's ready and confident, I'd love to see them both ride to school together, that would melt my heart.
They're smart kids, so it'll definitely happen 😊.
Did you also do stunts on your bike? I did. I never learned how to ride a horse, so sometimes I even imagined my bike being one 😂.
As a kid I certainly did my share of what I considered stunts, but in all likelihood I was probably ramping two inches off the ground. But at that age with such basic motor skills, this was an extreme feat 😁.
Hahahaaa, I'm also not sure if my stunts were as daring compared to others, but for my comfort level it was pretty daring 😅🤣.
I felt carried away when I read your post this time, but I kept repeating looking at @sreypov's picture the way he stood was very dashing as if the bike would all be bought up, hehe
The whole family is still very shy, even with their fellow Cambodians, a sign of the mental and social effects of us being stranded in Suriname for so many years during the economic collapse and pandemic there. Even when my daughters or wife are very excited to do something, I sometimes am still the one to begin a conversation with the locals.
I know how you feel about the lack of posting! I'm just now starting to get back into a routine, and it feels good. That $100 must have felt like Christmas 🙌
Well, cheers to getting back into a routine of sorts. When I post every day on Hive, everything else seems to fall in order naturally. $100 is a pretty big deal of course, far more than enough for just a bicycle, so I guess there's still some future shopping trips when the @kidsisters are ready.
The children looked fun and happy. My son and granddaughter like bicycles as well.
Monkey-B couldn't get any training wheels for her bike, so I hope she doesn't crash too hard while learning how to ride. It is such a simple joy to watch the kids learning these things.
I like the bike! I think i'll get out there today and ride mine in honor of the new purchase.
We were quite happy to see there was one 27-inch wheeled bike with a 3-speed. It's not flashy, but mechanically sound and reliable. Safe riding my ASEAN Hive friend.
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