Fun with tourists

Our days are hard. We must photograph many couples needing proof of their travels together and we must use yoga to amuse and train many more. While posing for yoga promo shots (how often will she have Angkor as a set) Anna-Marie is ogled by the curious. One guy who has never done yoga joins in, delighted that Anna-Marie is doing vrksasana (tree pose) in front of the twisted invasion of trang (ficus altissima) and spung (tetrameles nudiflora) trees. After, we head back to the city for excitement.

Our first day at Angkor we cut short so we could join in the festivities surrounding the water festival. While this is a celebration of the reversal of the direction of flow of the Tonle Sap River, and this river is no where near Siem Reap, the Tonle Sap lake is such a major source of food and resources for all of Cambodia, that the fun is spread about.

We biked the four kilometres back to Siem Reap, to the main park on the banks of its modest river. Dragon boat races are the main attraction, running between the Wat Bo bridge and the 25th Street bridge. On the west bank of the river is a large park, and the road along the river here was closed each afternoon (to cars, motos, and bikes), which always made getting back to our hotel a minor adventure.

North of the Wat Bo Bridge were make-shift bike and moto parking lots, charging inflated prices. We opted to lock our three bikes together on the bridge itself, alongside some other bikes and motos. The bridge was all but closed, with throngs of people taking advantage of the elevated view down the river.

The boat racing was a bit of a bust—a lot of waiting and very little racing—but the people watching was good, and there were odd food snacks to be had. Long before we saw any real racing Anna-Marie thought we should check on the bikes. They were gone. Stolen. Rental for the day is one dollar; replacement is $50 (US) each. 

We found a cop and a bilingual local and explained the situation, hoping the police may have removed our bikes. Several slow minutes pass, with much discussion in Khmer, very little translation into English, and a few radio calls to other police.

Finally, yes. The bikes had been removed (we think) and taken to a public building in the park on the opposite side of the river (we think).

The bikes and an unhappy, uncooperative cop are found. Over much apologizing for our ignorance of local laws we are led to the semi-mangled tangle of bikes. No fine, no lecture, no apology. Clearly, the bikes were picked up as one mass and tossed and kicked to their present location. Once locked, they are now interlocked. I have to bend and break spokes to remove a peddle; the kick-stand on one bike falls off; the front baskets are riddled with holes.

Later, sheepishly, after composing and rejecting various stories of woe for the rental company, we return the bikes. With spokes and kick-stand in hand, with a wave the clerk stops me after "we had some difficulties." No fines, no explanations needed.

On day two we rent from a different place.